In case you haven’t been outside in the last month or so…welcome to Summer! Mother Nature is making sure that everything’s bigger in Texas, including the heat.

But no worries. We’re still finding lots of ways to keep cool beyond our sparkling personalities. And for the brave souls who hail from the deep Arizona desert that are still bundling up in sweaters…well…we’re still giving you lots of outdoor stuff to do too. We’ve had dinners at restaurants, movies both inside and outside, trivia nights in bars, and hikes along our beautiful Austin greenbelts and lakes. Heck, even you homebodies have lots of online stuff to do. And even with the heat, we had record turnout at our last Backyard Movie Night, where you all showed your skills at lawn bowling, hot dog eating, and the ability to quote every line from THE BIG LEBOWSKI (1998) from memory.

And July looks no different, with talks, pot lucks, movies, wine and shopping events, and more. I’ll be scheduling another Backyard Movie Night towards the end of August, but I and others are also trying to schedule some classic films with the added benefit of air conditioning in theaters.

But perhaps our most important events this month give you a chance to contribute to the group in a way that only you can. This group prides itself on its inclusiveness and desire to have as many diverse members and events as we can. This is why this month we’ll be starting a series of host training events that will give the hows and whys of event hosting.

We rely on and treasure our many Event Hosts to keep the calendar full of a variety of fun things to do. I think sometimes people see and attend our bigger events and assume that all this is a lot of trouble. Every event on our calendar is essential, whether they be large or small, with 2 attendees or 99. Other Meetup groups like to “keep score.” We really try to not do that.

Chances are there is something that you do each week or month that you always think might be more fun with some other people. It could be a yoga class, a visit to a museum, or a night out at some pub or restaurant you’ve been dying to try. Why not invite some others to join you? You’ll have more fun, and you might just meet a lifelong friend.

The Event Host Training sessions (which we’re doing on Zoom) are on the calendar as “Seeking Individuals to Fight FOMO”, and if you’ve ever even thought about hosting an event, big or small, this is the place to find out about it. We’ll go over what being an Event Host entails, and go over the website tools on Meetup that will make things so easy you’ll wonder why you ever waited this long to jump in. Meanwhile, we’ll also introduce you to the Group and Event Organizers who will help you with every step along the way.

In a similar vein, the leadership team would like to give you a gentle reminder about something.

What if you had a party and nobody came?  Or maybe you have made reservations or food expecting 15, only to have a handful of people show up?  This is becoming an increasingly common problem for PrimeTime event hosts, as attendees fail to update their RSVPs to indicate that their plans have changed. 

We understand that everyone has the occasional emergency or last-minute illness, but some of our members seem to have fallen into the habit of signing up for something that “sounds good,” but then failing to follow through if their plans change or waiting until the last minute to cancel.  This is not only inconsiderate and distressing to the event host, but also to a venue that may have put on additional staff to accommodate our group. It is easy to avoid this problem if you add events to your calendar and set your notifications when you sign up for an event; then you will receive reminders of your commitment in time to give you the chance to cancel ahead if you need.

We are very grateful to our event organizers and hosts for their willingness to plan and organize a variety of fabulous events and activities for our members’ participation and enjoyment.  Please show your appreciation and respect for their efforts (and those on the wait list) by updating changes to your RSVPs in a timely manner—at least 24 hours before the event is to begin.  Thank you in advance for your understanding and cooperation!  I hope you are enjoying your summer and finding ways to stay cool!

Keep on keeping on, Primetimers!

Gregg, on behalf of Louise, Andy, Lisa & Barbara