Thanks to a grant from the Disrupt Foundation, we launched a brand new programme of accessible events in 2023. This included a series of free, in-person, Monday evening masterclasses. They were:
- On practical skills related to employability, tech, new economics, and social change.
- Every four months we had three masterclasses, each with three sessions.
- That means in 2023 we had nine masterclasses made up of 27 two-hour workshops with 278 people through our door!!
Jan to Apr 2023
May to Aug 2023
Sep to Dec 2023
HIGHLIGHTS/Learnings
The workshops themselves
- Our £5 deposit (which we return when you attend and which you can avoid by emailing us directly) was successful in guaranteeing 60% attendance of people who sign up.
- We realised that the masterclasses weren’t just about the content, they were also about mingling with like-minded people who are struggling with the same topics. This is so much the case that in 2024 instead of WordPress masterclasses, we have WordPress drop-in sessions.
- People really appreciate a friendly face and personal follow-ups. Lots of people fed back how nice it was that the SPACE4 team is recognisable, friendly and on hand to make personal connections with people. We send personal follow-up emails with resources, reach out on LinkedIn, and make sure everyone knows they can reach out to us. This has kept audiences coming back.
Building community + networks
- We chose early career, local masterclass instructors who are in our community. Many of them benefited from the opportunity to build their brand, skills, and network. They were also more likely to become part of our community. Bethany from the Marketing Yourself masterclass, for example, grew her newsletter subscribers and ended up getting a photography opportunity from an audience member. John Ridpath ended up collaborating on an AI ethics event with us.
- The workshops enabled us to keep people in our space and part of our community, even if they weren’t desk or meeting room users. We could refer discussion event attendees to come back for skills training or vica-versa. We had at least one event a week in the space. One Islington college student ended up coming to three separate masterclasses – Code Reading Club, Career Advice, and Unleash Your Website with WordPress; one audience member ended up becoming a masterclass instructor for our 2024 series; and one person ended up joining the Founders and Coders software development programme.
Growing our brand and improving our offer
- After every set of three masterclasses we learnt more about our audiences and the topics they were interested in. In the August holidays we also went through a rigorous evaluation process conducting one-on-one interviews with a selection of events participants, masterclass instructors, and speakers. This enabled us to improve our offering and we now feel confident that we are curating more relevant workshop topics.
- The regularity of the sessions and familiarity of the format has established our name in local and thematic networks. Previously we paid for targeted marketing on Instagram and LinkedIn. Now we conduct no paid marketing and people approach us for opportunities. Our 2024 workshops often sell out.
- Through our masterclass programme we have developed long-term relationships with skilled professionals that we regularly draw on for expertise, mentoring, and other events we host in the space.
- Being so active has also exposed more people to our space and led to more meeting room bookings and desk hires.
What participants Said
I like the environment. I’ve been to a couple of events. I took a lot from the way it was structured. It definitely had the workshop environment and it felt comfortable.
I met like-minded people and found out about Founders and Coders. Also I’d never heard about this SPACE, I was just browsing Eventbrite searching for tech and non-profit organisations. The topics that you share in the workshops are very niche. I don’t think other organisations have these kind of specific topics like SPACE4. This is positive. What I really appreciated is the follow-up email. After the workshop you shared all the links and materials. That is really helpful.
Workshops that I attended were very interesting for me, especially the Coding for Community Organising one. The concept was more interesting. It wasn’t a coding workshop, it was about how to use technology for a non-profit and the logic behind it. That was really interesting because it was something that can be applied to other topics and organisations. That was much more inspiring.
What Instructors Said
Co-working spaces are not somewhere I imagine would lead to deeper connection with people in my neighbourhood. That’s what I love about SPACE4 the most… I have London Undergrowth, which is currently a website but I haven’t figured out what to do with it yet – is it just a website where I store certain types of things I’m interested in? Or does it become a not-for-profit or a co-op or a business? The masterclasses definitely gave me the platform to be like, “Oh, okay, I’m being asked to do things outside of this learning journey, like posting public workshops” so they’ve been really important for that and very supportive.
– John Ridpath, Doughnut Economics Masterclass
I feel like I’ve been held through this process – bringing what I know to the table but being led by SPACE4. The set up of the workshops was warm and friendly. That really helps facilitate the workshop for all the guests coming in. A key part of that was having you there to welcome everyone in. In general, everything that SPACE4 aligns with has helped me think about my own business plans and how to work. And it’s helped me build a network with fellow freelancers and creatives. It has helped me reach a broader audience and connect with more people in a way that my other workshops and approaches to work haven’t. I have maintained three or four nice regular contacts. 20 people signed up to my newsletter and website. They’ve joined the sassy circle. The whole experience has helped me know what I know which was really encouraging. It boosted my confidence.
– Bethany Burgoyne, Marketing Yourself Masterclass
The year to come
- We want to increase our masterclass numbers. At the moment we limit registrations to 25 and approximately 15 people show up. We’re expanding our numbers so that there are 25 people in the room for each session.
- We want to partner with like-minded community groups like the Islington Somali Community to deliver targeted workshops.
- We want to platform more professionals in our space and network to share their expertise because this leads to deeper more long-term relationships that benefit everyone.
What’s on at the moment
If you’re interested in becoming an instructor or have suggestions for a masterclass you’d like to see in the space please email space4@outlandish.com.