Preparing the space

• organizing/layout/feng shui

• soundproofing

• cleanup before

• communicating with all who share the space/getting and preparing space boundaries

• coat room?

  drinks, food

When preparing a space, the first thing to do is to let all the people who share the space that you've got an event going on and verify that it's ok. Talk to them about the space's boundaries - are there rooms or sections of the rooms that are off limits and need to be secured? Are there any ways that the people who share the space can contribute to the event?

The rest is fairly self-explanatory - have you made sure that there's enough room for all the people you're expecting there? You may have to brainstorm how you'll want to shift around furniture to make room for people or to provide seating. Get a spot setup for someone to work the door, provide a space for people to sell merch or have a table for literature, or for food. Cleaning up the space before the event starts can make a huge difference with how welcoming the space feels.

Soundproofing:

Is this going to be a loud event? Well, soundproofing can be a huge ordeal, depending on how much you want to do. The weak points will be the windows and doors, so putting heavy blankets, laying a mattress or mattress pad, or putting up carpet scraps will do a decent job. The sound you'll usually have to worry about the most are the low-tones, as they vibrate straight through walls, especially in old buildings. A way to deal with these sounds is by putting up sheets of soundboard an inch from the wall - the empty space between the wall and the board will trap the sound. 

Ideas on creating a welcoming space:

Creating a welcoming environment can make or break the success of an event, and especially future events you put on. There are small things that can make a huge difference:

Drinks - it doesn't take a lot of work to brew a bunch of coffee or tea, or dumpster a bunch of juices.

Food & Snacks - There are some foods that are really cheap to make, like rice pudding, chili, pasta, banana bread. A good way to do it is to go dumpstering a couple days before an event and see what the dumpster gods have blessed you with. Doing cooking before an event is also a good way to invite other people into the process and connecting with them.

Potluck! - If you promote your event as a potluck you're likely to end up with at least a few people bringing over food, and that's always a good thing.

Start a fire in the fireplace or turn up the heat a little.

Have casual social games out for people to play. Sound cheesy, I know, but it's nice. Boggle, anyone?

Also, keeping things running according to schedule can help make people feel happier about the event - some people with tight schedules can be frustrated by things running late, and won't come back to your next event.

Considerations for other people's spaces and belongings:

It's best to not make assumptions about your guests and what they need to be most comfortable. A good thing to do is to accomodate for the 'lowest common denominator.' Some people have issues with trusting strangers, so make a space for them to keep their belongings ("coat check"). A lot of DIY spaces can feel clique-ish or culturally insular, and there often aren't a lot of things you can do to correct that impression, but you can at least be mindful of privlege and oppression and have empathy for where other people may be coming from (gender, sexuality, class, race, etc).