I think we are looking here at a much more complex space, along with models of financing.
First of all, it would be great to clarify what type of space do we open for LOTE - do we try to buy something and use the event for barn raising (at the same time skipping bargaining with host cities - the more independence we have, the better), or do we want to have a space in Brussels, ready to use as Nadia and Alberto live there already? Or both?
For me buying a land and a farm sounds most interesting - because of the costs, because of the location (out of the city, obviously well connected, but also in an underprivileged, a maybe slightly abandoned area that would use a community and an investment) and access to farming land. I was looking lately into offers in Portugal, and discussing it with one of my friends, and it’s easy to find something rather cheaply - for 40, 70, 100.000 euros for a big piece of land there. Portugal is well connected by highways and has relatively many airports around. For me living in a big city in Europe is not that interesting anymore anyway:)
About the model, it will greatly depend on the space - and vice versa. I would see it as a mix of super cheap or free accommodations for people who work on things (fellowships, residencies), residential spaces for those who want to invest long term in it where we also cover the costs, and a business model - high-quality rooms we could rent short term, but also services. If we manage to build a community where various practices of care are available, this could be a source of revenue. We could start offering training for companies in well-being. Or open a section for a couple of elderly people, paid, but affordable.
These ideas could build up into a de facto village we would be running there.
The village could be at least partly financed by the crowdfunding campaign, but once we have this sorted, we should submit the very same plan to Velo foundation in Denmark that offers support in purchasing real estate for organizations. And if we connect LOTE with this land purchase, we can actually, once in a lifetime, offer a chance to buy tickets for the event with the intention that the money from the tickets (and merchandise) goes to renovation and so on. It won’t be compulsory - it would be a voluntary donation, and I think many would find it reasonable.
I am only worried about the timeframe. Can we really buy a space within a couple of months? I know that Nadia is planning to go scouting, while I am preparing a list of places where there are interesting lands and farms. Or the Brussels space has to be the first step, and we will look into the purchase sometime later, once we see what works there?