Information on creating a A1YChi meetup event, from concept to "Good Night"
This document hopes to capture everything involved in organizing a A11YChi event. This information can then act as knowledge sharing for other co-organizers and beyond.
- Conceive of the topic or theme
- Locate a speaker
- Locate a venue
- Coordinate Dates
- Finalizing the Plans for the Event
- Announcing the Event
- Meetup Member Messages
- Promotion of the Event
- Set Up YouTube Live Stream
- Coordinating Live Caption Services
- RSVP Deadline
- Day of Meetup Event
- Post Meetup Event
A topic or theme may originate from discussion among co-organizers, member suggestions or other sources.
Our goal is to represent a diverse mix of developer, user experience, design, testing, legal and general accessibility content. During 12 months of the year, we strive for monthly event, with a realistic goal of 10 events a year.
If you have a valid topic in mind, the next step is to find someone who can deliver an intelligent, impactful talk on that topic.
There is never a drought on speakers, only the awareness of, or availability of good speakers. We look for diverse speaker, from every ability, gender, orientation, etc.
Look for speakers locally, within our own A11YChi member community. Even within the Chicagoland area, who have never heard of our meetup community. Look for local folks who have spoken at other local meetups or other digital events. Check the Twitters for local folks who have written an engaging article on A List Apart, Medium or other online outlets.And of course, if there is a topic you'd really like to see covered, seek out a local expert on that topic.
And then, there are the national or international speakers who happen to be in town at a given time. If a speaker happens to be in town that would be a real treat for our A11YChi membership, do what's reasonably possible to make contact with them, explain our meetup and ask if they would be interested in speaking on an accessibility-related topic at our meetup. We have been blessed to date with the likes of Derek Featherstone, Marcy Sutton, Thomas Logan and Sam Joehl presenting at our meetup.
Ideally, we would strive for a local/global speaker mix of 50/50, even 70/30.
Once a speaker has provided agreement to speaker at our meetup, we need to obtain the spreakers contact information (email, phone, Twitter, etc.), the title of their talk, a broef one paragraph description of their talk, their bio, and a hi-res photo. Make sure to ask for and receive the speaker(s) pronouns (he/his, etc.). We also need to understand their availability, as this information will aid in selecting a venue.
Lastly, we must receive a final copy of their deck 1-2 days in advance of the event, so we may send a copy to the ACS Captions remote captioner, so they can orientate themselves with the content.
We presently have a list on our Google Docs repository (Meetup Venues & Contacts) of venues that we either have worked with in the past or became aware of however have not used as of yet. The listing provides the capacity of each venue.
Once a preferred venue has been determined for a given event, the venue contact should be contacted via email to see if they would be willing to host the event. Lead time is important here, as some venues host several events, and most are handled on a "first-come-first-hosted" basis.
The key is that the venue offers the bulk of what we need for our events. We have a Venue Checklist that covers most of these. The most important are:
- Capacity
- Accessibility
- Audio/Visual
- Wi-Fi
Some venues seemingly come with food, as they offer it as part of their venue offering. Others don't. Food is not a requirement for hosting our meetup events. However, and especially with developer events, it does appear to help attract attendees. If the venue is to provide food, they need to understand upfront our requirement for food offerings:
- We need to know upfront if food will be provided, as that information is used for promoting the event.
- Food options should be as inclusive as possible, meaning, provide for the diverse culinary needs, i.e. gluten-free, diary-free, vegetarian (no meat)/vegan (no animal products), etc.
- Food options should be properly labeled in a highly visible way.
Once a venue has agreed to host the event, you must coordinate the dates of availability with your venue and speaker. While this is easy and straight forward most of the time, there have been a few occasions where much back-and-forth was needed to finalize the plans.
Once you have agreement with the speaker(s) and venue on the date and time for the event, it is best to summerize via email the information for both groups to ensure there is no confusion or miscommunication. Once you receive a response of confirmation, the event can be finalized.
Once a venue has agreed to host a meetup event, please verify the location, including floor. Also ask for a sentence or paragraph providing guidance to the event space once you enter the building.
Two weeks prior to the event, we begin promoting the event in multiple ways.
You first need to create the meetup event on Meetup.com.
- Go to meetup.com/A11YChi/
- On the right side, select the "Create an event" downdrop button, and select the "Create a New Event" option.
The "Create an event" screen appears.
The first field is the Title. This is an up to 80 character descriptive title for the event. Shorter is better (think social media), but we must make it descriptive.
Note: The time listed has come under recent scrutiny and confusion. The start time is when we want everyone there. To date, this has been 15 minutes before the housekeeping announcements and 30 minutes before the fomeal presentation begins. We counter any confusionor frustration by posting the actual schedule of events on the meetup page, and in the member messages.
Here, you input the event date. Time is typically 6pm, and we try to end at 8pm, so Duration would be set to 2 hours.
A Featured Photo is important for several reasons:
- On the Meetup page, it can communicate the vibe and energy for the event.
- On social media (pickedup automatically), it can communicate the energy for the event to new people.
Consider using an image found in the Photos section of our meetup site. Ideally, use one that shows popularity, interest in the topic, diverse attendees, etc. If no image meets the needs, find a free to use image (no restrictions, copyright) that helps support the event.
The description field holds all the textual information presented on the meetup.com event page. You are limited to 4000 characters (which is easily managed, except for special events, like Global Accessibility Awareness Day (GAAD), Lightning Talks, etc.).
Information provided should include the following:
- Schedule of events: Timings for events during the meetup. Example:
- 5:30 p.m.: Doors open
- 6:15 p.m.: Housekeeping announcements
- 6:30-7:30 p.m.: Presentation and Q&A
- 7:30 p.m.: Socializing begins
- 8:00 p.m. Socializing / Event ends
- Details/Description of the presentation or event: This is the information provided by the speaker. No heading is necessary.
- Speaker Bio: This is the information provided by the speaker. A heading should appear prior to this information.
- Venue sponsor: Information about the venue sponsor.
- Live Stream & Live Captioning info: Provide a lead in sentence (ex. This event will be live-streamed and captioned (beginning time - end time w/Time Zone), followed by the live stream URL (generated dynamically by YouTube after creating the live event) and the live captions URL (with ACS Captions, typically http://www.streamtext.net/player?event=CDA). See Live Stream Setup for information on setting up the Live Stream prior to announcing the event (if streamed).
- Accessibility Statement: With the heading of "An Accessible Experience," present the following prompt: "If you need accommodation for this event, please contact us ASAP, so we can ensure we can accommodate you."
Here is where we select the location of the venue.
If at a large corporate organization, make sure the floor matches what the contact communicated. We have had a few mix-ups in the past.
By default, the organizer creating the event is the host. If you are working with another organizer, you can add them as a host as well. Otherwise, let the other organizer's RSVP.
While optional, this section holds soe very important settings for us.
- Repeat event: Not used
- Ask members a question: Very important, when the venue is in an office building that requires a RSVP list for building security. In those cases, this option is turned on, and the following question asked: "What is your full legal name? (this will only be used for RSVP and will remain private, not public)"
- Attendee limit: This number is used to determine the RSVP limit and when the waitlist is invoked. As of December 2018, with an actul attendance rate compared with RSVPs of 50%, we double the actual venue capacity (ex. actual capacity 80, RSVP limit 160). This formula may change over time.
- Allow Guests: This option must be turned off for venues that require an RSVP list for building security. For venues that don't have this requirement, this option may be turned on, with a limit of 5 guests. (Note: Dennis isn't crazy about this, but open)
- RSVP start and end time: This will be set for all events. All events have a RSVP start of "Now." RSVP close time allows for "Start of Meetup" (can be used for events where there is no advance RSVP requirement by building security), "Day of Meetup (not used), "1 day before" (used for when building security requires RSVP list). (Note: Venues ask for the list 2 businessday days prior to the event, around 12 noon. This "1 day before" option is a constraint we have not had in the past. This will need to be communicated to our venues upfront).
- Event fee: Not used, as we haven't chanrged for events (to date).
Meetup.com now provides a way to Save the event as draft, which is good, if you don't have all of the information up front.
To make the event available on the meetup.com site, you select Publish. At this point, the event is discoverable. However, the meetup event has not yet been announced to members. To do this, you select the "Announce this Meetup" button.
Through trial and error, we have discovered that we get an improved ratio of actual attendees to RSVPs when we announce no earlier than two weeks prior to the event. This typcally allows just over a week and a half for people to RSVP. So while technically, you can publish a meetup event on the meetup.com website, you shouldn't announce the event until two weeks prior to the event.
We primarily use member messages to promote upcoming meetup events. However, we also attempt to provide value by also including other events, news and information that may be interesting to our members.
For promotional purposes, we send 2-3 member emails out,
- Two weeks prior to the event: message highlights the next, upcoming meetup event (with the timing/schedule for event), along with other upcoming information, resources of note, and other info related to the meetup (subscribe to our YouTube channel, follow us on Twitter, Facebook, etc.).
- One week prior to the event: similar to first message, possibly addressing additional information about the event.
- Within a few days of the event: sent shortly before the RSVP deadline if
- our RSVP numbers are low
- we are waitlisted and feel a reminder that RSVPs should be changed if plans change
To create an email message to members:
- Navigate to the A11YChi meetup homepage.
- On the left side, select the "Manage group" drop-down button, then select "Contact members."
- The default setting, "All members subscribed to organizer messages" should be selected. Other options are available based on the situation.
- In the Subject text input field, enter the email message's subject. In the past, we've tended to summerarize the content in the email message.
- Enter the member message content in the Message field.
- Select Preview if you wish to see the message before sending it.
- Select Submit. The member message should be received in your email inbox within a few minutes.
Note: If something should happen where the email is not received within a decent timeframe, you can also send from your email client, by sending it to [email protected].
We use various methods to promote the meetup events.
- Social Media
- Chicago Tech Events
- Laura Carlson's Weekly Web Design Update Newsletter
- Eventbrite
This is what we primarily use to promote our local meetup events. At the same time as we announce the meetup and mesage members, we start advertising the event, with a link to the meetup event page. Twitter is the primary platform, however, LinkedIn has been used as well. Hashtags are used to target the appropriate audience. When possible, we use #chicago and/or #chicagotect.
About four days prior to the RSVP deadline, we push the deadline information, to create a sense of urgency.
The day of the event, we post the live stream and live caption information throughout the day, up to the start of the event. We also post thank you posts on our sponsors.
We post the event onto Chicago Tech Events at .
For events that provide a live stream and live captions, we send Laura the information prior to the Thursday before the event.
We often submit our event to .
To set up the Live Stream event on YouTube:
- Go to YouTube
- Login using the A11YChi credentials.
- Once logged in, select the account avitar and from the dropdown menu, select Creator Studio.
- Under Creator Studio, select Live Streaming, then Events.
- Select either the New Live Event button, or Schedule a New Event link.
- Enter a Title, the beginning and ending date and time and the description used on the Meetup event page. Add tags/keywords that best related to the event topic. Make sure the event is Public. The type must be Quick (using Google Hangouts On Air).
- Select the Create event button.
The resulting YouTube URL for this recording will be used in promoting the Live Stream for the event, as well as provide the Live Captioning service the Live Stream URL.
We schedule our live captions and any other alternative communication services more than a week prior to the event. A11YChi uses Alternative Communication Services (ACS). While the business has an online form to request services, we typically contact Customer Service Specialist Raja Seivwright directly via email ([email protected]), cc: Dennis Deacon ([email protected]) to ensure proper scheduling.
Live captions can be provided in-person and remotely. For our meetups, we leverage remote live captioning. This requires the live streaming and supportive wi-fi to be of the highest quality. When scheduling the event with Carmin, we provide the following information:
- Date of event
- Time of event (meaning, the time of the live stream; typically 6:30pm CT)
- Name of the event
- Meetup event page URL
- YouTube Live Stream URL (see above) Raja will provide a confirmation with the name and contact information of the remote captioner. If confirmation is not received by the RSVP deadline date, follow-up with Carmin for confirmation.
Note: McDonalds sponsors the live captions for our meetup. Its best to check our balance with ACS (see Google sheet on shared Google Drive) prior to scheduling the live caption services. Remote live captions cost $100 for 60 mins. If we are running low, we need to contact McDonalds well in advance of the event so approvals and processing can be completed. Dennis will hndle this.
For typical meetups, the RSVP deadline is 2 business days prior to the event, at 12 noon CT. The meetup event should have RSVPs turned off at this time.
At 12 noon CT on the RSVP deadline day, the list of RSVPs, plus any additional individuals that need to have access to the venue (such as interpreters, presenters, etc.). To download the RSVP list,
- Navigate to our meetup.com homepage.
- Select the event.
- From the event page, select the Organizer tools drop-down, then select Manage attendees.
- Select Tools, then Download attendees.
The list of RSVPs will be downloaded in Excel format. - Open the Excel file.
- Delete all columns, except for "Name" and "What is your Full Legal Name?" The latter is the RSVP question. It is not required, however, it supplements the member name, which in some cases, is not acceptable for building security. As the RSVP question is not required, some RSVP may not provide a full legal name. Those can be deleted.
- Now, you must manually check between the "Name" and "What is your full legal name" columns, ensuring that the Name column has the full legal name. In the screen shot above, Alex Chen would be replaced with Allison Chen, Bonnie would be replaced with Bonnie Gabrielson, Brian C with Brian Chorba, etc.
- Once finished with this manual editing, and adding any additional names, delete the "What is your full legal name" column. Save the file.
- Send this file to the venue contact, labeling this the RSVP list for building security.
The following area items typically brought to the majority of meetup events. Some events do not require all items.
- Laptop with cam and cord (for live stream)
- Lapel microphone (see below)
- An additional recording device (iPad) for second angle recording, not connected to live stream (typically)
- Tripod (for iPad recording)
- Tripod adapter (for iPad)
- Wireless remote (Dennis provides)
- "No photo" orange lanyards
- Meetup stickers (discountinued presently ... as we ran out)
- Pronoun pins (need to replenish, as some are low ... further discussion on this)
The live stream setup depends on the presentation, format, etc. For a typical live stream setup, where the laptop cam is used to capture both the slides and presenter, the laptop should be placed in front of the presentation area, ensuring both the slides and presenter are visible most of the time. Ensure that all slides are visible from the cam/stream, incouding no glare. All content should be readible from the stream. Make sure the lapel microphone is connected to the live stream laptop/cam. Ensure the speaker places the lapel mic on their upper torso, in the middle. Text to ensure proper sound levels are being picked up by the microphone on the laptop/cam.
Speakers are asked to arrive at least 30 mins. prior to the start of their talk (more is better).
Ensure the speaker's laptop is connected properly with the venue's A/V system. If HDMO, both visual and sound should come through. If using VGA or macOS Lightning, only visual will come through. Make sure to perform a sound/mic test, not only with the live stream lapel mic, but also with the venue mic (hand-held, lapel, etc.) to ensure proper sound levels. Make sure their presentation comes across properly on the screen, noting that different resolutions may wreck havoc. Inform them that one mic is for the live stream, and the other is for in-person attendees.
Make decisions on handling Q&A (whether the spreaker is comfortable taking questions or not. Give them "the" signal for 5 minutes left or wrap up. Let them know where you or the appropriate person will be standing.
Dennis typically prepares a pre-event slide loop (reveal.js), which presents information for the current event (wi-fi information (if available), live caption information (if necessary), sponsor information, upcoming meetup information, accessibility related quotes, etc.
Housekeeping announcements are made generally 15 minutes prior to the start of the presentation. They include the following:
- Thanks to our venue (opportunity to have a rep from the venue speak about their organization)
- Live Captions URL (if needed/not projected on screen)
- Got jobs? (call for anyone with opportunities.) Also an opportunity for a recruiter representation (sponsored) to speak.
- Upcoming A11YChi events
- Other notable items
- Social media (Twitter hashtag to follow)
- Q&A (how/if we'll handle)
- Introduction of speaker and presentation.
(Note: Dennis will prepare a template that can be used by anyone on the GitHub repo) Dennis typically prepares a housekeeping slide deck (reveal.js) which provides visuals for the housekeeping announcements. These differ slightly from the pre-event slide loop, removing the quotes and adding more sponsorship information.
Question and Answers should be handled based on spreaker preference, whether throughout the presentation, only after the presentation, or no formally Q&A; questions handled by speaker 1-on-1 after the presentation.
In the past, some attendees have either verbally constructed their questions, providing unnecessary background, or have made lengthy statements. This has become a noticable problem, of which we are attempting to address. Potential solutions are:
- Providing an announcement and guidance prior to taking Q&A. Guidance includes asking to be broef, as the speaker needs to repeat the question.
- Same as above, but in addition, cutoff questions and statement if they become too lengthy
- Provide a non-verbal, yet accessible means of asking questions
This topic is still being discussed, as of December 2018.
Dennis typically sends a note to the speakers, thanking them for speaking, asking them for a final copy of their deck (if changes had been made prior to the event). This copy is used for the post-event video editing.
Dennis also sends a note to organizers that attended the event, requesting feedback from the event.