First Meetup = Success!
Friday, January 16, 2009 at 08:42PM This past Thursday was the first meeting of my Arts, Culture and Technology meetup and...it went well! I'm happy to say that all my worrying was for naught--people came, they mingled, they met people with similar interests and had inspiring conversations. Everyone seemed to genuinely enjoy themselves and, for my part, it felt great to bring people together in a meaningful way. By the end of the night, I was on top of the world and giddy with the vibrant energy in the room that night.
I've been trying to remember some interesting details or an anecdote from the night, but to be honest, from the moment the first guest walked into the back room at Art Bar, the night became a blur of greeting, handshaking, brief snippets of conversation, followed by more greeting and handshaking. I did my best to introduce people to one another and facilitate the networking, but I'm pretty sure some of the best connections of the night happened entirely on their own.
What was most illuminating for me was that the very things I dreaded about this meetup--the fact that the group was so diverse and seemingly unweildy--ended up being the things people praised the most. One member wrote in his meetup rating that "Anyone who is interested in the topic should show up, there is a wide variety of people and interests," and I wholeheartedly believe that to be true.
There were artists present who had no idea what Twitter was, but walked away with the intention to join, as well as a whole list of blogs to follow and instructions on how to create a Google Reader. There were also tech innovators looking to make a connection in the non-profit sector or just to get some inspiration for their next project. What surprised me was how the two extremes effectively balanced each other out through a desire to help one another and exchange ideas and information.
I can't speak for anyone else but I walked away from the event excited about the people I had met and with a calendar full of coffee and lunch dates to continue the night's discussions further, as well as the feeling that this was a wonderful new community in the making.