Creating and managing events

  • Keeping track of your attendees is one of the most crucial tasks when hosting an event. Meetup offers tools to help you easily sort and manage your event attendees.

    To access your attendee list, follow these steps in the Meetup for Organizers app.

    iOS/Android apps

    1. Go to your event homepage.
    2. Tap Going.

    If the event has already ended, the link will say Went instead of Going

    Viewing your attendees list

    Before your event starts, you can quickly look up any attendee and adjust details of their RSVP. Use the search bar at the top of the list to search for an attendee by name.

    IMG_4090.PNG

    Sorting your attendees list

    You can view a subset of your attendees or reorder your attendees list.

    • Sort attendees alphabetically
    • Filter attendees by host or bringing guests
    • Most recent response - Sort attendees by their latest RSVP date
    • First event - see who has RSVP’d for the first time
    • View answers to an event question

    IMG_4088.PNG

    Tap an attendee’s name to:

    • Mark as Going or Not Going
    • Mark as Paid or Unpaid for ticketed events
    • Edit guest counts
    • Add or remove as host

    Enabling a waitlist

    Set an attendee limit when you publish an event to activate a waitlist. When an attendee RSVPs to an event with full attendance, they’ll be automatically placed on the waitlist. A new tab will be available in the attendee list when someone is placed in the waitlist. In this tab, you’ll be able to view all waitlisted attendees, and add or remove them as needed.

    Learn more about managing your event’s waitlist.

    Managing your attendees before an event

    Before your event begins, you can tap the (three dots) icon in the top righthand corner of your attendees list.

    IMG_4089.PNG

    A pop-up menu will appear where you may:

    • Close or open RSVPs
    • Edit guest limit
    • Edit attendee limit

    In the 24 hours before or after your event, you can keep track of event attendance in real time using the check-in feature.

     

    Managing my attendees list
  • Meetup offers an integrated experience in the event scheduler, so you can create online events with Zoom.

    Installing Zoom

    The first time you add a Zoom meeting to your online event, you will be prompted to install the Zoom app. Follow these steps to integrate Zoom with your Meetup account.

    1. From your group homepage, click Schedule.
    2. As you fill out the event scheduler form, click the checkbox for "Make this an online event."
    3. Click Connect to Zoom to authorize the installation.

    Screen_Shot_2022-01-03_at_1.26.26_PM.png

    Using Zoom

    You can use the integrated Zoom app in Meetup for the following purposes:

    image__6_.png

    • Creating an online event with Zoom on Meetup. You must already have a Zoom account.
    • Creating a recurring online event with Zoom on Meetup. You must already have a Zoom account.
    • Canceling an online event with Zoom on Meetup.

    Uninstalling Zoom

    If you'd like to remove the Zoom icon from your Meetup event scheduler, follow these steps:

    1. Log into your Zoom account.
    2. Click Advanced, then navigate to the Zoom App Marketplace.
    3. On the top right of the page, click Manage.
    4. On the left side of the page, click Added Apps or search for the Meetup app.
    5. Click the Meetup app, then click Remove.

    If you're still experiencing trouble with using Zoom on Meetup, you may contact Meetup support anytime by submitting a request through our Help Center form.

    Creating an online event with Zoom
  • In-person events will always be our focus and priority, but we also believe online events have a place on Meetup. We’ve updated our in-person event policy to permit groups to host events online.

    Choosing a video conferencing service

    Meetup now includes the option to add a video conference link to an event instead of a location. We recommend using video conferencing services like Google Hangouts, Zoom, or Jitsi. Learn more about a few popular video conferencing services.

    When creating a repeating online event, make sure your link can be used repeatedly.

    How to create an online event

    1. Create a new event draft.
    2. Designate that your event is “Online” at the beginning of the event title. 
    3. In the event description, invite members to join your event online by following the link listed in the event location.
    4. Click Make this an online event. Your event location will display your video conferencing link.Screen_Shot_2020-03-18_at_2.59.21_PM.png
    5. Add a link to your online event in the field below. If you encounter an error message, see below.
      Screen_Shot_2020-03-26_at_3.04.52_PM.png
    6. Complete any optional settings, including whether your event will repeat.
    7. Publish your event.

    iOS / Android

    1. Create a new event draft.
    2. Designate that your event is “Online” at the beginning of the event title. 
    3. In the event description, invite members to join your event online by following the link listed in the event location.
    4. Click Make it an online event. Your event location will display your video conferencing link.
    5. Add a link to your online event. If you encounter an error message, see below.
    6. Complete any optional settings, including whether your event will repeat.
    7. Publish your event.

    Want to connect with top organizers who use Meetup to build thriving communities? Join the Meetup Organizer Community on Discord and learn more about hosting successful online events!

    Troubleshooting a video conferencing link

    If you’re unable to add a video conference link to your online event, make sure your link goes directly to your video conference call, not the service homepage. Don’t include any additional text aside from the link.

    Third-party services disclaimer

    When using the Meetup platform to host an online event, you and your event attendees must comply with any terms and conditions set by the third-party provider of the meeting or video conference services used. Meetup does not provide these meeting or video conference services, is not a party to your agreement with the third-party provider, and will not be liable or responsible for your use of the third-party services.

    Hosting an online event on Meetup
  • The most important way to meet your group members is hosting events. Schedule your group's next event in a few simple steps.

    To get started, visit your group’s homepage and select the red Schedule button. (If you've created an event before, the button will say Create event instead. Selecting this will open a dropdown menu, where you can create a new event, copy a past event, or edit a saved draft).

    Screen_Shot_2021-01-22_at_3.01.35_PM.png

    Select Create a new event to go to the event scheduler form.

    Preparing to schedule an event

    Making decisions beforehand will help you plan your event. Some things to consider:

    1. What is the purpose of this event? (To discuss, to collaborate, to watch, etc?)
    2. Will this event be in person, online, or a hybrid of both styles?
    3. What resources will you need to host this event? (A venue, a leadership team, etc?)

    For more, watch our Community Support specialists walk you through scheduling a repeating event in this video:

    Filling out event details

    The event scheduler form guides you through each step, including tips on best practices.

    You can use the rich text formatting toolbar to make key words and ideas in your event description stand out.

    For in-person events, you can toggle on COVID-19 safety measures. Let your attendees know if masks and vaccinations are required, and if the event is indoors or outdoors. These measures won't appear on the published event unless you toggle them on.

    Screen_Shot_2021-09-30_at_3.48.04_PM.png

    Review your Optional settings to manage whether you'd like to create a recurring event, a waitlist, or set event fees, and more.

    Meetup Pro subscribers can include details about a featured guest speaker for their events.

    Publishing your event

    Once you've filled out the form, select the Publish button at the bottom of the screen.

    You can always save a draft of your event to finish later, or edit an event after it's been published.

    Be sure to announce your event to members, so they know it's time to RSVP. And most importantly, have fun building your community!

    Tips for hosting a successful event

    Want to connect with top organizers who use Meetup to build thriving communities? Join the Meetup Organizer Community on Discord and learn more about great event hosting strategies!

    Creating an event
  • When plans change or new details arise, it’s important to keep your members informed. You can edit an event title, description, location, and more from the event page.

    If you edit one event in a series, it will separate from the other events in the series and you won’t be able to make any further changes to that series by editing that event. Learn more about editing a repeating series of events

    To edit an event

    Desktop and mobile web

    1. Select Events.
    2. Find the event you want to edit, and click the Manage drop-down menu.
    3. Select Edit Event.
    4. Make your changes.
    5. Confirm your edits by clicking Save changes.

    iOS and Android app

    1. From the Home tab, tap your circular Profile icon in the upper right-hand corner.
    2. Under the "Organizer" section, tap the Meetup group.
    3. Under the "Events" section, choose the event you’d like to edit. Tap See all to view more events.
    4. Tap Edit.
    5. Confirm your edits by tapping Publish or Save.
    Editing a Meetup event
  • Waitlists are automatically enabled for events that have a set attendee limit and do not have a mandatory event fee. If an event with an attendee limit charges an offline event fee, a waitlist will be enabled. 

    If spots open up, members are automatically RSVPed to the event in the order that they joined the waitlist. Members will receive a notification if they are moved from the waitlist to ‘attending’.

    If a member has RSVPed with guests, they will be skipped on the Waitlist until enough spots open up for both the member and their guests.

    In order to avoid complications caused by automatically charging members' credit cards when they are moved from a waitlist to ‘attending’, it is not possible to set up a waitlist for events that are charging an event fee. 

    If a spot opens up for an event with a mandatory fee, organizers can let members know that a spot has become available by using the Email Members tool.

    In order to enable a waitlist for an event, you’ll need to set an RSVP limit.

    Desktop and mobile web

    1. Create a new event or edit an existing event.
    2. Scroll down to the "Optional Settings" section.
    3. Using the "attendee limit" toggle, set your attendee limit.
    4. Save your event by clicking Publish.

    Android app

    1. Tap on the upcoming event you’d like to set an RSVP limit for.
    2. Tap Edit event.
    3. Move the slider to red next to Limit number of attendees.
    4. Tap the attendee limit number and choose your desired number from the menu.
    5. Tap Save to confirm your update.

    iOS app

    1. Tap on the upcoming event you’d like to set an RSVP limit for.
    2. Tap Edit Event to open Mobile Web.
    3. Follow the above Mobile Web instructions to set an attendee limit.
    Enable a waitlist for a Meetup event
  • On your group homepage, you'll see the average star rating of all of your group's past events. This average rating is currently only visible to Organizers and Leadership Team members. The number in parentheses is how many times a member has rated or shared feedback about your event.

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    Organizers, Leadership Team members, and event hosts can view a summary of feedback their members share about specific events. If an attendee left a written review, this can also be seen on the summary page.

    Members are invited to share a rating of the event and can choose from a list of follow-up responses. Members who did not attend the event but RSVPed as attending can opt out from leaving feedback.

    Ratings__2_.jpg

    View an event feedback summary

    Desktop and mobile web

    1. Navigate to your group’s homepage.
    2. Go to your Events tab and click Past.
    3. Choose a past event and select Manage (or select Organizer tools from any past event page).
    4. Select View feedback.

    Meetup for Organizers app

    1. Navigate to a past event
    2. Tap the star rating underneath the event title
    3. The feedback summary page will open in a Mobile Web browser

    Who can share feedback?

    Members who have RSVPed as attending an event are invited to share feedback after the event has ended. Feedback cannot be edited once it’s submitted.

    If you'd like to reach out to an attendee who left a review, click the three dots "..." icon beneath their review and select Message member from the dropdown menu. You can also report a review that violates our Community Guidelines.

    Learn more about how members share feedback about an event.

    Viewing event feedback from members
  • Once you've scheduled your event and people have RSVP'd, you can download a spreadsheet of your attendees. 

    To download a list of your attendees on desktop and mobile web:

    1. Navigate to the event's page.
    2. Select Organizer tools and choose Manage Attendees.
    3. Select Tools and choose Download attendees.

    This will download your RSVP list to a spreadsheet document, where you can sort and print their names.

    How do I download/print my event attendee list?
  • A map pin shows the exact location your group is meeting. If you organize outdoors or if Google maps doesn’t accurately display your event on the map, you can edit your event's map pin.

    Moving the map pin will not change the address in the "Location" section. 

    Instructions

    Desktop and mobile web

    • From your group’s homepage, select Create event then Create a new event.
    • Under Location, enter your event address.
    • To edit the map, choose Edit map pin.
    • Click and drag the map until the pin is in the right spot.
    • Choose Save to confirm your edit.

    Android & iOS apps

    • From your Meetup group’s homepage, select Schedule a Meetup
    • Tap Location and enter the venue or address where you’ll be meeting up
    • To edit the map, choose Edit map pin
    • Drag the map until the pin is in the right spot
    • Choose Save to confirm your edit
    • Select Publish
    Moveable map pins
  • Organizers and leadership teams have the ability to manage RSVPs before an event, then adjust attendance after the event if needed. 

    To manage RSVPs for an upcoming event:
     
    Desktop & Mobile Web: 

    - Go to the Meetup event page
    - Select Manage and choose Manage Attendees from the menu
    - Beside a member’s name, select the ... icon
    - Select Going or Not going
    - Select Search members to type a member’s name and add them to the RSVP list
    - When RSVPs are set, select the name of your Meetup to return to the Meetup event page

    Tip: Organizers and co-organizers hosting a paid event, select the ... next to a member's name to choose Mark as paid. Other leadership team members will not have access to manage group finances, including event fees. Learn more about leadership team roles.
     
    Android & iOS Apps:

    - Go to the Meetup event page
    - Select # people going
    - Beside a member’s name, select the ... 
    - Choose Move to ‘Not Going’ or Move to ‘Going’
    - Select Send Message to chat about why you’re moving that member’s RSVP

    To manage attendance for a past event:

    Desktop & Mobile Web:

    1. Go to the Meetup event page
    2. From "Manage" select Manage attendees

    Under the Went column:

    - Beside anyone who didn’t show up, select the ... icon.
    - Choose Move to 'Didn't go' if they had an excused absence
    - Choose Flag as 'No show' if they were absent without notifying you
    - Choose Edit guest count to edit the number of guests brought by an attendee
    - To add an attendee who didn’t RSVP, enter their name in the search bar and select the ... beside their name. Choose Move to 'Went'

    Under the Didn't Go column:

    - Beside a member’s name, select the ... icon
    - Choose Move to 'Went' if they showed up after all
    - Or Flag as ‘No Show’ if they didn’t give notice

    Android & iOS Apps

    1. Go to the Meetup event page
    2. Select # people went

    Under the Went column:

    - Beside anyone who didn’t show up, select the ... icon
    - Choose Move to 'Didn't go' if they had an excused absence
    - Or choose Flag as 'No show' if they were absent without notifying you

    Under the Didn't Go column:

    - Beside a member’s name, select the ... icon
    - Choose Move to 'Went' if they showed up after all
    - Or Flag as ‘No Show’ if they didn’t give notice
    - To add an attendee who didn’t RSVP, enter their name in the search bar and select the ... beside their name. Choose Move to 'Went'

    How do I manage attendance for an event?
  • Get the word out about an upcoming event by sharing it on Facebook, Twitter, or LinkedIn.

    To share an event on social media:

    Desktop/Mobile Web

    1. Go to the group homepage and click Events.
    2. Open the event you’d like to share. 
    3. On the event homepage, click the Facebook, Twitter, or LinkedIn buttons to share.
    4. In the new window that appears, add or customize the text before publishing your post. (You may need to disable pop-up blockers.)

    You can also copy the event URL and share it on your preferred social pages.

    Android App

    1. Navigate to the group homepage.
    2. Under the events section, tap See all events.
    3. Select the event you want to share from the Upcoming or Past tab.
    4. Tap the Share button in the upper right-hand corner.
    5. Choose your preferred sharing method. (You may be prompted to log in to that channel.)

    iOS App

    1. Navigate to the group homepage.
    2. Under the events section, tap See all.
    3. Open the event you want to share from the Upcoming or Past tab.
    4. Tap the Share button in the upper right-hand corner.
    5. Choose your preferred sharing method. (You may be prompted to log in to that channel.)

    Depending on whether the group is public or private, the event link you share may lead to an event page or a group homepage. Learn more about content visibility settings.

    Sharing an event on Facebook or Twitter
  • When you create an event, you can share it with your members right away, or wait to announce it later. Once published, your event will appear on your group calendar and homepage, but your members will not receive a notification until you announce the event.

    Our Community Support specialists walk you through announcing your events in this video:

    How announcements reach your members

    Depending on their account settings, members will receive notifications of varying importance and interest. Because of this, your members may not consistently receive your group's event announcements via email or push notification.

    Every event announcement is always visible in a member's on-site notifications. We're continuously testing ways to promote events to members, and to ensure that the notifications we send are the most impactful and relevant they can be.

    While it may seem counterintuitive to send fewer emails and push notifications to your members, we've learned that fewer and more impactful notifications result in more members RSVPing to your events and fewer members unsubscribing from notifications altogether.

    If your members report that they are not receiving event announcements, they may need to update their email settings or push notification settings. They can also contact Meetup's Community Support team directly.

    Sending the announcement

    After you publish your event, you'll be prompted to announce it to your members. To send an invitation immediately, select Announce it now. Your members will receive a notification on Meetup through various channels like onsite, email, or push.

    You will receive a confirmation email that the event has been scheduled.

    Announcing-event_Meetup.png

    Sending an announcement later

    If you’ve selected Do it later, there is an Announce button on the event page. This reminder will remain at the top of your event homepage until seven days before the event is scheduled to take place.  

    If you don’t make your announcement within seven days of the event, the Announce button on the event will disappear. We’ll automatically send a reminder to your members six days and one day before the event.

    announce-later-event_meetup.png

    Announcing multiple events

    Meetup's announcement notifications are optimized to reach your members and interested people in your area. Some organizers choose to schedule multiple upcoming events and announce them all right away. To maximize delivery of your announcements, we recommend waiting at least fifteen minutes between announcing each upcoming event.

    Automatic event reminders

    Members of your group receive notifications about an upcoming event, in addition to the initial announcement (if you made one).

    • Six days before an event, we’ll send a reminder to members who have RSVPed 'Yes.’ We’ll also send an invitation to members who haven’t RSVPed, encouraging them to do so.
    • One day before an event, we’ll send a reminder to members who have RSVPed 'Yes.'

    If your group has scheduled multiple upcoming events, these event reminders may compile each reminder into one notification.

    Tips for successful event announcements

    Want to connect with top organizers who use Meetup to build thriving communities? Join the Meetup Organizer Community on Discord and learn more about when and how to announce your events!

    Announcing your events
  • You have two options when canceling a recurring event:

    1. Cancel one event in the series
    2. Cancel the entire series

    It's not possible to cancel a series of recurring events from the app (iOS and Android). 

    To cancel an entire series of recurring events:

    Desktop & Mobile web instructions

    1. From your group's homepage, select Events
    2. Locate the next event in the series
    3. Select Manage, then click Cancel event
    4. Select Cancel and delete this and all following events
    5. Click Confirm

    Following these steps will completely remove a series of recurring events from your group calendar.

    Canceling a repeating event
  • You have two options when editing a repeating series of events:

    1. Update one event in the series.
    2. Update the entire series.

    If you choose to edit one event in a series, it will become its own standalone event separate from the other events in the series. You won’t be able to make any further changes to the series by editing that event and any updates you make to the series won’t affect that event.

    We recommend editing a series of recurring events from a desktop computer or mobile web browser and not the app (Android & iOS).

    To edit all events in a series

    Desktop & Mobile web instructions

    1. From your group's homepage, Select Events.
    2. Click on the next event in the series.
    3. Click on the Manage drop-down menu, then Edit event.
    4. Select Edit this Meetup series, then click Edit.
    5. Make your edits.
    6. Confirm your updates by clicking Save changes
    Editing a repeating event
  • Schedule an event to repeat every week, every two weeks, or every month in the “Optional settings” when you create a new event. Repeating events will all appear on your group’s calendar and the information on the events will be identical aside from their date.

    You can set an end date for the recurring series or choose for the events to repeat indefinitely. Repeating events can be scheduled on Meetup’s desktop and mobile website.

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    To schedule a repeating event:

    1. From your Meetup group’s homepage, select Create event and then Create a new event.
    2. Toggle Repeat event under “Optional settings”.
      • Select how often the event will repeat, which days of the week it will repeat on, and set an end date.

    For more, watch our Community Support specialists walk you through scheduling a repeating event in this video:

    You can choose to announce the first event in the series to members right away or do it later. Future events in the series are automatically shared with members 6 days and 1 day before each event.

    Troubleshooting a video conferencing link

    If you choose to host your repeating event online, make sure your video conference link can be used repeatedly. For assistance setting up a repeated video conference, please contact your respective video conferencing service.

    Creating a repeating event
  • Even the best-laid plans sometimes don’t pan out like you imagined they would. If you need to cancel an event for any reason, the steps below will guide you through it.

    Desktop & Mobile Web

    1. Select the Meetup event you want to cancel
    2. Select Manage and then Cancel Meetup
    3. Check the box beside Cancel and delete this event
    4. Confirm the cancellation by clicking Confirm

    Android App

    1. Tap the title of the Meetup event you want to cancel
    2. Tap Edit Meetup
    3. Scroll down and tap Delete this Meetup

    iOS App

    1. Select the event you'd like to cancel from your 'Upcoming' Meetups
    2. Tap Edit
    3. Scroll down and tap Delete Meetup

    Select Yes from the popup menu and confirm

    Canceling an event
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