Multiple Meetup Groups in a Single City

Hello all you community builders out there!

We’ve had a couple of discussions lately on slackSlack Slack is a Collaborative Group Chat Platform https://slack.com/. The WordPress community has its own Slack Channel at https://make.wordpress.org/chat/. about having multiple MeetupMeetup Meetup groups are locally-organized groups that get together for face-to-face events on a regular basis (commonly once a month). Learn more about Meetups in our Meetup Organizer Handbook. groups in single cities and how close is too close. There have been good arguments raised on both sides of the issue, which I’ve paraphrased below.

  1. In favor of single groups per city
    • Concentrates work of local WordPress enthusiasts.
    • Provides a very strong community base for the opportunity of future WordCampWordCamp WordCamps are casual, locally-organized conferences covering everything related to WordPress. They're one of the places where the WordPress community comes together to teach one another what they’ve learned throughout the year and share the joy. Learn more. planning.
    • Helps with chapter maintenance from a deputyProgram Supporter Community Program Supporters (formerly Deputies) are a team of people worldwide who review WordCamp and Meetup applications, interview lead organizers, and keep things moving at WordCamp Central. Find more about program supporters in our Program Supporter Handbook. perspective.
  2. In favor of multiple groups per city
    • Increases opportunities for leadership experience.
    • Provides events in other areas of a city (suburbs, etc).
    • It might be hard to find groups if they are far outside a popular zip code.

The usual concerns are available for both as well:

  1. What are the best ways to make sure organizers don’t end up with a monopoly on the community?
  2. What is the healthiest option for the local communities?
  3. What if groups are really dedicated to different aspects of WordPress (developer, designer, etc)?

Best practice is to consolidate Meetup groups within a city. The organization of each Meetup group is open which can allow for anyone to plan and host an event in the surrounding areas and for any skill level.

This post is an opportunity for those who aren’t monitoring the slack chats to join in the discussion. Please share your thoughts in the comments below!

#meetup, #meetups-2