# Why host an event? Events can be a way to bring new people into a project or to explore ideas together; they're also a great means of learning and teaching different techniques. There are several types of events Public Lab members and partner organizations hold. # Types of events Choosing an event type depends on your goals! Read through these examples to help figure out what kind of event you'd like to host. [![IMG_0325.JPG](https://publiclab.org/system/images/photos/000/019/753/medium/IMG_0325.JPG)](https://publiclab.org/system/images/photos/000/019/753/original/IMG_0325.JPG) ## 1. Community organizing events Organizing style events are done to help you and your group push forward on a cause. If your community is facing a new environmental challenge such a new polluter, organzing events help you to get started, get people in the room, get on the same page and to move your group forward in a your objectives. They can help you to: - galvinize people to a cause, - understand the resources you have within your community, - identify the relationships people have to eachother, - pinpoint the things you need to gather or do to accomplish your goals, and - set strategies in your aciton. ### Examples - Power mapping - Picking an advocacy strategy **** ## 2. Events to try out and remix a new idea Many Public Lab events seek to draw on attendees' various skills and experiences to come up with and/or adapt some new ideas. A hackathon is one example of this kind of event, as are: ### Examples * New Hampshire based #iFarm with [FarmHack](http://farmhack.org) * Vermont-based #LEAFFEST **** [![Screenshot_2016-10-19_at_11.33.49_AM.png](https://publiclab.org/system/images/photos/000/019/754/medium/Screenshot_2016-10-19_at_11.33.49_AM.png)](https://publiclab.org/system/images/photos/000/019/754/original/Screenshot_2016-10-19_at_11.33.49_AM.png) ## 3. Teach and Learn Some events focus on teaching a specific set of skills, to enable a larger group to use a method or technique. This can give concrete skills to participants and broaden the number of people who can put a method to use. Some events of this type seek to "train the trainers" and enable participants to teach the skills in turn to a yet another group. This helps to ensure that there is broad access to a particular method and that it can be adapted and shared with many new people and in new places. ### Examples * [Host a Balloon Mapping Workshop](https://publiclab.org/wiki/host-balloon-mapping-workshop) **** ## 4. Hybrid or umbrella events Some events incorporate a variety of activities to span all of these. Public Lab's annual and regional Barnraisings are a good example of bigger events with a lot of separate sessions, often run by attendees, which span all of the above event types. ### Examples #### Public Lab events * the [Barnraising](/barnraising) * the Regional Barnraising * for more, see [the events listing](/events) #### Events others host * [SERC](http://ds4si.org/interventions/serc) * [Parts & Crafts' Open Shop](https://www.partsandcrafts.org/makerspace/open-shop/) * GCM?? [![serc-room.jpg](https://publiclab.org/system/images/photos/000/019/752/large/serc-room.jpg)](https://publiclab.org/system/images/photos/000/019/752/original/serc-room.jpg)