This guide is intended to help Meetup organizers run events that their community will love. Our aim is to be as comprehensive as possible to enable everyone to become an organizer, regardless of experience. Happy planning!
GitLab supports community leaders who want to organize meetups and tech events in their cities and hometowns. As the first single application for the entire DevOps lifecycle, all events that discuss and educate on the software development lifecycle and developer experience are eligible for GitLab support.
Our goal in supporting these events is to increase awareness of GitLab and Concurrent DevOps, and to better educate the technology community about the power of our application.
At GitLab, we believe everyone can contribute. We support people who are interested in organizing events or growing existing communities. If you have experience organizing tech events or meetup groups, that is great - but it is not required. We're happy to work with first-time organizers, too.
The only requirements for organizers are a passion for GitLab and a belief in our mission.
GitLab published a blog post to highlight the many reasons and ways to get involved in Meetups. The reasons for getting involved in a meetup community include:
GitLab supports organizers of in-person and virtual meetups with planning and logistics support, connections to speakers. In some cases, GitLab can also provide swag and/or financial support for food and beverages for your events. Note that swag or financial support require pre-approval from GitLab.
@johncoghlan
to merge.@johncoghlan
to merge.GitLab's virtual events best practices contains additional suggestions on how to make your virtual event a success. You may also want to review the GitLab Video Playbook, which offers guidance on creating engaging video content, much of which also applies to virtual events.
This is a non-exhaustive list of options to help you get started. GitLab does not endorse or recommend any particular vendor or product.
GitLab does not endorse or recommend any particular vendor or product.
At GitLab, we use Zoom for our virtual meetings but we encourage you to find a tool that best fits your needs. If you elect to use Zoom, we recommend you review the note on Zoom privacy and security in the GitLab Handbook. Other platforms to consider are Jitsi Meet and Google Meet (requires a G-Suite account). For more options, Wired has compiled a list of the best video conference apps.
With virtual events, unwanted guests sometimes make their way into your events. This is often referred to as Zoombombing. We recommend the following security steps when using Zoom and recommend similar precautions on other platforms.
Important: Never post a direct link to the meeting room on social media. When promoting your event, limit the sharing of the meeting URL to registered attendess. For example, by limiting visibility to those who RSVP yes to your event on Meetup.
When scheduling your meeting in Zoom:
At the start of a meeting:
When a presenter begins sharing their screen:
Should folks be disruptive (aka Zoombomb) during a meeting, we recommend the following actions:
GitLab logos can be found in our press kit.
These communication templates can help you get a head start on your communications with your community. Templates include sample agendas, reminder and thank you emails, and boilerplate language about GitLab for your group or event descriptions.
Use these signs to help your members find what they need and free up your own time for deeper conversations then directing your guests to the bathroom or pizza.
Feedback is critical. A simple three question survey can help you improve your group and gives your members a chance to offer feedback.