Hey guys, @TimOsterbuhr and I are working on getting a meetup started in Las Vegas.

Hey guys, @TimOsterbuhr and I are working on getting a meetup started in Las Vegas. I just wanted to share a few things about our experience.

Before starting the meetup, I figured that it would be easy to find a cool place to host it. Maybe a cool coffee shop. Or maybe an awesome restaurant. It seemed easy to do in theory. But once I started looking, I started realizing that it won't be that simple.

I like the idea of coffee shops because it isn't too formal, people won't feel pressure to spend too much money, and because we can break up into groups if necessary. However, once I really started to think about it, the coffee shops I've been to here really don't have that much seating. There've been times that I go alone and I can't find a seat. In having a meetup, I think it's important for seating to be reliable. We don't want to show up and then not have a place to sit. The other problem with coffee shops is that they aren't always open too late. Many people have a 9-5 (or later), so we're thinking of having the time be at night in order to be accessible to that crowd.

Tim and I both don't love the idea of having a meetup at a bar. It's hard to have a good conversation when it is loud, dark, and crowded.

Something outdoors could be cool. There are various outdoor malls here in Vegas with a good amount of seating, as well as various parks. But during the summer here in Vegas (which is approaching), it is just wayyyy too hot to be outside, even at night.

We could pay for a room in a coworking space or something, but I know I'm not looking to spend too much money (especially since I'm living off of my savings working on a startup).

I guess that leaves restaurants. Restaurants seem fine, but imperfect. I don't like the idea of pressuring people to spend money if they're just looking to meet up and talk about entrepreneurship. I know that I like to limit my eating out to 1-3 times a month. You can always just order a drink or something instead of a full meal, but I worry that people may feel uncomfortable doing that. The other thing I don't love about restaurants is that it could be tricky if we decide we want to break up into groups or something.

Still, despite my nitpicks, I think everything is going to work out great. I think that once you get a bunch of cool people together, good things will happen and the rest will work out just fine.

#meetups