Nanaimo’s 1st Ever Tweetup a Twemendous Success

A group of Nanaimo social media advocates met face to face – many for the first time – at Nanaimo’s first ever #Tweetup on Sunday July 11, 2010!

Tweetup Organized by Jeff Jacob, David Coulter, Don Power

Over 26 people – all active Twitterers in Nanaimo – were brought together by three organizers in a local version of a global phenomenon known as a Tweetup.

Jeff Jacob, a programmer with the City of Nanaimo, came up with the date and time for the event and created an online registration system for the attendees. David Coulter, store manager for Starbucks at Chapters in Nanaimo, offered his store as the venue along with free coffee and sweets samples, and Don Power, a Nanaimo marketing consultant, (yes – that’s me!) promoted the event to his various Nanaimo social networks on Twitter, Facebook and Linkedin.

So, when’s the next one?

Everyone seemed to be impressed by the large turnout, especially since this was the first meeting of its kind held in Nanaimo. The obvious buzz in the room, the smiles and laughter, and the fact that most people stayed well beyond the scheduled hour for the event led many to ask “when are you having the next one?”.

Danny and Chai Mafisi – owners of Manzavino’s restaurant in Nanaimo, happily offered to host the next tweetup at their restaurant in downtown Nanaimo – likely in late August or mid September.

Social Media is Good For Business

Judging by the number of ‘tweeps’ who made store purchases at the Starbuck’s event, social networking can be a great way to grow your business too! Not only does social networking allow you to interact personally with your customers and potential customers, it also provides an opportunity to benefit from all the free publicity generated when dozens of people promote your business to hundreds, if not thousands of their followers on various social networks.

Clickable List of Tweetup Attendees

Here’s a list (links open in a new window) to some of the tweeps who attended Nanaimo’s 1st Ever Tweetup. Feel free to interact with them and maybe we’ll see YOU at the next event in September! Search on #nantweetup2010 for information and tweets about the upcoming event…

@DavidCoulter, @doublej42, @donpower, @KimPlumley, @Pure_Chiro, @CityofNanaimo, @erinoreilly, @manzavinos, @GreenAnglers, @debramayberry, @NanaimoStarbuck, @reedbotwright, @thevitaminhouse, @kellyvyas, @mawiwowi, @janlaidlaw , @gonananaimo, @seehowto

Note: If you were at the event and I didn’t list you here, please leave a comment below and a link to your Twitter accoubt and I’ll update the post as needed!

Have YOU been to a Tweetup?

Have you ever attended a tweeup? Do you host regular social networking events? Any funny stories to share about meeting social media friends face to face? Let me know by leaving a comment below!

Oh, I almost forgot…PICTURES!

UPDATE – Sept. 2010 – 2nd Nanaimo Tweetup is a GO!

Don Power is a Promotional Video Producer, Marketing Consultant and Social Media Manager in Nanaimo, BC. advising local businesses on how to use Promotional Videos and Social Media to grow their business.

Related posts:

1. Nanaimo Does Business BEFORE Business
2. Using Social Media as a Networking Tool for Your Business
3. The Best Kept Secret in Nanaimo
4. Nanaimo Business After Business – Rate Miser Mortgage Advisors
5. Partnerpedia: A Great Example of How to Use Social Media for Business

Tagged as: all posts from donpower.ME, Don, local business marketing, Nanaimo, Nanaimo Local Business, Nanaimo Social Media, social, social media, social networking, tweetup, Twitter, Video