How to book events
Omni Commons Event Rentals
The Omni Oakland Commons (“the Omni”) is a collective space to share, organize and create.
Omni rents our ballroom, upstairs dance space, basement, and other common areas for performances, meetings, celebrations, and other events. Rental revenue goes towards structural and logistical improvements of the Omni Commons.
PLEASE NOTE: We are currently working on soundproofing the ballroom. Until soundproofing has been completed, all events involving amplified sound must end by 10:00pm.
Our rental policy and fee structures are intended to make our space available and accessible to all of Oakland. In general, we charge on a need-based and values-based sliding scale.
It is important to us to provide space for community groups that do not have access to this resource. As such, we are unable to schedule recurring weekly events in the ballroom on Friday, Saturday, or Sunday.
For more on the Omni's values, please see the [Page] of this Wiki and our Statement of Solidariy
How to Submit an Event Rental Inquiry
- Please review our Rental Policy and Fee Structure below.
- Check our calendar in order to find an available time and date for your event here: https://omnicommons.org/calendar
- Submit your inquiry by filling out this form: https://omnicommons.org/occupy
Currently, there is no confirmation sent to let people know that we have received their submission. We are working on this!
All inquiries are sent to our booking mailing list where they are reviewed by the Omni Commons Working Group. The booking mailing list and Omni Commons Working Group are both open to anyone who would like to participate whether a member of an Omni collective or not.
If you would like to schedule a recurring class or meeting, please include the frequency and duration of the event in the event description.
If there are no objections, the Omni Commons Working Group will identify someone within the Omni to act as a point of contact for the event.
The point of contact with confirm details with the event organizer, provide a contract, publish the event to our [Calendar] and act as a steward for the event.
Please keep in mind that everyone who works on the Omni is a volunteer and that sometimes, it can take us a few days to respond to inquiries. Please feel free to contact us again or to stop by the Omni if you have not heard back! We have weekly Commons Working Group meetings on Saturdays at 1pm and anyone is welcome to attend.
Rental Policy
Omni is a political project with clear vision and values. Our vision is an equitable commoning of resources and meeting of human needs over private interests or corporate profit. Our values include radical commoning of space and resources, liberation of knowledge, and transformative justice. We stand in solidarity with struggles against capitalism, racism, transmisogyny, and other forms of violence.
As Omni is a commons, we dedicate the majority of the monthly calendar to events that build our communities. For event rentals, we prioritize requests from individuals/groups aligned with our vision and values, and we reserve the right to decline requests from groups that oppose our vision and values.
Omni considers all event inquiries and booking requests submitted. In situations where a member group in Omni voices a concern about an event, we work in good faith with individuals/groups making the booking request to address any concerns in a mutually-satisfactory way before confirming events.
If you must cancel your event, we kindly request 48 hours notice.
Fee Structure
We offer competitive rates for various groups. In an effort to support a diversity of organizations and events, we offer a sliding scale for renting space at the Omni. Those who are able to pay more for renting the space support others who are unable to pay. The fee structure below is provided as guideline. We evaluate the final fee for each event on a case-by-case basis, depending on impact on the space.
Generally, Omni determines rental fees based on the principle “from each according to their abilities, to each according to their needs.” Specific factors we consider for each event fee include:
- attendance
- public benefit
- cost to attend event
- ability to pay and charitable/nonprofit status
- needs for setup, cleanup, and other assistance
- needs for audio/visual equipment, chairs, tables, etc.
- relationship with Omni and/or member groups
Omni Ballroom:
- $300–1,000 per 4 hour rental, Monday through Thursday
- $400–1,200 per 4 hour rental, Friday, Saturday, and Sunday
- Rental time includes setup and cleanup. Additional time adds a fee of $75–200 per hour.
Disco Dance Space:
- $10 - 12 per hour for rehearsals or meetings
- $12 - 15 per hour for classes
- $50 - 200 per hour for performances
We are open to exploring custom arrangements for complex events.
We require a 50% deposit three weeks prior to any public performance or event. Refund and other terms are outlined in a separate facility use agreement document. Payments may be dropped off in person during an Omni Commons Working Group meeting or sent to the Omni Commons at:
Omni Commons 4799 Shattuck Ave. Oakland, CA 49609