Dear Editor,

All work and no play makes Jill a dull girl.  Everyone knows about Facebook but have you heard of Meetup? In brief, after nine eleven, a young man in New York was very impressed with how strangers came together, were there for each other and had each other’s backs – much more so than in normal day to day living. After pondering on the phenomena, he locked himself in a room with other developers and, after some weeks, Meetup was born.

Facebook connects people virtually. Meetup brings people together for fun events in the real world. There are Meetups on just about anything; dance, yoga, hiking, golf, book clubs and I suppose it can even be used for (groan!) political get-togethers. I was one of the early Meetup organizers in Canada. I ran a free Meetup social club here in Mississauga for over five years.  During that period, about a thousand people were members of my club at one time or another and many attended the events. We had one event a month, ranging from brunches, lunches, dinners, walks, picnics, dances, bowling, boat cruise, dragon boating, karaoke and other activities. They say a picture is worth a thousand words, so click on this link to see a gazillion photos from events my club had:

Over time, I came to see my free social club as a service.  Many immigrants, isolated, shy and socially awkward people became members and thereby got a chance to interact with others. My wife attended most of the events. In a country like Guyana, Meetups can play a significant part in fostering social cohesion. On top of that, restaurants and other venues love it as it gives them business.

As an organizer, I would always check out the venue prior to the event. For example, if it was a restaurant, I would speak to the manager and select a nice table, suitable for the size of the group I intended to bring. I would make it clear that there would be separate bills. This avoided the (rare) scenario where someone left without paying their bill. That would be the restaurant’s responsibility, not the organizer’s.  People are generally decent and it almost never happened.

One of the good things about being a Meetup organizer is that it does not require you to have a physical location or building. You are basically provided with a webpage which has special features, such as a RSVP system for events, group mailing to members, members rating of events etc. For those who may be interested in becoming a Meetup Organizer, here are the steps. Register on meetup.com.  Opt to start your own Meetup group. Choose the name of your group. Here is a name suggestion: Georgetown Social Club. Grab that one fast! Do a write-up on your Meetup page, describing what your Meetup group is about. Set your first event, do a short write-up about it, set the number limit of guests for the event (when the limit is reached a waitlist automatically kicks in), announce the event (Meetup automatically sends out an email notifying your members), wait for RSVP’s to come in and take it from there.  

Present information I have says that Meetup offers a basic Starter plan for free, which allows up to two events a month with 10 attendees each. For larger groups, organizer plans start at US $30 a month. One thing I cannot overemphasize: do not look to make money from Meetup. Do not charge an attendance fee for your events; it won’t work.  Do it for the love and passion for it – or don’t do it at all. Sometimes you can negotiate a group discount with a restaurant. I never asked for a discount for myself. Always operate with the highest level of integrity.

My wish for Guyana and Guyanese worldwide?  Let a thousand Meetups bloom!

Sincerely,

Sieyf Shahabuddeen