# How do you start your Hack Nights / regular Meetups?

**URL:** <https://discourse.codeforamerica.org/t/how-do-you-start-your-hack-nights-regular-meetups/265>\
**Category:** Organizing a Brigade\
**Created:** [August 28, 2018, 12:38am UTC](https://discourse.codeforamerica.org/t/how-do-you-start-your-hack-nights-regular-meetups/265 "2018-08-28T00:38:06Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 5\
**Page:** 1

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**Author:** ![LauraB](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/0ea827/32.png) [@LauraB](https://discourse.codeforamerica.org/u/LauraB)\
**Post date:** [August 28, 2018, 12:38am UTC](https://discourse.codeforamerica.org/t/how-do-you-start-your-hack-nights-regular-meetups/265/1 "2018-08-28T00:38:06Z")

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What’s your flow?  
How do you welcome people to the space?  
How do you provide an intro to the night? (ppt? no ppt?)

- Announcements
- Project / team intros  
Anything else? (Do you share your ppt via Twitter? etc.)

If you have any materials to share, that’d be amazing!

Our brigade goals for the intro:

- Reminder of our overall purpose
- Efficient with our time.
- Provide inspiration for members, thanks, etc.
- Not too repetitive for regulars.
- But still welcoming and providing info for newbies.

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**Author:** ![tdooner](https://sea2.discourse-cdn.com/flex020/user_avatar/discourse.codeforamerica.org/tdooner/32/3_2.png) [@tdooner](https://discourse.codeforamerica.org/u/tdooner)\
**Post date:** [August 28, 2018, 6:14pm UTC](https://discourse.codeforamerica.org/t/how-do-you-start-your-hack-nights-regular-meetups/265/2 "2018-08-28T18:14:31Z")

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At OpenOakland our format is roughly, 5 minute presentation about what OpenOakland is, do a quick round of introductions (of projects, and people), and then announcements for the room.

We try to break out into groups to work about 15-20 minutes from the start of the meeting. Our goals are the same as yours - a balance between helpful for the newcomers without being too repetitive for the oldcomers.

Here is the intro presentation we use:

> **[Welcome to OpenOakland (no demo)](https://docs.google.com/presentation/u/1/d/1XNqo6v4f6fit8tuXms7VMVBxruRZKYfJg500m5Q3h5g/edit?usp=slides_web)**
>
> Welcome! You are at OpenOakland. We’ll get started right at 6:30. Help yourself to pizza! Slack signup: slack.openoakland.org / OpenOakland’s Website: openoakland.org / Wi-Fi: COO Guest

Most of the good bits happen during a subsequent onboarding presentation. One of us (usually @ramymik) takes the time to meet each newcomer in more depth and give them advice on how to engage.

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**Author:** ![jhibbets](https://sea2.discourse-cdn.com/flex020/user_avatar/discourse.codeforamerica.org/jhibbets/32/68_2.png) [@jhibbets](https://discourse.codeforamerica.org/u/jhibbets)\
**Post date:** [August 28, 2018, 9:49pm UTC](https://discourse.codeforamerica.org/t/how-do-you-start-your-hack-nights-regular-meetups/265/3 "2018-08-28T21:49:53Z")

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For in-person meet-ups, we usually have about 30 minutes before we start to eat, mingle, network. We usually use this time to welcome new folks and explain the brigade / Code for America relationship and mission. Our agenda usually includes:

- Welcome / Code of Conduct
- Introductions (we go around the room and everyone introduces themselves)
- Announcements
- Presentation / Demo’s / Project work

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**Author:** ![skora](https://sea2.discourse-cdn.com/flex020/user_avatar/discourse.codeforamerica.org/skora/32/623_2.png) [@skora](https://discourse.codeforamerica.org/u/skora)\
**Post date:** [September 4, 2018, 7:19pm UTC](https://discourse.codeforamerica.org/t/how-do-you-start-your-hack-nights-regular-meetups/265/4 "2018-09-04T19:19:35Z")

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[Here’s our meeting agenda/template](https://docs.google.com/document/d/12tnQv2xMyRlyGGKjSqElkN6VnSkk2mjYupFCKfEE9hY/edit)

After introductions, I’ll give a 2-4 minute of what open cleveland if there’s multiple new attendees (which are most hack nights) and I had been concerned that it’s not really useful for the regulars but after hearing from the regulars, they see that the short intro is worth doing for the new attendees.

I also purposely try to get there 15-20 minutes before the meeting starts and personally chat up each of the new attendees and find out what they’re interested in; why did they come; what did they hope to get out of this event. This is also helpful since we don’t have any permanent sign-age at our meeting space and new attendees can find out where to go at our venue

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**Author:** ![Mari](https://sea2.discourse-cdn.com/flex020/user_avatar/discourse.codeforamerica.org/mari/32/992_2.png) [@Mari](https://discourse.codeforamerica.org/u/Mari)\
**Post date:** [July 1, 2023, 7:03am UTC](https://discourse.codeforamerica.org/t/how-do-you-start-your-hack-nights-regular-meetups/265/5 "2023-07-01T07:03:31Z")

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