Organising an SFN lunch, evening drinks or Sunday picnic is a great way to get to know people in your area, do a bit of networking and make some new friends! It doesn’t take much to organise an event and you will probably enjoy it enormously so why not give it a go? To make things even easier, top SFN events organiser Miles Barrington has shared some of his ‘Top Tips’ with us…
1.In any region that has a good number of SFN members, there will be places that ‘fit’ people’s purposes more than others. Accessibility is important but not critical to a good meet up, but if the event is publicised well enough in advance, you can potentially get people from 2 hours drive away.Use the search facility (top right hand side of the page) to find members in your area. Why not post on the SFN Facebook page too? There may well be people looking at the SF FB page before joining the network.
2.You can not have a meeting without somewhere to host it, so that is the first job. If no one particular venue springs to mind, a little research and a few photos of the town of your choice can reveal some great new places . In the Languedoc-Roussillon group we have used various venues including a beautiful apartment, a bar, a privately owned maison de maitre and a shop specialising in English food. All were very different and all went well, so the point is to be open minded.
3.I think timing is the next most important thing. If people have only a few days notice, many will have prior commitments and won’t be able to make it. If there is 6-8 weeks advance notice, many more will make the effort to turn up. As the event draws closer, start mentioning it and talking about it more, building up to the day itself. James can make it a featured event for a little more exposure too.
4.Finally, manage people’s expectations. Will they be paying for their own drinks, will there be a cover charge, should everyone bring a dish or a bottle? If the people attending are expecting a free bar and there is a cover charge, it may not go down well, but if forewarned about how the event will go and what to expect, things will go much more smoothly
Good luck!
Christine, the three of us could meet up at a bar or restaurant. That is about all we’ve got on here. Shame too. Because there are lots of Anglophones in Auvergne.
Hi Christine
A quick search revealed five (not including you as you weren’t listed - goes to show that people need to fill their searchable details in!!) - why not ask on the FB page and let’s see if we can’t unearth some more? Cx
I suspect the Auvergne`s meet up could be a very select gathering! I think there are only 3 of us on SFN…or am I wrong?