Give Your Meetups a Hook

Regardless of your Meetup group's topic, varying aspects of each Meetup keeps members enthusiastic and gives them a reason to keep attending. It also inspires new members when they see that your Meetups aren't the same thing over and over again.

That variation is the 'hook' that keeps them coming back for more. They won't want to miss out what's happening next!

Give your Meetups a hook that keeps things different, exciting, and fun! It will keep your Meetup group active, and attract new members to make it grow.

Here are some hooks to consider:

Vary the Location

• Try a change of scenery!

Vary the Activity

• Do something different!

Vary the Topic/Theme

• Get creative!

Have a Guest Speaker

• Bring in an special guest star!

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Vary the Location

For some Meetup groups, a different location each time is at the very heart of their topic. Urban Explorers and Paranormal Investigators are always looking to explore new places to meet, while a French Language Meetup may just want a quiet place to talk. Due to the nature of your Meetup group topic, you might think your members don't need a change of scenery. Maybe not, but it's more fun when you do!

Variety is how you shake things up! Why don't you take your French speakers taste-testing espressos at the latest café? Exploring different venues and neighborhoods livens things up and gives everyone something new to talk about.

If your Meetup usually takes place at the local community center or library, check the weather, and try the park next time. Meet up alfresco for a change! Been hanging out at the same old bar every week? Maybe it's time to move on.

Instead of knitting at a member's home, Anne Marie, Organizer of the Sit n' Knit New York Meetup, arranged for her members to Sit (in a Bar) n' Knit!

When the weather was right, this savvy Organizer took his cooks out of the kitchen for a Picnic and Recipe Swap. Why not?

For a fun and exciting change of pace, Nashville Scrappers Meetup Organizer, Karen Seifert, took her scrapbookers to camp! A 48 hours scrapbooking weekend with masseuse! Not bad!

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Vary the Activity

Varying activities keeps things fresh. Moms Meetup groups tend to get stuck with their kids in the playground. Why not leave them home and have a Moms Night Out instead? If your Pug Meetup group always meets at the dog run for some off-leash romping, why not take your human friends for a walk instead? Mix it all together, and you might even end up a part of a parade!

Photography Meetup groups like to take pictures and compare shots. The Toronto Photography Meetup took it one step further by exhibiting their members' photographs at a local art gallery.

Does a Boardgame Meetup sound like a Monopoly marathon? How about a little Glow in the dark Mini-Golf to keep your gamers on their toes instead.

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Vary the Topic/Theme

Your Meetup group's topic may be categorized, but your Meetups can be thematic and fun!

The New York City Boggle members are always up for playing Boggle. But read the descriptions of their events. By having a different theme each Meetup, they add extra fun and excitement to their games. It's December? If you find Christmas words, you get extra points! October? Halloween words! The person with the best theme word at each Meetup wins a goofy prize! That's how you can keep a reoccurring activity fresh and fun!

Brian Hart and the Southern California Science Cafe members are always talking science. But each Meetup, it's a new presentation on the scientific aspect of current events. In the aftermath of Katrina and Rita, the Meetup group discussed the power of hurricanes Look at their past Meetups for more of the interesting topics they talk about. Origins of the universe, the brain at work, stem cells. Cool and different stuff to ponder each time!

The Organizer of the T-Dot Book Club Meetup takes on a new theme each month and offers two related book selections for members to read and discuss at her events. Sideshows, Food, Relationships and 'Just for laughs', these Meetup themes are five-star fun.

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Have a Guest Speaker

The Love Boat had different guest stars each episode; so can your Meetup group! A guest speaker can be a knowledgeable member of your Meetup group, a professional instructor, a neighborhood merchant, or a local celebrity.

What better way to show your love and appreciation for your pet, then learning how you can potentially save his or her life! Rita Kovalsky did just that for the Westchester Dachshund Meetup when she brought in an instructor to run a Pet First Aid Class.

(Not only do members benefit from the knowledge a guest speaker can share, the guest speaker gets exposure, too. It's a win-win!)

Bonnie arranged for a professional trainer to give her Toronto Shiba Inu Meetup members and their dogs a course in agility. This was a great opportunity for her guest speaker to find new students, while her members learned the benefits of professionally training their dogs.

Evelyn of The NYC Book Club Meetup arranged for a local author to visit and discuss her latest work.

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Not only does coming up with a hook for each Meetup make it exciting and fun for your members, it makes it fun for you, the Organizer, too. Trying something new and different is the spice of life!

When you figure out the hook for your next Meetup, don't keep it a secret either! Make sure to detail it in your Meetup description and email your members to read all about it. When they see that "this time we're going to try something a different," they'll stop and take notice. They won't want to miss out!