# How to Plan CruzeTalk Meets



## XtremeRevolution (Jan 19, 2012)

When you plan a meet for CruzeTalk members, you need to keep in mind that there are thousands of lurkers on this forum that don't actually post, but would come to a meet if there was an opportunity to meet some members. As such, you need to get as much exposure as possible. Following these steps will gain you that level of exposure. 

*Organization of Threads*
When you go to the Events, Meets, and Regional Discussion forum, you will see at the top sub-forums separated into more generalized regions of the US. Those sub-forums are for the *discussions and planning* of those meets. That way, we don't flood the main section with a bunch of planning and coordinating threads. 


*Feeler Threads*
If no meets in your area exist, you first step will be to create a *feeler thread*. A feeler thread is something with a title like "Anyone in the XXXXX area?" This way, you can get a feel for who might potentially show up to a meet. This will be created in the sub-forum of your region. For example, if you are in Illinois, the sub-forum would be *Midwest*. If you get so much as 4 responses, you have yourself a good starting number and you have the green light to set up a meet. 

*Planning Threads*
Once you have decided to go forward, create a *planning thread*. For my region in the Chicago area, this would be "Northern IL I Planning." The "I" is Roman numeral 1. Keeping a scorecard for how many meets have been set up makes people more likely to show up as people are more comfortable with established events. It is generally a good idea to refer to the meet according to the general region, not a specific city unless you expect a huge turnout in your city. The planning thread will include things like a a specific date, time, and activity. Every meet should be focused around an activity, whether it's cruising along a nice road, or having lunch or dinner together at a burger joint. The w-body meets I went to for the last few years were either held at a Fuddrucker's (burger joint) or at a park in Wheaton, where one of our guys brought a tailgate grill and the everyone pitched in with some food like chips, buns, cookies, drinks, hot dogs, burgers, etc. We'd have ourselves a little cookout and just hang out and have a great time. If you focus your meet around food, people WILL come, because everyone likes food. The *planning thread* will be created in the same sub-forum as your feeler thread (if you had one). 

*Announcement Thread*
Once your meet is planned and the majority of expected participants have agreed on a specific date, you create a thread in the general Events, Meets, & Regional Discussion section. You title this thread something like "Northern IL Meet I" and include information such as date, time, location, activities, and expected attendees. You then private message a moderator and ask them to stick the thread at the top. All planned meets will be stuck to the top of the forum for people to easily see. 

*Picture Thread*
The best way to get more people at your next meet is to create a *picture thread* after you're done, showing the cars, the people, and the activities at the previous meet. I highly recommend that people take lots of pictures and post them. Meets are a great time and you want to show off how much fun you have. This makes people who didn't go regret not going, and makes them anticipate the next meet. Keep this up for a few meets and you'll easily see yourself going from a turnout of 5 members to 15 members. 


*Non-Regional Meets*
If you have an idea for a non-regional meet, create the thread with the information for the meet and ask a moderator to stick it at the top. Non-regional meets include things like GM Nationals at Carlisle, the Woodward Dream Cruise, or the Lordstown Meet that I set up this year. Autocross and track day meets are also included in this. For these meets, you go straight to the announcement thread. Encourage people to let you know that they are coming.


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