HOST EVENT

Hundreds of men have told us that where their lives changed, where the magic happened, is in the regular events that Q-MoB members host for one another, whether it is a hike, a game night, group dinner at an interesting restaurant, a dancing adventure, an arts/music/theater/dance outing, a support group, a fitness class, etc. When you host an event that is part of an on-going series of events that bring men together regularly who share an interest or passion, you create community, friendship, & eventually deep connections with diverse, intergenerational men who have more in common with you than you knew. This is why we created this page to make learning how to host magical events easy and something any man who wants more community can do.

Q-MoB has a number of on-going groups that regularly sponsor events, & you can team up with the co-facilitators of these groups and men who have hosted their events to learn a lot about how you can host that kind of group: 1) Potluck Group, 2) Arts/Culture Outings, 3) Hiking Group, 4) Dining Club (dinners at restaurants), 5) Game Nights, 6) Bar/Pub Outings, 7) Dancing Outings. 

Q-Mob also has lists of men who are interested in attending these kinds of events that still need group co-facilitators to help the groups schedule regular events: 1) Fitness Classes/Groups, 2) Yoga, 3) Meditation/Silence Together, 4) Support Groups (grief, healing, wellness, trauma recovery, etc), 5) Massage/Reiki Exchange Group, 6) Crafting/Fiber Arts, 7) Kayaking/Canoeing, 8) Vision Quest/Support, 9) Book Club, 10) Bowling Group, 11) Heart Circles/Empathy Circles. 

And then there may be activities you'd like to do with other queer men that would inspire and connect you that come from your own passions/interests, but are not like any of the group types we've already polled our members on.  That's great, because we can help you poll our community to find men who share your interest or passion.  Please note all Q-MoB activities must embody our Values and the Eventbrite Community Guidelines. Before proposing a Q-MoB activity, please review these and make sure you understand and agree with them. After selecting an activity you may want to host. move on to Step 2.

So if the kind of activity you want to host is like one of the 7 Q-MoB groups that are already regularly hosting events, then your next step is to fill out the Online New Event Form  & then talk to that group's co-facilitators about how to make your event a success. If you're not ready to fill out the form in detail you could just list your event title & your name & contact information, and the Group Co-Facilitator will contact you to schedule a conversation about when and how you might host a successful event.   

If what you want to host is like one of the 11 group types listed above where we have lists of men who are interested, but no group co-facilitator yet, then fill out the Online New Event Form and indicate which of those 11 types of events it fits into, & our program coordinator will help you create an activity and get the word out to men who have already said they are interested.

If the activity you would like to host is not like any activity we've polled our members on, then fill out the Online New Event Form, and list its type as "Other," and our Program Coordinator will help you create a poll to find out who is also interested and when they'd be available.

Because Q-MoB is an all-volunteer group, we can help you promote your event, but usually for it to be successful, you'll need to promote the event to find the men who share that interest or passion.  Here are some tools that will help you promote your event/activity: 

• Go to lots of Q-MoB events and make an announcement at the end of each event about your upcoming event. You'd be amazed at how effective & fun this is.
• https://www.eventtia.com/en/blog/how-to-promote-your-event-on-social-media
• https://www.swiftlocalsolutions.com/blog/how-to-promote-nonprofit-events-with-little-or-no-budget  

 4.1 Find a Co-Host:  Your Group Co-facilitator(s) or the Q-MoB Program Coordinator will help you find a co-host, hopefully someone with experience in hosting Q-MoB events, and we also encourage you to find a friend who shares your passion/interest to also co-host with you.  This builds community & means less work for you -- so you'll have more time to enjoy your event/activity.

4.2 Welcoming & Registration: Download and Print the Q-MBoB Event Attendance Form, buy nametags & have markers on hand, Have a place for people to put their coats if it is an indoor winter event. If photos will be taken at the event for Q-MoB, ask people to & put on their nametag a red dot (do not photograph), yellow dot (can photograph but don't use my name), or green dot (can photograph & use my name) indicating their level of permission to be photographed. Anyone with a green dot should sign a photo release form 

4.3 Hospitality/Safety: Designate one person to notice people who may be having trouble connecting with others in the group or who are new, and make sure those people are welcomed in a way that makes them feel apart of the group. Make sure everyone knows what the schedule of the activity is, where the restroom is, who the activity facilitators are in case someone has a question or concern. If the activity is in a remote area or an area that does NOT have cell coverage, we recommend the facilitators carry a first aid kit & have a plan for dealing with emergencies.

4.4 Announcements & Planning Future Events, Donations: 15 mins before the end of the activity, 

a) thank everyone for coming, 

b) ask people for their brief feedback about what they liked about the activity & what we might do better in future, 

c) announce any upcoming Q-MoB activities in the next 2 weeks (give out Q-Mob Business Cards for people who don't know about our website), 

d) invite participants to plan the next gathering of this group, if it is not already scheduled.

e) invite people to post photos & positive comments about this activity on social media (making sure they have permission from men in any photos they use) 

f) ask participants to donate to the Q-MoB Scholarship Fund, which assures all our events are open to all, regardless of income or ability to pay.

Q-MoB strongly encourages geographical diversity in our activities, so try to schedule future events in North County, Mid-County, Soyth County, Hudson Valley, NW Connecticut. Make sure your Group Co-Facilitator sends the details of any planned activity to the Q-MoB WebMaster BEFORE the 21st of the month before the month the activitywill be in. This allows us to include your event in the monthly Q-MoB Newsletter that goes out toward the end of each month. 

4.5 Turn in Attendance Form, Photos, & Photo Release Forms & Donations: Take a picture of your attendance form & email it to the Q-MoB WebMaster, along with any photos taken at the event, and a copy of each photo release form. Please also write a quick 1-3 paragraph summary of the feedback you received from participants about the activity to possibly be included in the Q-MoB monthly newsletter. Donations should be submitted to Q-MoB's treasurer & noted on the attendance form.

4.6 Post photos & positive comments on social media:  This helps promote our activities and get the word out to a more diverse group of queer men in the region. Q-MoB's Group Facilitators &/or Program Coordinator can help you learn how to do this, if you haven't a clue.

One of Q-MoB's most important Values is Diversity & Accessibility for all our events.  Here are some strategies that will help promote diversity & accessibility at your event:

1. RIDES work with Q-MoB's Ride Coordinator to encourage carpooling and ride-sharing.

2. SCHOLARSHIPS:  If there is a charge for your activity, ask those who can afford to to donate to help provide scholarships to men who may need them.  Ask people to donate to the Q-MoB Scholarship Fund.

3. ACCESSIBILITY:  Try to plan events in places where people with canes, walkers, wheel chairs or mobility challenges can participate, & where people with physical limitations (e.g., hearing or seeing) can participate, possibly with assistance AND dignity/autonomy..

4. CULTURAL SENSITIVITY:  Try to plan to include participants for whom English may not be their primary language and/or for people who may have cultural, religious, or dietary sensitivities or needs.

5. DIVERSE LEADERSHIP: Try to recruit co-facilitators for your on-going activities that are as diverse in age, race, ethnicity, income, education, physical ability, level of privilege, level of experience, etc.

Once you've hosted you first event, realize all of us have many interests and passions, and feel empowered to host another event, either like the one you first tried or something completely different. The key is to keep exploring activities you might love to do with other queer men and then take a risk and invite men to do that activity with you. Don't be afraid to try something, even if you're not sure how it will go. Our community thrives on experimentation and passion, and just enough risk to keep things interesting. Take a chance -- Fill out the Online  NEW EVENT FORM and we'll help you craft an event worth doing and learning from -- and having fun with.