Note: This was written on 1/28/2021. Since then, I have dug more into each of these areas and made a more detailed list of objective and key results. But I want to keep this as-is so that I can share a record of my thoughts as they evolved.
Key Areas of The Eureka Room 2021 Phase
Now that I know I’m aiming for mid-summer opening of the Eureka Room, I started to work out the timeline.The main things that need done are:
- Find a location.
- Build it (structure and electronics).
- Have awesome programs.
- Get (the right) people to come to it.
Location
The trickiest question is where. I used to think that it should be in a tourist area. But now I’m wondering if that’s what I want. I want to have a system where I’m not letting people in who won’t like it. So maybe off the beaten path is better?
Another reason against tourist areas is price. It’s far more expensive to be located around downtown than a little ways out. If my hope is that showings will be scheduled. What good is walk-up traffic if you can’t serve them? Sure you can capitalize on scarcity, but I’m not sure the premium for a central location would be worth it.
I think a sublease would be ideal preferably around 6 months. I would much prefer to just be part of someone else’s space and I pay them, rather than me do all the paperwork to get the whole thing set up.
The reality is that I’m very subject to what’s available to rent. I’ll have to do a lot of asking around, but I think I’m going to have to be willing to jump on things early or wait longer than I’d like. Fortunately, I think I can start building a lot of it even if I still haven’t found a location yet.
I’m going to talk to some people I know who have had the need for unusual spaces like me. I also know some landlords I can talk to to get their point of view. Additionally I’m going to drive around and see if I can’t cold-call on places that look appealing and have potential.
Construction
There’s two parts to this: the structure and the electronics. The structure part likely won’t take too long, assuming I’m building it mostly like the current version. The electronics might take a week or two to assemble.
The unknown is: how long to get all those parts I need? I’ve got a meeting setup this week with Noah to discuss this and cost.
Programming
I have some. I need more. This will be a big focus over the coming months.
Visitors
This is the fuzziest item on the list. I’m not sure how much I will need to do. I’m also not sure the best ways to do this. I have a lot of ideas and will be thinking about them in the coming weeks.
The Vision For This Phase
Right now, the vision is a singular room that I can put up and test viability of the concept in the real world. I’m sure there will be learning and improvements made along the way, too.
My aims of this phase:
- See if there’s a big enough market for what I’m doing.
- Learn a lot from visitors to get a clear idea of what the next level(s) should be.
- Make the kind of connections (visitors, supporters, and collaborators) that I need to fully realize the dream later.
I believe I’m offering something worth paying for and that I can attract enough of the tribe to at least keep it at break even. If not, I’ve got the downside minimized.
I will be there working it mostly, but will need to hire some help as attendance increases. I want to be there to get feedback and ideas from visitors.