The Official Meetup HQ Blog

Trends and Stats: Where are Meetups meeting up?

by Tegan

Meetups happen all over the world in all sorts of places. We were sort of curious about what sorts of venues Meetup Organizers were looking at for their Meetup Groups, so we did some poking around in the database. The results were pretty interesting.

In order by most frequently searched, here are the top terms Organizers are looking for when they schedule their Meetups:

• Starbucks
• park
• library
• Panera
• coffee
• restaurant
• restaurants
• Panera Bread
• Borders
• Barnes Noble
• Bowling
• McDonalds
• cafe
• mall
• bar
• parks
• pizza
• Chuck E Cheese
• Olive Garden
• Cheesecake Factory

Looks like lots of Organizers are checking out public spaces, restaurants and coffee shops. Lots of places in there where members might be able to grab a quick drink or a bite to eat at their Meetups, too.

Where's the most interesting place you've gone for a Meetup?

Tegan is on Meetup's Community team.

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The Meetup Group that Shall Not Be Named...

by Kate

... about the name on everyone's lips!

Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince came out this week and Harry Potter Meetup Groups were buzzing with activity!

There are 35 Meetup Groups who've tagged themselves with "Harry Potter" and many of them remain active between movie release dates.

NYC's Harry Potter fan Group is one great example.  They go by "The Group that Shall Not be Named," in reference to the arch nemesis in J.K. Rowling's world. 

There was of course a spectacular Meetup for opening night of The Half-Blood Prince, but these Potter fans are always exploring ways to stay connected. 

They organize Quiddich games (a popular sport in the series), readings, and outings to Potter-related performances. 

There was even a recent Meetup where they enjoyed a "Pottercast" -- an event that you should really read about on the event page to fully appreciate.

It looks like all the Harry Potter Meetup Groups have already enjoyed the film, but if you're a fan, there are plenty of future Meetups to help you stay spell-bound.

Kate in on Meetup's Community Support team.

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Motorcycles are everywhere!

by Kate

I realized recently that I really, really, really want a motorcycle.  I'm still in the planning phase, though, so I did a cross-country tour of motorcycle Meetup Groups as a fun way to do some research. 

I started at the topic page for Motorcycle Riders to view the animated timeline of Groups around the world devoted to riding.  (Just visit the page and click 'Timeline animation' to enjoy it too!)  There are almost 500 Groups now! 

Here are a few that caught my eye...

Starting from Meetup HQ in New York, our first stop is only a hundred miles away to visit the Philadelphia Motorcycle Riders.  Long-time Organizer Glenn's focus is on diversity, both of riders and bikes!  He welcomes "ALL levels of experience, genders, nationalities, ethnic groups, orientations, creeds" and they ride out almost every week on all kinds of bikes -- "American, British, Japanese, Italian, German, Korean, cruisers (metric & SAE) sportbikes, standards, UJM's, dual sports, sport tourers, full dresser tourers, rat bikes and TRIKES!"  Wow, I already have tons of info to dig through!

Next stop Texas, where prime riding weather means lots of Meetups!  The Austin Motorcycle Riders recently enjoyed a Father's Day ride and there's a Grandfather's Day excursion coming up.  Check out their awesome animated Group photo! Of course I had to take a tiny detour to appreciate the many female motorcycle riders Groups on Meetup.  I love Women Who Love to Ride and Taboo -- A Female Motorcyclist Group (both in Texas!), to name only two.

Our last visit is with the Phoenix Motorcycle Riders Group.  Organizer John Fox is notorious on and off the roads.  He's a sage contributor to the Meetup Message Boards as well as the founder of Motorcycle Organizers Everywhere, a sitewide Meetup Group for Organizers of motorcycle Meetups.

I'm headed back to HQ now.  You can be sure that I'll do some more research and join a motorcycle Meetup as soon as possible.  Maybe I'll take a real cross-country trip someday to visit Meetup motorcycle Groups!

In the meantime, here's wishing you all fun and safe Meetups, no matter what the focus!

Kate is on Meetup's Community Support team.

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The Meetups That Shook Italy

by Davide

When people ask me about Beppe Grillo, I tend to describe him as a louder, more radical Jon Stewart. On TV since the late 70s, the comedian turned activist has played a very interesting role in Italian politics for the past 10 years, bringing millions of Italians into city centers, plazas and arenas to criticize, mock and denounce the Italian political system... calling from the pages of his popular blog.

In mid-2008, Grillo launched a new initiative that was embraced and carried on by several of the 445 Meetups that support him. Labeled as 'Liste Civiche Cinque Stelle' (Five Stars Civic Lists), the lists are made up of local groups of activists with no affiliations to specific political parties. They officially ran for local councils all across Italy during this past April elections, promoting initiatives centered around the environment, public water, technology in relation to public and state-ran projects, connectivity and public transport. Grillo supported them, gave them his blessing and promoted their ideas through his blog and his appearances on TV, but most of the work was done by existing Meetup members. The Meetups have now become associations, strong local entities and references for a variety of communities across Italy.

Considering their non-partisan nature, the 'Liste Civiche' have recorded good results. In particular, the Amici di Beppe Grillo - Modena recorded enough votes to get one of their representatives elected as counselor. Founded in July 2005, my hometown's Meetup has built an amazing heritage with the city. Meant to last... like all Meetups!

Davide is on Meetup's Community Support team.

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Dutch Harmonica Meetups

by Karina

My dad is Dutch; even though he lives in the States now, he likes to keep track of popular Meetups back home. He brought my attention to the thriving and amazing Dutch Harmonica scene on Meetup.

Out of the 7 Harmonica Groups on Meetup, 4 of them are in the Netherlands. The Amsterdam Harmonica Meetup Group just celebrated its 5th Anniversary. The South Holland Harmonica Meetup studiously learned to play Dutch pop songs on the harmonica before a recent event. The Rotterdam Harmonica Meetup Group uses their files section to share music and discuss their favorite harmonicas. The Arnhem Harmonica Meetup Group's members agree that they are learning new things and enjoying each other's company.

All these groups welcome a mix of beginners experts and encourage everyone to step up and play! I'm convinced that being one in a chorus of friendly Dutch harmonica players is just about the most fun a girl can have on this side of the grave.

It looks like I just found a good excuse to go back and visit!

Karina is a Research Analyst at Meetup.

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Where drama is welcome

by Kate

Community Support team member Adam is currently performing in Twelfth Night and it got me thinking about all the thespian Meetup Groups out there.

Enter stage right: The Brookline Play Reading Meetup Group in Massachusetts.  Organizer Nigel writes in his profile that "reading a play in a single sitting really brings it to life."  And what better way to give life to all the different voices in a play than with friends?  Nigel hosts a potluck in his home once a month with enough food, wine, and scripts to go around.

Stage left: The San Fransisco Play Reading Meetup Group in California.  John's Group conducts their Meetups "in a public space, emphasis on the word 'pub.'"  They're proud of how diverse the genres are that they commune over.  They've recently done everything from Shakespeare to Sartre to contemporary pieces.

As Edna St. Vincent Millay wrote...

And one and all, through me, to-day

Hither you came to see the play

Or, better yet, BE the play!

Kate is on Meetup's Community Support team.

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4th of July Tea Parties Brewing on Meetup

by Andres

Looks like a whole bunch of Tea Party Meetups are brewing for the 4th of July.

The tea-party phenomenon has been a fast growing area of Meetup lately. We saw a huge wave of these locally organized "Tea-Party" Meetups pop up on U.S. Tax Day. From the looks of it U.S. Independence Day may shape up to be just as big.  

There are already 143 Tea Party Meetups scheduled around the United States.

It's fun to see which states have the most activity so far. Let's take a look at the stats.

And the 4th of July is almost a month away. I'm looking forward to seeing how this develops between now and then.

Andres is Meetup's VP of Strategy.

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Swap-Meetups = Guilt-free Shopping

by Andrea

Old is new again!  The Brooklyn Clothing Exchange was recently profiled in The Charleston Daily Mail, as clothes-swapping Meetups take off!  There are 46 Clothes Swapping Meetup Groups around the world right now, and over eight-thousand members waiting to get involved. 

The Organizer writes on their Meetup Group description:

YES, there is a recession / depression ((( what the...!? ))) in full swing but we still need a way to refresh our wardrobes without breaking our wallets!

I'll say!  It's a fantastic concept.  Just like the traditional philosophy behind a potluck of  'bringing a dish to pass', clothes swapping means bringing an article you can swap for something 'new' in order to participate.

And it's not just clothes...check out The Seattle Plant Exchange or Mix Tape Mixers (and exchange) and The Littleton Greencyclers. 

Resourceful and fun.

Andrea is the Lead Support Specialist on Meetup's Community Support team.

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WordPress Meetups all over the map

by Tegan

Lorelle on WordPress just posted a really great piece on her blog about how WordPress bloggers around the world are using Meetup to find each other, get together, and learn from one another. 

Lorelle's got a great summary of how WordPress fans are using the Meetup site:

WordPress Meetup Groups on Meetup.com offers a map of all the places where there are WordPress events and activities and where ones are wanted. You can browse a list of cities hosting WordPress events or go directly to your region to find out where one is or who might be interested in putting one together.

Of course, any Group of Groups can use the maps for their topics the same way.

Way to be ahead of the curve, bloggers!

Tegan is on the Community Support team at Meetup.

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There's No Such Thing As Overrated Pizza

by Davide

Being an Italian abroad is quite amazing. People tend to have all sorts of amazing memories from their trips to Italy. It's flattering... and you don't have to do any work. Your accent does it for you. I just love talking about food, beaches, cathedrals, pizza and our confusing political system.

I'm not the best representative of my culture, but I went to a few Italian Language and Expat Italian Meetup Groups and met "truer", "better" Italians. There are hundreds of groups all over the world now, offering fans and natives the chance to get together and talk about amazingly simple Caprese salads in that language so hard to master. Verb conjugation and prepositions are easier to digest in a nice friendly environment, maybe with a glass of wine at hand.

i-italy recently dedicated some space to Meetup on their portal, highlighting related Italian Meetups started all over the world, from Moscow to Seattle. I highly recommend checking out your local Italian Meetup.

At the very least, you'll get good recommendations from people that are usually pretty good at enjoying life.

Davide is on Meetup's Community Support team.

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