Navigating Meetup Sponsorships and Speaker Engagement

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This chapter explores the essentials of organizing meetups, emphasizing the importance of securing sponsorships for expenses like food and beverages. It also discusses alternative funding methods and offers strategies to engage potential speakers and foster community participation.

In this episode of Syntax, Wes and Scott talk with CJ Reynolds about the resurgence of meetups in a post-COVID world. They discuss the benefits of attending and speaking at meetups, and the logistics of organizing them. CJ also shares his experiences running the DenverScript meetup, including sourcing speakers, finding venues, and ensuring a welcoming community.

Show Notes

00:00 Welcome to Syntax!
01:35 Brought to you by Sentry.io
01:49 CJ’s history hosting meetups
- DenverScript
- Code Talent
06:35 How do you structure a meetup?
09:50 How do you raise awareness for a meetup and get people to attend?
- Meetup.com
- Guild
13:27 How to pay for a meetup
15:22 How to get speakers at meetups
16:50 The length of these talks
17:03 Does live-streaming hurt attendance?
- Syntax 806 - The King of Drag and Drop: Alex Reardon
19:32 Is there a vetting process for finding speakers?
- Syntax 019 - How to Get Into Speaking at Conferences
24:26 A meetup doesn’t have to be talks
- Develop Happy Hour
27:48 What’s the worst part about hosting a meetup?
29:37 What was your first meetup like?
33:27 What’s the best meetup you’ve been to and why?
37:10 How to be a good attendee
40:45 Are meetups back?
44:00 Tips for organizing a great meetup
45:29 How to find a meetup
47:37 Sick Picks & Shameless Plugs