Location, location, location. Even Meetup groups need the right location! The perfect one provides atmosphere, supports your Meetup group's activity/focus, and is a comfortable place for your members to get together. Selecting the right venue is important because it sets the stage for a super Meetup!
How do you find that right venue?
- Think about your Meetup group's focus
- Start by choosing a specific part of town - and include it in your Meetup description
- Check out what's in your neighborhood
- Ask your members for suggestions
- Get advice from fellow Organizers
- Contact businesses that revolve around your topic
- Contact or visit your venue in advance - make sure it's the right place for your Meetup
Think about your Meetup group's focus
- What's your Meetup group's topic?
- What's your Meetup group's purpose?
- What are your members like?
- What do you like to do when you all get together?
- Where would you all be comfortable and have a good time doing what your Meetup group does?
Those are the very first questions you should ask yourself when considering where to hold your Meetup.
If you have a Tennis Meetup group, a Meetup at the local library on a Sunday afternoon probably won't be what your members had in mind. Likewise, if you run a Meditation Meetup group, going to rock shows on a Friday night may not be particularly calming. Figure out what your Meetup group is all about and then imagine where would be a great place to get together!
For example, Keith runs a Raw Food Meetup group in San Diego. They like to meet in the park for their potluck events. Why? Because there's plenty of space, fresh air, and sunshine! What a nice place to share delicious raw food treats, swap recipes, and enjoy good company!
For The Raleigh Movie Fans Meetup group Group, Patrick arranges it so his cinephiles meet at a local theater that is quiet, cozy and shows mostly independent and foreign films.
Be sure to consider how big your group is, too. If you have a lot of members and they all attend your Meetup, your space requirements are going to be different than a Meetup group with a small member base.
If you have a large Meetup group membership, try canvassing local colleges or universities. Jim Metzler of the Baltimore County Democrats held a Meetup for 250 people at Towson University!
Rule of thumb: If you're planning your very first Meetup, it's a good idea to hold it in an easy to find, well-lit, public location. Consider someplace comfortable like a local coffee shop. Use this first Meetup to meet and greet in a casual environment, get to know one another, and share ideas for future Meetups.
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Start by choosing a specific part of town - and include it in your Meetup description
Finding a venue for your Meetup can be challenging. However, members are often reluctant to commit to attending a Meetup if they don't know where the event will take place.
If you don't have the exact venue picked out yet, indicate in the Meetup description what part of town you'll be in - the neighborhood, or even the general area are good guides and useful information to members.
As an example: Imagine you live in Anytown, USA and that you joined the "Anytown USA's Nonfiction Writer's Meetup group." Let's say the first Meetup is next Thursday and you'd like to attend, but the organizer hasn't chosen a venue. In fact, the organizer hasn't indicated anything about the general location. You live in the northern part of Anytown and getting to the southern or western parts are actually quite complicated for you. Until you know what part of town the Meetup will take place in, it's hard for you to commit to attending the Meetup.
Now imagine if the Meetup description said , "Our Meetup venue is still TBD, but we'll find a spot in the northern part of town." This would be enough information for you to RSVP right away! And any organizer would agree - the more members who RSVP right away the better!
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Check out what's in your neighborhood
Nine times out of ten, you and your group will be meeting in your neighborhood, town, or city. So think of your area and what it has to offer in the way of Meetup places.
The New York Salsa Lovers get together at a local bar and grill for dinner, Salsa lessons, and what else? Dancing!
Local town halls, libraries, recreation centers, schools, colleges or universities, and places of worship often have extra space available. Contact them, see if they have space, and ask how one can go about using it.
Fatima was able to reserve courts at a local recreation center for her Northern Virgina Wallyball Meetup
For her novice English speakers, Reece holds her ESL Meetup group in a quiet space at the Boston Public Library.
If you run a Playgroup Meetup , research your area for parks, library, and even malls for storytimes, sponsored holiday treats, and specials events.
If you find something in your area and you have the time, go check it out before your Meetup. Introduce yourself to the owner and tell them about your plans. They'll like being informed about incoming groups of people, and they might even have some good advice for you, too!
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Ask your members for suggestions
You know your neighborhood/town/city, so do your members. In your search for the perfect Meetup place, enlist their help. Use the tools on your Meetup group site to ask members for suggestions.
Use the 'Email Members’ function to send a message to everyone asking for advice. 2(+) heads are better than one. Start a discussion on your Message Board. If you get lots of great suggestions, create a poll. Then your members can vote on which swell venue they'd like to visit!
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Get advice from fellow Organizers
You know your area, your members know your area. Guess who else? Other local Meetup group Organizers. And since they're Organizers, they know finding the right Meetup place is important. They'll have insight about the ins and outs of utilizing community resources. Dropping them a line is another great way to enlist help and get good suggestions.
How do you find those other local Organizers? Easy!
- Log on to Meetup group.com
- Click the "Find a Meetup" tab
- Search for Meetup groups either by city or by topic. That takes you to the list of Meetup groups in your area. Click on a few
- Click the "Email me" link under the Organizers's photo and name to send them a message
- Introduce yourself as a fellow Organizer looking for some local venue suggestions. They'll be happy to help!
You can also contact some of dedicated and helpful Organizers by visiting The Worldwide Organizer Meetup group Message Board and The Organizers' Forum. Both are chock full of seasoned and savvy Organizers. Requesting some venue advice in those forums will definitely get you good leads.
You can also solicit advice by posting to the Worldwide Meetup group
Message Board for your Meetup group's topic. Since the people there
share your passion for your topic, they're likely to have some nice
ideas:
- Go to your Meetup group Group's page
- Click the "All XYZ Meetup groups worldwide" link above the name of your Meetup group
- That takes you to the Worldwide topic page for your Meetup group's topic. Click "Message Board"
- Post a message there asking for some venue ideas!
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Contact businesses that revolve around your topic
Businesses focused on your topic are great resources for information. Contacting them can lead to fantastic venue suggestions.
Run a Fishing Meetup group? Call the local bait and tackle store. They'll know where you should be casting.
Run a Pug Meetup group? Contact your local veterinarian's office, dog groomers, pet stores, and breeders. They'll know places that welcome dogs.
The Troy All Dogs Playgroup
is sponsored by several local businesses. Having access to a group of
targeted consumers is very appealing to the savvy business owner!
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Contact or visit your venue in advance - make sure it's the right place for your Meetup
A place that sounds like a great venue may not always be a great venue for your Meetup. A calm discussion about philosophy requires a different kind of venue than a playgroup, which also requires a different kind of venue than a bulldog Meetup group!
When selecting a venue, remember that:
- the venue may
have other events going on at the same time that you scheduled your
Meetup (a picnic, a book reading, an after-work mixer, etc)
- certain times can be busier and louder than others (3 in the
afternoon on a Sunday versus a bustling 7 pm on a Friday evening).
It's always best to call the venue in advance and ask if the day and time you want to meet will suit your particular Meetup group, or visit the place on the time and day you want to meet and see it with your own eyes! If applicable, tell the venue how many people you are bringing and ask if they can reserve a section for your Meetup group to make sure you have enough room.
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So that's the run down on how to find a perfect venue. When you're contacting people for location ideas, be sure to invite them to join your Meetup group! You'll find great venues and maybe even get some new members in the process!
