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What are the secrets to a successful forum meet?

Freejack2

Freejack2

Diamond Member
I've noticed that meets off this forum have greatly varied success. Some meets do great and some totally bomb.
So what are the secrets to the success of a meet?
I've been to one meet so far. Wduaqnug did a NYC one last year. Him, my wife, and me were the only ones to show up. On the other hand other ones in less dense population areas seem to have a lot more people showing up.

The reason I'm asking is I wanted to try and plan another NYC meet this year in late March or early April. However I don't know if I have any of the recipe for a successful meet.

Here are my ideas:
1) Have it in a fixed location where anyone can show up at anytime.
My idea was something like Dave & Busters. Specifically the one in the Palisades Center Mall in Nyack. I figure it's only a half hour or so drive for NJ and NYC residents, and easy parking. Also in such a place if the time was from say 6pm to 11pm people could show up at any time and find the meet.

2) Advertise it about month in advance.
I figure this way people have some time to put the day/time in their calendars but not long enough for them to forget it.

3) Charge a deposit.
This is something I'm definitley not sure of. I was thinking charge a person like a $5 deposit if they wanted to go. If they wanted to go they'd get their deposit back in say game chips. I figure it would make people more likely to go seeing as they paid to go. However it has it's problems as to how people would pay. Sending checks or money orders is a pain for most people and paypal charges a fee of 45 cents so I question how effective it is. Has anyone tried to charge a deposit for some kind of meet?

4) Set up everything in advance.
Work to make sure everything is right. Make reservations with the place. Put up the exact date, time, and location. Post clear and concise directions with maps and whatnot. Put up a sign at the meet so people know where to find the meet.

Are these keys to a successful meet? Am I missing anything? Am I nuts? 😛
 
free beer (wait I'm underage) how about lots and lots of soda....er pop.....coke....cola....pepsi
 
Heh, strippers might be nice, but for those of us who are married, we can expect our wives to kill us. Also I doubt any female Anandtech members would want to go to that. I won't even get into the opinion of the mods about such a meet... 😛

As for beverages I figured a place like Dave and Busters would be great because people could get whatever they wanted to drink or eat. Drinks like Sex On The Beach...
 
Don't hold it in Davis/Sacramento.

Honestly, I think part of the success of a meet, wherever it is, comes from the people knowing each other a little beforehand. The Ontario meet was so successful because there were a lot of pretty well known members - you already know the people a bit, you definitely know who they are, and the conversation comes easily. People are more likely to go when there are well known members going. So get people talking to each other beforehand, on IM or something.

A lot depends on who is in the area. I'm moving to Seattle, so I'll probably toss together a Seattle meet sometime next fall, and I know that Ameesh, zakath15, linuxboy, gopunk and a few other 'names' live there.
 
Heh, I think the only real personality in the NYC area is Wduaqnug. We don't unfortunately have a Skoorb in the area.

Also when someone does post a meet thread. How do they get a mod to do a sticky?
 
I think once a location and date/time has been set just PM the mods with your thread's URL and ask them to sticky it at the top.
 
Have a forum based on cars. It's easy to get 20 people to show up at a meet for a Mustang website. It turns into a mini-carshow. What do computer geeks do when they get together? Nothing, unless it's a LAN party.
 
Thanks Rossman. In all my time here never realized I could pm a mod. :frown:

Notfred, Well I guess one could add in a hardware swap meet but they might get real nervous with people doing that in a D&B. Might call the fbi thinking we're terrorists.

Eakers, 1) Where would we get the boobies from? Only boobies I know are my wifes and YOU CAN'T HAVE THEM. THEY ARE ALL MINE! 😛 😀
2) I doubt advertising free Hello Kitty Vibrators at a meet would go over all too well with the mods. 😛
 
Backyard-grilled burgers and some paintball were the center-pieces of a somewhat successful forum meet in the L.A.-area 'round this time last year.

'twas held at Tsaico's pad. Free beer was a plus. Don't remember paying anything for the burger(s) and other grub. As for the paintball place (converted theater), we each paid our own way. Fun stuff. It was a geek gab-fest when we got back to Tsaico's after paintball, though. I sorta lost interest there... 😱

Ironically enough, I've always thought a LAN at such a meet would've been cool. I used to do that sort of thing every weekend... :Q 😛
 
Originally posted by: Lithium381
have lots of mini-events planned.....something to advertise, what are you going to be doing the whole time?
Click to expand...

Well Dave & Busters has games, it would be quite possible to have some kind of competitions. I'd probably know better though when I take a trip down there.


 
Originally posted by: eakers
boobies and hello kitty vibrators 😀
Click to expand...

:Q

LMAO eakers 😀

Freejack2, as a NYC resident, make sure you choose a place where people can get there easily by public transportation if alcohol is involded, being safe is the most important thing 🙂
 
I've organized about a half dozen now for different groups - including the Toronto AT meet with eakers. The secrets, as I see them:

A) Pick a sit-down location with cheap drinks that is loud enough that gaps in conversation aren't found to be awkward, but not too loud that you can't hear what the person across the table is saying.
B) Have a core group of people come for 100% certain - knowing that these people will be there helps other stragglers actually arrive immensely.
C) Six weeks to a month of advance notice.
D) Make sure nothing else big is happening that weekend.
E) KISS - Keep It Simple, Stupid! Just pick a damn restaurant and let things flow! 😛

Good luck, AT meets rock!
 
Originally posted by: Wduaqnug
yllus

not allowed to give advices lol he didnt show for his own meeting
Click to expand...
And it was still successful, imagine that? I must be doing something right. On the other hand I knew yours was going to fail from the start. You can figure out why.
 
Gotta like how someone takes credit for a netmeet in which they didn't even do most of the planning for. In any case, based on my planning from last year's T.O. meet, I am planning to hold one at the end of March. Details will follow within the next week! 😎
 
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