New Scientist Café Scientifique Network
We’d like to share our experience of setting up Café Scientifique in Boston with you. Hopefully it will help to get your café off the ground. We know from experience of the successful network of cafes in Britain that they can be run in many different styles but the key concept is of putting scientists directly into contact with the public in an informal setting.
We are very enthusiastic about the Boston café and feel it has been a great success that could easily be repeated. It has received positive feedback from those attending and from local newspapers and the Boston Globe.
Advice on finding a venue
· The best locations are close to/or in an area that has a large group of people you would like to attract – either near where they work or where they live. That might be near a university/college or in a neighborhood where your likely audience might go in the evenings.
What type of venue would you like to use? Bars, coffee shops and bookstores all provide good environments but of a different kind. You might find that a bar provides the best venue for a lively debate. If you are planning a more family-oriented café (as we help organize in Australia) then a coffee shop or bookstore might be better. Would you like to be in a venue where alcohol is served? This can help people relax and interact. But it may limit the number of students/under 21s that can attend.
An event does not require a totally separate area to which you have sole access e.g. a private room. You need some separation from others using the venue but it can be the back part of a bar/coffee shop with tables re-arranged to make a space. A space that can seat 30-40 people is good as the aim is a cozy/intimate feel where open discussion is easy.
Finding a venue is not difficult. The best way is just to go around the neighborhood in which you would like to start the Café and find places that have the right atmosphere for the kind of people you would like to attend.
Once you have decided on a short list of venues, go in and speak to the manager explaining about your event, the type of person you envisage attending and how the event could help them and you. You will find bar managers are usually very receptive to the idea as they are familiar with events being held in bars (anything from live music to poetry readings). Managers of coffee shops and bookstores may know less, just depending on whether they ever use their places for any kind of event. Generally speaking, the idea that you can bring in a crowd of people to a bar or coffee shop will be well received. Ask them which evenings are their quietest (usually the first half of the week) and discuss how this event could help increase their takings by attracting more people to their venue. They should be willing to let you use a space free of charge. Bookstores may have a similar view if they have an in-store coffee shop or if they are used to having readings, book signings etc and they know that you are bringing in an audience that may buy popular science books.
Some venues may serve food and you might want to discuss whether the audience should be encouraged to come along to eat. In England, one successful Café Scientifique is held in a wine bar and everyone eats dinner before the talk. That does not create a formal atmosphere as people share tables and get to make lots of new friends.
Explain to the manager how you are going to promote the event, and that you can include the name of the venue prominently on any advertising material (they usually like this)!
You may attract more people than the available space will hold. Arrange with the manager the best procedure for turning people away. Also, check what the maximum number of people is that the space will hold from a safety aspect.
Advice on finding a speaker
Choose a speaker that can talk entertainingly, as this helps to keep the attention of the audience. We are building a list of people who are really excellent.
Discuss with the speaker the topic you’d like them to talk about.
Run through the format of the evening, e.g. timings, and what you are expecting from them.
Avoid Audio Visual presentations unless absolutely necessary, as it’s difficult to set up projectors and screens. It’s all about power of discussion.
Email the speaker the day before the event to make sure he/she is all set, knows where to come and where to park etc.
Advice on choosing a topic
· We’ve found that the best ones are broad or topical.
· The worst seem to be very academic topics, especially if the title seems very specialized. But a good speaker can make even the most technical subject exciting.
Timing of an event
Set a date that is suitable for both the speaker and the venue.
People tend to like to come along early evening, e.g. 6pm, so they can travel home at a reasonable time after the event has finished.
Also, that means no one minds if the event doesn’t begin exactly on time.
The event can last for about 1 ½ - 2 hours.
Advice on marketing
We have found that posters, the internet, email and PR are the most effective way of generating interest for each event.
Posters: The event title is very important to generate mass appeal. Also include the date, time and venue, free entry, speaker’s name and organization, a line or two on the topic area and
www.cafescientifique.com for details. You’ll find that the venue is very happy to be mentioned on the poster. Arrange to have the posters distributed around key universities and anywhere else that’s likely to attract people e.g. near / at venue. You may get requests for no posters to be displayed in some locations.
Internet: Contact New Scientist with your schedule of events and we will include it on the www.caféscientifique.com website so anyone can check what is coming up.
Emails: For the first event, gather as many email addresses as you can of friends and acquaintances so that you can tell them about the event. Send out an email alert promoting the event about a week before the evening and a reminder on the morning of the event. At the end of the event, ask people to leave their e-mail addresses on their way out so you can contact them again, or to visit www.caféscientifique.com where they--and their friends--can sign up to your email alert for details on forthcoming events. You can forward any email addresses given to you to New Scientist and we will build them into a list for you so that we can automatically mail them when your next event is coming up. Once you have held 2-3 events, your list will be large and you'll find that the bulk mail will bring in lots of people to the Café.
University/hospital admin staff/secretaries maybe happy to send an internal email for you if the talk is on a relevant subject. That can be very helpful.
Public Affairs/Public Relations officers may also be willing to help.
PR: Contact local listings magazines, newspapers, websites and email lists to promote event. Aim to rewrite the details of the event in the style of each publication and send the details through with the respective amount of notice e.g.
BAPC - physics list circulated by academics, requires two weeks notice
The Boston Globe has a science calendar every Tuesday needing a few days notice.
For an example of past New Scientist Café Scientifique press coverage visit
http://cfa-www.harvard.edu/~rkirshner/globe.shtml
Print out a list of forthcoming events to hand out at the end of each evening.
Advice on running the event
Arrive 30 minutes before start to ensure that everything’s in place at the venue and so you can greet the speaker.
Turn up with forthcoming events list.
Buy the speaker a drink – it helps!
Make sure there is a chairperson (which might be you) – introduce the evening, the speaker and get people to talk to each other. There are many ways to do this. It’s up to you to find one that you’re happy with. You may wish to briefly explain the concept of Café Scientifique, how it started in the bars of Paris, introduce the speaker and ask everyone to introduce themselves to the person next to them as an ice breaker.
Mention that they can sign up to an email alert for emails on future events at www.cafescientifique.com.
Suggestion for the structure of the event
Chair makes a brief introduction to the evening and introduces the speaker.
Speaker talks for 20 mins.
Break, encourage the audience to buy refreshments, for 15 mins.
Questions from the audience directed to the speaker, for as long as you feel happy.
Chair thanks the speaker and audience, hands out a forthcoming events list and invites people to leave their email for forthcoming events.
New Scientist Café Scientifique Checklist
At least 1 month in advance
ڤ Find a speaker (or panel if the topic suits)
ڤ Choose a topic
ڤ Find a venue
ڤ Arrange a date that works for both the speaker and venue
ڤ Book the room at your venue
ڤ Contact listings magazines, newspapers, websites and email lists to
promote the event
ڤ Contact New Scientist with your schedule of events and we will include it
on the www.caféscientifique.com website
ڤ Write your poster and include the
www.cafescientifique.com address for
event listings
One week before the event…
ڤ Distribute your posters
ڤ Send out an email alert promoting the event, via New Scientist
On the day before the event…
ڤ Email the speaker
On the day of the event…
ڤ Send out a final email alert reminder, via New Scientist
ڤ Print out a list of forthcoming events to hand out that evening
At the event
ڤ Arrive 30 minutes before the start
ڤ Check everything’s in place at the venue
ڤ Greet the speaker
ڤ Turn up with forthcoming events list
ڤ Buy the speaker a drink
ڤ Chair it – introduce the evening, the speaker and get people to talk to
each other. If the venue is keen to see their takings increase, you might need to remind people to buy a drink!
ڤ Mention that they can sign up to an email alert for emails on future events
ڤ Hand out forthcoming events list
On the day after event…
ڤ Email the speaker to thank him or her for making the event such a
success
Good luck!
