A Guide To Creating A Tezos Event
Events and meetups are essential for networking, especially within a global and decentralized ecosystem like Tezos, fueled by innovation and collaboration. This is why you will find a constant schedule of grassroots organized events within the Tezos Community and why networking on Tezos offers so much opportunity. If you’ve never participated in a Tezos event, doing so will help you form stronger connections, and you might even be inspired to create your own event someday.
What does it take to create a successful event on Tezos? How can you ensure a positive impact on the community? Where should you begin? In this article, we will explore general guidelines, highlight past successful events, and discuss how we can continue driving momentum for the Tezos community.
What Is A Tezos Event?
Technically, a Tezos event can be anything you want, but generally speaking, most Tezos events are centered around a hashtag. Hashtags allow the community on social media and NFT markets to easily join your event by incorporating the designated hashtag when publishing their content. Recently, Tezos Commons published an article covering an example of a hashtag-based event, “Share4Tez: Share Art To Earn Tez”.
In summary, standard practice is for the title of your event to be the hashtag used for the event. However, innovation and creativity are always encouraged. If you bring the community together under a common theme to create and share, you’ve made a successful Tezos event.
Taking An Idea And Turning It Into A Functional Plan
The most difficult part of having a good idea is watching it go to waste. The most important thing to do is act on the initial inspiration before the doubts can even set in and before you forget. So write it down. Below are some basic starting points to consider.
Why do you want to host a Tezos Event?
Ask yourself the hard questions first. Make sure your vision aligns with the overall goals of the community. Reach out to your trusted Tezos friends for advice and potential collaboration. Consider the pros and cons together, and manifest your mission statement. People love to get on board for a good cause. However, you have to express your intentions clearly. Doing so will help you seek collaborators and ensure your hard work yields the desired outcome.
Who can help organize?
The people building on Tezos never have to do so alone. There is always someone ready and willing to lend a helping hand. Reach out to the various support networks for advice and assistance. A good team and potential sponsorship(s) can go a long way. Entities like Tezos Commons are available for extra guidance. Although they are typically not needed for hashtag-based events, small grant programs are in place specifically to fund community-based initiatives. This is another reason why putting together a cohesive plan is important. It will be needed if you choose to apply for a sponsorship. For in-person meet-ups, where these grants are mostly utilized, an article by @cryptonio, Organizing A Tezos Social Meet-UP, covers more on the subject, and a typeform is available to apply here. Other organizations such as TzAPAC, Trilitech, and Tezos Foundation offer similar support.
When will the event take place?
Consider the global reach of the community and the time zones involved. Multiple-day events are typically necessary to include all time zones, and utilizing Universal time helps alleviate confusion. Leave yourself plenty of time to promote the event beforehand. Events are traditionally announced several weeks in advance.
Where will it take place?
Will there be a physical location or will this event be online only? Will it involve NFTs, and if so, which platform will be used? It’s important to analyze the different features across Tezos NFT marketplaces before deciding. OBJKT is typically where most events happen due to its broader range of features and the ability to create dedicated collections. However other options like TEIA and AKASwap are good to consider. You will also have to focus on social media to spread the word. X (Twitter) is what I’d consider standard practice; however, breaking that bubble is also encouraged. Seeing more events on alternative social sites like DNS and Farcaster, would be a welcome development.
How will you spread the word?
Make a promo poster! The odds are in your favor for finding a good graphic design artist, and for a more budget-friendly option, you can utilize AI and/or Canva Templates. Be sure to incorporate the why, who, when, and where, within the design. Once you have a poster, well…post it! It’s time to announce your event to the world. Assemble your team and organize a raid, which is an organized way to beat the social media algorithm by having a strong starting momentum with a team retweeting, quote retweeting, liking, AND commenting. Tag any/all sponsors and platforms involved as well. Be sure to give the community time to circulate the news.
Put On Your Influencer Hat
Most importantly, remember to repost any social media from others regarding your event. Having the hashtag trending is a goal to strive for. Create a dedicated social media handle as a home for all the related posts. This ensures you can post as much as you want during the event with less risk of shadow bans on your main social media account.
Work With Partners and/or Sponsors To Deliver Exciting Metrics During The Event
People enjoy seeing how these events affect the numbers. During your event, post updates on the performance of your event. How many NFTs have been minted with the event hashtag? How many sales so far? When people see these metrics, it can help create the FOMO that gets them to jump aboard.
Tezos Community Uplifts Those Who Host Successful Events
Your efforts won’t go unnoticed, even if you don’t know anyone to contact directly. Keep an eye on your comments and DM’s as you never know who may be watching and willing to help, but remember don’t trust, verify. Before interacting with unknown accounts be sure they are really who they say they are. There are also initiatives like Tezos CRP, and often event planners get nominated by the community. You never know what rewards may manifest after an event takes place. So do your best and remain true to your mission. Remember the law of attraction if you get frustrated during planning. Vent in private when necessary. We are all human, however, public complaining typically serves no one. It’s best to get the bad energy out before you post as the spokesperson of any cause. Let your best self shine through.
Remember That The Only True Failure Is In The Lack Of Trying
Creating a successful Tezos event is all about harnessing the power of community, innovation, and careful planning. From conceptualizing your idea to executing a well-structured plan, every step is crucial in ensuring a positive impact on the Tezos ecosystem. Engaging with the community, leveraging social media, and collaborating with partners and sponsors will help you amplify your event’s reach and significance. Remember, every event, big or small, contributes to the vibrant and dynamic Tezos ecosystem, fostering growth and connection within this decentralized space. Leap into your intent, embrace the challenges, and you will likely watch your Tezos event flourish. Your efforts are a valuable addition to the community. Happy event planning!
Events4Tez was originally published in Tezos Commons on Medium, where people are continuing the conversation by highlighting and responding to this story.