You're creating a campus, not a corridor.

Everyone obsesses over straight lines. Get people from A to B as fast as possible. Remove all friction. Optimize the journey. That's not community. That's a conveyor belt. If you want to process people like packages, work for a shipping company. Real community needs space to breathe. Room to explore. Permission to wander.

Think about your favorite music festival. Yes, there's a line: Gate to Seat to Show to Home. But the real magic happens in the margins. Finding a vintage tour shirt at the merch stand. Catching a surprise acoustic set at a side stage. Making new friends who love the same song.

You're creating a campus, not a corridor. Corridor builders add guardrails and optimize pathways. To them, members are dollar signs. Your community needs unplanned left turns. Serendipitous moments. Discoveries. The chance encounters that wouldn't happen if people stayed on the straight path.

Give your people space to explore. Permission to discover. Chances to connect through one-on-ones or open meetings. Room to surprise you through open mic time or shared creation.

Yes, have a clear destination. Yes, have a time limit. But make the journey an adventure. It's a bit improvisational, but the right people will value the freedom to explore the space you've created.

By giving your people room to wander, you surface reasons (and people) who'll want to come back.