Dear set-up assistants,
Thank you for offering to help with the meeting setup! You can arrive as early as you want,
since that room is only used for groups. Please try to arrive by at least 5:00pm; and, be
done setting up by 5:45pm. People will start to arrive around 5:50pm. I usually arrive at
5:00pm.
Meetup Location
Marie Calendars Restaurant
3400 Clares St.
Capitola, CA 95010
(in the Capitola mall parking lot, North side)
831-464-6771
The contact person at Marie Calendars will be whoever they assign as our waiter or
waitress. Before you get there, if you need to call, just call their main number and talk to
whoever answers the phone if you have questions. They're used to having big groups meet
there, so they won't be surprised to hear from you.
When you arrive at Marie Calendars, introduce yourself to the hostess and tell them you're
setting up for the meeting. Then ask who our server will be. Tell the server how many
people we're expecting, (usually around 20). Remind the server that some people will order
their own food, so we'll need separate checks for everyone. The meeting ends promptly at
7:30pm. We'll need everyone to get their final bill at that time.
Meetup Kit
To get started, you'll need to open up the "Meetup Kit." It's a black notebook with all the
supplies in it. Here's what it contains:
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Clipboard with list of people who RSVP'ed (need to check off people as they arrive)
Pen
Money box (should have some small bills and coins for making change)
Receipt book
Little sign for the check-in table
pre-printed member badges (they should leave them when they leave)
blank pin-on badges
blank badge stickers
markers for blank badges
black fold-away pen holder for markers
Business card holder booklet (for guests to put their biz cards in)
Tape, scissors
Small blank notepad
Directional signs (not needed at Marie Calendars)
Bright yellow paper (for signs if needed)
Set-Up
Make sure the tables in the party room are in the standard "U" shape. If not, ask the
waitress in charge, and she will have the bus boys move them in place. Also the waitress for
help moving one small table and a chair to outside the party room door for check-in.
If you want food and a drink, consider ordering them early and picking out a spot for
yourself at the table.
Spread out the member badges on a table. Also put out the blank badges and holders, and
the blank stick-on badges. Assemble the fold-away pen box and set out the markers for the
badges.
Prominently display the business card book on the check-in table. It's OK for anyone to put
their card in the business card holder, even if they're not a member. Encourage them to put
several cards in, instead of just one, so people can take one out.
Check-In
When someone arrives, welcome them and check off their name as "attended" on the
check-in sheet. If the are new, or haven't RSVP'ed in advance, write their first and last
name on the bottom of the check-in sheet. Ask everyone for $3, except the speaker. Once
they pay you, check them off the list as "paid".
If it's a visitor's first time, welcome them and explain how the meeting works. Suggest that
they register for free on our Meetup site so they can get invites to future meetings. The
website is www.meetup.com/marketingroundtable. There is no charge to join. Only the $3
meeting fees. And they can drop out of the group any time they'd like.
When the check-in area gets busy, some people will wander and sit-down without checking
in. This is why it's good to have two people at check-in! One person works the desk while
the other directs the in-coming flow of people to the check-in table.
Keep check-in open until 7pm for stragglers. After that, I will check in the late-comers.
Collecting Payments
Make sure to get the $3 payment from the right away when they check in. Checks should be
written to "Margaret Barr". Have the receipt book handy in case someone needs one.
Speaker
It's a top priority to make sure the speaker has all the help they need getting set up. Karen
will have a projector and portable screen to set-up, and will need to get her slides ready. If
there's a technical problem, tell her it's OK to go without slides. Our members seem to
enjoy slide-free presentations better anyway, since more back-and-forth conversation
happens that way.
Also make sure the speaker gets to order food and a drink early. I'll pay for their meal out
of the group's budget. :)
Starting the Meeting
If for some strange reason I'm not there at 6:05, please start without me. At 6:00pm start
getting people to sit down. Remind the speaker they have 35 min for their presentation, and
20 for Q&A. To start the meeting, just thank everyone for coming, welcome people who are
there for the first time, and introduce the speaker right away. Tell everyone it's OK to ask
questions during the presentation, (unless the speaker wants to hold questions til the end.)
Standard Meeting Timeline
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6:00pm:
Meeting begins
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6:00 - 6:05pm:
Final seating call & host introduction (Maggie)
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6:05 - 6:10pm:
(Maggie)
Meeting host welcomes newcomers and explains meeting protocol
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6:10 - 6:20pm:
Host asks each guest to introduce themselves briefly (Maggie)
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6:20 - 6:30pm:
Host introduces speaker and discussion topic (Maggie)
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6:30 - 7:00pm:
Speaker lesson or presentation on topic
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7:00 - 7:30pm:
Speaker leads open conversation about topic
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7:30pm:
Meeting ends
Handling Problems
If something goes wrong, delegate! Ask one of the other members to handle the issue. Or,
ask them to take over check-in while you deal with the situation. This is a great group of
really smart, nice people, so this strategy works well.
thanks,
Maggie
Meetup Organizer
Maggie Barr
1018 Rambling Rd.
Boulder Creek, CA 95006
maggie.anne.barr@gmail.com
http://www.linkedin.com/in/maggieabarr
w 408-454-6488
m 831-252-0504