Any member of our Meetup groups can organize an event and are encouraged to do so — the more events we have at different times and in different parts of town, the more people will be able to be involved in some kind of WordPress Meetup activity. Events don’t need to be formal presentation series, they can be pretty much anything that brings together 2 or more WP people and gets them talking about WordPress.
If you would like to organize an event, follow these steps:
- Decide what kind of event you want to organize. It could be coworking at a coffee shop, blogging over a beer, a weekend hackathon, a study group, you name it. If it relates to WordPress, let’s try it!
- Find a venue. For smaller events just getting started, a coffee shop or a pub can be a good first venue. As the event grows (if you do more of them), you may want to look into a donated venue. If it requires a paid venue, you should complete the Venue request form.
- Schedule the event on the meetup group. Be sure to use a descriptive event title and write a good description so people know what to expect if they come. If you say you’ll wear a WordPress/WordCamp shirt, it makes it easier for people to find you. If you don’t have access to Schedule a Meetup, use the Contact the Organizers of the Meetup and let us know what you want to schedule. We’ll make you a Calendar Organizer so you can schedule a Meetup.
- Show up.
- Show up.
- Did we mention show up? Seriously, though, if you schedule an event, you really need to be there. Please arrive a little early so that other group members won’t feel lost if they arrive early.
- Have your event (yay!), keep track of who attends, and update the RSVP attendance list afterward so we have an accurate count of who was there.
- Start thinking about your next event!
There are also a couple of rules for the overall WordPress Meetup program to keep in mind:
- WordPress Meetups are for the benefit of the WordPress community as a whole, not specific businesses or individuals. All actions taken as an event organizer are in the best interest of the community.
- Meetups are volunteer-run with volunteer speakers.
- Meetups are welcoming places where everyone works to foster an accepting environment that is free of discrimination, incitement to violence, promotion of hate, and general jerk-like behavior.