3 ms·

+1 to this. I used basically this same approach to start the biggest JS meetup in my town. We eventually got ~200 people showing up regularly. I think it’s sti

by Swizec 3y ago

+1 to this. I used basically this same approach to start the biggest JS meetup in my town. We eventually got ~200 people showing up regularly. I think it’s still running even after I moved out of the country 8 years ago. edit: Our venue trick was “Hey, if we pack your bar/restaurant on a random weekday night so you make a killing in drinks, can we have the place?”. Venues were happy to say yes.

Uehreka 3y ago
The “tell us your quietest night and we’ll get 20+ people to come that night” trick works wonders, not just for tech meetups but for things like karaoke nights and other kinds of adult social activities too. It’s a great win-win.
- Tomte 3y ago
  Unless you're dancers who are famously stingy and usually order one drink a night, often water.
  - nicbou 3y ago
    Dancers?
    - Tomte 3y ago
      Let me be more precise: Swing, Tango Argentina etc. They all need bars to dance. They all use the same argument. And quite often they are politely asked to find somewhere else after a few months.
      - Lacerda69 3y ago
        Can also be the techno crowd - just pop an ectasy pill and drink water all night. One more reason why techno clubs often have high entry fees.
  - binarysolo 3y ago
    Are you a social dancer? :D Salsa dancer for over a decade and event (Congress/social) organizer for a few... I know exactly what you're talking about! PS - the issue is that many social dancers want to dance over being social, and alcohol detracts from it. People have jobs and want to pay to contribute. We ended up settling on a cover charge that comes with food credit so people can booze up if desired, and buy water/snacks if not. Win-win.
  - dcminter 3y ago
    I had some success running a dance night in a cafe. Turns out dancers will pay for cake!
- Applejinx 3y ago
  Oh, I like that! Offer to boost their quietest night. Love it :) that could work on a relatively small scale. That's really good social engineering, since one thing you have control over is your own scheduling, but they have no control on what their dead night is. And if you packed their busiest night, they might make some more money but it might cause them problems and stress them out. Offer to boost their deadest night.
forrestthewoods 3y ago
Yeah I used to run a monthly industry night. Very easy to get space on a Thursday night. They'd give us our own room that would otherwise be unstaffed on a week night. Tech nerds are very easy patrons. Not rude or unruly. Like you said, just talk to the manager and say "hey I've got 50 people that want a place to hang out and order beer. Can we do that at your place or should we go somewhere else?". Easy win for everyone. Running a conference is harder. Hotel conference rooms are way over priced. The AV prices are morally offensive. If your attendance is under 100 you can probably do a restaurant. It will cost food and beverage but you likely just need to hit a $ minimum. Fees should be minimal. If you need conference space for over 100 I don't think there are any "good" options. And definitely no good options if you get into several hundred.

by Swizec 3y ago

Uehreka 3y ago

The “tell us your quietest night and we’ll get 20+ people to come that night” trick works wonders, not just for tech meetups but for things like karaoke nights and other kinds of adult social activities too. It’s a great win-win.

Tomte 3y ago
Unless you're dancers who are famously stingy and usually order one drink a night, often water.
- nicbou 3y ago
  Dancers?
  - Tomte 3y ago
    Let me be more precise: Swing, Tango Argentina etc. They all need bars to dance. They all use the same argument. And quite often they are politely asked to find somewhere else after a few months.
    - Lacerda69 3y ago
      Can also be the techno crowd - just pop an ectasy pill and drink water all night. One more reason why techno clubs often have high entry fees.
- binarysolo 3y ago
  Are you a social dancer? :D Salsa dancer for over a decade and event (Congress/social) organizer for a few... I know exactly what you're talking about! PS - the issue is that many social dancers want to dance over being social, and alcohol detracts from it. People have jobs and want to pay to contribute. We ended up settling on a cover charge that comes with food credit so people can booze up if desired, and buy water/snacks if not. Win-win.
- dcminter 3y ago
  I had some success running a dance night in a cafe. Turns out dancers will pay for cake!
Applejinx 3y ago
Oh, I like that! Offer to boost their quietest night. Love it :) that could work on a relatively small scale. That's really good social engineering, since one thing you have control over is your own scheduling, but they have no control on what their dead night is. And if you packed their busiest night, they might make some more money but it might cause them problems and stress them out. Offer to boost their deadest night.

forrestthewoods 3y ago

Yeah I used to run a monthly industry night. Very easy to get space on a Thursday night. They'd give us our own room that would otherwise be unstaffed on a week night. Tech nerds are very easy patrons. Not rude or unruly. Like you said, just talk to the manager and say "hey I've got 50 people that want a place to hang out and order beer. Can we do that at your place or should we go somewhere else?". Easy win for everyone. Running a conference is harder. Hotel conference rooms are way over priced. The AV prices are morally offensive. If your attendance is under 100 you can probably do a restaurant. It will cost food and beverage but you likely just need to hit a $ minimum. Fees should be minimal. If you need conference space for over 100 I don't think there are any "good" options. And definitely no good options if you get into several hundred.