Tips on being a great Meetup host

Whether you’re a seasoned pro or you’re gearing up to host your very first Meetup, it’s good to have a few secret weapons up your sleeve to make sure it’s a success.

Hosting an awesome Meetup involves tons of moving parts, from choosing the right date and finding a venue, to helping new members feel welcome and included.

The Community Team at Meetup HQ hears all about what works and doesn’t work from our members.

Here are some of our favorite tips:

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Melbourne Creative Professionals Meetup

Be visible.

One of these best things about Meetups? Meeting new people. One of the hardest things about attending a new Meetup? Finding those people.

Make sure members can find you. Have a sign at your table, or provide name tags for your members. It not only helps attendees find your Meetup group, but it can also attract curious new members.

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Each quarter we host an all staff meeting and family style lunch at Meetup HQ with select local organizers. It’s a fireside chat moderated by Meetup’s CEO and co-founder, Scott Heiferman.

This past week we heard about the fantastic Meetup journeys of three organizers: Ria from Blood Ink: A Horror Writer’s Collective, Josh from Texpats NYC, and Bridget from the Irish/British Genealogy Meetup group.

This was a quiet moment right before things got started.

Thanks to all three organizers for stepping up, telling their wonderful stories, inspiring their members, and being an inspiration to us too.

 

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Old Dudes on Dirtbikes is a Meetup based in Spring, Texas that brings together a wide age range of older riders, which makes it stand out from the pack (early 30’s to mid 70’s).

Their Meetup is not just about getting older riders together, they work with the Sam Houston National Forestry Service to remove debris and cut down fallen trees on their multi-use trails.

These members are improving roads less traveled, one Meetup at a time. Proving, once again, that great things happen when people Meetup.

 

5 Ways to Celebrate Summer with Meetup

We’re 9 days into Summer already. It’s time to get moving, try something new, explore your neighborhood and treat yourself to some serious summer fun, Meetup style.

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Get moving

Fitness Meetup groups sport more Meetups per month than most other groups. You’re bound to find something to get your heart rate up that fits nicely into your schedule.

Play recess at a bubble soccer game or join a dodgeball league. New moms can get down with stroller fitness.

Or, embrace the zen, like these Central Park yogis.

 

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 Try Something New

We all feel a little more adventurous this time of year. As temperatures rise, so does that restless voice inside urging us to live a little.

Outdoor Adventure Meetups thrive during this time of year, and boast extra high RSVPs, so it’s the perfect time to jump outside your comfort zone, and meet fellow thrill seekers.

The Beach Bum Social Club takes in beautiful views while paddle boarding in Naples, Florida.

…and once you’ve mastered that, you can move on to ATVs, climbing, or even spearfishing.
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(Photo courtesy of Hiking Hikers member Chris)

Explore

The Hiking Hikers Hiking Group of Phoenix, Arizona, is arguably the most aptly named Meetup of all time. With 98 upcoming Meetups, they understand the value of embracing opportunity, going somewhere new, taking in the sights and seeing what’s out there.

While gearing up for a recent hike, the host reminded members, “As always, bring…your sense of adventure!”

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 Stay local

Members of the Lend a Hand Volunteers Meetup—who call themselves ‘World Changers’—know they can make a big difference close to home.

Our neighborhoods are never as vibrant and alive as they are right now, so show them some love. Clean up a local beach, like the World Changers in Tampa, maintain a trail, or grow something at your local community garden.

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Treat Yourself

If you’ve gotten this far and you still aren’t beat, remember you can also find your people indulging in the simple things. Take a cue from these Tapas Lovers from Madrid, Spain: sit back, relax…and enjoy your Summer. On Meetup.

Meetup Spotlight: Curious Kat’s Adventure Club

curiouskatWe recently connected with Kat, who organizes Curious Kat’s Adventure Club, one of the most active and successful Adventure Meetups in London.

At last count, her Meetup has over 6,000 members and she’s hosted 391 Meetups in just three short years.

New organizers and old organizers alike can benefit from her simple but sage advice on creating compelling Meetups and how to keep things ‘curiouser and curiouser’.

Origins

Meetup: What prompted you to start this Meetup?

Kat: One weekend I really wanted to go hiking but was not able to get a place on the hiking events as they were all full. I rounded up a couple of friends and we went to the location together, without a proper map or any idea what we were doing. We found the way and had a great day. It made me realise that I am a natural at it and if I put a bit more effort I could actually run a group myself. As my interests are varied I slowly started expanding and adding different types of Meetups until I realised that the sky was the limit.

Curious Kat’s Adventure Club is a community of interesting and curious people who like to explore London, England, and – let’s think big – the world in general. We tell members: If you would like to live your life to the fullest, have fun, make new friends and meet like minded people, then this is the place for you.

Know your Members

Meetup: Your Meetup’s location is certainly helpful in finding unique activities and Meetup ideas. How would you advise an Organizer in a more remote or challenging location?

Kat: That’s a very difficult question as I haven’t got any experience with running a group in a remote location. But knowing your group members and understanding their needs is the key. So I would advise them to learn as much as possible about their community.

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Agent November – Spy Adventure

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Over 50 Meetups participating in National Day of Civic Hacking

One of the best things about Meetup is that when people are organized, they’re powerful enough to make a difference.  This Saturday, Meetups all over the country will work to make their communities stronger by participating in the National Day of Civic Hacking. At these hackathons, people partner with local government to come up with technical solutions to our most pressing problems.

Code For America is responsible for planning the National Day of Civic Hacking. And they’re also one of Meetup’s beloved chapter organizations, using the Meetup platform as one of the ways they organize a network of people dedicated to making government services simple, effective, and easy to use.

There are over 50 civic hacking Meetups scheduled – everywhere from Nashville, Tennesee to Witchita, Kansas to Tuscon, Arizona, and of course Silicon Valley and New York City, too.

There’s still time to RSVP and get in on the action.  Find a participating Meetup near you.

Photo credit: Beta NYC Meetup

“Apple Watch apps that spark creativity & keep you connected”

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In an email Monday, Apple recommended the Meetup app -available for Apple Watch and iPhones- as a great way to “stay on top of the latest trends and discover the things that really matter to you.”

Download Meetup for iOS on your iPhone here. If you have Apple Watch, the new Meetup app will automatically show up.

Not an iOS user? Get the Android app with support for Android Wear here.

Meetup Spotlight: South Jersey Writers’ Group

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Amy Hollinger has been running The South Jersey Writers’ Group since 2009. It’s a close knit Meetup of 97 writing enthusiasts in Bellmawr, New Jersey.

She was a seasoned Organizer when she took over the Meetup group, having already built and run Get Out Philly, one of the largest and most active outdoors and adventure Meetups in New Jersey.

Her experience running both Meetups taught her important lessons in how to build a leadership team and manage community effectively. We asked her a few key questions recently, to find out more about her team building strategy, structure, roles and responsibilities.

How is your Meetup group’s leadership team structured?

SJWG is a non-profit corporation, which came out of our need to have a designated space. We outgrew five coffee shops in four years. We started charging dues so we could rent a community center. It has been beyond successful, so we incorporated as a non-profit for accountability, to share the responsibility, and so the organization can continue without *me*. Our co-organizers are also members of the Board of Trustees.

The Leadership Team structure: 

President: me, the Organizer

Vice President: who also handles programs and plans our main meeting every month

Membership Director: who approves new members, records dues paid in person, and handles questions from non-members about how to join

Treasurer: who co-manages the WePay account

Community Outreach Trustee: who helps to increase our audience in the area, planning workshops and programs for non-members (and is an Assistant Organizer)

Communications Trustee: who compiles newsletters and press releases

Event Hosts: who are volunteers, generally focused on one particular topic each month

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