h2g2 The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy: Earth Edition

I've already read in one thread this evening that the attendee list is dire. This actually wasn't a reference to the numbers, but more that there were not enough people on it that the researcher liked. I also remember reading after the last meet that people who did go were sad to see it turn into an evening of loud, distressing drunkeness.

With just a few days to go there appears to be no venue and even if there was, where's the incentive for people to even consider coming along if their attendance isn't welcome?

So do the low numbers reflect the lack of information about the venue or are people staying away because of the perception that this probably won't be a convivial evening of meeting and greeting?

And what can be done at this late stage about making Saturday a success?

I started a discussion on the Londonmeet useracccount about an evening venue; the problem is with numbers as low as they are we can't do our useual book a pub for the evening, so instead it looks like at the moment so pretty much for defiante that it will be in the Shakespears head in High Holborn which is a pretty biggish pub and shouldn't be too full on Saturday

As far as I'm aware one researcher has said that they're not coming because, on top of illhealth, there aren't many people going that they really want to see. That is the position of that one researcher, in their journal, and it's not representative.

There were several people at the last meet that got drunk: there were also a lot more that didn't. I think most people at the last meet had a good time whichever side of the drink fence they were on.

It's impossible to book a venue with such low numbers but, as has been made clear through conversations on the Meet entry, the venue will be The Shakespears Head pub in Holborn.

What can be done? A little positivity rather than the usual negativity for starters.

You need to put that on the page, with a map link, travel instructions, the nearest tube, which bus etc.

I am attempting to be positive about making a success of the event. And as I wasn't at the last meet my impression is only from comments I read on here. But there is drinking and there is getting drunk and the two are most certainly not the same thing at all.

Fair point but there were enough people at the last meet that we fell into two seperate camps. As far as I could tell the people that didn't get drunk had a good time and left those of us that did get drunk to it.

There's a natural tendency at meets to congregate with the people you get on with online. There's nothing wrong with that. I would imagine that the drunkards were in the company of the people they chat most with on h2g2 and that the sensible folk were with the people they chat with most on h2g2. Some groups have a lot of catching up to do and some don't. Some are meeting people they've liked online for a long time for the first time and some aren't. This is all good.

One of the great things about meets is that you meet people who you didn't think you had anything in common with but also that you meet people you have more in common with than you thought.

There are drunkards, there are drinkers and there are tee-totallers. there is room for all at h2g2 meets. All will find friends.

But if the attendee list is true everyone could sit round the same table. My question was about why people aren't interested. If it's not the prospect of observing distressing drunkeness (a phrase I read in a conversation here) then is it the lack of information?

I wasn't aware that drunkeness was an issue. If it was I apologise to anybody I offended.

I think the lack of interest largely lies with:

1) the unofficial nature of the meets. If the italics were involved it would carry more weight.
2) the amount of regional meets. Many of us have made true friends through hootoo and meet up anyway. We are probably the people that are most likely to go to meets but we are also the people with the least incentive.

Having said that: I live in London and *know* that there must be many people in, or within a relatively short train journey of, London that I've never seen at a meet (my first was Summer 2005) and I have to wonder why.

I think the autumn meet idea was not a good one, most of the people who 'wanted' an autumn meet haven't even signed up... The last meet wasn't as drunken an affair as many of the ones before

My first meet was May 2000 and since then I've attended several - the good, the bad and the downright ugly. Being refused a drink by association ("We've been told not to serve anyone wearing a badge")at the Penderel's Oak was particularly memorable.

There have always been people attending who drop in on the day, but no one can do that if details are vague. The date's been out for ages.

The train journey thing wan't a reference to you coelocanth. I know that there must be a hell of a lot of us in or near London but there are surprisingly few that connect off line. That's fine: people's involvement varies, but it does seem odd that people come from Germany and further and yet there are so few locals, other than the ones that are always up for a drink anyway (and yes, I know that meets are about nore than drinking).

London meets of the past have managed numbers of close to 100 people. I've been to mini meets and micro meets in London too. People are restricted not only by location but also by finances, which is why January was hard for a lot of people and October was favoured.

Have the meets become too cliquey? This was predicted: F19585?thread=3260156

And if you didn't realise drunkeness put people off, it's the first reason given by more than one person here: F19585?thread=3236759

The first to responses were by people that hadn't been to the meets in question. They believed what they read in the internet!

I've seen similar comments from people who *have* attended though. However it's not just about drinking and/or drunkeness. I asked how Saturday could be made into a success. What's going to make people drop in, even if they haven't signed up yet? Any ideas?

Nope. As long as meets are unofficial I doubt we can tempt people who wouldn't come anyway.

They've been in steady and inevitable decline ever since the Italics stopped organising them, I only took up organising them when it became pretty clear that if I didn't no one else semed likely to have done so The meets have always (even when Italic organised) centred about//around the evening meet up-in a pub, so booze was always a big deal with it, in fact some of the most drunken ones I've been too were the Italic organised ones The problem of clinkyness between those 'regulars' who do turn up at pretty much every event is prhaps a bit of a percieved problem to non-regulars, as is trying to ensure everyone knows about it... we've treid to do this, the meet was (is?) featured on the front page, listened in the upcoming meets section, and I think the London meet account was fairly widely published as a place to keep an eye on for announcements aobut upcoming meets... MMF seems to be doing a good job on the aftenroon event organisation side, I can't really do that myself as I don't know London very well and am just that bit too far out of London to make it easy to do that sort of thing Plus of course I'm not really wildly into afternoon events in the main, though there were a few good uns when the Italics orgnaised it; and when they still had money to put into the 'community events' side of things... I've not been able to keep the page as updated as I'd have liked the last couple oof weeks (which is always the time when it most needs updating as the meet nears), as my Fathers been Ill and I've not been near a PC for a lot of that time and since I've been back I've been busy trying to organise this house and other things as well Unfortuantely I don'[t have any answers; cept for having it Italic organised again... but thats not going to happen; I've still not got a single Italic given me a definate answer as to weahter they are coming or not this time : I've updated the meet page a bit with the location of teh shakespears head, though from past experiance no one bothers checking the page once they've signed up anyhow so... I dunno... any ideas ? I'm seriously thinking about making this the last one I organise as a 'proper big London meet', for the amount of effort it takes the rewards are ever diminishing; whereas it just takes a couple of Emails and a few TXTs as a rule to organise a mini meet and get half a dozen people along

2legs, there has to be at least one more general London Meet. Don't cancel them before I have a chance to attend one.

They'l certainly continue, but with lowering interst from new people on site (I.E., other than the 'likely bunch' There doesn't necessarily seem much poin to trying to advertise it so widly etc I dunno.. maybe there is, maybe the low numbers the past couple were just... odd ones out

This is what gets me: B'Elana comes from Germany; Hypatia intends to come from the States; Skanky's come from Devon, yet there are people that won't travel a few miles.

I can't see meets picking up again - too many people don't give a toss.

I hope they pick back up. It's such a good opportunity for everyone to get together and enjoy each other's company. And you guys go to a lot of work to organize them.