Do I need to create an account in order to use the site?
Accounts are required to post meetups but are otherwise optional.
However, having an account lets you track past events you’ve confirmed for, follow users and receive notifications when they post meetups, and get updates from Sir Dude Named Daniel. Accounts are free, but please note that I send out donation requests via email twice a year.
Can I see events I’ve RSVP’d for in the past?
Yes. You must have an account, and have been logged in when you RSVP’d.
Yes. You can receive alerts about new events by following specific producers.
Find an Event: Browse for events that interest you.
View Event Details: On the event details page, locate the organizer’s name and click the link to their profile.
Follow the Organizer: On their profile page, click “Follow User” to receive notifications about their new events.
Manage Notifications: To customize your notification preferences, go to “My Account” and select “Notifications.”
Meetups
I submitted a meetup but it’s not live on the site yet. What gives?
In order to cut down on spam, all events are reviewed by the back office before being posted to the site.
The back office might edit your post for clarity, reject your meetup entirely, or publish it to the site.
Meetups are checked twice a week so please make sure you post them EARLY. This also ensures Adam has time to announce them on air. Last minute posts will be handled on a case by case basis, but we won’t run around like chickens with no heads if your event it tomorrow and you didn’t remember to post it until 1am that morning and then you drunk email us and expect it to go live right away.
I mean we got lives, man.
If you still need help, contact the back office.
How can I see who has RSVP’d for my event?
RSVPs can be found under “My Meetups.“ Each event has an “RSVP” button.
From here, you can view everyone who has RSVP’d, as well as email everyone who RSVP’d.
Can I edit events after I submit them?
Yep. Simply click “My Meetups“ and edit any event on the list. You can also mark an event as “Cancelled” or “Postponed” which will show up on the front end of the site.
How do I submit a meetup report?
No Agenda Meetups does not currently host meetup reports (tho this may change in the future.)
If you have a meetup report, please email it directly to Adam with the subject line “Meetup Report.”
The best meetup reports are short audio clips of attendees introducing themselves, or other short vignettes that give the atmosphere of the meetup.
How to Hold a Meetup
How to pick a venue?
The place you pick should have easy parking or be close to public transportation (or both).
It should be kid-friendly / family friendly.
The best meetups have been at a local tavern, brewery, or bar that has a roomy, open layout.
A public venue is better than a private home.
What if a restaurant wants a reservation?
Avoid places that want you to reserve a space, or want to put you in a private room. That isn’t the way these things work. There is no way to gauge attendance based on the RSVPs, because these are usually ridiculously inaccurate.
Why should it be kid friendly/family friendly?
Every event, so far, has had a few babies and kids in tow. This way both parents can attend the event. In all instances the kids have been a great addition, and a pleasure to have.
Should I tell the venue that a group is coming?
NO. The silly idea that some restaurants and bars have that you should coordinate and organize a group of people you’ve never met is insane and impossible. Attendees are responsible for their own bar / food tab.
How do No Agenda Fans find each other?
When you post your event, add a description and say where to meet (left side of the bar; on the patio; near the kegs; etc.). The first few minutes of a meet up are always awkward — it’s like a blind date. I recommend the use of a code phrase to identify each other (“In the morning!”) which gets some odd looks from people who aren?t fans, but the people who know are obvious.
How do I know how many people will come?
You don’t. The site does include an RSVP feature but not everyone who RSVPs will show up — and not everyone who shows up will have RSVP’d.
Tips from Michigan Local #1
The following was forwarded by Sir Timothy from Michigan Local #1, who notes “This a comparison of different tactics for hosting meetups from our experience in Michigan. Though of course a host can decide what works best in their area.”
Brewpub/Tavern/Bar
Pros
Often a roomy, open layout to encourage mingling in little groups around various tables or benches.
Often no need for a reservation, people can just show up.
Organizer doesn’t need to deal with RSVPs or other logistics as much.
Cons
Not easy for newbies to tell who’s there for the meetup and who is just another patron, although No Agenda wear and knight/dame rings help with identification.
Hard to have one big conversation with everyone a part of it.
Lazy or inept staff can sometimes try to put a bunch of drinks on one person’s bill.
Sit Down Restaurant
Pros
Can try different cuisines for different meetups.
Some places have large round tables for the full No Agenda Round Table effect.
Is more easy for newbies to tell where the No Agenda contingent is, based on table decorations and No Agenda clothing.
Easier billing per person when staff can see people in a consistent location for the event. Make sure the place will do separate checks.
Tip generously, be courteous, and cultivate long term relationship with a good place and come back often as regulars.
Multiple tables can happen if extra people attend. Sometimes places will just add another table to the same row. Also, if you get fewer attendees, the place can easily use unneeded seating for other parties and not lose business.
Cons
Some effort for RSVP handling.
Works well for smaller groups.
Some places have bad acoustics for everyone around a large table to hear each other.
Not everyone may send an RSVP so plan on 10-20% more than you think.
Private Room
Pros
Easiest for newbies to find where the No Agenda producers are.
Wonderful privacy to discuss issues of the day without interruption or noise of main dining area.
Quiet enough for everyone around the table(s) to hear what’s being said.
Some private rooms can handle even a large group and don’t cost extra if you have a minimum number to order entrees.
Luxurious to have everyone in one space.
Cons
Private rooms can be difficult to find and may cost extra or not depending on the place. Sometimes merely a minimum number of seatings is required without a surcharge for the room as long as everyone orders dinner and drink.
(Okay, not really but this update has taken me like, 2.5 years to push out so it feels like it!)
In addition to a ton of small changes, improvements and additions, the site should also be much faster than it was in the past.
— NEW: Choose a profile image for your user account — with images from the fabulous NA Buttons.
— NEW: Follow other users — if you’re logged in, you can follow another user and get alerts when they post a meetup.
— NEW: A “My RSVPs” page. If you’re logged in, you can see the events you’ve RSVP’d for in the past.
— FIXED: Fixed an email bug which stopped attendees from emailing organizers.
— FIXED: More reliable email delivery.
— FIXED: Site should be much faster than it was before.
— FIXED: Innumerable small visual fixes and updates.
— FIXED: Hundreds of spam accounts removed.
— UPDATED: Updated to the newest versions of core plugins.
— UPDATED: Revamped look for the my meetups page.
— UPDATED: Fresh theme (themes will update regularly, for fun.)
— UPDATED: Updated My Accounts page.
— UPDATED: Switched to a privacy-focused analytics package (removed Google Analytics).
If you notice any bugs or have any problems, please let me know!
Your feedback — and donations — welcome!
Thursday, September 1, 2022
Small updates to the contact form and resources page
Band-aideded bug where some users would not have a username displayed.
Updated registration form to make a display name required.
Sunday, March 27, 2022
Organizer email addresses (and phone numbers, etc.) are now hidden by default.
This data will be shown only to logged in users, and to anyone who RSVPs for your meetup (RSVPs receive an auto-generated message which contains your email address.)
Tuesday, February 22, 2022
– Fixed location and zip-based search
– Map view fixed and re-activated
Sunday, February 20, 2022
Your Brand-New NA Meetups Site!
I’m happy to announce the BRAND-NEW No Agenda Meetups site!
This is a complete, ground-up rewrite, and I’m really excited to present it to the community.
I’ve updated practically every part of the site, added new features, tweaked how things look, worked to make everything clearer and simpler, and put the “fun” back into “Meetups” — 🤔
Here’s just some of what’s new:
Look, new! I mean — new look! — The site has a new look and layout and clearer navigation.
Easier communication between organizers and attendees — One of the most requested features for NA Meetups! When you RSVP for a meetup, you’ll get a confirmation email. You can now reply directly to that email and your reply will go to the organizer — so you can ask questions or communicate directly with your host. Organizers can now email all of their attendees directly to update them or provide new details.
Organizers can now duplicate past meetups — just hit “Duplicate” under any event on the “My Events” page, then update with a new date and time or location.
Better features for organizers — There is now a dedicated “My Events” tab at the top of the site where organizers can see all of their events and event RSVPs.
Cancel or postpone events — You can now set the status of an event as “cancelled” or “postponed” if needed, and this will be marked on the events list.
New views — View upcoming events in different ways – show events happening today, view as a calendar, view as a list or view meetups on a map(broken at the moment; coming soon).
New search and filter features — You can now search and filter all posted meetups. Show only meetups happening in a specific country or state, show meetups by a specific organizer, search for meetups near a specific location, etc.
New accounts system — An entirely new accounts system for No Agenda Meetups accounts. Add links to your social media profiles (including NA Social). You can also easily update your password or email without having to reach out to the admin!
Find past events — Before, old events disappeared off the site once they happened. Now, past events can be found by choosing a past date from the dropdown, or scrolling backwards through the list. (Looking for a meetup that happened a couple of weeks ago in Philadelphia? Use the new filter option to show only Philly meetups then scroll into the past to see previous meetups!)
Added security — Added email and phone number obfuscation to prevent spam harvesters.
Other things too boring to mention
And even more to come!
I want to thank the beta testers who helped test the site during development — you know who you are!
