It’s that time again. Usman Haque asked me to start organising the meetup back in November 2011 and for some years, I was able to find enough sponsorship to pay for my time and cover the cost of catering and keeping a rich and interesting online presence for the community.
As time rolled on, meetup.com was sold to WeWork in 2017 and Bending Spoons 2024. In the last year, it now charges potential attendees a subscription fee.
After the pandemic, finding venues has also become a real challenge. I reached out to the IET, BSC and others but noone was up for hosting one of the oldest and most consistent meetups on a topic which has fundamentally shaped the way we live in the 21st century.
I took a break for a few years while Dominie Roberts took over and came back in March 2025. In the last year I have continued to keep things going but it’s time to give someone else the opportunity to shape the conversation.
Some things to note:
– Meetup.com will not give you access to much in terms of member details, so if you think this is a good way to spam 13K people, it won’t be.
– You can’t export the community elsewhere easily and as far as I am aware, meetup.com is still cheaper than newsletter providers like Mailchimp or substack.
– It will cost you around £379/year to cover meetup.com, the domain name (iot.london is registered with GoDaddy) and the hosting provider (WordPress.com)
– It costs about £300 for catering / meetup and I give away the leftover food to attendees at the end.
– Ideally you’ll find a venue for free as even community spaces can cost several hundreds of pounds per event.
– I have never charged for the meetup, believing free access lets students and those not in employment attend more easily. It’s up to you if you keep that principle up of course.
– I will happily hand over to an existing member of the community I have seen/met at events. If you’ve never attended the meetup or have never worked in this space, it’s probably not for you.
– We have run 10 meetups a year more or less since 2011 and the format has mostly worked out (7-9pm, an hour with 10 minute presentations and Q&A, an hour for networking before moving to a pub). You’re welcome to try something else.
– About 30% of meetup attendees have been to a previous meetup so you’ll get a chance to reach out to new folks every time.
– Running a community rewards patience. It may not reward you directly professionally, but you’ll become a connector at the heart of a rich entrepreneurial community that extends far beyond the M25.
If this sounds interesting, reach out!
