Hackathon at the Science Museum

The Brief
The brief was to create a two day, overnight hackathon for 600 people, in a unique central London venue.

The Solution
After reviewing several venue options The Science Museum was identified as the perfect location and from this we commenced the planning.

The hackathon took over several rooms of the Science Museum both during the public opening hours and overnight, a first for this venue. The Flight Gallery, Engineering Your Future, IMAX, IMAX Foyer and Basement were hired for three days, with a build day followed by 48 hours of the main event.

Each space was carefully designed, meeting specific brand guidelines set by the client. CAD drawings were prepared with appropriate layouts agreed for the different rooms. The Uptown team completely redesigned the layout of the various rooms displaying the museums features as well as transforming it appropriately to the clients needs.

Within the spaces we created two main hacking spaces, a presenting space, nap room and multiple boardrooms within one room. AV and branding were installed into all event rooms as required.

The client had very specific requirements with regards to the furniture and endless visuals and concepts were created for the furniture element. The requirements were so specific that the majority of the sourcing for the furniture was purchase rather than hire.

Uptown put the catering out to tender, with the winning caterer creating a bespoke menu for this event which suited the style of a hackathon. No mean feat when catering for 600 people over 48 hours!

Due to an event of this scale and specific technology requirements we had to install endless power points along with bringing wifi in externally. While event hostesses, human signage and security ensured guests did not get lost while changing rooms in this vast venue.

The two day event closed with a drinks reception in Making the Modern World.

How We Added Value
When a client is based internationally, it is even more helpful to them that we provide the initial stage of the venue sourcing and site visits to slim down the selection before they visit to view the preferred option. With an event of this scale the sourcing of items such as furniture across various event spaces for 600 people is also a huge time saving advantage for the client.