Last updated: September 25, 2024
Alex Zub lives in Austin, Texas.
He wanted to meet people in the crypto space.
So he decided to host a 2-hour cocktail party to bring web3 people in Austin together.
How did it go? Here’s what Alex said:
“It was a blast and everybody LOVED it. Most importantly: 75% of attendees were people that I met at my party for the first time. That made it a lot of fun and rewarding for me.”
This article will show you how to host your own crypto meetup in a cocktail party format.
You’ll learn how to invite people, how to collect RSVPs, and exactly what to do in order to guarantee a successful event.
Introduction
First, you should know that Alex read a preview of my party handbook. He hosted his first party using my event formula back in December 2021.
For this crypto meetup, Alex used all the core fundamentals that he learned at the last party:
- Use the party runway to schedule at least 3 weeks out
- Host the party on a Monday, Tuesday, or Wednesday night so there are less schedule conflicts
- Invite your core group first to build up some RSVPs
- Then expand the invitation to others (see his LinkedIn messages below!)
- Use reminder messages to build anticipation and guarantee a good attendance
At the party itself, Alex simply did three main things:
- Use name tags for every single guest (first name only)
- Run two quick icebreakers to let everyone introduce themselves
- Take a group photo after the last icebreaker
Keep reading to learn more about each of these.
Who to Invite
Alex first invited four close friends that he already knew in the crypto world. They made up his core group.
He made a simple invitation to collect RSVPs using one of the event platforms I recommend.
Then he expanded the invitation to a wider network, which I call Great Guests. This included:
- LinkedIn groups in Austin specifically for crypto
- Posting about his party on his Twitter
- Facebook groups
Alex also encouraged everyone to bring a friend. But he asked everyone to RSVP individually and not just say “I’m bringing a +1”. This would allow him to email people leading up to the event with important information in his reminder messages.
Reminder Messages
Sending a series of reminder messages before your party is especially important when you’re hosting a crypto meetup.
Why? Because people are flakey. These reminder messages help to increase your attendance ratio.
To keep with his crypto theme, Alex used a meme with Vitalik Buterin’s tweet (a crypto “celebrity”) in his last reminder message:
You should definitely customize your reminder messages to make them on-brand for your event. But be sure to include these key elements that all reminder messages should include:
- Party logistical info: Date, time, address
- Your contact information for any last-minute questions
- Guest Bios
What to Do at Your Party
In order to have a successful event, you need to only do a few key things at your party:
- Run 2 or 3 quick rounds of icebreakers,
- Make sure everyone has a name tag (NO EXCEPTIONS),
- End the party on time.
Alex told me two things that he remembered last-minute that were extremely helpful during the party.
- Print a welcome sign for the front door, and
- Print a sign to place on the bathroom door
Welcome and Bathroom Signs
My party handbook recommends making simple party welcome signs. These signs seem obvious, but they’re a hugely important “small touch” that helps enhance the guest experience.
Alex told me, “I made these signs 10 minutes before the party and I’m so glad I did.”
When I make signs, I use a Sharpie marker on large index cards. They look like this:
For Alex, he wanted to use emojis to better represent the feeling of the crypto and web3 space. So he used emojis, like this. Here’s the Google Doc that he printed from.
Sign Near Name Tags
Because Alex was expecting a LOT of people, he wishes that he would have printed a sign to put out near the name tags. This would have been helpful for his late arrivals and people who arrived during the icebreakers.
I don’t generally agree with this because I like to write the name tags for everyone myself. But I’m including this note because everyone has their own style. And if you’re short-handed, or want to automate some things, this is a great opportunity for you to do that.
Wherever the name tags and markers are near the entrance, have a simple 1-2-3 sign:
- Get a name tag
- Get a drink
- Mingle
Alex said: “The 1-2-3 would help for the moments no one is there to meet the new entrants mid-party.”
Icebreakers
At this crypto party, Alex had over 30 attendees. That’s a lot! It meant that Alex would need to rule his icebreakers with an iron fist.
Alex asked everyone to gather and stand in a circle. Then they all went around the room and said:
- Their name, and
- What they are passionate about.
Because there were so many people at the party, Alex had to keep things moving fast. So he didn’t let people ask questions during the icebreaker or talk too long.
“I had to enforce the 15-second rule in a fun way. I would say, “Oh no, you’re out of time!
, now you go!” which caused some laughter around the room but also kept everybody very prompt.”
Also: everyone was standing up!
Sitting down is the kryptonite to a successful icebreaker. It causes people to talk forever and majorly drops the energy levels.
Party Agenda
The general agenda of the party was:
- 5:30pm Early arrivals
- 5:40pm Name tags and mingling
- 6:15pm First icebreaker starts
- 6:25pm First icebreaker ends, mingling
- 7:00pm Second icebreaker starts
- 7:15pm Second icebreaker ends, group photo
- 7:20pm Mingling
- 7:45pm Last call for drinks
- 8:00pm Party starts to end
Conclusion
This was a huge success for Alex. People met new friends, talked about their crypto passions and NFT collectibles, and everyone made new connections in the web3 space.
Alex was particularly happy: he made so many new connections and people got to see him as a connector and facilitator. He went from being someone in the audience to being the host and the organizer of his own event. If you’re in Austin and you want to attend Alex’s next crypto meetup, Tweet at him here.
Hosting events like Alex did in Austin is easy. Almost anyone can do it! You should definitely give it a try. Email me when you do and let me know how it goes.
Previously: read about Alex’s first party, including helpful notes for first-time party hosts! Also, can you tell that I don’t know a lot about crypto? I can talk a lot about parties in general, but this crypto focus was Alex’s idea, and I’m just sharing the broad strokes.
Did I miss anything? Have suggestions for how to host a better crypto meetup? Send me an email to [email protected] and I will add it to this page.
