We all worry about it… We organise a Meetup. We make a Map that looks interesting. We organise a theme or an activity for everyone to join in. We share the information here in Connect and on our socials but still, despite doing everything right no-one comes along.
I’ve been organising Meetups of one kind or another actively since 2011 and more recently over the last few years with Local Guides. Were they all successful? No, absolutely not. Putting it bluntly some didn’t go too well. Some of them are huge (400 people), many large (10 - 50 people), most small (less than 10 people) and some of them zero. Why does it happen? People RSVP and say they’re coming but they don’t. I’ve even missed one of my own Meetups and had to get another Local Guide to step in for me and take over.
What do you do? Well, move on and get on with thinking about the next one. When it happens to me, if its a photowalk I just go ahead and do the walk anyway - after all I will enjoy it and I can show others what they missed out on later.
The point is that it happens to everyone, even veterans. Don’t let it worry you - don’t let it get you down, if you did you’d probably never push that submit button on the Meetup creation. Go ahead push the button. Whether people come or not, you’ve done something for yourself. You’ve summoned the courage to put yourself out there. Well done.
Thanks for writing this post @PaulPavlinovich . I’m sure every local guide who organises a meet up needs to read encouragement like this at some point.
So far I’ve only hosted one meet up. Some people told me they wouldn’t be able to come but they supported me and shared it in social media. Anyway, when the day came, there were just two of us, @santiagoirale and me. The weather was really horrible, the meet up was supposed to take place at the beach and it was really windy so we couldn’t walk a lot. We achieved what we wanted to do (update info about new places) and then went to the centre of the city and kept on guiding. We walked like 3 or 4 hours, but never stopped contributing to Maps. I think it was one of the most successful “guiding time” I’ve had. I really enjoyed it as well!
Now I’ve learned some things for when I plan future meet-ups (I’m hosting one this Saturday) and instead of not wanting to do it anymore, I just want to host more and more meet-ups!
So, once again, thank you very much for writing this motivational post, I felt great while reading it
Great post @PaulPavlinovich . Needed to be said!! Local Guides are a rare species in some cities and I guess it ain’t easy to find a date that suits everyone.
When @ValeriaA organiced that meet up we where hoping there would be some local guides on vacation at the beach but we had no luck and the wheather did not help for sure.
Anyway it was a very good experience just being a part of it’s organization. We are really looking forward to the one in our city this saturday.
Thanks for this encouragement. It happened to me too in few meetups like no one attended. I just continued all by myself and during meetup when some people ask me about why I am taking photograph of shops, places during meetup. I then share about Local Guides Program with them and most of the time, they all were happy on knowing that. And it filled the empty space of being alone in meetup. As @HelloSamsonR once said to me that, by the end mission accomplished. :))
It is very nice to read about your first meetup. Walked 3 to 4 hrs with contributing during meetup is really inspiring. And best wishes for your upcoming meetup on Saturday. :))
Thank you very much @SalmaanN for your support! Despite the problems we encountered it was really fun and I can even say it was a successful meet up
SalmaanN ha escrito:
Hi @ValeriaAumasque.
It is very nice to read about your first meetup. Walked 3 to 4 hrs with contributing during meetup is really inspiring. And best wishes for your upcoming meetup on Saturday. :))
I’m glad you liked the words @SalmaanN@ValeriaA@santiagoirale@JustinAlex@GeorgesHR I thought it was worth letting people know that everyone has similar fears and that an empty Meetup can happen to anyone. I’ve been called the Meetup King but I prefer to just be a Local Guide like everyone else and one way of being that is admitting to being fallible :).
Great reading @PaulPavlinovich your words make me feel the situation, luckily I never happened to be alone during meetups but yet I can feel the pain of being alone especially when people click on ‘attending’ & didn’t appear at all.
@SalmaanN bro you are a true inspiration for being a one man army, keep it up bro.
@ValeriaA & @santiagoirale you both are just amazing with what you have done during your first meetup, I wish you best of luck for your upcoming meetup.
Thank you very much @Haseeb ! I’m sure every meet up can be successful if one makes it be
Haseeb ha escrito:
Great reading @PaulPavlinovich your words make me feel the situation, luckily I never happened to be alone during meetups but yet I can feel the pain of being alone especially when people click on ‘attending’ & didn’t appear at all.
@SalmaanN bro you are a true inspiration for being a one man army, keep it up bro.
@ValeriaAumasque & @santiagoirale you both are just amazing with what you have done during your first meetup, I wish you best of luck for your upcoming meetup.
@PaulPavlinovich That is a huge inspiration, Paul! You will be surprised to know that, I have not hosted a meet-up yet just because I used to think that only a local guide community can host meet-ups. Another thing I was wrong about meet-up was, I thought to submit a meet-up I need to confirm a minimum number of attendees otherwise they would not approve my meet-up.
From Connect, I have learned that every local guide can host meet-ups. Now, I am planning to host regular meet-ups.