Re: Request for information about starting a local user group in Brisbane, Australia

On 08/17/2015 04:05 PM, Gary Evans wrote:
>
> I would like to know what I need to do from a PostgreSQL community
> perspective about the requirements I need to fulfil before advertising
> and officially starting a new user group?

1. get a meetup account or ask us to get one for you. Probably better
to do the former, even if you want financial help for it.

2. post here a link to that meetup so we can put it on the PostgreSQL
home page.

3. Schedule a meetup.

4. Submit the meetup to the Postgresql.org news feed as the first
Brisbane meetup (if you don't have a www.postgresql.org community
account, you'll need to get one).

> Any suggestions in terms of what works well and what doesn't at other
> user group meetings, flyers advertising meetings etc would also be welcome.

Flyers don't work in the USA, just social media.

You want to have:

* a topic and a speaker
* food & drink

Food and drink are important because if people have to find a quick
dinner before making it to the meetup, they won't make it. So even if
you have to ask everyone to chip in $10, make sure there's food there.
And don't forget about the vegetarians and folks on special diets.

We've found that discussion/social meetups don't work very well for us;
people don't show. Also, keep in mind that RSVPs will be 1.5X to 3X
higher than actual attendence.

--
Josh Berkus
PostgreSQL Experts Inc.
http://pgexperts.com