How to Run an HR and People Analytics Meetup, and join the global network

Originally posted on the HR Analytics ThinkTank Forum. Thank you to everyone who responded to my original post about Meetups. Together, we have managed to find over 20 meetups around the world! Want to start a meetup, or add yours to the map? Please complete this form.

Running an HR and People Analytics Meetup can be a highly rewarding activity, as I highlighted in my original post when we started looking for this Global HR and People Analytics Network. They are a great way to bring your local HR analytics communities (and grow the industry), they are drive true innovation, they are inclusive, and it gives us a chance to discuss true stories and true obstacles at a practical level.

Running a meetup can be hard though. Common obstacles tend to include:

• Getting started - Where do I start? What do I need to know?
• Finding speakers and topics - Where do I find speakers? What topics should I cover?
• Finding a venue - Where do I host the event? When do I host it?
• Paying for things -How do I pay for this?
• Getting the word out there - How do I let people know near me?

Do you need some help to start and grow your Meetup?

The good news is that these obstacles are not showstoppers - and there is a global community of meetup organisers willing to share their advice to help get round them! Here are some of the ways the the global community, and 3n/the ThinkTank, can help - and it's all for free:

1. Put your meetup on the Global Meetup Map and let us share your events

How many HR and People Analytics meetups are there in the world? Is there one in your city? So far we've found 22, which we are listing for free on the HR and People Analytics Global Meetup Map (click here), and whose events we are sharing on the ThinkTank's Meetup Calendar (click here) and ThinkTank Newsletter (click here).

2. Connect with other HR/People Analytics Meetup Organisers

Want to speak with other meetup organisers from around the world? Would you like to learn from their experiences, or share your own? Over the last month, we've found over 20 Meetups around the world - if you are an organiser (or aspiring organiser), please join the new Linkedin group (click here) to us to chart with each other.

3. Join the quarterly/region Meetup Organiser Calls

We're organising quarterly (regional) calls for all meetup organisers to meet, plan and share ideas for meetups. If you would like to join one of the calls (There are slots for APAC, CET, EST and PST), please message me and I'll share the invite.

4. Use our 'How to Run a Meetup Guide' and use our free Resources

To help you get started, we have produced a guide for running a meetup, and we are also sharing the experiences of other meetups. The guide is based predominantly on the London meetups, but we will add the experience of other organisers as we go. Please click here to read the guide.

5. Use the ThinkTank to find Speakers, Topics and Stories

A few groups have had trouble finding speakers and presentations to share. From now on, the HR Analytics ThinkTank, its partners (The University of Leeds and Utah State University) and its community will begin sharing free quarterly topics and case studies. Please sign up here if you'd like to receive updates about these resources.

6. Sponsorship

We've been able to help some groups out with sponsorship costs. Let us know if that would help.

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We still start sharing the stories of other groups, and you can join the newsletter for general updates, and the Linkedin group if you're an aspiring meetup running. Here are some quotes from other meetup organisers to start:

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If you have any questions or thoughts, please put them in the comments below or message me directly. Meetups should be free and open to everyone, and if you have ideas for starting, sharing or growing them, please let us know.