#1167 | Marketing Meetups (No Buzzwords, Just Coffee) How a casual hangout turned into real value | Lorraine Ball

Do you remember marketing meetups? Not the polished, sponsor-filled kind. I mean the scrappy, “grab a coffee and chat” kind. No agenda. No name tags. Just people who geek out over marketing gathering to swap stories, ideas, and maybe a slice of pizza.

Then social media distracted us. It was easier to post on Twitter and LinkedIn from the comfort of your bet then it was to get out of bed and come to a networking even . Then along came COVID... well, it cleared the calendar completely. And somehow, we never bounced back…

I missed those conversations. So I posted a note on LinkedIn and Instagram, and an event on : “I’ll be at my favorite coffee shop, Friday 3–5. Join me?” No RSVPs, no pressure. Just show up.

I was prepared to sit outside enjoy my coffee and read my book, but ... at 3:05, someone showed up. An old friend, I hadn’t seen since Covid, then along came someone who used to frequent the marketing meet ups. And that was it. The three of us, two hours, one fantastic conversation about work, marketing trends, life, and everything in between. My two friends had never met, so the connection was a win. Randy, was hoping to find a place to test his stand up comedy, and I got him hooked up. And me, I learned a great way to use Chat GPT to improve my vacation planning.

So what did I learn with my little Marketing meetup experiment.

I probably need to invite more people directly and send a reminder the day before. But honestly? The magic wasn’t in the headcount. It was in the connection.

Will I do it again? Absolutely. Before it gets too cold to linger outside with a latte and good company.

If you are in Indy, maybe you want to drop by and if it is too long, plan your meet up. Start small and have fun!