Host an event people can actually come to

1. Choose a format

Start small. A good first event is one you can run with two or three people and repeat.

• Social or coffee meetup

  Lowest effort. A table at a café or a library room, name tags, and a friendly host who introduces people.

• Talk or panel night

  One to three short talks or a panel, then mingling. Needs a room with a mic and screen.

• Workshop

  Hands-on learning for 10 to 30 people. Plan helpers, setup instructions sent in advance, and power outlets.

• Lightning talks

  Five-minute talks from attendees. A great way to give first-time speakers a stage.

• Hackathon or study group

  Longer sessions with food and breaks. Make goals clear and welcome beginners.

• Conference

  Months of planning, sponsors, and a team. Grow into it after running smaller events.

2. Planning checklist

Check items off as you go. Your progress is saved in this browser only.

3. Tools

Most of these have free plans that cover a small community event. Links open in a new tab.

Registration and ticketing

• Luma

  Clean event pages and RSVPs, free for free events.

• Meetup

  Built-in audience for recurring local groups (paid for organizers).

• Eventbrite

  Widely known ticketing, free for free events.

• Humanitix

  Ticketing that donates its booking fees to charity.

Calls for speakers and forms

• Sessionize

  Collect and review talk proposals; free for community events.

• Tally

  Free, accessible forms for proposals, surveys, and sign-ups.

• Google Forms

  Quick surveys and volunteer sign-ups.

• Our speaker directory

  Find speakers with talks ready to go.

Virtual, streaming, and engagement

• Zoom

  Meetings and webinars with built-in automatic captions.

• Google Meet

  Simple video calls with live captions.

• StreamYard

  Stream to YouTube or LinkedIn from your browser.

• Slido

  Anonymous Q&A and polls, so quieter people can ask too.

Promotion and community

• Canva

  Flyers, social graphics, and slides. Add alt text when you post.

• Discord

  A free home for your community between events.

• Buttondown

  Simple newsletters to keep members in the loop.

• Our groups directory

  Find groups to partner with, and list your own.

4. Speakers

• Aim for a lineup that reflects your community, and avoid putting one person on stage as the only representative of their group.
• Pay speakers when you can, or at least cover travel. Say so up front in your invitation.
• Make room for first-time speakers with lightning talks, co-presenting, or a practice session beforehand.
• Ask every speaker about access needs, such as a stool, a lectern height, extra time, or a quiet place to prepare.
• Send speakers the accessibility tips below, especially: describe your slides aloud and use large, high-contrast text.

Browse the speaker directory

5. Budget and sponsors

• Ask local tech companies, coworking spaces, and libraries for free space. Many will host community events in exchange for a thank-you.
• Ask sponsors to fund specific things, like captions, childcare, or food. It's an easier yes than general sponsorship.
• Keep the event free, or offer pay-what-you-can and free tickets, so cost isn't a barrier.
• Budget for access from the start, so it's never the first thing cut.

6. Code of conduct and safety

• Adopt a code of conduct. confcodeofconduct.com (opens in a new tab) has a widely used template you can adapt.
• Name at least two people attendees can go to, and say how to reach them during and after the event.
• Decide ahead of time how you'll respond to a report, and follow through.
• Don't publish attendee lists. Let people choose whether to share their name, pronouns, or photo.
• For virtual events, use a waiting room or registration-only links, and have a co-host who can remove disruptive participants.

7. Accessibility ideas

Accessibility helps everyone: people with disabilities, caregivers, people who are new, tired, or nervous, and people whose first language isn't English. You don't need to do everything at once. Pick what you can, say clearly what you offer, and ask people what they need.

Before the event

• Describe the venue honestly: step-free entrance or not, elevator, restrooms (including all-gender and accessible), seating, lighting, and noise.
• Give directions from transit and parking, plus a photo of the entrance.
• Share the agenda, slides, and any reading in advance.
• Make your event page and emails accessible: real text instead of text inside images, alt text, descriptive link text, and good color contrast (check it with the WebAIM contrast checker (opens in a new tab)).
• Tell people how to request accommodations, and by when.

Communication

• Offer live captions. Automatic captions in Zoom or Meet are a start; human captioners (CART) are more accurate for technical terms.
• Book sign language interpreters when requested. In the US, the Registry of Interpreters for the Deaf (opens in a new tab) can help you find them.
• Always use the microphone, even if you think you're loud enough. Repeat audience questions.
• Speakers should describe charts, diagrams, and images aloud, and use large, high-contrast slides.
• Use plain language and explain acronyms. Avoid in-jokes that leave newcomers out.
• The W3C has a helpful guide on making presentations accessible (opens in a new tab).

The space

• Choose a venue with a step-free entrance and an elevator if the event isn't on the ground floor.
• Offer seating everywhere, including at receptions, and leave clear paths for wheelchairs and mobility aids.
• Reserve seats near the front for people who need to see captions, interpreters, or lips.
• Set up a quiet room: dim lights, few chairs, a sign on the door.
• Keep music low during networking so people can hear each other.
• Mark all-gender restrooms clearly, and say where they are during the welcome.
• Consider masks-optional or masks-encouraged sessions, and good ventilation, for immunocompromised attendees.

Time, money, and caregiving

• Schedule breaks at least every 90 minutes.
• Avoid only scheduling evenings. Rotate times so people with caregiving duties or night shifts can come.
• Offer childcare, or make the event kid-friendly, and provide a lactation room.
• Keep tickets free or offer scholarships, and say so on the event page.
• Label food clearly with ingredients and allergens.

Belonging

• Make pronouns on name badges optional for everyone. Don't require people to share them.
• Ask speakers how to pronounce their names.
• Use a photo-consent system so people can opt out of photos.
• Have greeters introduce newcomers to others.
• Ask for feedback on accessibility and belonging, then act on it.

8. Virtual and hybrid events

• Turn on captions, and share a transcript and captioned recording afterward.
• Send the joining link only to registered attendees to prevent disruptions.
• List times in multiple time zones. The calendar on this site shows each viewer their own time.
• For hybrid events, assign a host for the online audience who reads their questions aloud, so remote people aren't an afterthought.
• Keep sessions shorter online, about 45 to 60 minutes, with breaks.

9. After the event

Thank people, share resources, ask for feedback, and set the next date. Then list your group in the groups directory so new people can find you.