Knowledge Café or Knowledge Café Masterclass Logistics

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I normally run Knowledge Café Masterclasses for groups of between 12 and 24 people and Knowledge Cafés for groups of between 16 and 32 people.

I cannot run them for less than 12 people as I need at least 3 tables of 4 people at each. And I don’t usually run them for more than 32 people as it degrades the quality of the event; they take longer to run and a whole group conversation without microphones is not possible.

The following requirements are essential.

  • The room should be small with good acoustics.
  • Participants should be seated at small round tables (3 ft diameters), three or four people per table. The tables should be close together and arranged randomly in the room.
  • If small tables are not available, I can run the Café without tables. See the photos below.
  • The room size and layout should allow the participants in the last phase of the Knowledge Café to push their tables to the side of the room and form a circle with the chairs. See the photos below.
  • I need a PC projector and a screen. I will bring my own laptop.
  • Flip charts are not required and should be removed from the room.
  • I also need a lapel microphone and two roving mikes.

This video shows an almost perfect set-up for a Café – small round tables, 3 – 4 people per table (5 at most).

This photo shows the seating requirements: four people per table at small round tables.
This photo shows a Knowledge Café with no tables. The chairs, in this case, are grouped in fours and fives, but threes or fours is optimal.
This photo shows a Knowledge Circle.

This collection of photos was taken at a Knowledge Café masterclass in Hong Kong in 2015. Although the room is not ideal it gives a good overview of how such a masterclass comes together in the room