Event Formats Guide

Here is a non-exhaustive list of suggestions for the different types of categorizations and formats community members can utilize for their events. Many of these can overlap.

A Note on Physical versus Virtual Formats

Many meetup formats mentioned below work for both physical and virtual events. The important guidelines for running effective meetups apply to both. Virtual meetups are a newer trend that have not been explored to their full potential. We highly encourage organizers to experiment with interesting and engaging formats and to add their ideas to this guide!

Know Your Crowd

Before planning an event it is important to get an idea for the type of crowd you are trying to attract. Is the event for students who've never heard of crypto? Is it for professionals who you hope will use this technology to innovate their businesses? Is the event for developers? The event you put together should have a target audience. The better you know your audience, the easier it is to decide what the event should consist of.

Academic/Educational

Focus on the education and spread of ideas through debates, Q&A, workshops, professional panels, etc.

• Presentations

  • Good for deep dives or introductions to various topics and ideas, e.g. Give a presentation called "Ethereum, Commerce, and the Future of Stable Cryptocurrency"

  • Easiest to prepare

• Debates, Panels, Interviews, Q&A sessions, or Fireside Chats

  • Best for crowds that are familiar with the topics

  • Good way to get people to think about current issues and solutions to problems

• Workshops and Demos

  • Good for adding substance to very technical presentations

  • Increasing engagement with attendees will make your event more enjoyable

Development/Technical

Focus on deep technical topics and business applications, good for developers and people looking to work with the technology.

• Developer-focused

  • Presentations

    • Good way to introduce or dig deep into hard topics without interruptions

  • Workshops and Demos

    • Great way to educate attendees with some knowledge about the technical side

    • Demonstrating how something works is a wonderful way to provide value for attendees

• Business-focused

  • Presentations

    • Focus on real business applications, integrations, business strategy around crypto

    • Integrations. E.g. How did we solve our dapp's issues with Dai?

  • Panels, Interviews, Q&A sessions

    • Helps business professionals hear from others like them

    • Can be used as a platform for problem solving

Socials

Focus on bringing community members together to network. We suggest this format be used in combination with other formats.

• Dai Dappy Hour

  • Although we don't fund bar tabs, this can be an interesting supplement to an event.

  • Can get people to talk and be more

• Casual Maker and DeFi Fan meetups

  • Instead of a presentation, these can include demos, round-tables, ice-breakers, etc.

  • Prioritizing networking as a theme for this type of event

  • Incorporate games, raffles, Dai auctions, or even a donation matching initiative.

Demos and Hands-on sessions

Focus on educating people about how they can use Dai and interact with MakerDAO. This format puts emphasis on teaching people how to use basic web3 tools like wallets, exchanges, and dapps.

• Complex Demos

  • Using a Vault

  • Playing with DeFi dapps

  • Setting up and using Dai.js

• Simple Demos

  • How do I get Dai?

  • How do I store Dai?

  • How do I spend Dai?

  • How can I use Dai?

Other Ideas

Focus on engaging the crowd and making the meetup a little more fun.

• Games

• Raffles

• Dai Auctions

• Donation Matching Initiatives

Add to This Guide

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