See the [speaker policies] (https://github.com/hackthepeople/meetup-guide/blob/master/speaker-policies.md) for what types of speakers we’re looking for. Keynotes are only 10 minutes with 5 minutes for questions. Because of this the burden on the keynote speaker should be small.
The locations you are looking for are smaller tech companies that are seeking more exposure in the community and those that have established programs for hosting meetups. These types of companies already know the benefits of hosting events.
Use the following email template as a base and feel free to add in some personal flair! Once you find a location and things go well you’ll be able to use that location each month.
"Hi,
Hack The People (http://hackthepeople.org or meetup url) is looking for a space to hold a once a month weeknight meetup event. We’re an organization that’s dedicated to encouraging diversity and fostering mentorship in technology. The meetup will be approximately 2 hrs long, in the evening and around 15 people will attend. The meetup consists of a key note speaker (10 - 15 min talk), a round of lightning talks, and a round table discussion focussing on mentorship in tech.
We would be bringing 15 people to your business that would be exposed to your company, tweet about how awesome your company is, checkin, and in general show you much love!
Please let me know if your company is interested in hosting one of our meetups.
Thank you for your time!"
- Location address and link to directions posted on meetup event. Any location in an industrial park needs a map showing the location and parking information. Post that everyone should bring 20 business cards with them.
- A stopwatch or other timing device so you can tell people how much time they have left to speak. A keynote speaker will not run over time if they can see their time ticking away. A smartphone app is just fine, if they can see the time ticking down.
- Phone number of national organizer Nathalie Steinmetz, please email hackthepeople@gmail.com for her number.
- Contact information including phone number for the speaker. Confirm with them their speaking engagement 1 week before the meetup and again 24 hours before. Ask them if they need help with anything such as directions or what cables they may need to present.
- Contact information including phone number for the person hosting the space for the meetup. Confirm with them the use of their facilities 1 week before the meetup and again 24 hours before. Ask them if there are any special considerations for the space.
- Check for VGA/HDMI cable available at location, if the presenter is using a mac make sure they have an adapter to VGA/HDMI
- Locations must be handicap accessible. No stairs, unless a ramp or elevator is available. Almost all locations will be handicap accessible but it’s best to check first rather than be embarrassed when a participant can’t physically get to the meetup location.
- A suitable location for the after meetup networking location. This should most likely be a restaurant with a bar or a coffee shop. Ideally, it will be a place that will allow the under 21 crowd. Try and make it a place where everyone can be heard. If everyone has to scream to be heard it’s not an ideal place for networking.
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Show up at the location at least 30 mins before the start of the meetup. Introduce yourself to the contact at the business that is hosting the meetup. Express your gratitude for them providing the space to hold the meetup. Ask them if there's anything you can do to make holding the meetup at their company/business easier and more rewarding for them. We're doing this so we can establish a mutually beneficial relationship with the businesses hosting the meetups.
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Make sure to ask to be given a tour of how presentations are done at the location for example using the projector, company laptop, microphone, what cables they have etc. Presentations are more error prone due to differences in technology than you could ever imagine.
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Place agenda on the board with line item and how long in minutes each should take. If there is no whiteboard use the Hack The People slides for the agenda (they can be found here, place link later) We want to lay out a plan for the meetup so that attendees are aware of our intentions for their time. It's important to stick to the agenda. Everyone's time is valuable!
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Display the Hack The People welcome slide so that when everyone comes in they can see an overview of the info for the meetup and you don’t have to fumble with it while you’re doing the welcome. The slide should include the following information wifi connectivity information, Twitter, call for volunteers, call for speakers (with description of who fits - preferably out of the meetup itself, or local friends and allies), and the location with map and info for where the afterparty is located.
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Greet the speaker when they arrive and ensure that they have everything needed to present. Help them set up their presentation with whatever technology has been made available at the location. The transition from the welcome to the keynote should be as smooth as possible in order to stick to the agenda.
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Greet everyone as they arrive, introduce yourself as the organizer, and try to introduce them to other attendees. This should ease the awkwardness at the beginning of meetups where everyone just stands around and stares at each other. Hack The People is forming a community, everyone should feel welcome. If beverages or snacks have been provided, offer them to the participants. Let them know where the restrooms, coat rack, etc are.
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Start the meetup on time, not 5 minutes late but at the time posted on the meetup event. People should be responsible enough to arrive at the event by the start of it. Hack The People is trying to establish a relationship of respect between all participating. There are sometimes circumstances outside your control, such as horrible traffic (welcome to Seattle!), problems with the building or disability access, or other issues. If this happens, be flexible, but make sure everyone there knows it’s an exception and not the rule.
- Welcome everyone and give a 90 second description of Hack The People is and why we're all here.
Here’s a good example:
“Hi! Welcome to Hack The People! We’re glad you’re here. Hack The People is a charitable initiative to create mentorships for people in technology, film, politics, and academia. Everyone is welcome without regard to gender, ethnicity, religion, or any other demographic category. Our purpose is to build bridges between the people who have influence and who want to help others succeed, and people new to their field who may be experiencing a lack of a network and mentorship. We respect your time, and we hope you’ll have a great experience here! Remember that we’re a mentorship group, and we may exchange confidences about our hopes and projects and what we’re working on; please keep anything personal that is shared in your small groups confidential. We’re always looking for volunteers and people who want to run meetups; we hope you’ll join the Hack The People community and give back, no matter what level you’re at in your field. Everyone has something to teach and to learn, and we’re glad you’re here!”
If the sponsor is present, have them address the meetup by saying _“We’d like to thank ___________ _(name of the person who hooked you up with the location) from ____________ (this company that is hosting you)”, and give the sponsor a few seconds to introduce themselves and their company.
- They should only talk for half a minute or less. If they try to keep going, or seem like they’re settling in for a long talk that will suck up the time of the group, break in when you can and say “Thanks for that; let’s hold more conversation about how awesome your company is for the beers afterwards! Everyone, let’s thank our sponsors! [start clapping, and everyone will join you]
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Introduce the keynote speaker. Take 45 seconds to tell everyone the speakers accomplishments, why they're amazing, and the value that they'll provide you by listening. Fill in the blanks below, and elaborate based on what you know [substitute the acceptable pronoun for ‘they’]: _“We’d like to welcome our keynote speaker for tonight! ________________________ _(name of keynote) is a well-respected _______________________ _(developer, engineer, CEO, startup entrepreneur, other job title) at __________________________ (Their company). They’re known for _______________________ (their major accomplishments), and they’re here to talk about _________________ (speech topic). We’re looking forward to talking to them and having them join us tonight! Please hold questions until the end, when we’ll have a Q/A time. Everyone, _________________ (name of speaker)."
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The keynote speaker will talk.
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At the 1 minute mark before they are done talking signal them to start wrapping up.
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Once the speaker finishes tell the group they have 5 minutes to ask questions.*
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After 5 minutes let them know you’ll take one more question. Explain all other questions can be asked afterwards at the networking portion of the meetup. When the last question is done, say “Everyone, please thank our amazing keynote speaker, ______________ (name of keynote speaker)!” [Begin clapping, and everyone will follow along]
*What if no one asks a question of the speaker?
- Start with your own question. (Have a good questions prepared from your notes of the speech or think about a question that may be of interest to the audience.)
5 minute break for food, tea, and or coffee and bio functions. Call everyone back when it’s time to start again.
We need to develop individual facilitators for each small group. In order to do this we’ll be using timers to help moderate the group.
Split into two groups of 8, find a way to arbitrarily split the group. In essence, don’t let people choose what group they’re in this takes too much time and we don’t want people to feel excluded.
This is someone’s moment for talking about themselves and what they’re excited about! This isn’t just about what problems people are facing but their accomplishments no matter how small.
2 mins for them to speak uninterrupted
- Repeat your name.
- What are you excited about? This can be anything at all, from Arduino hacking a sous-vide, to cryptography, to systems analysis. Tell us why you’re excited.
- What are some of the challenges you’re facing?
- How can the people here help? Do you need advice? An introduction to someone? A business partner?
- Tell us one thing you’ll accomplish on your project before the next HTP meetup.
4 mins for discussion
At the end of the meetup, have everyone quickly meet up with anyone they want to talk more with and have them exchange contact information with those people.
Begin to help cleanup at this point. Will there be a few pizza boxes to toss? (Toss them). Will there be a lot of work to clean the room? (Everyone helps).
Direct everyone to got out to the after meetup socializing location. It's important to not let the information exchange go on for more than 2 - 3 minutes otherwise people won't go out and bond of food and drinks. Be firm about ending this quickly.
- Post pictures of the meetup group with tags.
- Send survey/questionnaire off to Nathalie.
- Thank the speaker.
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A location sponsor or person we owe something to for the meetup (perhaps the hosting company’s representative) shows up and expects to participate without paying or RSVPing.
- Head this one off at the pass. Make sure to contact the person who is location-sponsoring your meetup to thank them for their offer of the location. Ask them if they want to come to the meetup itself to participate, and if so, give them the RSVP url. Make sure they know that there’s a limited amount of people who can come, and if they want to, they need to RSVP in advance. It helps that we’re a charity. If they ask why they’re not getting a free pass, tell them that no one ever gets a free pass, including the national staff, the board of directors, and the resurrected corpse of Steve Jobs. NO ONE. Make it sound nicer and more tactful.
- If someone ELSE from the company shows up without checking with you in advance, refer to this communication you’ve had with the person who is setting you up with the location, and refuse them entrance courteously--unless there’s additional spots available for the Meetup, in which case give them the URL and ask them to register before allowing them in. It is more important to preserve the integrity of the meetup.
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If the building is closed or you cannot reach the person onsite who is the location sponsor
- Hopefully you have checked the day before with the location sponsor to make sure that you have building access. If something goes very wrong, move to the restaurant next door that you have arranged for the afterparty. Thank the restaurant kindly for their hosting you, and ask if there’s a private room. Shortly, we’ll be able to give you a receipt and the ability for the restaurant to write off any expenses as a charitable deduction.
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If the speaker fails to arrive on time.
- Be sure to communicate beforehand that this meetup sticks to the schedule and we expect everyone, including the speaker, to show up promptly and be ready to begin on time.