Planning your own EvolveYou Community meetup

• When planning your community meetup, the first thing to consider is how many people will be attending/invited
• Do you have a budget in place or if attendees are expected to pay, how much is each person willing to spend? The budget will be a huge deciding factor to what can and can’t be achieved
• When will the event be held? This could determine the type of venue - whether indoors or outdoors
• Will you be hosting a workout? If so, how much space do you need for it?
• Will you be providing any refreshments or will attendees need to purchase their own?
• Depending on the time of day, what food and beverage will be on offer? Brunch, nibbles, lunch, just drinks, etc 
• If you’re hosting a workout or planning another group activity, do the guests need to bring their own equipment? If so you’ll need to send a list of the required equipment beforehand

There are so many different options when it comes to hosting a community meetup or event. You don’t need to spend lots of time and money planning, it could be as simple as meeting up in your favourite coffee shop or working out together at your local gym.

We’ve included some ideas below to help you get started: 

• Beaches, parks and nature trails are great if you like the outdoors - why not have a picnic or go for a walk and explore your local area! 
• Work out together - in the gym or a group workout outdoors, you could even start your own running club if this is something you enjoy, or try a local fitness class
• Maybe you have some common interests outside of the gym. Here are some activities/hobbies you could try; rock climbing, skating, shopping, bowling, painting or pottery, museums and art galleries, going to a theatre show!
• There may be free things to do or see in your local area; seasonal markets and fairs, art installations, festivals and carnivals - check out your local newspaper or take a look online for any upcoming up events.
• Coffee and cake, dinner, brunch or even just grabbing a drink. If there’s a bar or restaurant you’ve been wanting to try out now is the time!
• If the weather isn’t great or you want to connect with community members a little further afield virtual hangouts are great for this; zoom calls, facetime or even a Netflix party

You could even combine a few of these activities. Why not grab a coffee and go for a walk around your local park or try a group workout class followed by a refreshing smoothie.

DO:

• Connect with other community members prior to the meetup; whether this is through a group chat or on a virtual meeting, getting to know a little bit about each other ahead of time can help calm any nerves you may have about meeting new people!
• Have a clear plan for your meetup and communicate this to everyone attending - are you doing an activity which requires a particular dress code? Will attendees need to bring anything with them? Do you have a back up plan if your meetup is weather dependent?
• Push yourself outside of your comfort zone. Everyone will be in a similar situation and is there to connect with other like minded people!
• Stay safe! If this is your first time meeting someone new we’d recommend hosting in a public place and if you’re planning on going alone make sure to let a friend or family member know where you’re going and who you’ll be with.

DON’T:

• Leave things until the last minute, especially if you’re doing something which requires you to book ahead or arrange transport.
• Share personal information with people you don’t know. If you don’t feel comfortable sharing your mobile number, joining a group chat via social media may be a better option.
• Forget to take photos or videos at your event and remember to tag us @evolveyoutogether
• Worry if you’re not able to organise the biggest, most extravagant meetup - sometimes it’s all about keeping things simple. The main goal is to connect with other community members and build new friendships ☺️

We love seeing our community together!

Our community (you!) are at the heart of everything we do and we want to showcase this to new women who are thinking of joining our community, or those looking for some accountability buddies! 

When it comes to content we encourage you to keep it simple. At your meetup the main priority is having fun and talking to one another – don’t feel the need to have to tick off a load of things to capture. Any content that you share is an added bonus for us! 

See below some rough outlines on how to create some great content: 

• Shoot in a bright setting, preferably with natural light (this can be tricky dependent on your location, but try to shoot people facing windows/light so we can see you without it being too grainy!)
• Consider what’s in the background of your photo/video (if in doubt, stand somewhere that is less busy looking so you’re the main focus)
• Avoid using filters (we want to see the real - and beautiful- you!) 
• Too shy to ask someone to take a group picture for you? Use a tripod (we love this one, available on Amazon here.) 
• We love seeing you smile and having fun, so don’t forget to say ‘Cheese! 😬’

Content we’d love to share on the EvolveYou page:

• Tag us in your stories – please tag us at @EvolveYouTogether so we can re-share them to the community
• Group shots - whether it’s a selfie in the mirror of two people, or grabbing a tripod (or willing passer by!) to take a snap, we love seeing  you all together in one view
• Tell us about your story in your caption, or let us know the details so we can share it & give our audience a bit of context
• Reels: alongside pictures get creative and make some videos together! Whether its short snappy clips or a fun TikTok trend, we love to see it!

Want some ideas of content? Let us help! 

• Mini vlogs! Document your day so it’s like we’ve come with you (how did you travel there? What did you do? How did you react when you saw your besties? Share some videos of the fun stuff you got up to!)
• Workouts, of course! Heading to the gym? Send us a video or film the workout and tell us which one within the app you tried!
• TikTok trends: whether it’s a dance or miming along to a song have fun without and let us share it! 
• Candid moments: did your bestie do something silly? Did either of you get a PB? We want to see!