Start A Meetup

The first ever ThinkTank meetup looked like a few friends, drinking beers together and chatting about current trends in HR analytics. Since then, the meetup community has flourished. Over the past 3 years, the ThinkTank community has grown to reach a global audience. So we thought, why not make it easier for everyone else to start their own meetup too. 

If you are thinking about starting a meetup, but don’t know where to start, look no further than here. It can be tricky, trying to create and grow a successful meetup on your own. So we are here to give you some guidance and make the process a little bit easier. This guide will hopefully be a living document, growing as more meetup organisers around the world contribute to it. 

Below you’ll find a step-by–step guide on how to plan and host your very first meetup. 

Step 1: Decide You Want To Run and Host a Meetup In Your City

This first step may sound obvious but it’s important to be fully committed in wanting to start your own meetup. It is no small undertaking and it requires a lot of independent planning. The ThinkTank will always be here to help when needed.

Step 2: Attend one of our “How To Run A HR and People Analytics Meetup” sessions

Join us on one of our monthly How To sessions, to gain an insight into what planning and hosting a meetup looks like for an organiser.

• Our MD, Nigel Dias will run through the most important parts of meetup planning and share the ThinkTanks contribution when organising a meetup.
• After this session, you will be able to plan for your meetup vision, set expectations and launch your group on LinkedIn or Meetup.com.
• Book your place here

Step 3: Logistics 

Now is the time to select a date and choose a location for your meetup. This can be virtual, physical or hybrid (whichever suits you best).

• Think carefully about which days will suit your audience best. What is the working culture of your area? Do lunch hours work or are evenings best? 
• Next, find a suitable venue. Account for potential no-shows and lateness. 

Remember, if you need help finding a venue or a sponsor, you can contact the email contact@3nstrategy.com. 

Step 4: Tell your friends to tell their friends!

Create and upload the event on at least one platform;

• We find that Meetup is good for these events but we would also encourage setting up on Eventbrite too, as it makes tracking registrations and follow up emails much easier! Your event will be listed in the ThinkTank calendar so it is great to have a registration link to attach to that landing page
• We also recommend sharing your event with your LinkedIn network to get a wider spread
• We share the meetups via social media networks and through our newsletters too, so you won’t be completely alone in promoting your meetup

If you need help finding a speaker, you can contact the email contact@3nstrategy.com. 

Step 5: Run your event for your community!

Yay! You have made it to your first presentation day. It can be daunting but make sure to harness those nerves, and turn them into your passion for analytics!

• Be open with your vision for the group, make this clear from the beginning of the first session.
• Make sure to record your sessions, this can help attract new attendees and give them visuals to gage the vibe of the group.
• Tell your community when to expect another event - be sure that they understand this is an ongoing space and place for them to gather and talk all things analytics!

List your event on the Forum's Global Meetup Calendar and we will include it on all our newsletters and on our social media feeds.

Step 6: Keep your story going

•  Complete a writeup of highlights for each event to share with the physical and online community. They don’t have to be long (200-300 words) normally works well! Include pictures and or recordings of the event!
• Keep the narrative going, share your content with us and with your community and watch your meetup grow!

Is there something else you want know or need information on? Get in touch with us at contact@3nstrategy.com.