Before shipping off the initial fund applications back in December 2012, we decided to get some authoritative declarations of interest. What kind of institutions could benefit from our project and deliver something in return? We approached Knowledge Center of Coastal Tourism, Vaeksthus Copenhagen, Nordic Surfers and The Municipality of Thisted and they all agreed to get involved on a monitoring level, supporting the project and its purpose. After many months of waiting for the pieces to fall into place, we finally had our first monitoring group session on June 11th. The workshop primarily revolved around a thorough MZ presentation and the topic of the cross-institutional and cross-regional potentials of the project. Some of the data is confidential and will not be posted here, but the overall outcome was a positive consensus on the necessity of exploring the collaboration between Bornholm (Vaeksthus Copenhagen), Varberg (Nordic Surfers), The Municipality of Thisted and the MZ project in Klitmøller (unfortunately Knowledge Center of Coastal Tourism had to cancel).
The focus group interviews
Jakob-wisnewski_focus-group-copenhagen
We set out with a bunch of focus groups suggestions, but actually identifying and making an appointment with the beta (and gamma) residents in question was much more difficult than we first expected it to be. People loved the idea, no doubt about that, but they did not necessarily consider it an option for themselves and their working situation. We ended up with 3 actual interviews and a line of upcoming Skype interviews. The final participants were a crowd of kick-ass cool people who all had something clever to say about the MZ initiative. Data is not reviewed in this writing, but we were surprised, and thrilled, to experience an enormous support and commitment even though the informants had different relationships to Klitmøller, to the act of surfing and to the IT and communications industry.
Strfish going to Cph
Cold Hawaii Starfish version one/two - the project group meetings
The official project holders of the MZ pilot project are the companies based in the Cold Hawaii Starfish office in the old missionary in Klitmøller. Together they constitute the MZ project group. For each of them to be able to stay tuned with the progress of the project, we have a short status meeting every 3rd week. So far these have been primarily revolved around the topics of economic challenges and obligations (we needed an overdraft account for invoice payment since the public grants are not disbursed before the project is completed). Therefore the architectural idea generating workshop, related to the requirement analysis, was a much needed change of air.
Designing af Matchmaking Zone
Since the birth of the MZ idea architect Esben Broe Colding has been involved in the conceptual development. With the funding of the pilot project Esben finally has the chance to create a complete catalog of ideas regarding the architectonic construction of a house designed to serve the MZ concept.Esben’s involvement is materialized on many levels of the project execution from developing and defining the concept to creating a specific design and construction programme. So far he has delivered a significant output concerning the different economic scenarios based on provisional income and expenses in 4 local building locations. A generic and a specific model of a MZ facility is obligatory in the concluding project report and because of this, all the raw sketches created by Esben have to take in favour specific requirements of the current Cold Hawaii Starfish residents and the statements and wants of a broader target group, the beta-residents. For this reason, on one hand, the project group (CHS) has taken part in an idea generating workshop with Esben and, on the other hand, the focus group informants are asked to respond to raw inspiration sketches and exact ideas concerning the decor and functions of a MZ building.
Start up
Before you can do anything you have to prepare (almost) everything. That is the first lesson you learn, when you initiate the funding of a completely new and untested concept. We started describing the project in November 2012, undusting the idea after a couple of years in the bottom of Rasmus’ hidden idea drawer. The concept was clear as it appeared, but we needed words, plans and budgets to approach the funds. To highlight the ambitiousness of the project we established a monitoring group consisting of Knowledge Center of Coastal Tourism, Vaeksthus Copenhagen, Nordic Surfers and The Municipality of Thisted. By new year 2013 the application was written and LAG Thy Mors and The Ministry of Housing, Urban and Rural Affairs knew our agenda. Officially all we had to do was wait. But to be prepared as soon as someone drops the flag, you need to start the engine, tjeck the fuel level and fasten your seatbelt. So we made a provisional project plan, we outlined the potentials and challenges of a project realization and we took contact to any possible future matchmaker in the attempt to assemble diverse focus groups representing the beta-residents of Klitmøller. In March 2013 LAG Thy-Mors made their commitment to the project and by April 1th the project period was initiated even though a delayed feedback from the MHUR supplied no security blanket for the money spent. The official project applicant, the current Cold Hawaii Starfish constituted by 5 micro companies, was involved as a gate keeping project group who - in terms of their core role as the nucleus of a Matchmaking Zone in Klitmøller - has the final saying about the proceeding of the project.