Recap of Recaps: Monthly Community-Led Meetups
Community-led meet-ups are truly the heart of Local Guides Connect. They bring us together to learn from one another, build meaningful connections, and strengthen local communities across the world.
To recognize active communities, encourage participation, and inspire meet-ups in regions where they are still missing, I’m excited to introduce the Monthly Community-Led Meet-up Leaderboard on the occasion of 10th anniversary[1] of Local Guides Connect (#LGC10). The initiative of Meet-up Leaderboard is inspired by a valuable suggestion from @MortenCopenhagen in my previous post—thank you for the idea.
Important note:
This leaderboard is not about competition or a race for numbers. Its real purpose is to encourage timely meet-up recaps, promote meaningful participation, and motivate Local Guides to keep their communities active and inclusive.
As Googler @MoniDi shared, meet-ups bring together like-minded people passionate about contributing to Google Maps. Therefore, solo meet-ups will not be considered for this leaderboard. For tips on hosting meet-ups and writing better recaps, please read her post.
Meet-up Leaderboard Structure
The Meet-up Leaderboard will be published every month.
First leaderboard: February 2026- Data source: Meet-ups hosted in January 2026
The leaderboard will be compiled using two simple parameters:
Community Contribution (Country-wise)
- Number of meet-ups hosted by different Local Guides communities (Country basis)
- Focus: encouraging meet-ups in regions where community activities are limited or missing
Local Guides Engagement (Participation-based)
- Engagement measured through the number of participants attending a meet-up
- Focus: inclusive, well-attended, and community-driven gatherings
Data Collection & Recap Guidelines
While compiling meet-up data, I noticed that meet-up recaps remain pending. Since recaps play a crucial role in sharing learning, experiences, and inspiration, I kindly request all hosts to follow these simple guidelines:
Recap Timeline
- Please write and publish your meet-up recap within 10 days of hosting the meet-up.
- Only meet-ups with published recaps will be considered for the leaderboard.
Gentle reminder:
- Local Guides who hosted meet-ups up to 21st January are requested to complete their recaps by 31st January.
Participation-Based Leaderboard Requirements
To be considered for the participant-based leaderboard, please ensure that your recap includes:
A clear mention of the number of participants (preferably in the first paragraph)
At least one group photograph from the meet-up
These simple details help maintain transparency and allow fellow Local Guides to learn from your experience.
Now a quick question related to your meet-up (select all that apply):
Tap the checkbox for each question where your answer is “Yes.”
- Have you hosted a meet-up?
- Have you shared the meet-up recap on Local Guides Connect?
- Have you included meet-up activities, the number of Local Guides, a group photo, and tagged participants in the recap?
- Have you created and shared a Google Photos album with participants for uploading meet-up photos?
- Have you shared meet-up photos on social media using #LocalGuides?
Together, we can make Local Guides Connect an even richer learning platform—one meaningful meet-up and one thoughtful recap at a time.
I look forward to your support and participation.
Let’s keep building, sharing, and growing our communities—globally and locally 
In 2026, we are celebrating the 10th anniversary of Local Guides Connect. Local Guides Connect was launched on 15th July 2016 ↩︎
Absolutely, the focus should always be on sharing experiences, learning from each other, and strengthening our community. Recognition is just a nice bonus for all the effort Local Guides put into making meet-ups meaningful! 