Anyone can start a science café. Some café organizers are associated with universities, museums, or professional scientific societies. Others organize a café on their own because they see a need for one in their neighborhood (or just for fun).

Organizing a science café doesn't take an enormous effort or big budget. In fact, large, complicated, or high-profile events can take away from the casual, intimate café atmosphere. While a single café meeting rarely reaches more than 80 people, these small, simple gatherings have a dramatic impact on attendees. The scale of these events leads easily to an ongoing series, rather than a one-off event.

Understanding the basic concept

The science café format has spread across the globe in a grassroots way, adapting to different cultures and audiences. Despite this diversity, there are two shared values reflected in every science café:

Science cafés actively engage everyone attending.
A successful science café creates a comfortable atmosphere that invites everyone to join the conversation. They are not long lectures with a passive audience listening to an expert.

Science cafés reach out to new audiences.
Science cafés welcome people who do not typically engage in discussions about science. They are not exclusive club meetings for scientists and science majors.

Connecting with other organizers

Find out what others are doing to get ideas for your own café.

Read a few descriptions of successful cafés.
Check out the sciencecafes.org map to learn what cafés are doing across the U.S. and beyond.
NOVA scienceNOW is in touch with science café organizers around the country. Write to us if there is any way we can help.
Sigma Xi, The Scientific Research Society, encourages its local chapters to start science cafés. If you are associated with Sigma Xi, use this one-stop shopping café toolkit.
Check out some of the other advice on getting started that is out there:

Knowing your audience

A good understanding of your audience will inform every decision you make about your café. Whenever you can, ask your audience what they think.

It may help to convene a focus group of potential audience members (a few people around a table) whenever you need fresh ideas.
In less populated areas, your target audience will likely be broadly defined (people who are not already science enthusiasts, for example).
If you live in an active urban area you may want to further define your target audience (21-to-35-year-olds living in a certain neighborhood, for example).
Of course, cafés are open to all. Choosing a target audience is not about who you will let in, it is about who you are trying to attract and make comfortable.

Choosing an organizer

Someone must serve as the point person for the café. This could be you. If not, find someone (or gather a group of volunteers) who can:

understand and establish a rapport with your target audience
find and work with presenting scientists
moderate the café or find a moderator
take care of logistical details, like booking a venue and handling an e-mail list
find creative ways to promote events.

Planning ahead

When getting started, the main resource required is the time of the organizer.

It can take a few months from the decision to start a café to the first meeting.
Once a café is established, preparing for subsequent meetings may only take several hours over the course of a few weeks.
To get a sense of the initial time commitment see this sample timeline.

Creating a budget

Science cafés are inexpensive to plan and run. Most are free to attend, but a few charge a fee or request a donation to cover their costs.

Some cafés have virtually no expenses. The most common café expenses are related to promotion and travel expenses for a speaker from far away.
cafés in the US typically do not pay an honorarium for speakers or a room fee for their venue.
NOVA scienceNOW provides start-up grants for science cafés. To find out more about this funding opportunity, check out the grant guidelines
The American Chemical Society encourages its local sections to organize a science café, and provides limited funding to help them get started. If you are interested in starting a science café with your section, clink on "science cafés" under "get programming ideas" on the local sections page of the ACS Web site .

Choosing a time and place

The choice of meeting time and venue plays a large role in determining who will feel comfortable attending a café. It also affects how attendees act when they get there.

Science cafés have been held in pubs, coffeehouses, bookstores, restaurants, art galleries, malls, and even bowling alleys. The point is to go where your audience already congregates naturally.
Typical venues for other science education events, such as science centers or lecture halls, often do not make the best meeting spots for science cafés. An unconventional venue is an important part of the atmosphere for the overall event, and will reach people that do not normally come to a museum or university.
Logistical issues are important in choosing a venue. Keep in mind acoustics, line of sight, the ability to reserve a block of time, flexible seating arrangements, public accessibility, and availability of food and drink.
Many venues have in-house audio-visual equipment, making it easy to show videos, such as NOVA scienceNOW, and provide microphones if necessary.
Most cafés do not pay fees to use the venue. Point out to the owner that the event will introduce the venue to many new people as well as bringing in additional business.

Choosing a moderator

The moderator can play an essential part in a café meeting. café organizers often serve as the moderator, but this is not always the case. Either way, be clear about the moderator's role.

A good moderator moves the event along and ensures that no one dominates the conversation (including the scientist!).
The moderator typically introduces the scientist at the beginning of the café, and keeps track of time. During discussion, the moderator often helps the scientist keep track of who speaks next.
The moderator may facilitate clear communication. For example, the moderator may ask someone using technical jargon to rephrase what they want to say.
The moderator can play a role in shaping conversation. For example, if a particularly interesting topic is raised, the moderator may break from the routine of calling on people in the order they raised their hands to allow the room to explore a theme further.
A group conversation that includes everyone in a room rarely happens naturally. It is up to the moderator to find ways to get as many people involved in the conversation as possible. Check out the tips in the For Presenters section on how to take the café meeting beyond conventional question and answer.

Choosing café topics

Lively conversations are unscripted and sometimes far ranging. The topic for a café meeting serves as a general theme to catch people's interest and draw them into discussion.

The best conversation topics provoke a reaction in everyone. This includes research that is inherently fascinating or changes the way people think, as well as developments that have social impact or create ethical dilemmas.
If you are not sure that a topic is a good one, ask some members of your target audience what they think.
Some cafés do a "mini series," involving a few meetings in a row on related topics.
Whether your café uses video or not, check out the topics covered by NOVA scienceNOW to get some ideas for your science café.

Choosing a guest scientist

Most scientists are happy to have the opportunity to share their work at a science café. Here are some tips to help your search.

Common places to find guest scientists include universities, government research institutions, professional associations, museums, R&D firms, and local publications (i.e., the science editor of a local paper).
Sigma Xi, The Scientific Research Society, encourages its members to participate in science cafés. Find a Sigma Xi chapter near you or contact Sigma Xi at cafes at sigmaxi.org.
You can also ask your local chapter of Sigma Xi to request a Distinguished Lecturer to participate in your science café.
Scientists that have presented at previous cafés can help find future speakers.
Considering the central role of the scientist at a café, be selective about who you invite to present. Find out what you can about their personality, and speak with the scientist before extending an invitation.
An ideal presenting scientist will be:
- a good conversationalist
- broadly knowledgeable about the topic
- personable, friendly, and happy to speak with the café's audience
- able to discuss research without using jargon
- enthusiastic, and able to make the subject engaging

Preparing the guest scientist

The guest scientist gets a meeting's conversation going in the right direction and helps set the overall tone of the event. Do not be shy about coaching the scientist on the audience and goals of your café.

Directing scientists to the For Presenters section of this website may encourage them to participate in and prepare for your café.
When inviting a scientist to participate be clear about their role and the atmosphere you are trying to create. Tell the scientist right away if there will be no PowerPoint or podium.
Let the scientist know that you are not asking them for a speech or lecture, but for a short conversation starter. Have the scientist consider what questions they would like to ask the audience about the topic.
Help the moderator and scientist establish a rapport. Just before a café meeting introduce them both and buy them a meal or drink.
If you are using video in your café, give the scientist the opportunity to view it before the meeting.

Promoting your café

Word of mouth and e-mail are the most effective ways to draw people to an event. To capitalize on this, choose a catchy name, come up with intriguing descriptions for topics, and pick a venue that people are excited to visit and invite their friends to.

Put your science café on the sciencecafes.org map.
Send notices to local calendar listings (both in print and at internet sites like craigslist.org and meetup.com). Many local newspapers and TV stations will list events for free.
Post flyers in areas that are popular with your audience. Even if you're not a graphic designer you can still integrate design into flyers using just a word processing program. Check out this PDF file for an example of a café flyer that was made in Microsoft Word.
Choose promotional partners that will help you reach your audience. For example, if you are trying to reach people that are not already science enthusiasts, you may not want to advertise at other science events.
Specific topics let you reach out to groups that are not used to talking about science. For example, a science café on fuel cells may be an opportunity to partner with a group of driving enthusiasts.

Breaking the ice

Strangers often need an icebreaker to help them jump into a conversation. Food and drink help get any event going and are an important part of science cafés. Here are other icebreakers that cafés use to help get people involved:

Break. A short break after the scientist's presentation allows people to strike up energetic conversations of their own about the topic. When the café reconvenes for discussion after 5-10 minutes, everyone has had the chance to consider what interests him or her most and form questions to ask.
Video. It is amazing how quickly a crowded room will pay attention when a video presentation begins. A short clip from NOVA scienceNOW can get everyone on the same page with background information, and stimulate ideas and questions about the topic. Find out how you can use video in a science café.
Trivia. As people are arriving for a café, hold a small trivia competition to get them talking together and thinking about a topic. Use these samples for ideas.
Go on tour. After the event is "over" people may stick around and keep discussions going on their own. Bringing the scientist from table to table at this point can lead to the best conversations of the event.

Evaluating your cafe

You will want to know how effective your café is so that you can make improvements. Likewise, it can be very helpful to document the positive effects of your café.

Read about the impacts of science cafés, including data from national surveys.
Evaluate your own café by paying close attention to the audience:
- What aspects of the event seem to actively engage everyone?
- Are people relaxed and comfortable, squirming in their seats, or barely awake?
- Are there prolonged stretches with just one voice speaking?
- Is there a moment when everyone becomes very animated?
Observe someone else's café in the same way to learn more about your own through comparison.
If you use a survey or questionnaire, keep in mind that written evaluations can shape people's perception of the event itself. For example, a survey that focuses only on what the audience learned could feel like a test, making the café seem like a formal education event.