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How to Promote SPIN Meetings

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The Atlanta SPIN offers some information about how to prepare for and promote SPIN Meetings:

One of the critical success factors for a SPIN is attendance at meetings. In order to achieve high attendance, we need to ensure that our members know about the meetings so that they can arrange their schedules to attend. The Atlanta SPIN has two types of meetings:

  1. Regular monthly meetings - featured speaker (usually a local subject matter expert) delivers a one hour presentation
  2. Signature events - widely known speakers (from the SEI or some other well known and respected authority) deliver a one hour presentation in conjunction with a vendor or other group participation.

Each of these event types has a sequence of promotional events leading up to the meeting.

Promotional Timeline

Three Months or More Before a “Signature Event”

  1. Prepare handouts/brochures: create a printable handout/trifold brochure for the event
    Examples:
    • Print on glossy paper
    • Distribute to board members for their company and other locations
    • Distribute at SPIN meetings
  2. Announce to other professional groups around town;
    assign board members to attend other group meetings or contact the leadership of those groups to secure permission to distribute the brochure at their meetings
    • AQAA (Atlanta Quality Assurance Association)
    • AMUG (Atlanta Mercury Users Group)
    • AJUG (Atlanta Java Users Group)
    • ALUG (Atlanta Linux Users Group)
    • ASQ (American Society for Quality - Atlanta Branch)
    • TAG SIG on Quality
    • Agile Users Group

One Month or More Prior to a Regular Monthly Meeting or Signature Event

  • The Webmaster updates the Atlanta SPIN Web Site, based on information provided by the Education Committee.
  • Create abstract file in Archives directory containing full bio, abstract, and time, date, and venue information
  • Add item to MeetingInfo Web page with meeting date and topic linked to the abstract file above
  • Update home page with name of presenter (link to the Abstract file), brief bio, presentation topic, and venue (link to the appropriate venue file)
  • Appointed board members contact the major Atlanta event Web sites to publicize the event:
    • Techlinks (www.techlinks.net); use the "Submit Events" link
    • AtlantaEvent (www.atlantaevent.com); use the "Add Listings -> Add an Event" link
    • Access Atlanta (Atlanta Journal Constitution) Web site; use the "Suggest an event" link

Two Weeks Before a Regular Monthly Meeting or Signature Event

Sample Email

On Wednesday March 16th, Elliot Price, project manager at Georgia Tech Economic Development Institute, will give a talk entitled "Lean Tools and Techniques for Process Improvement."

Presented by the Atlanta SPIN, the program will take place from 6:00 p.m. to 8:30 p.m. at the Oracle offices in Dunwoody, and refreshments will be provided. For more information, visit www.AtlantaSPIN.org.

Contact public service announcement directors at radio stations, magazines, and newspapers with a short email:

  • psa@wrek.org (or current WREK PSA director - visit www.wrek.org)
  • ejamison@gmail.com (or current WRAS PSA director - visit www.wras.org)
  • atlanta@bizjournals.com (Atlanta Business Chronical)

Double check the information on the following sites, especially the location:

Ten and Three Days Before a Regular Monthly Meeting or Signature Event

The Webmaster sends promotional email to the Atlanta SPIN membership list in the Atlanta SPIN Memberlist directory.