The first meet I ever attended was the one I planned. Planning a meet is easy and fun. These tips and answers to questions should help you out. (If you have
a question that is not covered here, hit reply and ask it! There are no dumb questions and you never know, someone else might be wondering the same thing.)
Q. Are there any rules I have to follow for a pin meet?
A.
Q. How many people do we need for a meet?
A.
Q. Where should we meet?
A. Normally they're held in mall food courts, local Disney stores and for some larger meets hotel ballrooms have been used. Basically any public place you can find will work. Just make sure you have the permission of the place to use it. A traders home can be used but remember these meets should be open to any pin trader who wants to come so if you're not okay with strangers in your house or you don't feel comfortable posting your home address on the forum, don't use your home.
Q. How is the person planning the meet chosen?
A. I ended up being the NorCal Coordinator because everyone wanted a meet but no one was planning it. If people in your area want to meet and you think you can do the job, then do it! (Hopefully this guide will help and a lot more meets will be popping up!)
Q. Where do I start?
A. Follow these steps for the easiest planning:
Before we begin, I have to remind you that you will NOT please everyone. Someone will get left out. This isn't your fault. There's no way you can plan a meet that EVERYONE can attend. It's just not going to happen. Don't feel bad about it, just plan for the majority.
1. Find out who wants to meet. - A post in the Gatherings forum with "Your Area Pin Meet - Who's interested?" is a great way to get the ball rolling.
2. Decide where to meet. - Mall food courts have been the most common place to meet. Some Disney Stores might offer you space to use or even a restaurant can work in a pinch. Always make sure you get the permission of the place you want to use before you use it. Nothing ruins a meet like getting chased out of somewhere and having to pin trade in the parking lot! A good meeting place has space, tables, restrooms and either food/drink available or the ability to bring your own. If your spot has an outside place for traders who smoke, that's a plus.
3. Decide when to meet
. - Polls are awesome for this. Start with week/weekend and narrow the day down from there. Make sure you check the proposed dates against Pin Events at the parks, Pin Releases and Holidays. If you're double booked your turn out will be less than expected. (If you need help using polls, let me know.)Q. Do I need a website?
A. Nope. You don't need one but if you want to have one, go for it!
Q. How do I get a logo for my meet?
A.
Q. How do I advertise/find my meet?
A.
Q. I'm terrible with directions, can I still plan a meet?
A.
ESTABLISHED PIN MEETS - Check the Pin Calendar and Gatherings threads to see when the next meet for each group is!
If you want your meet listed here let me know.
NorCal Pin Traders meet in Sacramento
CAContact: Kash - littlecrackedstar@hotmail.com
UK Pin Traders meet in
HarrowContact: Jacqui - J.Kasket@Monkshood.fsbusiness.co.uk
Windy City Pin Traders meet in Addison
ILContact: Gene - windycitypintraders@yahoo.com
Central Jersey Disney Pin Traders meet in Somerset
NJContact: John - john@cjdpt.com
Bay Area Pin Trading Meet in Santa Clara
CAContact: Candace - exp_626@sbcglobal.net
South Florida Pin Traders meet in Sunrise
FLContact: Dana - beanie-babies@att.net
North Jersey Pin Traders meet in Paramus
NJ
Contact: Steven - poweroone@aol.com
Georgia Pin Traders Meet in Atlanta
GA
Contact: Mark - mchan18078@aol.com
Northwest Pin Trading Post in Seattle/Portland
Area
Contact: Dyma - dyma@guntoys.com
Raleigh/Charlotte Area Meet in NC
Contact: Gail - gailthakur@nc.rr.com
Central Pennsylvania Disney Pin Traders meet in Harrisburg, PA
Contact: Ann - VillainQueen77@cs.com
Let me know if this is possible. 
