oh shit! the cops are here!

Oh sh*t! The cops are here!

Or, how to organize (almost) anything in a hurry

Apologies in advance

I'm going through a lot of slides really fast.

$ whoami

Matt Gauger

Software Developer @ bendyworks

But more importantly:Meetups:Organizer, Web414 in MilwaukeeOrganizer, RubyMKEOrganizer of short-lived JavaScript Meetup in MilwaukeeOrganizer, 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!)

This is not:

A talk about organizing your closet.

(not my closet, btw)

This is a talk about:

Organizing people.

This is a talk about:

Organizing events, meetups, concerts, bike rides, and other things that I have done.

This is a talk about:

(For other things, your mileage may vary.)

Problem:

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

Solution:

Start a meetup.You're the leader.Congratulations.

How to organize "things"

Act like a leader.

How to organize "things"

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

How to organize "things"

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

How to organize "things"

This does not mean that you should lie to people!

How to organize "things"

Apologies to everyone that now thinks I'm a jerk.

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!

How to organize "things"

Get the word out.

Start with a web presence.

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

How to organize "things"

Depending on your intended audience / membership, a web presence may not matter.

How to organize "things"

Cyclists weren't on Twitter and Facebook the same way that tech people are.

That's reality.

How to organize "things"

Technical meetups, on the other hand, are a lot easier to market on the web.

How to organize "things"

I'll say it again:

Get the word out.

How to organize "things"

Go to other meetups and events related to your event. Post online.

Talk a lot. To everyone.

How to organize "things"

Have something to give away that will remind people of your thing.

Moo cards are great!

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.

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.)

Organizing on the ground.

Things will go wrong.

Organizing on the ground.

Things will go wrong.

The cops might show up.

Organizing on the ground.

Organizing on the ground.

Make sure you have donuts.

Organizing on the ground.

Which is to say:

Be prepared for anything.

Organizing on the ground.

If it is a public event,

Get event insurance.

Organizing on the ground.

It sucks if people get hurt.

It sucks more when you're paying for it.

:. Get event insurance.

Organizing on the ground.

Keep your cool.

Organizing on the ground.

Don't get too drunk at your event.

(This is a rookie mistake.)

Organizing on the ground.

This is really important when, for example:

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.

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

Organizing on the ground.

Co-organizers and how to pick them:

Organizing on the ground.

Pick people who can also keep their cool.

Organizing on the ground.

A good bet is that they're far more organized in their personal life than you are.

Organizing on the ground.

And far more passionate about your topic than you are, too.

Organizing on the ground.

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

Organizing on the ground.

Again, socially engineer or guilt trip them into helping you.

Organizing on the ground.

Having a location is important for, you know, physically inhabiting similar space with people.

Organizing on the ground.

Some possible options for a meetup location:

Organizing on the ground.

Coffeeshops, universities, bookstores, Makerspaces,startups, and bars.

Lessons learned:

Hold your meetup at least once.

Lessons learned:

You may be surprised to find that the event markets itself after that.

Lessons learned:

Even if the first meetup felt like a total failure.

Lessons learned:

In software we say, "Plan one to throw away."

Lessons learned:

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

Lessons learned:

But that's OK!

Lessons learned:

We ended up pouring more effort into RubyMKE

Lessons learned:

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

Lessons learned:

Food sponsorships are something you can sell possible sponsors on.

Lessons learned:

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

Lessons learned:

Have someone act as a "greeter."

They should recognize new people and make them feel welcome.

Lessons learned:

You will probably have to be the greeter.

Toastmaster it up.

Lessons learned:

Be aware of people's skill levels and needs.

Lessons learned:

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

Lessons learned:

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

Lessons learned:

For a concert, matching the bands that play to your audience.

Lessons learned:

Distilling all of this:

Know your audience.

Lessons learned:

Identify the passionate people in your audience.

Lessons learned:

Cultivate these folks as future speakers and leaders of your group.

Lessons learned:

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

Lessons learned:

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

Thank you.