How to host a meetup: a practical guide
Using a product lens to improve a real-world user experience
Originally published at https://thediscourse.co.
Hey, The Discourse fam! I’m Back again with another newsletter. A slightly different theme this time on thinking through how to give the best IRL meetup experience. You’re welcome to share feedback and chime in on what topics I should cover in the next editions. I’m opening up a few slots in my calendar to discuss product and growth for only my newsletter subscribers. So if you’re interested in speaking with me about your startup’s or company’s product or growth challenge for free, sign up here. With that out of the way, let’s get to today’s article.
After attending several meetups in Bangalore, Toronto, and SF, I wanted to try my hand at hosting a meetup and was keen to get to know a few tech/product people from my home city of Bombay. So I decided to host a community event of Lenny‘s product community.
And in true PM style, I wanted to ensure the experience was good. So I thought through what would make for a good experience, executed some of it during the meetup, and reflected on how it could be improved to create this guide on how to host IRL events.
Before the meetup
Theme
Before you get started, it’s helpful to describe a theme for the meetup.
Most of the meetups I’ve attended were agenda-less and focused on getting to know each other, almost like speed networking. I think this format works well in most cases. Organic conversations can result in good connections.
While some others center on a specific theme or sector, like Fintech or AI. And some come with specific questions like “one challenge that you’re facing at work”. This could potentially lead to tangible outcomes from the meetup but requires some time investment from all participants beforehand. The decision lies with you on what you want from the meetup.
Application Form
Have an application form for event details (time, venue, description) using Luma. You can Luma to send updates via posts to all registrations and use automated emails for key updates and reminders.
I recommend keeping an approval process by asking questions like “How did you hear about this meetup?” or “What do you hope to gain from this meetup?” You can use this question and look at their Twitter/LinkedIn profiles to apply a filter and keep a high quality/relevance bar. For example, in one of the meetups I hosted, there were folks from a completely unrelated field. Those people were not able to contribute equally to the conversation.
So you could, for example, exclude non-PMs in a product manager meetup.
There is typically a 50% turnout between those who fill out the form and people who attend. There could be a higher turnout for a form with an approval process, as it signifies higher value and exclusivity.
Venue
Pick a central and accessible venue- a place that doesn’t play really loud music. I prefer a standing meetup to a sitting one because it allows more movement and interaction. A high table is better than a sit-down table. Have a few seats available for those tired of standing.
Space dynamics can shape the number and quality of interactions. When I hosted the event, the narrow walking area made it difficult to pass by and move around. More space would help.
You can decide outdoors vs indoors depending on the weather. I did an outdoor event in Jan in Mumbai, which was tolerable. Any other month it wouldn’t have been.
At the meetup
Welcome
At the restaurant/bar, inform the front desk about the name of the meetup and name of the host. They can then direct attendees to the right space. This will ensure that attendees can reach the host without needing to contact the host. I’ve heard from others hosting meetups that they made the mistake of not informing the front desk that it was for a specific community meetup and instead just gave their name. This caused confusion and didn’t lead to a good first user experience.
At the entrance of the meetup space, put up a sign board/placard to indicate it’s the XYZ meetup. For example, I put up a placard for Lenny’s newsletter meetup with color matching name tags.
For the first 5 attendees, the host should welcome them until others can also join in on the welcoming. You can guide them to put on nametags and get a drink. It’s important for people to feel welcomed in the beginning of the meetup for them to become comfortable.
Name tags
Don’t do a meetup without name tags. I’ll tell you why.
Print name tags and keep them near the entrance visibly with at least 2 markers. And another detail that you would normally overlook — the nametags should easily peel off, or it’s a hassle. (This happened to me!)
Attendees should write their role and company along with their name. It made a huge difference in my experience. I ended up recalling and associating people’s names with their role and company, making it easy to initiate and reinitiate conversations.
Beverages/Food
Ask people to order their beverages at the beginning before any major conversations. For that, the Menu/QR code should be easily accessible and instructions given to call the waiter or go to the bar and order a drink.
The host should take care of ordering snacks for the table within the budget. And you should remind the attendees to snack once the food arrives.
Conversation
I’ve realized that “What you’re working on” is good enough to start a conversation and then people can take it forward.
What stood out for me from attending meetups in the US is that people were extremely curious. They asked a lot of questions and came to learn rather than just talk. That was something new to me. The focus is usually on putting yourself out there. But by asking good, curious questions you learn and it makes for a good conversation when reciprocated. Try to prevent one or two people from dominating the conversation, especially in a group of 5+ people. Go to some lengths to encourage conversations from different people.
As a good host, it’s important to connect people. For example, if two people are starting up and looking for a co-founder, you can connect them to chat and see what happens. This is 101 of community building and can work virtually in Discord/Slack communities too.
Future Connection
You don’t want a one-time meetup. You want to build relationships for the future. A lines vs dots approach.
The easiest way to connect is on LinkedIn or WhatsApp with the QR code instead of jotting down names and numbers. You can lead this initiative and others will follow. It’s convenient for everyone.
Meetups can be fruitful when you build this long term relationship. I ended up meeting a bunch of VC associates in Bangalore once that has led to a long lasting relationship and a bunch of collaboration, introductions, and even more value created down the road.
Final Thoughts
In closing, remember that hosting a meetup goes beyond the logistics of place and time; it’s about creating an ecosystem of engagement where each attendee’s experience is valued and every interaction is meaningful. By setting the stage with thoughtful preparation and genuine curiosity, you enable a space where connections are not just made but nurtured. In doing so, you don’t merely host an event; you plant the seeds for a thriving community that can grow well beyond the confines of a single gathering.
Thanks to Sapna Devi for co-hosting the event with me, Lennyfor building such a great community, Orb for sponsoring the meetup, and Lex for editing this article with me.
That’s it for today, thanks for reading! What do you think of hosting meetups? Reply or comment below.
Give feedback and vote on the next topic here.
Talk to you soon! Follow me on Twitter @kavirkaycee
As a reminder, I’m opening up a few slots in my calendar to discuss product and growth for only my newsletter subscribers. So if you’re interested in speaking with me about your startup’s or company’s product or growth challenge for free, sign up here.
Originally published at https://thediscourse.co.
