Tips for Hosting Your Meet-Up

Here are some tips to make your event a success.

So you’re hosting an event—fantastic! Now what?

If you do just a few things to prepare for your meet-up and remember a few more to do during your event, your day should flow smoothly, and you’ll be able to enjoy your time connecting with your guests.

Thank you again for volunteering to host! It’s professionals like you who have stepped up to make this project a worthwhile, low-cost, and accessible resource for our community.

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Preperation

Deciding about an RSVP Requirement and Headcount:
You do NOT need to require RSVPs. It’s your choice, but if you do, we recommend setting the limit approximately 35% greater than what you believe your maximum occupancy will be. This is because when it comes to events, no-shows on “Yes” RSVPs are typically about 30-35% for FREE networking events. If you would like to set a limit, please coordinate with Dr. Elizabeth Carr, as this will be included in the Constant Contact Invitation that is sent to our members.

Forward the email:
Once the official email is sent out for your event, you are welcome to forward it to your professional colleagues’ email list.

Socials:
I’ll post a notice of your event on my social media channels and the Maryland MH meet-up circle’s social media channels, including the group’s LinkedIn page.

If you haven’t already done so, please join this LinkedIn group if you have a LinkedIn account. This way, we can tag you in these posts. Look for these so you can repost them on your accounts, including your LinkedIn profile if you have one.

Name Tags: Get some sticky name tags for your event and narrow marker pens for readable name tags.

Food and Drink:
Plan for your event. Are you hosting at your office? Plan to have some snacks—bagels or sweet or savory treats, depending on your theme. Wine or Coffee, depending on your theme and time of day. Remember to get paper plates, napkins, plastic forks, etc.  If you’re hosting a morning event, consider setting up or pre-staging as much as possible the night before. Be sure to place a decent-sized trash can near your hospitality area.

You’re likely to have extra food at the end of your event, which you may want to offer to departing guests. Consider having some aluminum foil and zip-lock bags to help with this. (Tip from Dr. Joseph Snow)

Remind Your Staff: This is a big deal for us as hosts, but our clinicians are busy and likely will appreciate a reminder. Send your staff details about attending a day or two before the event.

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During the Event

Photos: Consider designating a friend or suitemate to take some pictures during the event. If you take pictures, we can post them to socials later to celebrate your successful event, giving you a second chance to showcase your event and generosity to our community!

Name Tags: Please remember to set up your name tag station near your entrance. Consider placing a sign next to it, encouraging people to list their practice name beneath their own.

Drinks and Food: People often congregate and gather in an entrance. Consider placing your food further into your space if possible, to encourage people to spread out throughout your suite.

Tours: Consider offering small groups a tour. People are shy, but curious, and welcome the invitation.

Quick Announcement: 1) If your group is 30 or less, consider doing a quick circle of introductions. 2) Remember to thank guests for coming and encourage any guests to sign up for future invitations. 3) Please also encourage group members to join the group’s LinkedIn page to share professional news, job postings, and space for sublet. And finally, 4) put in a plug for folks to consider hosting in the future.

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After Your Event

Send In Your Photos
Please email your photos to Dr. Elizabeth Carr for posting on our social media channels.

Tell Us How it Went
Please send in an email that has a mini After-Action Report (AAR), in this case, a brief summary of how the event went in your email message, which we can add to the copy.

Additionally, please share any off-the-record lessons learned that can help us make future events even more successful, as well as any advice you have for future hosts.