Events have value too. If there’s a question of value for a specific event, maybe they should have a some modest level of auditing too if there’s a concern of screening out certain types of events.
At dms, we have loads of classes that teach how to use a tool. We have occasional project classes as well.
Where we have a gap sometimes is for the person that has newly learned skills but still needs training wheels working through that first project or two, or challenges with a specific project. And yes, there are generous people willing to do one-on-one or fine answering questions. But sometimes one hesitates to pepper a generous person with endless questions, or its a challenge to coordinate schedules to be there at the same time as someone else. Or maybe someone just enjoys working/learning alongside a small group of folks doing similar.
But a scheduled worknight or lab setting where several folks can coordinate to get there, and there are subject matter experts willing to answer questions or give more specific obstruction…that fills that gap of knowledge between newly learned and ready to work on your own.
And it also builds community, not consumers.
We do this with the Fiberfrolics events. It’s a fiber group work night we try to do every few weeks. I split the way I schedule them. I do about half where I drag my feet scheduling so they’re past the 10day class window in case an actual class wants the spot. Then the others I schedule further out for folks that need better advance planning, and also if it better fits the rhythm or supports the rest of the fiber arts class schedule.
For example, I just scheduled a Fiberfrolic worknight event for two weeks from now because we just had two recent classes with a lot of new skills taught, and interest in some intermediate training once they’ve had chance to practice. And then we have our core fiber people doing what they do. These lab/work nights lets everyone do their Thang, gives folks a chance to exercise new skills, get straightened out where there are challenges, work on current project, inspire others, upgrade skills, use equipment, and build community.
But the structure is not a class/honorarium, so it’s scheduled as an Event.
But it has value equal to a class. People learn. They connect. They make.