You can launch a meet-up just a few weeks after creating your community. However, at that stage your group will probably still be small, which means there's a chance no one will show up.

It's better to organize a meet-up once you have at least a few active members in your communication channels, for example, a few dozen. This can happen quickly, but it also depends on people's personalities.

Once you feel that spark, suggest meeting in person. If others are interested, all that's left is to set a date for your first meet-up.

Rather than picking the date yourself, it's usually best to create a poll about ten days in advance with several possible days and times. This way, you can use the votes to maximize attendance, build excitement, and make the best use of your time.

It's best not to go in with fixed expectations about how the meet-up will unfold, how many people will come, or what topics will be discussed. This avoids disappointment and prevents participants from feeling pressured.

Let things flow naturally, maybe over a drink. Conversations should happen easily, and if needed, you can gently steer the discussion back to Bitcoin if it starts to drift.

If you want to prepare for quieter moments, you can plan a few activities or talking points, such as:

When your meet-up is just starting out, it's often not the right time for a formal presentation. If attendance is small, an open and casual discussion usually works best.

After your first meet-up, you'll probably want to plan another. While your community is still small, it's best to keep choosing dates through polls, for example, once a month or every two months. You can discuss this in your communication channels.

If a regular group of bitcoiners and interested participants forms, it makes sense to set a recurring schedule for two reasons:

This second point is one of reason why, in France, most meetups take place on the first Wednesday of every month (see the "ambassadors" initiative, launched by DecouvreBitcoin in 2022). In Germany and Italy, there's no fixed national day.

However, having all meet-ups nationwide on the same day creates a centralization problem: it prevents bitcoiners from attending events in nearby communities and can also raise security concerns. Talking with neighboring meet-up organizers can help you agree on a good arrangement.

As your community grows and meet-ups attract more people, you could:

In the first case, while keeping everyone's preferences in mind, a clear goal can ensure attendees leave having learned something new and keep conversations focused on Bitcoin. In the second case, a second monthly event could be dedicated to a specific theme, such as beginner sessions or workshops (mining, Lightning, node installation, etc.).

Bear in mind that this requires more organization and more of your time. Fortunately, in part 6/8 of this course, you'll find a range of reusable open-source resources to help.

In any case, it all depends on the short-, medium- and long-term action plan you, or your community, set for yourselves.