#Venue
While it may seem difficult, finding a venue to host CodeDay seems to be fairly straightforward. Try to contact:
- Co-working spaces and incubators/accelerators. They're usually the most flexible of any of the choices, and a good atmospheric fit.
- Startups
- Corporations
- Your school
Unless you can track down major sponsorship, the venue needs to be free. So talking to conference centers and hotels is usually a waste of your time, as they almost always charge for event space.
Create a list of venues you think would be interested. See if you, or anyone you know, knows someone who works for them - a warm introduction goes a long way. Otherwise, don't be afraid to cold-call! Many venues are happy to help out students who want to get involved in technology.
Once you've got someone on the phone or email, be sure to:
- Introduce yourself! Who are you?
- Tell them what you're doing. You're looking to run a 24-hour programming marathon called CodeDay, which creates the next generation of technologists by getting students to work on tech projects.
- Make the ask. Ask them to sponsor their space, allowing you to use it for 24 hours overnight.
- Tell them why they benefit. They'll get the "Supporting Sponsor" level for free! Refer to the Sponsorships guide for more benefits.
It may take some time, so even though a company says "we may be able to give you a space", keep looking until you get a yes.
Once you get a yes, you're finished with one of the most important steps in organizing your CodeDay: getting a venue!
###Space Checklist
Make sure your space has, or prepare to bring:
- Enough chairs and tables
- Power outlets and extension strips
- A Projector
- Speakers for music (this is very important!)