Re: [UG-ADMINS] Alcohol and meetups [was: Re: Nomad PHP]

Corey, I moved from the Atlanta area to Nashville 3.5 years ago. You make
me jealous with your talk of Taco Mac. So jealous. ;-)

-Ben



On Wed, Apr 10, 2013 at 4:19 PM, Corey Ballou <[email protected]> wrote:

> At Queen City PHP we've been known to host at Taco Mac quite a bit in a
> private upstairs room. It's a combination of hanging out, grabbing a beer,
> and eating dinner for the first hour followed by the presentation. From
> there, it's fair game as to what everyone else is doing.
>
> Considering meetups tend to take place after work hours in the evening, it
> works out well. If we made the effort to line up a sponsor, we go elsewhere
> and provide pizza and soda; beer is really at the sponsor's discretion.
>
> Corey Ballou
> http://coreyballou.co
> @cballou
>
>
> On 4/10/13 1:01 PM, Joe Ferguson wrote:
>
>> At MemphisPHP we meet at the Memphis Hacker/Maker space. Alcohol is
>> allowed
>> there and the general rule is bring your own. I don't think we've ever had
>> attendees to the PHP meetup drink, but it wouldn't be a big deal if they
>> wanted to provided they were of age / responsible.
>>
>>
>> On Wed, Apr 10, 2013 at 11:57 AM, Patrick Schwisow <
>> [email protected]> wrote:
>>
>>  At LKPUG, we've gone through a couple venues.  Most of the meetings for
>>> the
>>> first year were held in a restaurant / bar.  Nothing was provided, but
>>> many
>>> attendees bought food and drink (alcohol or not) during and after the
>>> meetings.  Starting in January, my employer has been hosting meetings
>>> here
>>> at the office, and they provide pizza and drinks (including beer).
>>>
>>> It's interesting that you mention separate social meetups.  I think that
>>> the meetings in the restaurant felt much more relaxed and social.  We
>>> generally had a "soft start time", and people would chat until we decided
>>> to start the talk.  After the meeting, people tended to linger and talk
>>> for
>>> a while.  Meeting at the office has much more a feel of "show up, eat
>>> pizza
>>> during talk, and leave".  I'm thinking we might want to attempt something
>>> similar to what you're doing to bring back the social aspect of the
>>> group.
>>>
>>> -Patrick
>>>
>>>
>>> On Wed, Apr 10, 2013 at 10:43 AM, Sandy Smith <[email protected]> wrote:
>>>
>>>  Yes, we generally provide beer. In fact, when we follow WordPress DC, we
>>>> benefit from any leftovers from their meetup and don't have to buy any.
>>>>
>>> As
>>>
>>>> long as we're low-key about it, the host doesn't care. They have wedding
>>>> receptions and other functions in that space with alcohol, and their
>>>> only
>>>> rule is no kegs, because it implies a certain class of alcohol consumer
>>>>
>>> who
>>>
>>>> is more likely to do stupid and destructive stuff and get them in
>>>> trouble
>>>> with local officials and the neighborhood.
>>>>
>>>> In deference to the beer aficionados in our group, we generally have
>>>> microbrews in bottles. However, I usually only have 12-18 of them (i.e.,
>>>> slightly less than one per person), and then some of us may go to the
>>>> bar
>>>> next door.
>>>>
>>>> If I'm presenting, I'm usually drinking a beer, though I don't consume
>>>> much of it until the Q&A.
>>>>
>>>> But as I've said, some people react negatively to beer, as if it's a
>>>> sign
>>>> that it's a social and not a serious meeting. We also have two
>>>> additional
>>>> meetups each month that are specifically social, and held in bars
>>>> (though
>>>> that serve good food, so there's no requirement to drink alcohol). I'm
>>>> debating about removing those from Meetup and simply mentioning them
>>>> through the list, as people seem to think that we're mostly about those
>>>>
>>> and
>>>
>>>> don't realize the main meeting has presentations. Then again, I see some
>>>> people at those meetings (which are more geographically distributed) who
>>>> rarely/never show at the main meeting.
>>>>
>>>> On Apr 9, 2013, at 7:30 PM, John Congdon <[email protected]> wrote:
>>>>
>>>>  Interesting... do you provide beer?  Or are people allowed to bring?
>>>>>
>>>>   So
>>>
>>>> far, the places I have hosted have been worried about having it on
>>>>
>>> premise.
>>>
>>>> --
>>>>>
>>>>> John Congdon
>>>>> e: [email protected]
>>>>> t: @sdphp
>>>>> f: https://www.facebook.com/**groups/SanDiegoPUG/<https://www.facebook.com/groups/SanDiegoPUG/>
>>>>> i: irc://irc.freenode.net/sdphp
>>>>>
>>>>> For meetup information: http://www.meetup.com/**SanDiegoPHP<http://www.meetup.com/SanDiegoPHP>
>>>>>
>>>>>
>>>>> The information contained in this email communication may be
>>>>>
>>>> confidential and legally privileged. This email is for the sole use of
>>>>
>>> the
>>>
>>>> intended recipient(s). If you are not the intended recipient please do
>>>>
>>> not
>>>
>>>> read the information contained herein. If you have received this email
>>>> in
>>>> error, please contact the sender by reply email and destroy all copies
>>>> of
>>>> the original message.
>>>>
>>>>>
>>>>>
>>>>> On Apr 9, 2013, at 1:44 PM, Sandy Smith <[email protected]> wrote:
>>>>>
>>>>>  It's tough to break past the 30-per-meetup number. We have close to
>>>>>>
>>>>> 900
>>>
>>>> on Meetup, but our actual meetings are anywhere from 4-60 people,
>>>>
>>> averaging
>>>
>>>> in the teens and twenties. DC also has the large-area problem, plus we
>>>> often tie for the nation's worst traffic, and there are a LOT of other
>>>> technology meetups.
>>>>
>>>>> While we always have beer, that's proven to be less of a draw,
>>>>>>
>>>>> especially for new members. I'm going to be trying for a food sponsor
>>>> so
>>>>
>>> we
>>>
>>>> can have pizza, which I hope will draw more people reliably.
>>>>
>>>>>
>>>>>> On Apr 9, 2013, at 10:55 AM, Tim Lytle <[email protected]> wrote:
>>>>>>
>>>>>>  Our local group is pretty small (we have ~60 meembers, with a handful
>>>>>>>
>>>>>> at
>>>>
>>>>> each meetup). If I weren't organizing and trying to grow it,
>>>>>>> I'd definitely be joining in Nomad PHP (I still probably will).
>>>>>>>
>>>>>>> Like Adam, I'm wondering if there's any way for this to help smaller
>>>>>>>
>>>>>> groups
>>>>
>>>>> (but hey, I'd be thrilled with an average of 30 members) - as after a
>>>>>>>
>>>>>> while
>>>>
>>>>> hearing from the same local people is a bit much for both the
>>>>>>>
>>>>>> speakers
>>>
>>>> and
>>>>
>>>>> the listeners.
>>>>>>>
>>>>>>> Tim
>>>>>>>
>>>>>> --
>>>>>> Sandy Smith - http://musketeers.me/
>>>>>> php[architect] magazine: http://phparch.com/
>>>>>> Sign up for php[tek] '13: http://tek.phparch.com/
>>>>>> @SandyS1
>>>>>>
>>>>>>
>>>>>>
>>>>>>
>>>>>>
>>>>>>  --
>>>> Sandy Smith - http://musketeers.me/
>>>> php[architect] magazine: http://phparch.com/
>>>> Sign up for php[tek] '13: http://tek.phparch.com/
>>>> @SandyS1
>>>>
>>>>
>>>>
>>>>
>>>>
>>>>
>>>>
>>
>>
>
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