Introducing Open Coffee Club
As we roll into Open Coffee Club #10 this October, it's time we officially announced the Open Coffee Club event series.
Hey all,
Once a month the Jersey Shore Tech & Design (JST&D) community organizes an Open Coffee Club (OCC) event. A few members have collaborated on projects together after meeting at an OCC event, some have found jobs via networking at the event, and many have created new connections in the community.
Recently, some new members of the JST&D community have asked what this Open Coffee Club thing is all about.
What we’ll discuss today:
What Inspired Open Coffee Club?
Goals for Open Coffee Club?
Who attends Open Coffee Club?
Joining Open Coffee Club?
Upcoming & Past Events
Feedback Thus Far
Interested already? Join us this October for our fall Open Coffee Club event.
☕ What Inspired Open Coffee Club?
club: noun
a: an association of persons for some common object usually jointly supported and meeting periodically
b: an association of persons participating in a plan by which they agree to make regular payments or purchases in order to secure some advantage
The concept is nothing new. Hundreds (maybe thousands) of coffee-related social events are organized around the world every month. Something about “let’s grab a cup of delicious coffee and catch up” is universally desired.
I borrowed the inspiration for Jersey Shore Tech & Design’s version from 2 social events, one I attended a few times and one I followed online but, sadly, never attended.
The first is the now defunct NYOpenCoffee. This event was organized via Meetup.com and was hosted near a previous employer’s office in the Flatiron District in Manhattan. The concept was simple - once a month, early in the morning, a group of tech/design/entrepreneurs/etc met at the same coffee house, ordered their morning cup of choice, grabbed a seat at a long table, introduced themselves, and everyone talked shop. Anyone could pull up a chair, and with a little facilitation from the organizer the conversations would stem from there.
Our events are similar in that we get a group of mostly tech+design+entrepreneurs together, but it’s not at the same location each month; there’s only been one long table gathering (thanks Farmacie by French Market), and although we do talk about what projects we’re working on, etc., we also discuss many other topics that represent our various backgrounds and unique experiences.
The second social club was Taco Bell Drawing club, created by Jason Polan. Polan lived in NYC and most of these events were hosted throughout the city, but as he traveled he would also spontaneously tweet something like, “going to be at [some taco bell location at 3pm, join me for a Taco Bell Drawing Club” and people would show up. He would even provide you with a laminated membership card he created if you attended.
The group would meet at various Taco Bell locations, grab some food or drink, and just let their creative energies flow. Skill levels ranged from professional artists to doodlers. I believe a few Taco Bell Drawing Club chapters have popped up since and continue to organize events. Check out the Taco Bell Drawing Club in Long Beach, CA, on Instagram for inspiration.
We’re more similar to Taco Bell Drawing Club in that the location of the event changes monthly (we sometimes re-visit places, but we try to mix it up), and we sometimes organize the event somewhat last minute. Also, everyone is welcome to attend the events regardless of skill level. We’re just curious, passionate people hanging out with other curious, passionate people.
⚽ Goals for Open Coffee Club?
For the Jersey Shore Tech & Design community, our goals for Open Coffee Club are basic:
Offer members a relaxed environment to meet with other members of the community and discuss everything from work and curious side projects to whatever you feel comfortable discussing.
Invite members to local coffee shops to purchase their morning fuel and possibly introduce our members to local coffee houses they have never visited and will hopefully visit again.
🗓️ Who Attends Open Coffee Club?
Anyone. There is no actual “membership”, and no fees (beyond purchasing a coffee or tea, if you choose). All are welcome.
The group consists primarily of professionals in the tech/design industry, but it’s an open invite for anyone to join. Most often the group consists of developers, designers, managers, product, marketing, research, etc. It’s an eclectic mix of all types of creators and makers helping to build products. But again, everyone is welcome. You’ll be in great company.
🗺️ Joining Open Coffee Club
We organize these events using Luma. You have two options with Luma to register for an event and receive event notifications in the future (which is a little confusing but hopefully this clears things up).
Register for a specific event (including the waitlist if that’s the only option) and you’ll be registered (or waitlisted) for that specific event but also receive future event announcements.
Visit our Luma calendar and subscribe to the Jersey Shore Tech & Design calendar, and you’ll receive notifications about all future events (Screenshot of that below). With this option you aren’t registered for a specific event, but you’ll receive future event announcements.
📅 Upcoming and Past Events
This October we’re meeting at Cafe Volan on Bangs Street in Asbury Park, NJ. If you’ve never been they’ve been a staple on Bangs Ave. and Asbury Park for over a decade, serving up delicious coffee drinks (I recommend the cappuccino), with a variety of delicious baked goods and a local favorite avocado toast (ask for the Mazi sauce if you like hot sauce).
Below is a list of the terrific coffee creating establishments and hosts that we’ve visited in the past. Again, we’re always looking for more locations, so if you want to suggest one or a few please drop a comment below. Interested in hosting the event, please reach out to us via our contact form.
Steady Hand Cafe at St. Laurent Social Club, Asbury Park
Hosted at coLab, coffee by Booskerdoo, Holmdel
Asbury Park Roastery at Convention Hall
Asbury Park Brewery (not coffee) on Cookman for the Summer Social
Farmacie by French Market, Highlands
Offshore Coffee Co, Long Branch
Steady Hand Cafe at R Bar, Asbury Park
Hosted at Defined Logic, and coffee by Booskerdoo, Red Bank
Booskerdoo, Holmdel and hosted at Bell Works, Holmdel
Asbury Park Roastery at Convention Hall
A big “thank you” to everyone above who has hosted in the past and allowed our members to visit your store, enjoy your creations, and share your space.
💬 Feedback Thus Far
After each event attendees are asked to provide a rating and feedback. We average a 4.9 star rating. Majority of the feedback is very positive (thank you) and we’re listening to the constructive feedback. It’s a work in progress, and we appreciate any and all feedback as we keep iterating on the concept. Possible adjustments we are considering are:
Rotating the timing, maybe a few 8-9 am events for those who can’t attend the 9-10 am schedule
New locations: we’re always interested in exploring various spots throughout the region
Have other suggestions? Let us know.
Bottom of the cup
So, there you have it. Come fill your cup back up and join us this October for our fall event. Thanks for reading and we’d love to hear any of your feedback below in the comments. Hope to see you at the next event!