Meetup HQ Blog

Meetup: a life changer!

Meetup story—David R, Organizer Calgary Do Something New (DSN) Meetup Group

I was stuck in a rut—I was not just a couch potato; I’d become PART of the couch! A move to a new city with a new job started off the change I felt I needed in my life.

Almost a year later, I’d found no new friends, activities, or social circles.

And then I found Meetup. 

To quote Emeril: “BAM!” In the past five years, I’ve had more fun, more life experience and more contact with the world than I’d ever dreamed possible! All thanks to a website!

As I dove headfirst into the local Meetup community and discovered such a variety of things to do and people to meet, I discovered in myself a desire to share; to host… to ORGANIZE!

I’ve started several small groups since, but my main achievement is being the (current) main Organizer of the Calgary Do Something New Meetup Group—the largest Meetup group between Toronto and Vancouver; the highest per-capita Meetup membership in Canada; and the MAIN source of Meetup entertainment in Calgary!

I have just recently passed my 300-event mark (about 90% of them hosted myself), and I just can’t stop!

I thought it was great when I could gather a dozen people for a bit of fun. These days, I have trouble limiting events to just 40 or 50! I’m now booking venues privately for group events, instead of a table, or a room! And triple-digit attendance is now going to be a fairly regular occurrence!

I now have hundreds of phone contacts. I meet dozens of new people each month.
The group has facilitated numerous member relationships—and one or two marriages!

I’ve been thanked by more people than I can count, for doing what I do—for getting them “out of their shells”—for encouraging people to try something different and step out of their comfort zone.

And to think - it all started with joining a group for a coffee. Wow!

Submitted by David R, of Organizer several Meetup Groups including the Calgary Do Something New (DSN) Meetup Group