Bookings for makerspaces and workshops, done properly.
Inductions, machine time and taught workshops, each capped by the number of benches or machines you actually have.
A makerspace sells supervised time on machines. A laser cutter induction takes eight because there are eight seats at the bench, and a woodworking basics evening takes ten. A four-week furniture build is one purchase across four Saturdays. Members book open workshop for free once they have done the induction, and everyone else pays. Materials are bought per head for the taught classes, so the count matters days ahead. The cap belongs to the machines and the supervisor, not the room. Every session carries its own price and its own cap. account42 sells the induction once, keeps every class at its cap, and reads membership at booking time.
A week at Fold & Grain Makerspace.
This is the booking widget, not a picture of it. Take a seat and watch the count move and the confirmation text arrive.
Every session carries its own price, seat count and rules, so a course, a drop-in and a free session sit in the same timetable.
Book a workshop
This week
Tue 6:00 pm
Laser cutter induction
90 min · $35 · required once
4 seats leftThu 7:00 pm
Woodworking basics
3 hours · $85 · materials included
1 seat leftSat 10:00 am
Furniture build, 4 weeks
Starts Sat · $340 · package
FullSun 12:00 pm
Open workshop
4 hours · free for members
9 seats left
How a makerspace uses account42.
- Set up the schedule
- Add the laser induction as a weekly session on Tuesday with eight seats and woodworking basics on Thursday with ten. Open workshop runs as four-hour slots on Sunday with fourteen. The furniture build is one entry with four sessions inside it, and each session has its own price, so the class with materials costs more.
- Take bookings and payments
- Makers book from your website or from the assistant. A newcomer pays $35 for the induction, a member takes open workshop at no charge, and the furniture build is paid once. Every payment lands on your own Stripe or PayPal account, and the materials count is known by the time you order timber.
- Handle changes and waitlists
- A maker who cancels the woodworking class late gets what your window says, and the bench goes to the waitlist with a time-limited offer. When a machine is down for repair, cancel the sessions on it and every booking is refunded by your rule, with a message to each maker.
The parts that are hard to get right.
Machines cap the class, not the room
Set the seats to the number of machines you can supervise.
Under the hood
Capacity belongs to the session, so the same room runs eight on the laser and fourteen on open workshop.
An induction is a prerequisite with a price
Charge for the induction once and let members book machine time afterward.
Under the hood
An induction is simply a session with its own price and capacity; membership is read at booking time for everything after it.
Materials are bought per head
Price a workshop with materials in it and know the numbers in advance.
Under the hood
Your cancellation window decides how late the count can move, and it runs the same way every time.
Works where you are : your currency, timezone and language, on your own Stripe or PayPal account.
Questions people ask about booking for makerspaces and workshops
- Can members book machine time free?
- Yes. Membership is read at booking time, so a member books at no charge while everyone else pays.
- Can I require an induction before a booking?
- Yes. Sell the induction as its own session and open machine time to members once they have taken it.
- Can I run a course and drop-ins in the same week?
- Yes. A course is one purchase across many sessions; a drop-in is a single seat.
- Can I charge for machine time by the hour?
- Yes. Run machine time as hourly slots with one seat each and a price per hour. Members can be priced at zero and visitors at your hourly rate, on the same slots.
- How do I know who has done an induction?
- An induction is a booking like any other, so the record of who has taken it is already in the dashboard. Open machine time to members once they have, and the front desk never keeps a paper list.
- Can I sell a membership that includes some classes?
- Yes. Run the membership and price the included classes at zero for members. Membership is read at booking time, so a member books those classes free and pays for the rest. The rest are paid at the price you set on each session.
Related
- Pottery studiosWheel classes, hand-building workshops, multi-week courses and open studio, each capped by wheels and kiln space and paid for its own way.
- Art studiosLife drawing, painting workshops and portrait courses, with materials costed per head, seats capped by easels, and studio hire for members.
- Climbing gymsIntro courses, coached sessions and belay checks, each capped by the coaching ratio rather than the wall, and paid for its own way.
Every feature above is on every plan. See what account42 does and how it works, from install to the first booking.
Take bookings for your makerspace this week.
Fourteen days free. No card, no call, no implementation project.