#TweetUpTheHague: Why attend and how to boost TweetUp success

It’s an omission that I didn’t post earlier about a TweetUp, especially since I attended my first Tweetup, #TweetUpTheHague no 1 already back in August 2009.

What is a TweetUp?
I like this definition of Paul McFredies of WordSpy:

A real world meeting between two or more people who know each other through the online Twitter service

I’ts as simple as that. No more no less.

My reasons to attend #TweetUpTheHague

1. Even dogs do it 🙂 as you can see from the photo of Oppi, the dog of Eppo.
2. On a more serious note: To satisfy my always present insatiable curiosity: who is behind that blog or Twitteraccount (like this post Twelve Travel Tweeps Twittering satisfies this curiosity).
3. It is informal, small and casual. Networking is on top of the agenda. My first #TweetUpTheHague was very well organized by @koffiekitten and @SuzyOge It’s success can be measured by the fact that almost all attending this one are eager to meet again now for the second version. They even were so thoughtful as to provide TweetUp name tags.
4. Like bloggers who blog frequently, tweeps who twitter frequently are outgoing people and fun to meet in person.
5. At #TweetUpTheHague, a local venue with as only common denominator The Hague being the city where you live or work, you can meet a cross section of your fellow citizens. No matter what their status or occupation is. So you meet new interesting people. For me it is an easy way of connecting with people outside my hospitality niche and away from my computer.
6. After the venue there is a common ground, because you know each other a bit better. It will make your future communications with those you’ve met more effective. You can help them more effectively if they have questions and they can help you more effectively if you have questions.
   With some of the people I met at the first #TweetUpTheHague I went to Dutch Bloggies Awards Gala here in The Hague, the WP Meetup in Rotterdam and the First WordcampNL in Utrecht.
7. Why communicate in English? The reason is that many tweeps in The Hague are foreigners who speak Dutch with various degrees of perfection. So it is an opportunity for locals to meet fellow non local citizens and vice versa. But we also do talk Dutch at the event and sometimes Double Dutch:-)
8. Also it offers an opportunity for non-tweeps to meet tweeps and learn what it is about.

Some success factors to boost a Tweetup

1. Create a platform in the form of a forum and/or blog as anchor for the venue. For #TweetUpThe Hague number 2 there is now a blog at WordPress, aptly named #TweetupTheHague and a LinkedIn Event. But you can also do that on a Facebook page, a ning community or you can use twtvite or a similar tool.
2. Proper nametags. How trivial they seem. For me as a photographer of events good name tags enable me to tag my photos more correctly and spread the word more effectively
3. A good location to meet informally. The next #TweetUpTheHague is in the bar of a local hotel Carlton Ambassador that sponsors the snacks. Personally I don’t believe it is necessary to have WiFi access available as it only distracts people from really meeting each other. But if there is WiFi, you can rub it in to those not attending that they’re missing a good event.
4. Don’t forget the after venue services: Document it, collect business cards, collect photos and videos about it and publish about it (what we all forgot in our enthusiasm after number 1, although the local paper mentioned it), and continue to maintain the contacts you like after the event.
5. Success!

Hope to see you Friday for #TweetUpTheHague number 2.