It's easy to see that many of you are enjoying the posts elsewhere from ecowper, Walrusking, and of course, Panhead John that explain the where, and food enjoyed along with the comradery. After all, those are the primary purposes. While we each make online connections with kindred spirits here on the boards, it's another notch up on the social interaction scale when we get together in person. That's more the focus in this post since the threads above have done a pretty thorough job of naming names and rating foods.
No doubt "The Big Do" that is planned for Memphis next year will be an experience at a high level. A chance for members to meet and greet on a large scale. But, logistics for some folks will keep them from fitting that event into their schedule or travel plans. Hopefully our tales of success with the Texas Meat-ups has inspired others to think, "What if we did that sort of thing here?" Wherever "here" is. My advice is, DO IT!
The first thing is getting the idea headed to a reality. We were fortunate that Panhead John took it upon himself to do the initial planning to do our first gathering last spring. While we in Texas have some advantages in having a huge choice of BBQ joints to focus on, and we enjoyed more freedom of movement/gathering than some locales, these kinds of events are like a wheelbarrow....................they don't move if you don't push 'em. I think John would agree that while it took some effort it was far from an onerous task. And local enthusiasm helps build the momentum. The start for that is to poll those in your region for interest. Don't be afraid to start small because if you're successful folks will look forward to the event and it's associated activities.
John did a good job of finding the Rainbow Courts as a fitting lodging locale. We could meet just as easily in a "conventional" motel, but as you may have noticed the kitschy ambient nature of a vintage motor court adds to the appeal. But the lack of exactly that sort of venue shouldn't be a deterrent. After all, it's going to be about the people involved primarily. What is important is that where ever you stay it be convenient for out of state folks to get to if they choose to fly in. Think something within an hour or so of a major airfield. We've been blessed to have members from California ( CaptainMike twice), Washington State, Virginia, and probably elsewhere I've forgotten. And while we are mostly focused on BBQ, that too needn't be an exclusive decision factor. As you may have noticed in the ecowper posting, a well regarded Mexican (read Tex-Mex) restaurant was enjoyed. We are mostly foodies in general after all.
And here might be a "secret" that would be wise to embrace. Most members have a spouse, significant other, family member, whatever that will be part of the plan. More than half our group this past weekend were paired. Sure, these events are motivated by our passion for BBQ, but those around us should have some options for interest/entertainment as well. We got a clear message about that notion when we took the opportunity after lunch at Miller's BBQ to survey another facility for future Meat-ups. Across the highway from that facility was a horse barn with ponies all over the place. We brought our gang over there (it helped that we had an "insider" among us) and while the guys showed some interest, the gals were in pony heaven, feeding cookies to the beggars, petting and cooing. Little girls rarely grow out of pony love. But there could be other interest points; antique stores, craft markets or events, and so on. Include those points of interest, promote them as well, and you just might see an uptick in participation.
Whomever takes the lead is going to need some help. But with a handful of minds (and just a tad of backs) it isn't at all overwhelming. Wouldn't it be great if in any given year there would be a couple dozen events like this that brought our online community even more closely bound together than it already is?
No doubt "The Big Do" that is planned for Memphis next year will be an experience at a high level. A chance for members to meet and greet on a large scale. But, logistics for some folks will keep them from fitting that event into their schedule or travel plans. Hopefully our tales of success with the Texas Meat-ups has inspired others to think, "What if we did that sort of thing here?" Wherever "here" is. My advice is, DO IT!
The first thing is getting the idea headed to a reality. We were fortunate that Panhead John took it upon himself to do the initial planning to do our first gathering last spring. While we in Texas have some advantages in having a huge choice of BBQ joints to focus on, and we enjoyed more freedom of movement/gathering than some locales, these kinds of events are like a wheelbarrow....................they don't move if you don't push 'em. I think John would agree that while it took some effort it was far from an onerous task. And local enthusiasm helps build the momentum. The start for that is to poll those in your region for interest. Don't be afraid to start small because if you're successful folks will look forward to the event and it's associated activities.
John did a good job of finding the Rainbow Courts as a fitting lodging locale. We could meet just as easily in a "conventional" motel, but as you may have noticed the kitschy ambient nature of a vintage motor court adds to the appeal. But the lack of exactly that sort of venue shouldn't be a deterrent. After all, it's going to be about the people involved primarily. What is important is that where ever you stay it be convenient for out of state folks to get to if they choose to fly in. Think something within an hour or so of a major airfield. We've been blessed to have members from California ( CaptainMike twice), Washington State, Virginia, and probably elsewhere I've forgotten. And while we are mostly focused on BBQ, that too needn't be an exclusive decision factor. As you may have noticed in the ecowper posting, a well regarded Mexican (read Tex-Mex) restaurant was enjoyed. We are mostly foodies in general after all.
And here might be a "secret" that would be wise to embrace. Most members have a spouse, significant other, family member, whatever that will be part of the plan. More than half our group this past weekend were paired. Sure, these events are motivated by our passion for BBQ, but those around us should have some options for interest/entertainment as well. We got a clear message about that notion when we took the opportunity after lunch at Miller's BBQ to survey another facility for future Meat-ups. Across the highway from that facility was a horse barn with ponies all over the place. We brought our gang over there (it helped that we had an "insider" among us) and while the guys showed some interest, the gals were in pony heaven, feeding cookies to the beggars, petting and cooing. Little girls rarely grow out of pony love. But there could be other interest points; antique stores, craft markets or events, and so on. Include those points of interest, promote them as well, and you just might see an uptick in participation.
Whomever takes the lead is going to need some help. But with a handful of minds (and just a tad of backs) it isn't at all overwhelming. Wouldn't it be great if in any given year there would be a couple dozen events like this that brought our online community even more closely bound together than it already is?
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