The document provides advice for organizing events such as meetups, concerts, and other activities. It suggests acting like a leader to get people involved, using social media and other outlets to promote events, being prepared for issues that come up, and knowing your audience to match the event to their interests and skill levels. The overall message is that organizing takes work but can be rewarding to see a community continue after you have helped start it.

1. Oh sh*t! The
cops are here!
Or, how to organize (almost)
anything in a hurry

2. Apologies in
advance
I'm going through a lot of
slides really fast.

3. $ whoami
Matt Gauger
Software Developer @
bendyworks

4. But more importantly:
Meetups:
Organizer, Web414 in Milwaukee
Organizer, RubyMKE
Organizer of short-lived JavaScript Meetup in Milwaukee
Organizer, BarCamp Milwaukee (3 or 4 years now?)
Member, Milwaukee Makerspace (founded November
2010)
Founder of the "Mondays in Milwaukee" Ride
Creator of I Love Fuzz Fest (concert)
(September 3rd, 2011 in Milwaukee -- be there!)

5. This is not:
A talk about organizing your closet.

6. (not my closet, btw)

7. This is a talk about:
Organizing people.

8. This is a talk about:
Organizing events,
meetups, concerts, bike
rides, and other things
that I have done.

9. This is a talk about:
(For other things, your
mileage may vary.)

10. Problem:
You'd like to hang out with
people and talk about X.

11. Solution:
Start a meetup.
You're the leader.
Congratulations.

12. How to organize "things"
Act like a leader.

13. How to organize "things"
Social engineering is your
friend here:
If you act like you're in
charge, people will listen
to you.

14. How to organize "things"
Say "Yes, and..." to
validate other people and
get them to do things for
you.

15. How to organize "things"
This does not mean that
you should lie to people!

16. How to organize "things"
Apologies to everyone
that now thinks I'm a jerk.

17. How to organize "things"
When you need things done,
you have two choices:
●Do it yourself.
●Delegate.
Remember that you don't have
to do everything yourself!

18. How to organize "things"
Get the word out.
Start with a web presence.

19. How to organize "things"
Suggestions:
●Facebook page
●Google Site (esp. for non-technical co-organizers.)
●Twitter account (hook it up to Facebook page.)
●Craigslist, maybe?
●Meetup.com

20. How to organize "things"
Depending on your
intended audience /
membership, a web
presence may not matter.

21. How to organize "things"
Cyclists weren't on Twitter
and Facebook the same
way that tech people are.
That's reality.

22. How to organize "things"
Technical meetups, on the
other hand, are a lot
easier to market on the
web.

23. How to organize "things"
I'll say it again:
Get the word out.

24. How to organize "things"
Go to other meetups and
events related to your
event. Post online.
Talk a lot. To everyone.

25. How to organize "things"
Have something to give
away that will remind
people of your thing.
Moo cards are great!

26. How to organize "things"
Convince people that it is
the greatest thing that will
ever happen, and if they
miss it they will regret it
for the rest of their life.

27. How to organize "things"
Also, if it is at all possible
they might get job leads at
your meetup, mention that
(mostly true at most tech
meetups.)

28. Organizing on the ground.
Things will go wrong.

29. Organizing on the ground.
Things will go wrong.
The cops might show up.

30. Organizing on the ground.

31. Organizing on the ground.
Make sure you have
donuts.

32. Organizing on the ground.
Which is to say:
Be prepared for anything.

33. Organizing on the ground.
If it is a public event,
Get event insurance.

34. Organizing on the ground.
It sucks if people get hurt.
It sucks more when you're
paying for it.
:. Get event insurance.

35. Organizing on the ground.
Keep your cool.

36. Organizing on the ground.
Don't get too drunk at
your event.
(This is a rookie mistake.)

37. Organizing on the ground.
This is really important
when, for example:

38. Organizing on the ground.
You need take apart a
huge PA system, in the
pitch dark, with a bunch of
drunk "volunteers" who
have never handled audio
equipment before.

39. Organizing on the ground.
Your volunteers will look like
this:

40. Organizing on the ground.
Co-organizers and how to
pick them:

41. Organizing on the ground.
Pick people who can also
keep their cool.

42. Organizing on the ground.
A good bet is that they're
far more organized in their
personal life than you are.

43. Organizing on the ground.
And far more passionate
about your topic than you
are, too.

44. Organizing on the ground.
They're also the people
who are constantly
reminding you to do that
thing that you said you'd
do.

45. Organizing on the ground.
Again, socially engineer or
guilt trip them into helping
you.

46. Organizing on the ground.
Having a location is
important for, you know,
physically inhabiting
similar space with people.

47. Organizing on the ground.
Some possible options for
a meetup location:

48. Organizing on the ground.
Coffeeshops, universities,
bookstores, Makerspaces,
startups, and bars.

49. Lessons learned:
Hold your meetup at least
once.

50. Lessons learned:
You may be surprised to
find that the event
markets itself after that.

51. Lessons learned:
Even if the first meetup
felt like a total failure.

52. Lessons learned:
In software we say,
"Plan one to throw away."

53. Lessons learned:
In Milwaukee, the
JavaScript meetup was
held once, with only its
founders in attendance,
before being deleted from
Meetup.

54. Lessons learned:
But that's OK!

55. Lessons learned:
We ended up pouring
more effort into RubyMKE

56. Lessons learned:
Get food if people would
normally eat around that
time (6PM & later.)

57. Lessons learned:
Food sponsorships are
something you can sell
possible sponsors on.

58. Lessons learned:
Put the sponsor's logo on
your website and talk
about them a lot if they
agree to sponsor you.

59. Lessons learned:
Have someone act as a
"greeter."
They should recognize
new people and make
them feel welcome.

60. Lessons learned:
You will probably have to
be the greeter.
Toastmaster it up.

61. Lessons learned:
Be aware of people's
skill levels and needs.

62. Lessons learned:
For tech meetups, this
means matching speakers
and talks to the average
knowledge level of your
audience.

63. Lessons learned:
For a bike ride, this
means planning a ride
that won't be too extreme
for people who are casual
cyclists.

64. Lessons learned:
For a concert, matching
the bands that play to
your audience.

65. Lessons learned:
Distilling all of this:
Know your audience.

66. Lessons learned:
Identify the passionate
people in your audience.

67. Lessons learned:
Cultivate these folks as
future speakers and
leaders of your group.

68. Lessons learned:
One of the greatest
compliments, for me, is
that I can walk away from
a group and it will
continue to exist.

69. Lessons learned:
That what I created was
important enough that
people continued to do it
long after I leave.

70. Thank you.