GAMES FOR CHANGE MEETUP EVERYWHERE ORGANIZER’S TOOLKIT

7/29/2019 GAMES FOR CHANGE MEETUP EVERYWHERE ORGANIZER’S TOOLKIT

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GAMES FOR CHANGE MEETUP EVERYWHEREORGANIZER’S TOOLKIT

OVERVIEW

Congratulations for taking the initiative to organize a “Games for Change”Meetup event! The most important thing to remember: you have raised your hand to lead an experience for a couple of hours with a group of individuals,most of whom you may not know. That’s exciting, but if you haven’t

organized something like this before, we know that after the initial rush of enthusiasm, it could feel a bit overwhelming. Don’t fear. We’re here to help.

We recommend that all Games for Change Meetup Everywhere organizerstake a few moments to read through the following “tool kit”. In it you’ll findsome useful advice to help you answer such questions as:

• Whom do I want to attract to the event?

• What’s the best format for the event I’m organizing?

• How will I market the event and how will people know it’s happening?

• How can I set reasonable expectations so that I can create a

successful event?

We’re here to help make your first Meetup an excellent and well-organizedexperience. After you’ve read through the tool kit, feel free to contact our Community and Content Manager, Jeff Ramos, to share your experience.

REMEMBER: It’s your event, for your community. We’re just here totroubleshoot any questions you might have.



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THINK OF YOUR FORMAT...

The first step in planning a Meetup is figuring out the best format. There are3 basic scenarios you can consider:

• The Informal Meet and Greet

• The Presentation or Panel

• Demos / Play testing

Communicating the format and intention of the session with clarity is one of your most important tasks in volunteering to lead a Meetup. The amount of time you spend organizing and your priorities will depend on what kind of Meetup you want to do. Let’s take a look at some examples...

1) THE INFORMAL MEET AND GREET

This is the easiest Meetup to organize. It works especially well for those whohaven’t organized public events previously. Organizers are typically outgoingpersonalities who are comfortable with meeting people they don’t alreadyknow.

You can host it at a public venue like a bar, coffee shop, or park. Just telleveryone to meet at a public place and let the event take its own shape.

REMEMBER: Make sure to inform the venue in advance that a few peoplemay be showing up.

PROS

• Great way to find out who is in your local community

• Easy way to create a core group for future Meetups

• Perfect for open dialogue

• No need to worry about microphones, video projection, or technicalissues



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CONS

• Lack of agenda may make it harder to get people to come

• Open dialogue may be off-putting for some.

• Finding an adequate public venue for discussion may be hard

• Possibly more work for you to act as “host” during the event tofacilitate conversations amongst people who turn up and might nothave very much in common

RECOMMENDATIONS

• Even if your goal is to create a loose, informal networkingopportunity, you should consider using specific language in theMeetup description to call out what kind of people you want toattract. For example, “Game designers looking to meet developers...”or “Educators looking to meet game developers...”

• It might sound corny, but nametags can help break the ice,particularly for larger groups of 10 or more. (Handwritten labels arefine!)

• Be clear about any particulars. For instance, if you’re having aMeetup at a cash only bar, let people know in advance.

2) THE PRESENTATION OR PANEL

This is the most popular type of Meetup. It’s also the most labor intensive. If you’re organizing a presentation or panel, you should allow at least four to sixweeks to organize and promote the event. We also recommend enlistingothers to help you plan. A presentation or a panel is a great way to featureprojects or have established speakers present information. These types of Meetups can also have excellent post-presentation Q&A sessions.

PROS

• Perfect for a formal, informative Meetup

• The promise of an interesting presentation or panelist generallydraws many attendees

• If you can manage it, these Meetups also lend themselves to thepossibility of live streaming

CONS

• Requires a lot of set up and rounding up relevant and relatedpanelists may be difficult if you don’t have access to them throughyour own network.

• Organizing a large event opens the possibility of many technicaldifficulties like microphones not working, slide show files beingincompatible on other computers or the live stream failing. Beprepared to handle any problems that may arise. Your buzzwords toremember: professionalism and improvisation.



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RECOMMENDATIONS

• Keep it simple. Don’t aim for more than 3 speakers, especially if it’syour first time organizing a Meetup. More speakers meansexponentially more work.

• If you have a tech heavy event, you should consider having acollaborator help organize. One person can focus on the speakers;the other can focus on the production and audience experience.

• Have a clear concept in writing of what you would like the speakersto discuss.

• Confirm your date, time and venue prior to inviting any speakers. If you’re creating an event around one speaker, you should obviouslywork in finding a date/venue based on his/her availability.

3) DEMOS / PLAY TESTING

We see a lot of requests on our Google Group from individuals all over theworld interested in having their games presented and tested while still in thealpha or beta stage. We think it’s an interesting way to bring together a rangeof members in your community from designers, educators, experts inmonitoring and evaluation, civil society organizations, and members of the

intended audience for the game.

PROS

• It’s a great way for creators to hear valuable feedback while they arestill in development.

• It’s an opportunity to bring together a dynamic discussion with arange of perspectives from your own community.

• It could be an opportunity to form new collaborations andpartnerships.

CONS It will require creativity on the part of the Meetup organizer to think of the best way to solicit potential projects and determine the best

format for a live discussion. For example: Do game creators bringtheir own laptops and demo games during the session? Is itstructured or free form? Is there a facilitated discussion following thegame’s presentation?

RECOMMENDATIONS

• When presenting a demo, it’s best to show everyone the most stablebuild, not the latest. Considering your audience is viewing a work inprogress, the safest bet is to show them the one that works the best.

• If you’re presenting a demo on a computer, make sure you have theappropriate cables to plug into a projector. If you’re demoing from ahandheld device, consider connecting a camera to a stand so theaudience can see the game.

• Remain calm and be prepared to improvise if your game crashes or any unexpected errors occur.





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FINDING A VENUE AND DATE

Now that you have a great idea for your Meetup, you’re going to need anappropriate place to have it. You’re not going to want to do a presentation ata noisy bar and you may not want to have a game jam at a coffee shop! Timeand day are also important, so here are a few things to consider...

1) DAY OF WEEK

Different days are better for different types of Meetups. Our experience isthat:

• Tuesdays and Wednesdays are good for more direct Meetups likepresentations and panels

• Thursdays and Fridays are great for social gatherings like the Meetand Greet

• Saturdays and Sundays are perfect for longer, event-based Meetups(like a game jam or outdoor event)

When it occurs is just as important as where it takes place. A bar may havemore availability earlier in the week and people are more likely to join you ina park on the weekend. In order to attract the greatest number of attendees,keep in mind their personal time and how much effort it takes to participate inyour Meetup.

2) THE VENUE

Setting up the venue can be the biggest hurdle for someone putting together a Meetup for the first time. It’s important to find the right venue to help theMeetup run smoothly. But don’t worry! If you already know your format anddate, finding the right venue will be easier.



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RECOMMENDATIONS

• If you’re doing a Meetup at a bar, go for anything after Happy Hour.The bar will have a few patrons, but it won’t be too busy or too loud,which is perfect for informal Meetups.

• If you’re doing a presentation or panel, you should consider approaching a university or local business with an interest in havinggame creators in attendance. They may have the equipment youneed and they also may be able to help promote your event.

• Figure out if your venue has access to wireless Internet. Don’t besurprised if your attendees want to post to Twitter or Facebook whilethey are at your Meetup. This can be a good thing and you want tomake sure your venue can accommodate attendees who are activeon social networks.

• The main objective: aligning the event with an appropriate venue.



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PLANNING YOUR MEETUP

Now that you know the basics of Meetups, it’s time to plan your own. If youneed any help getting started, here’s a suggested timeline you can follow...

FOUR WEEKS PRIOR

• Decide on a format.

• Start searching for venues.

•

Decide what day of the week you’re going to organize your Meetup.• Search for volunteers.

If you’re thinking about doing a panel, now is also a good time to beginlooking for speakers. Also keep in mind that it’s okay to overbook your RSVPs by 50%. Just because a lot of people begin to RSVP, it is unlikelyall of them will turn up. Overbooking ensures that your Meetup willmaximize its potential attendance, instead of turning people awaybecause you think you’ll overcrowd a venue.

THREE WEEKS PRIOR

• Start sharing on your social networks.

•

Confirm your volunteer list.• Finalize your speaker list and update your Meetup Everywhere page

with relevant links and bios to give attendees context.

Once you get the ball rolling, feel free to brand your city-specific MeetupEverywhere with a Twitter account or Facebook Page. Having dedicatedsocial networks will give your attendees another way to keep up to datewith any changes or announcements. Also remember to use the#G4CMeetup hashtag when tweeting!

TWO WEEKS PRIOR

• Begin trying to capture contact info for attendees.

• Send out a reminder comment on the Meetup page – this will sendout an e-mail to attendees that have opted in to get updates viaMeetup.



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ONE WEEK PRIOR

Send out another reminder if there are any changes. Also feel free tosend a reminder about the event, just make sure that you do notoverwhelm people with too many status updates.

DAY BEFORE

• Create a sign up sheet to collect the e-mail addresses of your attendees at tomorrow’s Meetup. This provides a means to reach outonce the event is over.

• Using our special Meetup Everywhere “Your City” banner (providedin the ZIP file) make enough signs for your event. Even if you’vemade it clear you’re organizing a Meetup, people will get lost tryingto find the venue.

DAY OF THE MEETUP

• Call the venue to re‐affirm the event time and update them about anylast minute changes.

• Bring plenty of sign up sheets, nametags, snacks, drinks and backups of anything important like USB drives with slides and perhaps abackup laptop.

• Be there early (at least 90 minutes) if you need to test all of theequipment, computers and files to ensure that everything will beready to use at start time.

SOME FINAL TIPS

Here are a few more things to keep in mind to make your Meetup a success:

• If you’re doing a Presentation, there will be downtime betweenpeople switching laptops or loading software and slides. Take

advantage of this downtime by either reiterating good points from theprevious speaker or introducing your next speaker while they set up.

• Stay on time. If your event is supposed to be 90 minutes, make sureit starts and ends at the appropriate time.

• Leave time for Q&A. The idea of attending a Meetup is to interact. 20 – 30 minutes is usually good for 90-minute events.

• And one we can’t stress enough: Test all your microphones, slidesand devices before the audience arrives.



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MAKE YOUR NETWORKING COUNT

The Meetup is in full swing, but now what? A good organizer will make sureall their attendees are having fun and are engaged. You may find being afacilitator can be more beneficial than being a presenter. Here are threenetworking goals to keep in mind...

AS THE ORGANIZER, YOU’LL NEED TO PLAY THE HOST.The responsibility of an organizer doesn’t stop once a Meetup has begun. Itwill be your responsibility to make sure the night goes smoothly.

A LARGE PART OF SUCCESS IS MAKING SURE YOUR PRESENCE ISFELT AT THE MEETUP.If it’s informal, work the room and make sure to greet everyone as they comein. If it’s a more formal event, spend some time introducing yourself aspeople are taking their seats or grabbing some snacks.

TAKING DOWN CONTACT INFO WILL ENSURE YOU HAVE A WAY TOCOMMUNICATE WITH YOUR ATTENDEES AFTER THE EVENT.If people attend your Meetup, it would be a shame if your interaction withthem ended once the night is over. Getting someone’s contact info while theyare at your event will give you a chance to extend the conversation. It willgive you a chance to get feedback after the event is over and it will give you

a list of people to tell about your next Meetup! If you don’t have time to takedown information, make sure you have plenty of your own business cardshandy.



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STAY SOCIAL, BUT BE RESPECTFUL

The whole point of the Meetup is about building your community of othersinterested in games for change. Don’t let the energy die after the event isover. If you are taking down contact information from people, here are somegreat ideas to give your attendees reasons to stay in touch...

TWEETSIf you have a smart phone that allows for it, try to be active on it before,during and after the event. Keep everyone up to date using the #G4CMeetup hashtag on Twitter. Tagging your tweets will give attendees an easy way tofind you and others that tweeted during and after the event. We’ve even seenpeople put their Twitter name on their nametag instead of their real names! And if you don’t have a smart phone, but you have a laptop and wirelessInternet, feel free to make posts, just don’t sit behind it all night!

PHOTOSDoing something as simple as taking pictures during the event will encouragepeople to keep in contact with you after the event is over. Get a friend wholoves taking photos to attend and make sure to publicize the online photoalbum after the event. If you’re posting on Facebook, why not tag attendeesor speakers in the photos?

THANK YOU EMAILIf you’re taking emails, send a thank you note after the event. We’rerepeating this tip because there’s no point in organizing a Meetup andvanishing. The idea is to network and make long lasting connections. A thankyou email could lead to interesting conversations and feedback. Also tryadding links to all your important social networks in your email signature.

AND REMEMBER: The single, most important thank you e-mail to send outwill be to your presenters. You should send one to them no later than a dayafter the event.

FRIEND REQUESTS AND FOLLOWSWithout being too invasive, think about adding some of the individuals you

connected with in person to your social networks of preference. Dependingon your event, you may end up having some new Twitter followers,Facebook friends or LinkedIn connections.



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CONCLUSION

Organizing a Meetup can be a fun learning experience. We strongly believein Meetup’s goal of using the Internet to get off the Internet.

If you’ve taken any advice from this tool kit, we want to hear from you! Sendus feedback so we can improve the quality of this tool kit and feel free toshare your successes or recommendations with us.

To get in touch with Games for Change, you can contact our Community and Content Manager, Jeff Ramos: [email protected]

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GAMES FOR CHANGE MEETUP EVERYWHERE ORGANIZER’S TOOLKIT