1 Introduction

• Plan events with a minimum of stress, and a maximum of success
• Know your options in every aspect of your events
• Understand better how the Linkup system can help you
• Avoid common pitfalls
• Build your reputation as a good host

    We'd like to offer a few serious tips regarding events, based on our experience of running 30 Linkup sites for 3 years, and managing more than 25,000 events:

1. Events on short notice generally just do not work. Most people are busy, so most people have already made plans for the coming few days. We know you may not like to hear this, but in nearly all cases the successful events are those which allow a minimum of one week lead time. Two weeks is even better. If you want your event to succeed, please keep this in mind.

2. Most people do not respond positively to events with a high RSVP maximum. We have discovered that many, many people are looking for smaller events, because smaller events offer higher quality opportunities for interactions of substance. So we would strongly encourage you to post events with a truly modest RSVP maximum, such as 6 people, or 8 people.

   You'll actually get a much better response, in part because of the supply/demand curve; people perceive a smaller event with 2 people signed up as a winner, but perceive an event with 80 RSVP maximum and 2 people signed up as a loser.

3. Include a picture in your profile, or a description of what you look like in the event. People feel much more comfortable when they know who they'll be looking for at an event. No one wants to take the time to go to an event, without knowing who to look for. Please provide an easy way to recognize you!

    We hope you'll take these suggestions seriously, because we truly want your events to succeed.

    The entire purpose of the Linkup system is to make it easy for you to design events of all different kinds with assurance and fine control of the essential aspects of your event, and to make management of your event as easy and convenient as possible. The Linkup software offers a set of options when creating your event, all of which can be edited later on simply by viewing your event while logged in, and selecting the option or feature.

     Planning an event can be easy, or can be tricky, stressful, or energizing, all depending on the choices you make, and how you handle those choices. Much of the information contained in this guide may seem obvious, but it's amazing how often people overlook the obvious in actual practice.

     We welcome your participation in further developing this guide, for the benefit of all members of Linkup. Please feel free to write to us with suggestions or requests.

     The first choice you make when creating an event is whether the event will be public or private. There are two links on every page of the web site for creating events:

• create public event
• create private event

     A private event is an event that is not listed on the web site, will not be inclluded in the events digest announcement by email, and instead has a private URL that you can then send only to those people you wish to invite. If you only want to invite certain people, you will need to send individual messages to those people you'd like to invite, including the exact URL of the event in the messages.

     Please note that we do not consider it appropriate to send invitations to a private event to people you do not know. We consider that spam, and we quickly rescind the messaging privileges or permanently delete anyone attempting this.

     Any public event can be converted to a private event at any time, and vice versa. To convert your event:

• While logged in, view your event
• Select "edit event details"
• Change the public/private setting for the event
• Save the event in its new form

     What some hosts do as they get to know people on Linkup is first create their event as a private event so that they can invite their friends first, then convert the event to a public event to invite new people as well.

     The same approach applies to sub-groups within Linkup. If you want an event to be announced to your sub-group, first create the event as a private event, announce the event to the sub-group or have the group moderator send out a message. This means that only people in your sub-group will know about the event. If later on you want to open the event up to anyone on Linkup, you can always convert the event to public.

     To let others know about your private event, you have three options:

• Post a notice on the bulletin board for the group (not very private, however)
• Ask the moderator of the group to send out a message (very private)
• Send individual email messages to those you'd like to invite (even more private, but more labor intensive)

     Many host have also realized that choosing an RSVP maximum has subtle and not so subtle implications for those deciding whether to attend your event. To put it bluntly, events that start with an RSVP maximum of higher than 30 often fail to get off the ground; nobody wants to be the first to sign up in case the event doesn't fly, and events with an explicit goal of gathering a large number of people are often perceived as just trying to "pack them in."

     It's best to start with a modest RSVP maximum, and see what happens when your event is announced. You can always expand your event if the event catches on, but once your event has the kiss of death from appearing too impersonal or possibly promotional, and everybody can see that no one is signing up, there's usually no way to recover the situation, and your event may die an embarrassing public death of unpopularity. Don't start your event at 80, unless you've already gotten a strong previous commitment from many people!

     Please keep in mind that it is possible for someone to RSVP for your event, and then later flake out on something else, bringing their rating lower than when they signed up for your event. The system only evaluates the rating in regard to an RSVP at the time of the RSVP.

     We hope this will never happen, but if you've already sent three reminders about payment for your event, the Linkup system will prompt you to remove anyone who still has not paid you.

     When someone is removed from an event, a "flake factor" is added to the person's profile. This is because nearly every reason for having to remove someone from an event is a negative indication, which other members should not have to deal with. This is only fair, and serves to discourage such inconsiderate behavior on their part in the future, because the additional flake factor will make it more difficult for that person to RSVP for events in the future.

Important note: Though we hope this is completely obvious, you must get explicit permission in advance from the person who will become the host of the new event.

     You will also find a checkbox for the option of clearing your guest list. It's very important to make a good decision regarding this function. If the change to the date and time of the event is significant, it is definitely not fair to your guests to hold them to the obligation to attend your event on a different date, or at a different time.

     Important: Do not expect your guests to be available on the new date or at the new time of the event. Unless you know absolutely that the new date and time will not be a problem for anyone, you must release all your guests from their obligation to the event by clearing the guest list.

     When your image is uploaded, it will immediately appear as a thumbnail both in the response from the Linkup system, and within your event. Selecting the thumbnail will open a new window with the full size image.

• View your event while logged in.
• Select the button labeled "other functions."
• Select the button labeled "copy event."

     Large events are not for everyone, just as small events are not for everyone. It's important when designing your event to choose carefully the size of your event, based on your own goals for the event.

     It's also crucial to not cave in to pressure to expand your event if what you intended as a small event generates strong interest. We understand the temptation to expand an event in response to requests, but expanding an event beyond its original intended size may have unintended consequences:

• People who signed up for the event when it was small may cancel, and it wouldn't be fair to penalize those people for canceling for an event whose essential nature has changed since they signed up. Therefore you may end up with a communication burden from people who no longer want to attend an event that no longer matches their expectations.

• You may have to change venues or otherwise change plans, which may cause confusion if the change of plans does not reach everyone.

• Many people change their attitude about a social commitment when a group is large. Don't be too surprised if lots of people who signed up for your big event don't actually show up. In other words, you may be inviting unpredictability in actual attendance at the event because often people have little reluctance to flake out on a large event, because they see themselves as just a drop in the big bucket you've created.

     Also keep in mind that if you make your event open to outside guests, you have basically lost control of the size of your group. If you intend the group to be small, it's a mistake to make the event open to outside guests, because each Linkup member can then bring up to 5 additional people, which can immediately change the size of your group by an order of magnitude.

     If you want an intimate event, in which everyone in the group can hear and see everyone else consistently at the same time, the realistic maximum number is 6. Beyond this number, the group inevitably breaks into separate conversations, and the effect of an intimate conversation as a group is lost.

• You can provide your exact address only to your guests through the Linkup system simply by waiting until a day or two before the event, and then sending a message to your guests. Even guests who did not read their email will still be able to view your message containing your address as a note in the event, which will not be visible to anyone who is not on your guest list.
• It's your event, and your home. You can choose who you do or do not want in your home, before or during the event.

     The first goal of your event should be to make sure that you yourself have a good time. If you don't have a good time at the event, why should your guests? We strongly suggest choosing activities that you yourself would love to do anyway, but would be even better with other people to share the experience.

     So what is your event all about? What's it for? What do you want out of your event personally? What do you want for your guests? What do you want from your guests?

     It's best to be clear from the very beginning about the goal of your event. This clarity can then be communicated to everyone who reads your event, therefore attracting to your event exactly those people who match what you want for your event. If you aren't clear in the event itself about what your goal is for the event, you may end up with an event that wasn't at all what you wanted or expected.

• Looking for quiet, substantial conversation? Say so clearly.
• Looking for a few sturdy hikers for a strenuous afternoon? Say so clearly.
• Just looking to meet a few new folks? Say so clearly.

     It's equally important to write a great description for your event, a description that includes all the information people will need to decide whether they want to attend. The best event descriptions are clear, to the point, include all necessary information, and are presented in a way that makes the event appealing. If you've designed a great event, you then have to accurately describe the event.

     It's also important to present information in the order you believe will be most important to other members. There's not much point starting your event description with elaborate details of where to meet, when the reader doesn't even know yet what the event is about, or whether they would want to attend.

     Suggested order of information in your event description:

• The nature or purpose of the event
• Links to additional information on the event or venue
• Details of where and how to meet

     Below are some aspects of events we know are important to most guests:

• What is the exact purpose of the event? To meet new people? To practice French? To expand business connections?
• What will be the size of the event? To many people, there is a fundamental difference between an event for 6 people and an event for 60 people. If your event is initially posted as a small event but you may expand it in response to demand, say this clearly in the event so that those people who prefer small events can make their own decision.
• Is there a preferred age range?
• Is this event for singles, or not for singles?
• Is there a preferred set of characteristics of guests?
• Is absolute promptness expected at the start of the event? If not, how will stragglers find you?
• How long will the event last? Do you expect your guests to stay for the whole event?
• Is any sort of proficiency required?
• Is the event demanding or strenuous in any way?