Hosting a Meet-Up serves a purpose and that is to be an informative session for everyone present, so they go away thinking of the themes discussed and be motivated to act upon the suggestions mentioned.
Yet scheduling a date for a future Meet-Up isn’t the only factor involved. Hosting a Meet-Up takes time and observation.
For many years I went to Poetry events where I would read my poetry on stage and hear others as well. I got to go to some good poetry events where I sat on some occasion just being an observer. Then I did my own poetry event and found that although it was just as interesting as taking part, it was costly so I then uploaded (and still do), my poetry on YouTube. By that stage I knew what it was like attending an event and participating.
There’s the pre Meet-Up stage - the preliminaries.
The Preliminaries:
- Preparation of what to discuss
- Examples if possible of action already taken
- Notes on what should happen next
- Stationery, note paper and name badges prepared for the Meet-Up
The Meet-Up:
The day arrives (too quickly!).
Intro.
- An outline of what to expect from the Meet-Up
- A discussion on the topics to be discussed
- Then the practical part - ie. going on a walking tour using a pre-planned route - distribution of info required for the Meet-Up and for the practical part - the walk/tour/trying out new places as a group…
Practical part:
- Everyone should be ready to go on a walking tour of cafes, perhaps, or parks, take photos and review the places visited
- All should come away with having contributed to Google Maps and feel it was a Meet-Up worth attending
- Whilst on the tour, group participation is essential in giving tips on where to go to see some interesting places, eat food on a budget, take good photos and at the same time share these findings on Google Maps
Synopsis:
- When an informative and group activity theme has been planned out, the next stage is the Meet-Up date when everyone can be present.
- Usually it starts as a sit-down get-together at a cafe, with the group having a good idea of what is going to be achieved during the Meet-Up
- Then the next stage is involving everyone so that they all come away with a review, photos for the review and more ideas of what to do next
- Getting feedback and planning ahead
Most Importantly:
Be here on Local Guides Connect to share the ideas from the Meet-Up!
