The Grouvia Groove

Being the host of an event can be a challenging task if you’re not a natural born organizer.  But it’s not impossible, and can even be fun.  Just don’t let the details overwhelm you.

One simple way to assure the success of your event is to keep the size of the group manageable.

In this post, I’m specifically referring to those events where you’re just out to have a good time and meet some people.  A walk in the woods, a trip to the movies, a bike ride to the beach for a picnic, taking the kids to the town pool, or a book club meeting.  Even small business events can fall into this category.

The optimal size of the group will fluctuate based in circumstances, but generally a good number to shoot for is between six and ten.

Four is OK. Twelve is OK. Eight is generally perfect.

Notice how these numbers are all even?  Even numbers are best because it makes it easy for people to naturally form pairs and have conversations.

Some reasons for keeping the group small:

• As the host, you want to have a chance to speak with each person at least once during the time the group is together.
• It is easier to make sure the group is intact with one glance, especially if you are in an unfamiliar place, and are moving around.  Most people can SEE six to eight people, whereas more than that requires an actual physical count.
• A quick scan of the crowd will tell you if everyone seems to be comfortably enjoying themselves.
• Most people feel more comfortable in smaller, more intimate group settings.

There are a few other factors to consider when planning an event for a specific number of people:

Invite more people than you want to attend. When planning a casual event, you will have no-shows and people who cancel at the last minute, so it is a good idea to plan for more people than you expect. If you want eight, plan for at least 14.  After you hold a few events with your group, you will get a feel for how many end up not coming.

If you have collected a payment in advance you will have a lot fewer (if any) no shows.  If the event is free, you will have a lot more.

If your event is outdoors, less than ideal weather will always keep some people away.  I had a hike once where 26 people said they were coming and only six showed up.  The no-shows mostly blamed the weather forecast, which was predicting some showers later that day.  (Incidentally, we didn’t get a drop of rain during the hike.)

Friends count differently than strangers. If your group is mostly comprised of people who know each other well, you can manage a larger group.  Since they know each other, they will mostly take care of themselves.

If your group will be mostly strangers, they will need some time with each other to get comfortable.  As far as they all know, the only thing they have in common is their interest in the activity for which they came to this event.  In this case smaller is better.  Give people a chance to spend time feeling each other out for other commonalities.

Professional events can support a larger group size. If your event is, say, a meet and greet for local businesses, your optimal number can be much higher than that of a personal or recreational-type of event.  Business people are naturally more outgoing in crowds, because they are there to talk about their business, not themselves.

A group size of 20-25 is manageable for this setting.  Once you have done these a few times and feel comfortable, you can try for 30 or more people if your venue can handle it.

Let your experience guide you. These are only guidelines.  If you are just starting out, start small and be conservative.  The first event for your group can be a nail-biter, but each one gets easier.

Don’t be afraid to cancel your event. If you’ve planned a trip to the beach and the weather forecast is calling for thunderstorms, trust me, nobody will show up.  Just cancel it.

You can also cancel it if you aren’t seeing a lot of interest.  If you’ve invited 16 people to a World of Warcraft party and only two say they’re coming, you might end up with a disappointing party.  Save yourself the aggravation, and try again another time with a different kind of event.  It might be that the folks in your group just don’t go for that topic.

If you’re interested in the slightly broader topic of how many friends a person can have at once, take a look at this interesting post by Seth Godin about Dunbar’s Number.

* * *

Do you enjoy reading these posts? Why not sign-up to receive Grouvia’s e-newsletter? You’ll get the latest news delivered to your inbox and you can participate in the Grouvia development process. It’s free. Sign up at www.grouvia.com.