The organizer should pay if they don't want to get sponsor(s). As you say, expecting participants to pay is generally too high a hurdle. If they don't want to/can't have sponsors or foot the bill, then, yes, there just shouldn't be a meetup probably unless they can randomly beg space from somewhere. Dropping the bill on an amorphous "society" isn't really a solution. I have no problem with a town/city library offering space if it's available but there are many competing demands including lots of talks and activities that have no hope of attracting a corporate sponsor. There's no more reason for my town to support a Kubernetes meetup than a talk on medieval castles.
> Dropping the bill on an amorphous "society" isn't really a solution.
Why? Society (through the state) should invest in anything that can improve society overall. All the major progress mankind has achieved is based on collective investments.
And what do you mean by amorphous? It's pretty clear what society is: it's us, it's the aggregate of the people living in a community.
> but there are many competing demands including lots of talks and activities that have no hope of attracting a corporate sponsor
Which is exactly why I argue that we shouldn't leave to private sponsors such as corps to decide whether a meetup can happen.
There should be a space for whatever talks/events/meetups that don't fit with any private sponsor interests, e.g. stuff that has no direct commercial usage.
> There's no more reason for my town to support a Kubernetes meetup than a talk on medieval castles.
Yes, I think towns should support both. I'm certainly not limiting to tech meetups the kind of events to take place in such a public space.
My town has very limited financial resources. You're welcome to compete with all the other demands for one-off library space with all the other uses. Not that a tech meetup would have much demand where I live. We won't agree but a tech meetup seems like exactly the sort of thing private sponsors (whether personal, corporate, or academic) should mostly cover.
If you're really averse to corporate sponsorship and really want to have some specific meetup, paying for it personally seems a pretty reasonable option. No one is asking you to build a bridge.
Small town = less demand for public spaces. And I propose the money to pay for this comes from the state if needed.
> You're welcome to compete with all the other demands for one-off library space with all the other uses.
Uh ok? I will, better to have a space for free every couple months than to have to give up my meetup. I don't see how an additional space for meetings should worsen things?
> If you're really averse to corporate sponsorship and really want to have some specific meetup, paying for it personally seems a pretty reasonable option.
This is clearly not about myself, it's about investing socially in enabling an exchange of ideas, even when no private patron sees fit to sponsor it.
You must be one of those "don't tread on me" types. You've been clutching at straws for a few comments while failing to find any argument. I believe the reality is that you don't like "your" tax money to benefit others, but saying that would make you look bad wouldn't it?
I propose your tax money pays for it, together with mine.
It's in the hands of our corporate overlords to decide what we can do.