7 Tips for Creating the Most Memorable Meetup EVER!

WARNING:  THIS BLOG IS VIDEO INTERACTIVE!

Welcome to the first installment of my blog complete with video links! My name is Mike Shoeman and I’m very pleased to be able to offer this free service to your meetup group. My passion has always been in facilitating smalls groups with an interest in transformational, metaphysical, spiritual and self-empowering pursuits.

CLICK HERE for the Intro video…
And for my funny outtakes CLICK HERE...

If you want to skip reading the blog and go right to the videos, here are the quick links. Just click a "TIP" and go right to the video...

TIP 1
TIP 2
TIP 3
TIP 4
TIP 5
TIP 6
TIP 7

Why has this blog been created?

I wanted to give other meetup groups the following advantages and benefits:

Create a powerful experience for your members.
Retain members and have them enthusiastically come back for more.
Increase online membership.
Offer avenues to an authentic lifestyle while earning income in sharing what you love most.
Leverage online resources to grow, expand and deepen your meetup experience.
Plug into a national resource for helping like-minded people dedicating to building community. 


Again, my passion has always been in the leadership and facilitation of groups, whether it was leading empowerment programs for the mental health industry or the organizing of artistic movements. I wish to provide a sense of community and interpersonal growth every where I go. That being said, I’ve recently turned my attention to meetup.com. I think the idea for an internet service facilitating niche meetups is truly visionary and an opportunity to turn our technology inward. What do I mean by “turning technology inward”? In a world where everything has become virtual with attention spans decreasing all the time, meetup.com can provide the face-to-face community many of us have been craving.

But…there’s still some hurdles toward creating a truly enriching community: one such hurdle is something called the “internet stigma”. Very rarely do people go out or actively CHOOSE to break from their day-to-day habits and take part in a community experience. This video blog features seven tips, based on my personal experience, about how to have an impacting, memorable, and ultimately sustaining experience for your meetup group - bringing YOU, the leader, the true sense of community you’re seeking.
And, please, this blog is never complete. I always invite you to add your stories, suggestions and new tips about facilitating THE MOST MEMORABLE MEETUP EVER.

Why are some meetup groups taken more seriously than others? What distinguishes the meetup group with a clear connection to their members from the ones perceived as just “playing around”?

TIP # 1: HAVE AN AGENDA AND STICK TO IT
Click here fore video for TIP # 1

Start on time, have a stated objective about what’s to be accomplished and discussed, then have flexibility to encourage others to participate.
　
Let me tell you a story that relates to this: In the theater community, the meetup leader is the director.
Now there’s this one director, a self-professed theater connoisseur, who would always start his rehearsals twenty minutes after call time, keep his actors a half an hour late, and sometimes wasted his actors’ time by calling them in to rehearse only to stick them in a corner. These actors would sit around doing nothing with no guidance! Behind his back this director was actually despised and thought of as a joke. He had no clear objective, no organization and showed disrespect for everyone’s time by not having a well-defined plan of action. Even though the show he directed turned out to be passable, the actors vowed never to work with him again.

Same thing with a meetup group...

I’ve seen this personally: If it’s twenty minutes into your meetup group and you haven’t started on time, even if people come late they’ll be put off by the lack of clear vision. One time I attended this group at a bookstore in West Philly on Reincarnation. Even though the group itself boasted five hundred members online the turnout was disappointing.  I noticed that no one took charge of the group and led a discussion - it looked more like a hangout. Later that evening, two young men came about half an hour late, asking if they were in the right place for the Reincarnation meetup. When they were told "yes" this was the group, they excused themselves but never came back. I believe this was because there was no clear agenda, no organization and no heated discussion based on encouraged interactivity.

Which will bring us to tip number 2...

What makes a good meetup discussion into a phenomenal meetup discussion? How can you assure that EVERYONE will have a quality experience? How do you demonstrate YOUR expertise by exerting minimum effort?

TIP # 2: ENCOURAGE INTERACTIVITY
Click here for the video on Tip # 2

In later blogs, I’ll post a catalog of games and activities which will facilitate stimulating conversation. But don’t underestimate the power of simply going around the circle and checking in with everyone.

I’ll refer once again to the meetup referenced in the last tip. While I attended the reincarnation group, at first no one acknowledged me. Normally, I would find this very off-putting…offensive even. The group didn’t know this, but I actually traveled forty-five minutes to be there and two of the group members were having their own discussion, without even looking at me or acknowledging my presence - it really started to feel like a clique. Now this is an extreme case but if you carry on your own agenda without acknowledging the newcomers, or encouraging their participation, chances are they’re not coming back. Later on that night, I bravely spoke up and posed the question to everyone, “I’d like to ask every person in the group why they believe in reincarnation? Is there an ‘origin story’ behind why you believe this?” This opened up the group as we were all vulnerable enough to share our stories with the group and create a sense of trust. For some, they said it was the best meetup yet because of the discussion this question inspired. Never underestimate the interactive power of a simple question…

One of my best friends, Geoffrey Berwind, is an established story-telling coach. He and I recently hosted a meetup where he asked everyone to grab a partner and tell a story about your favorite comfort food as a child. Kellylore’n Metzger, another one of my best friends who happened to be in attendance, thought very pointedly about this question - all of a sudden she started tearing up and crying. This question prompted a very emotional recall of her grandmother’s pancakes. All of sudden, those of us in the group were ALL having an emotional experience; there were bonds created, and everyone felt accepted. The group talked for well over four hours because of the emotional connections made from Geoffrey’s one question.

So try that: What’s your favorite comfort food? Have people discuss this in pairs and then tell the entire the group what the conversations were like. I guarantee there’ll be a deep emotional connection established at your next meetup group from the very beginning!

TIP #3: REACH OUT AND TOUCH SOMEONE
Click here for the video on Tip # 3

No, not literally in the physical sense!

Why do most people avoid personally showing up to a group they found on the internet? How can you make your meetup experience more personable even before your member shows up at your door? How can you increase your chances of a better turnout?

Here’s the key: Actually READ your client’s profile and send them a personal email acknowledging their interests!

What do I mean by that?

I joined probably five metaphysical groups in the course of one particular day. There was one I joined about 2012 and the Law of Attraction. After briefly filling out the profile questionnaire where I mentioned I was writing a book about Law of Attraction, I was greeted a day later by the group leader who had contacted me. Her name was Arianna and she wrote a warm email welcoming me to the group. Now mind you, this is a small group but Arianna did something that will probably ensure I come back again and again to her meetup. Not only did she acknowledge me, but she also proved that she took the time to read my profile. She said she’d be delighted to discuss my book with me and out of the five groups I could’ve personally attended that week, I chose to attend Arianna’s - even though it was the smallest group and offered (what I perceived) the least opportunity for networking. We had a great time, watched a movie and even though I was the only one there with her, I’m planning on going back again.

It was a QUALITY experience which I preferred having over being one of many attendees in a group who wouldn’t take the time to know me or my reason for attending a meetup.

“Reaching out and touching someone” will enhance the feeling of COMMUNITY for your members. We all want to feel like we matter, like what we do makes a difference. If you personally don’t have the time to respond to all of your members, appoint friends as officers to stay on top of it. The more you invest in your members, the more dedicated they’ll be to your meetup!

TIP #4: DON'T BE AFRAID TO ASK!
Click here for video on Tip # 4

How do you ensure the long-term success of your meetup? Why should people really care about your spiritual group, or your meditation group, or whatever group you’re organizing? How can you stay in touch with the needs of your group…and continue to help solve your member’s problems?

Let’s say you're getting a gift from your wife or husband or significant other. Let’s say like Homer Simpson they buy you a bowling ball when what you really wanted was that new sweater, or book, or some kind of kitchen appliance. The week after you received birthday present, your significant other decides he’s going to go bowling with YOUR BIRTHDAY PRESENT! Pretty soon, he’s out every week enjoying this "wonderful" gift leaving you home all alone…with the gift he bought for you! How would you feel about that?

My point is this: Ask your members what they liked most about your group. Ask them if there’s suggestions about what they might want to see more of. Take a poll on the issues or concerns of your members and address them at your meetup. Even if you don’t necessarily use the suggestions or topics, it creates a wonderful connection in that it gives your members the active participation of being a part of something! Once again, it enhances that sense of community.

In that vein I’ll ask what YOU would like to see and hear from this blog: Do you have a story about your meetup which might help others? Are there any problems or challenges you would like to overcome? What resources could this blog effort provide to you? If we don’t have the resource in place, we’ll try to create one!


TIP # 5: TEAM WITH ANOTHER MEETUP
Click here for a video on Tip # 5

How can you double your outcome while cutting your effort in half? How can you tap into the valuable resources already out there? How can you expand your meetup's range of influence?

If you live in a populated area, chances are you live near a group with similar interests!

At a raw food store in South Philly, I attended a metaphysics meetup which boasted hundreds of online members. When I got there, the only one in attendance was myself and the host. HOWEVER, this group tag teamed with a ghost hunting group who occupied the space for an hour prior. Normally, the metaphysics group which I attended would only have had 2 people present. But because the ghost hunters had 4 people who stuck around, this group was beefed up to 6 who ended up having a very deep, high-quality discussion.

Another example I’ll give will be about an endeavor I'm conducting with my partner, again I'll mention the lovely and talented Kellylore’n Metzger, which we'll be launching very shortly. Kellylore’n’s mission is create a franchise of learning centers across the country. Her meetup will have the intention of attracting teachers of all walks of life with skills in self-empowerment, metaphysics, transformational as well as meditation and holistic wellness practices. My meetup will center around my book, The Destiny 5 Experience, which will create a support group in helping others create miracles in their lives within less than 60 days. Both Kellylore’n and I have aspirations to launch a local Philadelphia chapter as well as a national chapter for our endeavors. I’ll be reaching out and teaming first with meetup groups in the Philadelphia area (literally hundreds of them) before starting a national campaign and tour reaching out to meetup groups on the national level (thousands of them!)   

This is the power of finding other leaders with similar experiences. Kellylore’n and I will be supporting each other building a national campaign because we both have compatible interests and intentions. In fact, I’ll be posting Kel’s video blogs along with mine. Look for her first entry to be included here soon on “The Life Artist Blog” at The D5X entitled “7 Techniques for How to Be Seen as a Leader”.

Which brings us to…

TIP # 6: USE VIDEO BLOGS AND NEWSLETTERS TO DISPLAY YOUR PERSONALITY AND EXPERTISE

Click here for the video on Tip # 6



Consider this as well: When you’re watching a public speake there are three things that make a speaker effective, but these three things are in different proportions:

1. They know their facts and have a deep background in their subject, but that’s only 20% of their effectiveness.

2. Because of their experience they have opinions about this topic which makes the speaker unique - but again, this also only accounts for 20% of their effectiveness.

3. 60% - count it, SIXTY PERCENT! - is based on EMOTION! You see, the camera can capture your emotion better than writing a newsletter and better than a well-designed web page. If your members can SEE your face and get to know your personality before they even MEET you in person, you will establish something very critical! Many people who seek meetups focused on personal growth, transformation or even spiritual interests are looking for CONNECTION. The video will establish this connection for them.

Stay tuned to this blog for tips on how to create CONNECTION through video clips. But some simple tips are: Tell emotionally vulnerable stories, help others solve problems with your video, and most importantly - call your members to ACTION!

All of these tips eventually lead up to…

TIP # 7: OVERCOME THE INTERNET STIGMA
Click here for the video on Tip #7


Why are all 6 of these tips important? How can YOUR meetup group overcome the stigma and create a true sense of community? How can all of your efforts truly move mountains in our society?

Meetups are a fabulous thing if they provide a quality experience for your members; experiences that will encourage and inspire others to accomplish great things - both as individuals and in the group.

I met someone once through a meetup group. Her name was Claudia and she reached out to me in search of new friends in the Philadelphia area. We hit it off and I asked her if she was planning on attending the meetup event happening that weekend. Claudia said, “I’m thinking about it, but I don’t know…It’s one of those ‘internet things’, you know?”

What I didn't tell her was that honestly, I didn’t know! All I knew was that Claudia never showed up and I felt cheated out of a deeper friendship because of this “internet thing” she was fearful of.

I believe these six tips overcome the “internet stigma” in the following ways…
TIP 1 will help you establish a credible experience.
TIP 2 will help you create a sense of community (the real reason people seek out a group like yours.)
TIP 3 will make your meetup experience more personally valuable for your new member.
TIP 4 will keep you in touch and have relevance for your group.
TIP 5 will help you with expansion - both in numbers and in experiences.
TIP 6 will give your group an advantage in establishing an EMOTIONAL connection, which is very important in our line of expertise.

Finally, this TIP 7 will help us all overcome a barrier into the hearts of the people we seek to touch. When we overcome this “internet stigma”, think of the lives that will be enriched because of the sense of community YOUR meetup group will have provided.

I hope you enjoyed this installment of The Life Artist blog, "The Most Memorable Meetup EVER!"

Nasmaste…
Mike
President, LifeACT International
Author of the upcoming book The Destiny 5 Experience
Editor, LifeACT Video Ezine (www.youtube.com/user/lifearist333)

www.meetup.com/mastermind-meetup-miracles
Email: lifeact_international@comcast.net