Currently, there are 24 meetups in the AWS Korea User Group(AWSKRUG).

Most of the meetups are held in Seoul, with some also in Pangyo, Gyeonggi-do, and Busan.

Currently, I am running the gudi, frontend, and gametech meetups with several other organizers. All three meetups are held in Seoul, with gudi being specifically located in the Guro Digital Complex area.

Starting in 2018, when I first began running meetups, I experienced preparing for the events alone, the atmosphere of the meetups when there were only four participants, and even complaints from employees working overtime during networking sessions.

I want to share the community management methods and various experiences I have had so far.

Shy guy Suddenly Becoming a Meetup Organizer

In August 2017, shortly after I joined my current company, our COO suggested attending a meetup near the company in Guro Digital Complex. The experience of attending the first meetup felt like entering a new world.

Active discussions, no hiding of shortcomings, an attitude of listening to others' opinions and seeking improvement, and a welcoming atmosphere even for first-time attendees were all impressive.

After attending several meetups, many participants recognized and greeted me warmly. I felt welcomed and acknowledged as part of the community. I also hoped to quickly build my skills so I could present in front of these people someday.

One day, the organizer of the Guro Digital meetup next to our company left for another job. As he couldn't dedicate time to the community anymore, he announced the meetup's closure.

Feeling sad about the potential end of the meetup, which provided great networking and skill-building opportunities just three minutes away from our office, I volunteered to take over to keep the community alive.

Despite not having the personality to speak in public or any experience presenting at meetups at that time, I volunteered to lead the meetup.

Thus, I started operating the meetup with a sense of responsibility and pressure.

Overview of Meetup Event Preparation

The process of opening a meetup event is as follows:

1. Find speakers
2. Announce the meetup
3. Confirm attendance fees
4. Choose snacks for the event
5. Arrive at the venue 30 minutes before the meetup to set up snacks
6. Check attendees' names upon entry

Typically, 1 to 10 people prepare for each meetup, handling roles such as venue reservation, microphone operation during events, assisting attendees, bringing snacks, and managing attendance fees.

Initially, 1-2 people prepared meetup events, but as meetup culture matured, these roles became established.

Some meetups still have one person handling everything. Currently, I am the one of these meetups's member, I run the gudi meetup alone.

Running a meetup event alone is challenging. I usually reserve the venue at my workplace, announce the meetup, monitor attendance fees, order pizza on the event day, start and finish the event, dismiss attendees, and lock the office door afterward. Although I've simplified the process as much as possible, there's still a lot to manage.

Meetup Event Content Preparation

Meetup content is typically organized in the following formats:

• Keynote
• Discussions
• Hands-on sessions

Keynote

The most common and manageable format is speaker-led sessions resembling lectures or seminars. also Q&A session after Keynote session satisfy many participants as well.

To add a personal experience, in the early days of the Guro Digital(#gudi) meetup, I felt pressured to hold monthly events regularly. (there were some other organizers who felt the same as well) Sometimes, there were no speakers for the next month's event. To maintain the meetup, I volunteered to prepare and present my experiences with AWS.

This became my first AWS community presentation, fulfilling my aspiration since joining the meetup.

Discussions

At my first meetup event, the topic was "Your thoughts on DevOps?" I shared a blank Google Slide for participants to edit and add their thoughts on DevOps. Each person briefly spoke about their thoughts, followed by a discussion.

As meetup operations matured, we organized several discussions without speakers. We shared a Google Slide with a common topic for participants to discuss.

During the pandemic, we hosted an Amazon Chime online meetup with engaging topics like:

• Tools or furniture recommendations for improving work experiences
• Tips for staying productive while working remotely
• Motivation for study groups
• Job recruiting
• Development problem consultations

Participants shared spontaneous ideas and enjoyed the sessions.

After the pandemic, we organized discussions on AWS challenges, advice for newcomers, and advice for new AWSKRUG community members.

Before these events, I invited experienced AWS users and frequent community participants as mentors via Slack DM. They helped newcomers with technical questions, and I rewarded them with community hero credits.

After the events, we received feedback about cost-saving, minimizing downtime during updates, RDS issues, and satisfying answers to participants' questions.

Hands-On Sessions

Before the pandemic, we held hands-on sessions on AWS basics that even beginners could follow for about four hours. We invited participants on weekends.

Multiple community members passionately contributed to preparing these sessions, assisting participants during the events, and resolving unexpected situations. Despite the energy required, successfully completing these events brought immense satisfaction.

Event Content Summary

After each event, presentation slides or discussion history are organized and uploaded to the AWSKRUG meetup GitHub repository. Additionally, some meetups record the presentations during the event or upload them to the AWSKRUG YouTube via live streaming.

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