I started the NYC Systems Coffee Club in December of 2023. It's gone pretty well! I regularly get around 20 people each month. You bring a drink if you feel like it and you hang out with people for an hour or two.
There is no agenda, there is no speaker, there is no structure. The only "structure" is that when the circle of people talking to each other seems gets too big, I break the circle up into two smaller circles so we can get more conversations going.
People tend to talk in a little circle and then move around over time. It's basically no different than a happy hour except it is over a non-alcoholic drink and it's in the morning.
All I have to do as the organizer is periodically tell people about the Google Form to fill out. I got people to sign up to the list by posting about this on Twitter and LinkedIn. And then once a month I send an email bcc-ing everyone on the list and ask them to respond for an invite.
The first 20 people to respond get a calendar invite.
I mention all of this because people ask how they can start a coffee club in their city. They ask how it works. But it's very simple! One of the least-effortful ways to bring together people in your city.
If your city does not have indoor public spaces, you could use a food court, or a cafe, or a park during months where it is warm.
For example, the Cobble Hill Computer Coffee Club is one that meets outdoors at a park.
Good luck! :)
How I run a coffee club, a short guide for others who might be interested in running one. It's very simple!https://t.co/UgRWDQOA3v pic.twitter.com/5wYrLW7u6D
— Phil Eaton (@eatonphil) December 31, 2024