In brief
The ideal space for a THATCamp is free, big enough for 75-100 people, able to accommodate breakout sessions for four to five groups of 15-20 people each, and equipped for and with technology. A university building with about 5 classrooms reserved will work great.
Cost
The high prices asked by hotels and conference centers are a big reason that many conferences charge such high registration fees. Saving money on meeting space is therefore a pretty high priority for THATCamps, which charge no registration fees at all. If you’re organizing a THATCamp because you work with technology and the humanities, your employer might well be willing to provide THATCamp meeting space for free. Universities and colleges have museums, libraries, institutes, and centers that are great places to hold a THATCamp, and indeed many THATCamps organized by academics have been held in the groves of academe. Humanities centers and digital humanities centers are particularly appropriate meeting places, and such centers are located throughout the U.S. and Europe.
However, because THATCamp is for everyone, not just academics, universities and colleges are by no means the only places to hold a THATCamp. Public museums, public libraries, and technology companies often have terrific meeting spaces, and these organizations are very likely to have people who are interested in technology and the humanities. Rather than sponsoring your THATCamp with money, they might be very willing to sponsor your THATCamp with space.
Size
We recommend that your space have one large room where everyone can gather for introductions and agenda-setting, plus four or five smaller rooms for individual sessions. If you have only one large room, it should probably at least have movable chairs so that people can get together in small groups.
Technology
If possible, the space should also have such amenities as whiteboards or chalkboards (crucial for agenda-setting), projectors, plenty of power outlets, and wireless Internet access.
Examples
Some THATCamp spaces:
- The Center for History and New Media at George Mason University — THATCamp Prime
- Automattic headquarters — THATCamp Bay Area
- Aboard a boat on the Seine La Baleine Blanche — THATCamp Paris, pictured above
- The Simpson Humanities Center at the University of Washington — THATCamp Pacific Northwest
