Open House

Hosting

Hosts are responsible for buzzing in visitors, welcoming them, and introducing them to the space and organization.

Buzzing in visitors

The top button on the doorbell buzzer pad in the vestibule downstairs sounds a panel inside our unit to the left of our unit's door and activates a video & audio feed. Hold the middle button to talk ("Hi, are you here for the open house?"), then release it to listen for their response (it's muted while pressed). If they confirm, press the middle button again to welcome them ("Okay, come on up to the second floor"), release, and then hold the right-most button to unlock the door temporarily. Watch the screen to ensure they actually make it in, as some people struggle and need to have the door opened by hand.

Welcoming visitors

Upon their arrival, greet them. "Welcome to Hack Manhattan." If you don't recognize them, introduce yourself and ask if it's their first time.

For first-time visitors:

1. Ask what brought them to the open house. This gives you an idea of things you might want to point out to them, more questions you can ask, and people you can introduce them to.
2. Offer a quick tour of the space, walking around and pointing out:
   • Homebrewing fridge
   • Retro games cabinet
   • Electronics workstation
   • 3D printers
   • Workshop with
     • Heat press
     • Miter saw
     • Hand tools
     • Router table
     • Milling machine / drill press
     • Band saw
     • The abomination that is the Shopsmith, which combines a table saw, drill press, and wood lathe in one
   • Member storage
   • Sewing machines
   • Shelving with assorted materials and tools

If they're interested in anything in particular, spend more time on that topic. If members are using tools, you can ask what they're doing and use this opportunity to introduce the guest(s).

Introducing Hack Manhattan

Provide some background information about Hack Manhattan:

• Nonprofit, primarily funded by member dues
• Volunteer-run by the members
• Offers classes and events, such as:
  • Journaling workshop
  • Fixer's collective
  • Intro to soldering

You can also inquire if they're interested in becoming a member. If so, explain the main points:

• They must visit three open houses, and on the third visit, they can ask a member to submit their application for approval by the members.
• Standard dues are $110, but there are two other tiers with the same privileges:
  • A "starving hacker" rate of $55 for financially constrained individuals, such as students or those who are underemployed.
  • An "engineer" rate of $160 for those who can afford to contribute more.

We have a whole page about recruitment for more details on pitching membership.

If they have questions about topics you're not familiar with, see if another member (especially another host) is present and introduce them to the guest.

Engaging with guests

If guests don't provide much information about their visit, ask additional questions like:

• What sorts of things are you interested in making?
• How did you hear about us?

After covering the basics, you can invite guests to explore on their own. If they want to use a tool, ask them to sign a waiver (located on a clip board, usually kept on the shelf between the fridge and the retro game station) and try to find a member to help them if they're not very experienced. Otherwise, invite them to have a seat at the center table. "Feel free to grab a seat and work on something or just hang out, I'll be over here if you have any questions."

If they have questions you can't answer, you can always ask on Discord.

If another guest arrives

Hopefully there's another member hosting who can handle them. If not, excuse yourself and invite your current guest to explore independently. "Sorry, I've got to get that. You're welcome to keep looking around, and grab a seat at the table if you like. Let me know if you have any more questions."

Wrapping up the visit

When people leave, remind them to join the Discord server: "Thanks for coming in! Are you on the Discord server yet? <direct them to one of the many QR codes> Have a good night!"

Scheduling hosts

Right now we're just using Meetup to coordinate. There is also an #open-house channel on Discord for discussion. Let Peter M (@pidge) know that you want to host, and he will add you to the channel and make you a co-organizer of the HM Meetup group so that you can mark yourself as a host of any open house events you choose.

• Feel free to sign up for hosting as far out as you can reliably plan, ideally at least a week so the board knows which days they need to cover.
• It's great to join on as a host for an event that already has another host, but try to prioritize unclaimed events first.
• If you have to cancel less than a week ahead of time, please post a heads up in #open-house on Discord so someone else can step in.

Setting yourself as a host

1. Make sure you're logged in to Meetup and go to https://www.meetup.com/hackmanhattan/events/
2. Scroll down to the open house you want to host and select Manage attendees under the Manage
   
3. Search for yourself, and then click the ... and select Make event host.