Saturday 4 July 2026 · 10:30–16:00 · ULB, Brussels
Makerspaces, fablabs, hackerspaces and social makeplaces from across the Benelux come together for a day of encounters, collective making and network building — co-hosted alongside ÉducaLibre 2026.
No top-down lectures. No institutional panel discussions. A table, some makers, and things to build together.
Why meet now?
The Benelux maker network has not met physically for over a year. Meanwhile, things are moving:
- The Belgian government is currently drafting policy on makerspaces (Crafting Futures UA / Memorandum) — a strategic moment to build a unified, bottom-up community voice.
- fablabs.nl is retiring: the community needs new shared infrastructure.
- Multiple labs want to collaborate on European funding (Erasmus+, Horizon Europe, European Solidarity Corps).
- fabtafels.eu is being built — the community website taking over, with an interactive map of Benelux makerspaces (Mapsofmaking.org).
Agenda
10:30–11:00 · Arrival & community circle
Coffee, setup and interactive introductions using post-its. First look at the interactive map of Benelux makerspaces on Mapsofmaking.org.
11:00–11:30 · 60-second lightning pitches
Each lab gets exactly 1 minute (countdown timer, buzzer at zero) to present:
- an object, machine trick or ongoing project
- or a real problem your lab is facing
High energy, zero filler. Maker spirit from the start.
11:30–12:30 · 3 parallel working groups
Escape-room style: 60 minutes, one shared pad per group. Each group must produce written output to “unlock” lunch.
Group 1 — Community tools Mapping the labs, fabtafels.eu website features, shared events calendar, open infrastructure.
Group 2 — Community culture Defining a minimal shared identity and manifesto. Values: accessible technology, non-hierarchical learning, social impact, local embeddedness. Explicitly centred on independent makerspaces, not universities.
Group 3 — Resources and funding Collaboration on upcoming funding opportunities: Erasmus+, European Solidarity Corps, Horizon Europe (September 2026 deadline).
12:30–13:30 · Networking lunch
Consolidation of working group outputs. Demo of the Mapsofmaking.org technical setup by Jason Pettiaux.
13:30–14:30 · Hardware sprint & collective problem-solving
Hands-on prototyping session. The community selects one real bottleneck submitted in advance by a participant and co-designs a physical or structural solution on the spot.
14:30–16:00 · Lab crawl + drinks
Pack up and walk (~25 minutes) to visit Fablab ULB and Fablab VUB — see their machinery, talk shop and close the day together over drinks.
What the day should produce
- Written output from all 3 working groups (published on shared pad)
- Bottom-up manifesto — community values statement for policy and institutional use
- fabtafels.eu v0 brief — collectively agreed content structure for the community website
- Communication channels launched: Signal, Telegram, Element/Matrix, mailing list
How to participate — 3 actions
- Confirm your attendance — name + makerspace
- Propose a 1-minute pitch — a project, machine trick or bottleneck from your lab
- Submit a real problem — a genuine challenge your lab faces, for the afternoon hardware sprint
Contact: Jason Pettiaux — jason@program-vulca.eu
What is a FabTafel?
FabTafels are informal, bottom-up gatherings of the Benelux maker community (Belgium, Netherlands, Luxembourg). No hierarchy, no institutional gatekeeping — peer-to-peer exchange around projects, tools and knowledge. The name combines “FabLab” and “Tafel” (table in Dutch/German), reflecting the convivial and horizontal spirit of these meetings.
Useful links
- fabtafels.eu — community website (in development, PRs welcome)
- Mapsofmaking.org — interactive map of Benelux makerspaces
- ÉducaLibre 2026 — the conference hosting this event
Organised by Jason Pettiaux (jason@program-vulca.eu) as part of ÉducaLibre 2026 — ASBL EduCode.