It is important to understand what are main reasons for company to lead the meetup =Choose the topic

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Pre-Meetup

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1. Deep... Deeper....  Deepest... - Preparation 

Before starting, you’re going to want to be sure of the type of meetup you want to start as some types will require some pre-setup ahead of time. For instance, if you desire to start a WordPress or Divi meetup, this is a tech-based meetup and you will need a place to meet. More than likely most of your meetups will be presenter-style so an office or co-working space with screens and projectors would be ideal. This needs to be figured out ahead of time so tap into your network and confirm residency. If your desire is to start a hiking group or a driving club, well, finding a venue ahead of time really isn’t necessary for obvious reasons

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 First things first, decide on the format of the meetup. Whether a social, a Q&A, or a traditional presentation, you need to know ahead of time. Will you be presenting or will you have a guest speaker? Reach out and confirm.
Next, you’ll need to reserve your venue or schedule it with the virtual video conferencing platform of your choice. Now you have all the necessary logistical information to schedule your event. Let’s proceed.

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- Topic 

- Format

- Scheduling a date 

- Venue 

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2. Attention Please! - Marketing, Promotion, Audience 

- Prepare event banner that includes:

topic, date, venue address, Lecturers names, in electronic version - put link to event platform to register to the event 

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email all of your members announcing it. But you will want to send a more personable email to everyone a few days before your meetup commences.

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Promote Your Meetup

 

Building a great community takes more than logistics. You can’t set it and forget it. You must actively promote it. Off the bat, Meetup will begin sharing your group with like-minded folks in your local area and they will email your current members announcing your event. However, you should do your own promotions. Follow these tips on promoting your group below:

 

1. Share All the Things!

 

Get the word out about your event by sharing it on social media outlets. Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and even LinkedIn are great places to begin. TikTok, relevant whatsapp groups, 

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2. Paid Promotions

 Take promotions to the next level by buying social media advertising.

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During your Meetup

3. On the Scene Good Vibes Only! - Leading Event

Networking, Announcements, & Intros

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Final step: Setup your Meetup

 

Whether virtual or in-person, some setup is required. Virtual is pretty simple as you might only have to choose your featured virtual background and whatever top you find appropriate.

 

In-person requires a bit more. You will want to arrive early to make sure seats are arranged, screens and projectors are ready to go, and any sponsor swag is setup. Do you have a guest speaker? Make sure they arrive early so you can do a sound and slide check. With either virtual or in-person, be sure to leave plenty of time to put on your smiles and gather your breaths as this is go-time!

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It’s a great idea to pad some time at the beginning of your meetup just for chitchat. A half-hour if in person or 10 minutes if virtual. And when you start your event, give some community announcements. Let your community know about other upcoming events or relevant happenings. Give explicit thank-yous to all of your sponsors. Engage in an icebreaker. And last but not least, save time for introductions. If your group is small enough, allow one collective time for intros. If your group is upwards of 15 to 20-ish or more, break everyone up into small groups in order to save time and still learn about each other.

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Meeting Logistics

 

1. Attendance

 

Taking attendance is a necessary step to track important data. We recommend recording during the meetup for best tracking. 

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RSVP  

When an attendee RSVPs, “Going” (and they indeed go) or “Not Going” ahead of time, you don’t have to do anything. But if they RSVP, “Going” and don’t show up, you’ll need to click on the ellipsis next to their name and flag them as “No-Show.”

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3. Take Pictures

 

A picture is worth a thousand words, right? Take pictures of your community during the event and post them. You can post on the meetup event page itself or even to the meetup group. Of course, live social sharing with hashtags is a great way to create buzz for your group. Here’s a tip: take photos of faces and not backs of heads. Show your community off. Be sure to post all event photos taken to the respective event on meetup for storage. And, certainly don’t force anyone to be in photos if they don’t feel comfortable consenting.

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4. Post-Production

 

As soon as your meetup ends, don’t rush people out. Allow for some extended networking as folks leave. Are you meeting in-person? Invite all lingering to help clean the space back up. Also, having an open invitation to a nearby restaurant or coffee shop for a nightcap is a wonderful way to build your community.

 

Feelings we emote to our community will win loyalty. We don’t always remember what was said but we always remember how we felt. So as you run your meetups, practice unabashed kindness and acceptance to all that come and watch your community grow.

 

Post-Meetup

 

Community building does not stop when the meetup ends. It’s a perpetual intention. No later than a day after your event concludes, send a wrap-up email out to your members. Include pictures. This adds a nice bow to the whole event. Be sure the double-check attendance while it’s fresh in your mind and respond to any comments or discussions about your event on any/all mediums. And whether you have a team of organizers or it’s just you, be sure to have a post-mortem after each event to continue the growth of your community.

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Post-Meetup

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We hope that this guide on how to organize and host a great meetup provides you with an excellent start. This is just the tip of the iceberg as you’ll discover the world of building a meetup community. Remember, a great community is grown from smiles and feelings. Content is extremely important. But content without conscientious care is dead. Provide excellent content but smile and make eye contact with each of your community members and watch what happens.

 

Have any questions? Ask away!

 

 

 

 

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