Yay! The day has come!
Before the event starts:
Come prepared. Make sure you;
Arrive at the venue before time.
Check all tech necessities:
- Internet connection (if you are broadcasting or presenting live)
- Laptop (battery/power)
- Microphone (if necessary)
- Projector
If it’s a hybrid event:
- Camera and tripod
- Speaker
- Microphone for attendees in the venue
Make sure you have enough:
- Seats
- Tables (If necessary)
- Name tags & pens
- Ask a team member or attendee to take pictures.
During the event
Make members feel comfortable. For first-timers, coming to a meetup can be very overwhelming. Try to personally welcome all the participants, while actively approaching those who are alone to connect them to other members in the room.
Hybrid event:
- Have someone welcome and facilitate online networking, during the gathering time in the venue.
- Make sure you have a person to make sure the online participants see and hear during all events.
Manage expectations by sharing as much information about what’s next, members will feel more secure and confident.
- Tip: Use a presentation to lead the meetup
- Introduce yourself as the organizer, your leadership team, and speakers (if there are).
- Share the meetup’s agenda. If the meetup has more than one speaker, make sure members know when they can ask questions and continue the conversation.
- Tip: it’s all about the people. If possible, make a quick round of intros with all participants, in the beginning, make a fun exercise to get people to engage with one another, or add to the agenda small group discussions.
End of the event
- Thank everyone for attending.
- Save the Date! Announce the next meetup; Date and topic, If already scheduled.
- Ask members to fill out the feedback form they will receive by email.
- Once every 3 meetups, share a full feedback survey. (see here templates)
For Online meetups, See our virtual meetup guidelines for more details.