How To Promote An Event Using Meetup or Peatix or Eventbrite

Problem
How do you promote an event on Meetup? Does it work/ What does it cost?

Answers
Oops - My ost disappoeared on some time delay and I thought I'd lost it. So I have started again with new information.

Meetup cost for up to 50 members is US9.99 a month for 6 months.
US14.99 for one month.
You can pay using Stripe or Wepay.

Peatix
A Peatix app is available for Android and IOS.

Websites
https://www.eventbrite.sg/l/registration-online

Author
Angela Lansbury, travel writer and photographer, author and speaker. See my previous post. Please bookmark and share links to your favourite posts.

What It Costs To Promote A Meeting on Meetup

Problem
My two Toastmasters Clubs in London get lots of new members, average 2 or more, sometimes 4-6, each of the two monthly meetings. My Singapore club is considering it. But what toes it cost?

Answer
In September 2018 I looked at the Meetup website and found I was offered:

Basic membership for 6 months cost US $9.00 a month. If you have two meetings a month, that's US$4.50 per month.  If you were to advertise more events, it becomes more profitable.

What does basic mean? A limit of 50 members and 4 organizers.  I presume that's 54 in total. That's plenty for a small club of about 20 members which wants to expand.

Fifty members doesn't mean 50 paid up members of your club. I presume it's 50 people on Meetup who signed up to be notified of your meetings. Some of those are phantom members who will never turn up.

I joined a sewing and crafts group meeting in Wembley in London. I never went. It was too far and inconvenient times and days.

If you have two sister organizations you might be able to link them on a mutual Meetup group and share costs. For example, two Toastmasters clubs of the same name, such as the English speaking club and the Mandarin-speaking club which meet at the same venue on different days.

Another option is for a one-off payment of US$14.99 a month, perhaps for one event such as A Christmas party at a restaurant.

You need a treasurer who is on top of cancellations, because as with any monthly payment, if you are inclined to forget, you might end up paying for years for something you no longer need.

If you find it successful, no such problem. You are assured that they will roll over the payment.

If you want to organize a free meeting, instead or in addition you can use Peatix, a company which started in Asia.

In the UK Toastmasters meetings are often booked through Eventbrite. If you are not charging, why bother to issure tickets?

a) At a large event such as a conference in an auditiorium with a popular sepaker you might be sold out. Because of fire regulations you are not allowed to have people sitting on the stairs and standing in the aisles and in front of the fire exit doors. To avoid early arrivals grabbing the seats and latecomers being turned away, the first ones to book are given tickets. Others go on a waiting list.

b) The organizers may want to know the numbers in order to cater with enough food and drink or cups for water, or chairs, or to switch to a larger or smaller room according to the numbers.

c) At the other extreme, if nobody books for an event, because it is not popular, too last minute, or people are away on holiday, you might wish to postpone your New Year, Easter, Valentine's, or Summer BBQ until a week later, or postpone your so-called Christmas party until after Christmas.

If you want to pay, the Meetup system was accepting WePay.

Useful Websites
https://www.meetup.com
peatix.com

Author
Angela Lansbury, travel writer and photographer, author and speaker. Please share links to your favourite posts with your family and friends and colleagues.

QUICK TIPS FOR TRAVELLERS On travel, postcodes, delays, and e-tickets

Problems
1 DIRECTIONS
You want directions of buses and trains to a venue for yourself or a colleague. You need the postcode. However, the organization's website has three addresses. (For example, London Business School.)

2 E-TICKETS & PRINTING
You book the event though Eventbrite. You can save paper by not printing it.
However, when you reach the venue, you need a code to log onto their wifi, so you can't show your e-ticket on your phone.
The person with the list of attendees is in another room. Other visitors don't know the name of the person you need to find.

3TIMING
You have timed the route. However, there are delays.

4 DEALING WITH DELAYS
Your route has unexpected delays.

5 ARRIVAL - now what?
You arrive at a huge venue. Nobody knows anything about your event.

Answers
1 DIRECTIONS
Write the postcode of the venue in your diary.
 Add it to the contact details in your phone.

2 E-TICKETS - To print or not to print?
Print out the e-ticket in advance. To save paper and printing ink:
Copy the section which is relevant.
Cut the part with your number from the paper. Stick in in your diary or keep it in your right-hand pocket, in a see-through cover which makes it large enough to find in a hurry.
Find out who has the list of attendees. Put their name and phone number in your phone. Find out what time they will arrive and where they will be.

3 TIMING
Allow extra time in case of delays. Arrive early. Find out where you can wait if the room is locked.
Have your own food and water, in case you are left standing alone in a corridor or lobby.
Know the name of the event, which might be different from your session.

4 DELAYS
Allow time before setting off to check on delays, alternative routes, and messages to tell anybody who needs to know that you are setting off and of any delays.

5 ARRIVAL
Know the name of the entire day's event. Know the orgnization organizing the event.
Know the divison or number of your club because there could be events worldwide on any one day, so you need something specifici for an internet search. Note the name of the person who sent the email inviting you to the event.

Find out the room of the event. Conference centres are big. The welcome desk may be unattended by the time you arrive late. In the lift which floor are you looking floor, Basement, lower basement, ground, 1, 2, 3? Is it in the basement, the auditorium, the conference centre, on the 3rd floor.

TOILETS
Where are the toilets for men and women, same floor or upstairs or downstairs. (When retinring from the toilets, are you going downstairs or upstairs.

FOOD
Should you grab a coffee at the station or the supermarket you pass? Will the college cafeteira be open at the weekend, and at the end of the coference at lunchtime, 4 pm or 6 pm?

You may need cash to grab a sandwich in a hurry in the interval. How much are the sandwiches? If you are a group, can one of you buy sandwiches for everybody. If so, will they all eat meat or do you need egg or cheese (not for vegans).

Who will pay for the food, you, your club or oganization, the people giving you orders? (Get them to write their name and food choice. Meat only, meat or egg and cheese, no shellfish, any. If no sandwiches, will they want cakes, donuts, etc? Price limit - £2.50, £5, £7.50. £10, any.)

Find out what latecomers should do. Sneak in at the back? Wait until the interval to avoid using the door which open onto or beside the stag.

Wave to signal to the chairman on stage that you have arrived. Pass the usher a note to hand to the organiser on stage.

Information on delays
https://tfl.gov.uk/tube-dlr-overground/status/#line-tfl-rail

Author
Angela Lansbury
Travel writer and photographer, author and speaker.