Maker Faire 2009
In May we traveled to Maker Faire in San Jose, CA. This event is the largest collection of makers and DIY enthusiasts in North America. This venue is an outstanding place to connect with followers of the Fab concept from all over the country, although the Faire primarily pulls from California. This year’s Faire had 70,000 people in attendance.
The HOF Fab Lab was there representing the Fab Lab network with a workstation-style presentation, allowing attendees to make something of their own design. We drove additional attention to the Fab Lab installation by pairing with Freeline skates, an innovative extreme sports skate designed by a local inventor and HOF Fab Lab member. The skaters rode throughout the crowds, passing out flyers and driving people back to our booth.
We also worked with Kenji Kondo of NextFab / Fab@Home to presented the Fabber, a 3D printer that has been a fantastic teaching tool at the Lab. the Fabber is a built it yourself kit that makes 3D printing affordable and accessible, and it drew a steady crowd of curious makers.
From this event, we had hundreds of new subscribers sign on to our mailing list, others purchased memberships or donated to the program. We also received a spot on Make TV.
Endless crowds.
Hey kid, did you fab the ’stache?