How to find a free venue for your Meetup in 3 easy steps:
1. Make a list of 10–12 potential venues in your area and their contact info.
I like co-working spaces and I like to keep track of them in a spreadsheet.
You can copy the one I used to track venues for Indie Hackers | Medellín.
2. Contact each venue and pitch them your event.
Start with an email and set up a call or an in person meeting with the manager of the space.
Your goal is to frame your event to show how it aligns with the goals of the space and get to either a phone or in-person meeting.
Here’s an email I used when reaching out to co-working spaces in LA when I was organizing a meetup for people selling on Amazon.
Hi [name],I'm an organizer for [meetup name] and we're looking for a venue to host our first event, a meet and great with lightning talks and happy hour for about 30 local entrepreneurs.Would love to schedule a phone call to discuss further.Best,[your name]
This email should include:
- Who you are and who your attendees will be.
- Number of people expected.
- A short event description.
- A clear next step.
If you send out 10 of these emails, you should get around 5 responses and ~3 will be ready to talk or meet with you.
3. Have the meeting or phone call and give your pitch.
To get the venue for free you need to have the correct framing.
- You’re bringing together a meetup of people who fit the typical customer profile for a co-working space.
- The type of people who go to meetups are the same type who may want to rent space in the future.
- This event is free advertising for the space and will require little to no work on their part to host.
This is a no-brainer for most co-working spaces. Confirm the space is available for a date and time that works for you and you’re all set, free venue achieved.
Comments and questions welcome. I’d love to hear from people planning their first event. I’d love to hear from people who’ve planned events in the past how their experience compares.
Originally posted as a comment in response to this thread on Indie Hackers.
