How to organize a Tweet up
Great article from Best events.....
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Twitter meet-ups, or Tweetups as they’re commonly called, are pretty much ubiquitous these days. Despite the random awkward conversations that can result when you have more than 140 characters to express yourself, Tweetups take an otherwise great service like Twitter and turn it into something much bigger.
Why? Because you are able to gather with online friends, meet new contacts to enhance your career and have a few drinks. So here are a few quick tips for organizing and managing the event.
Organizing the Tweetup
Do utilize your Twitter network as a way to drum up support, help and ideas. The number of p.r. and marketing people on Twitter now is astounding. Use their collective wisdom and networks to create buzz and support for your event.
Do actually visit the venue. Seems incredibly simple right? But not everyone takes the time and effort to actually visit the bar, conference room or park where the Tweetup will happen. I’ve never heard of anyone making a great business connection at a dark dive bar.
Do plan for more people to show up than you think. It’s Twitter. These people do know how to spread the word better than anyone. Everyone should be welcome and thus you should plan to accommodate them.
Do ensure a few core people/speakers are at the event. Trust me, if @ChrisBrogan or @GregVerdino (or a few well-known personalities in your industry) are at an event, it will draw a lot more buzz than @stuartcfoster.
Do use email. Even though it supposedly has fallen out of favor, having the contact information for a variety of individuals is beneficial for all involved. You can keep this core group informed of developments.
Do use a service like Eventbrite, Amiando or meetup.com to organize your guests, collect donations and otherwise provide shareable content. It takes all the legwork out of the administrative work that a large Tweetup entails. If you’re planning on a smaller gathering, this may not be necessary and you can use Facebook or your blog to organize.
Don’t secure a venue with limited or no WiFi. At a minimum, the CrackBerry/ iPhone users should have good service. People like technology. But they won’t like YOU if they can’t use their tech at your event.
Don’t have an event in an inappropriate place. If you’re having 200 people and you decide to squeeze them into a 20 by 20 room, it may not be a good idea. If you have a dj at a networking event, it may not be a good idea. If you have an event where it’s difficult to communicate in any way, it might be a bad idea. You get the idea?
Don’t have a vague premise for the Tweetup. Most people want to know what they’re here for so they can dress or plan accordingly. No one wants to be the guy who shows up in jeans to the black tie event. So ensure this doesn’t happen by having a clearly defined cause or purpose for the Tweetup.
Don’t forget to plan ahead. If you spend the time, money and energy into putting together a Tweetup, don’t pull it together at the last minute. Plan accordingly and do your homework.
At the Tweetup
Do get to the event early. Simple manners. As the organizer, you should arrive early to make sure people feel welcomed as they arrive, the refreshments are there and all of the materials are ready to go.
Do collect business cards. Most folks will be card-carrying members of your industry and will be at the Tweetup to network. If you have an electronic scanner or electronic business card technology, this is even better. You can send a list of attendees to your email list, providing additional value.
Do provide food. If you schedule a Tweetup around meal-time, provide food. If you don’t plan on providing food, let your attendees know. Sometimes at these events I think my stomach does more networking than my mouth.
Don’t fade into the background. If it’s your event, you’d better be front and center to handle and address any concerns or problems that may arise.
Don’t forget name tags. If I can’t see your Twitter name, I won’t know who you are. The same is true for all people at your event.
Don’t blow people off. Trust me. Nothing is worse than being snubbed. So if you want to have a great Tweetup, you have to talk to the 21-year-old with the same respect that you would show Seth Godin. Just good business sense and karma.
Don’t go open bar. Unless you want complete shenanigans (and to be broke), you don’t want @JoeBusinessGuy to be completely tanked. Also it weeds out people just after the free booze.
Tweetups are fun, productive, and great for walking away with a lot of contacts and leads. So if you’re feeling adventurous and don’t mind doing a bit of hustling, you can host your own Tweetup. I’m looking forward to attending it. —Stuart Foster
___________________________________________________
Twitter meet-ups, or Tweetups as they’re commonly called, are pretty much ubiquitous these days. Despite the random awkward conversations that can result when you have more than 140 characters to express yourself, Tweetups take an otherwise great service like Twitter and turn it into something much bigger.
Why? Because you are able to gather with online friends, meet new contacts to enhance your career and have a few drinks. So here are a few quick tips for organizing and managing the event.
Organizing the Tweetup
Do utilize your Twitter network as a way to drum up support, help and ideas. The number of p.r. and marketing people on Twitter now is astounding. Use their collective wisdom and networks to create buzz and support for your event.
Do actually visit the venue. Seems incredibly simple right? But not everyone takes the time and effort to actually visit the bar, conference room or park where the Tweetup will happen. I’ve never heard of anyone making a great business connection at a dark dive bar.
Do plan for more people to show up than you think. It’s Twitter. These people do know how to spread the word better than anyone. Everyone should be welcome and thus you should plan to accommodate them.
Do ensure a few core people/speakers are at the event. Trust me, if @ChrisBrogan or @GregVerdino (or a few well-known personalities in your industry) are at an event, it will draw a lot more buzz than @stuartcfoster.
Do use email. Even though it supposedly has fallen out of favor, having the contact information for a variety of individuals is beneficial for all involved. You can keep this core group informed of developments.
Do use a service like Eventbrite, Amiando or meetup.com to organize your guests, collect donations and otherwise provide shareable content. It takes all the legwork out of the administrative work that a large Tweetup entails. If you’re planning on a smaller gathering, this may not be necessary and you can use Facebook or your blog to organize.
Don’t secure a venue with limited or no WiFi. At a minimum, the CrackBerry/ iPhone users should have good service. People like technology. But they won’t like YOU if they can’t use their tech at your event.
Don’t have an event in an inappropriate place. If you’re having 200 people and you decide to squeeze them into a 20 by 20 room, it may not be a good idea. If you have a dj at a networking event, it may not be a good idea. If you have an event where it’s difficult to communicate in any way, it might be a bad idea. You get the idea?
Don’t have a vague premise for the Tweetup. Most people want to know what they’re here for so they can dress or plan accordingly. No one wants to be the guy who shows up in jeans to the black tie event. So ensure this doesn’t happen by having a clearly defined cause or purpose for the Tweetup.
Don’t forget to plan ahead. If you spend the time, money and energy into putting together a Tweetup, don’t pull it together at the last minute. Plan accordingly and do your homework.
At the Tweetup
Do get to the event early. Simple manners. As the organizer, you should arrive early to make sure people feel welcomed as they arrive, the refreshments are there and all of the materials are ready to go.
Do collect business cards. Most folks will be card-carrying members of your industry and will be at the Tweetup to network. If you have an electronic scanner or electronic business card technology, this is even better. You can send a list of attendees to your email list, providing additional value.
Do provide food. If you schedule a Tweetup around meal-time, provide food. If you don’t plan on providing food, let your attendees know. Sometimes at these events I think my stomach does more networking than my mouth.
Don’t fade into the background. If it’s your event, you’d better be front and center to handle and address any concerns or problems that may arise.
Don’t forget name tags. If I can’t see your Twitter name, I won’t know who you are. The same is true for all people at your event.
Don’t blow people off. Trust me. Nothing is worse than being snubbed. So if you want to have a great Tweetup, you have to talk to the 21-year-old with the same respect that you would show Seth Godin. Just good business sense and karma.
Don’t go open bar. Unless you want complete shenanigans (and to be broke), you don’t want @JoeBusinessGuy to be completely tanked. Also it weeds out people just after the free booze.
Tweetups are fun, productive, and great for walking away with a lot of contacts and leads. So if you’re feeling adventurous and don’t mind doing a bit of hustling, you can host your own Tweetup. I’m looking forward to attending it. —Stuart Foster
Labels: social media, twitter
posted by warwick at
8:13 PM
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