WHEN: Tuesday, February 11th, 2024 - 6-8p
WHERE: Secret Riso Club, Bushwick
WHO: Event organizers, non-profits, community builders, and anyone involved in running events.

TL;DR

Join us for a laid-back meetup at Secret Riso Club in Bushwick, where event organizers can gather, share insights, and exchange solutions. We’ll talk about current challenges, explore strategies, and hear what others in the community are doing. Bring a challenge or idea to share, and let’s learn from each other!

Why?

I want to see more spaces for Event Organizers to connect with one another. Whether you’re organizing DIY events or larger productions, it’s rare to have dedicated time to talk with other organizers. We often end up chatting with artists or attendees, but not with fellow organizers because we’re all busy running our own events. So, inspired by my own experience, I want to gather some of the talented event organizers I know for a casual meetup at Secret Riso Club in Bushwick.

We’ll hang out, I’ll grab some food/beverages for everyone, feel free to bring something to share if you feel inspired, and we’ll dedicate at least an hour to actually talk through what we’re working on. It doesn’t need to be formal—everyone can share a challenge they’re dealing with, or something they’ve recently discovered that’s been helpful.

What To Expect

- Each attendee is encouraged to bring up a challenge they’re currently facing in event organizing or something they’ve solved recently that others could benefit from.

- I’ll share some insights from our work with Withfriends and talk about new features and infrastructure we’re building for organizers.

We’ll also bring in insights from our conversations with organizers who couldn’t make it but are facing similar challenges in other places.

Theme?

I gave a talk last weekend about my experience living at a residential music space (Silent Barn), alongside screenings of other residential music spaces throughout New York’s history (folk living room shows in the 50s, jazz lofts in the 70s). The Q&A including discussions around the unique challenges facing house shows in New York, as well as the critical role that intimacy and hospitality can serve in caring for any creative community.

Logistics:

- Projector could be available if needed.
- We may record the session (with consent) to share insights with those who can’t attend. If you’d prefer not to be recorded, just let us know, and we can pause the recording during your part. Off-the-record challenges and solutions are just as valuable!

Past Notes

The Event Organizer Meetup (Nov 4, 2024) focused on the challenges of curating events while maintaining the integrity of independent spaces. Topics included balancing rental income with artistic values, the need for a directory of DIY event spaces, and strategies for managing communication overload. Organizers shared insights on contracts, contingency planning, and tools like ClearSpace to reduce digital distractions. The group agreed to continue these discussions monthly.

Full notes here: https://docs.google.com/document/d/1t_X6dtnHyXqaTMjKR-jPu45G07WU_WCqBZy1aWJBYPM/edit

I’m inviting a lot of organizers I’ve worked with on Withfriends, but this is open to anyone who organizes events—no matter how you define that. Let’s come together, share what we’ve learned, and see how we can help each other. Please bring a friend, too!