In this recording of Meetup Live, CEO David Siegel gives the lowdown on the roadmap for 2022—the 20th anniversary of Meetup! You’ll hear all about what Meetup accomplished in 2021, from platform performance updates to new safety measures. David will discuss what’s coming in 2022, including initiatives for organizer success and exciting product updates. Plus, you’ll get a look at the new organizer app that will make it easier than ever to host events and manage groups on the go.
Notes on 20 Years of Meetup
The idea for Meetup was a direct response to the tragic events of 9/11. In the wake of 9/11, Meetup founder Scott Heiferman noticed how his neighbors in New York City were coming together for the first time to offer support. He wanted to make it easier for people who live in the same place to meet one another and build community. Meetup was launched less than a year later in 2002. We are honored to continue this legacy of bringing people together for real human connections into its second decade.
CEO David Siegel’s Top Ten for 2022
#10: Mission is forever
- Meetup’s mission is to empower personal growth through real human connections
- All of Meetup’s initiatives, from product enhancements to messaging, support this goal
#9: Growth after a pandemic dip
- Unsurprisingly, in 2020 Meetup experienced a significant dip in the number of events hosted
- We’re pleased to share that we’re seeing hopeful growth in events hosted, new members, and new organizers on the platform in 2021
#8: Focus on friendships
- In 2021 searches on Meetup for friends reached an all-time high! In fact, it was the top-searched term on Meetup, ahead of popular searches like “hiking” and “career groups.”
- We took this into account with messaging and advertising to bring more people onto the platform and grow organizer communities
#7: Growth through partnerships
- Meetup has partnered with several prominent brands that all have a strong emphasis on community building. This is excellent for Meetup’s brand awareness and bringing new members onto the platform.
#6: Organizer content
- Our mission is to promote real human connections. To do this, we must support the community-building organizers on our platform who make this all possible.
- To that end, we’ve produced more content than ever in 2021 to help organizers thrive. Including:
- Community Matters blog
- Keep Connected podcast
- Meetup Live
#5: Organizer app
- Speaking of supporting organizers, we are very excited about the exclusive app for organizers to manage their events on the go.
#4: Improved service, trust, & safety
- We want our members and organizers to get the most from Meetup and have a good experience on the platform
- Submit product feature requests using our form
- Check out recent updates
- Need help? Visit the Help Center
- Need a response to a question? Contact Meetup support with this form.
#3: Endemic pandemic
- As Covid surges come and go in different locations, we want to make sure that anyone using Meetup feels comfortable and safe
- We’ve launched safety measures that make it easy for event organizers to share the precautions they’ll be taking at their events.
- Soon, Meetup members will be able to search for events that are outdoors, have mask requirements, etc.
#2: New organizer success
- In 2021, we launched several initiatives aimed at supporting new organizers on the platform. One initiative was an email series to help onboard new organizers and share resources, which led to a significant increase in events hosted by new organizers.
#1: Driving organizer success
- In 2022 we’re continuing our focus on organizers. In addition to the launch of an organizer app, we’re going to be making continuous improvements to the organizing experience. Planned rollouts include:
- A Zoom integration for easier online event hosting
- Attendance tracking
- And more!
You can watch a full recording of the 2022 CEO update by visiting Meetup’s YouTube channel.
Last modified on February 10, 2022
