OzBargain 18th Birthday Meetups (2024)

How to use Event Checkins and List of Your Events

For those going to an OzBargain meetup, please ask the organiser or a co-organiser to check you in.

For meetup organisers, please

  • Make sure you check in everyone that comes. Make another user or two as "co-organisers" to help you check in.
  • Scan or take photos of all the receipts, and email them to me [email protected]. Make sure you include (1) the location of the meetup, and (2) your bank account or PayID for reimbursement.

This is the forum post that some of you guys have been waiting for — a placeholder for all the OzBargain birthday meetups in 2024. We have been running these IRL meetups in November each year since 2017, and last year the OzBargain meetup organisers put together 29 events where 565 ozbargainers get to meet and share a meal together. We will be doing the same again this year —

  • Someone from the OzBargain community might want to organise an event locally
  • Other OzBargain users will want to attend those events
  • OzBargain will sponsor those events

There will be a new OzBargain T-shirt this year to be given out exclusively at the meetup events, in Aussie green & gold with "OzBargain verified Not A Bot" at the back. Finger crossed that the factory I found on Alibaba can deliver those shirts on time though.

Process will be similar to last year. To organise an event:

  • Post a new thread in Site Discussions with "OzBargain 18th Birthday - <Location> Meetup" in the title. Use the thread to discuss with the community to work out preferred date/time & venue. Please note that the meetup event must be in November 2024.

  • Update the title with date/time and venue when it's confirmed, and I'll add your post into the list of events. A poll will be created to allow users to confirm who will be coming.

For the rest of this post, I'll be copying the snippets from last year's, and I will highlight the changes.

Organising events

Budget for the 2024 events will be updated to strictly $45pp (due to increase of cost of living), which should cover food, venue and/or activities.

Try not to duplicate the location. For example if someone has already organised a meetup somewhere in Parramatta, don't organise another one even if it's at a different venue or date.

Please have all the events posted up before the end of October. We will not accept any new meetup requests after 31st of October.

Some budget examples copied from last year,

  • BBQ or pizza at public park (with coupons, of course)
  • Everyone orders UberEats / DoorDash / HungryPanda to eat at the beach and send receipts to scotty for reimbursement
  • Cheap eat in a cafe / restaurant

We are not able to sponsor alcoholic drinks in these meetup events. Some people might want to consume alcohol at meetup events, and that can be done at their own expense.

Add the tag ozbargain18 to your posts.

Soft cap of organising up to 2 meetups. We are going to limit the number of events one can attend this year (see under "Attending events" below) and we don't want people to get around the limit by being organisers of multiple events.

Attending events

You can attend at most two events that you are not organising. We did have that clause last year but we still have quite a few people attending 5+ events, so we will be putting a hard cap this year, i.e. you won't even be able to click on "Yes I am attending" if you are already registered for 2 events.

OzBargain meetups are strictly users only this year. In the past there were some leniency for partners, children or other family members that don't have OzBargain accounts. However for this year we decided that one must have an OzBargain account to be part of the meetup.

We won't allow "new accounts" from participating in meetups either. In the last couple of years we had accounts created just to have free meals at OzBargain meetups, and then never logged in again.


Frequently Asked Questions

These are some of the questions asked by organisers and attendees.

Q: How can we get the OzBargain T-shirts this year?

OzBargain T-shirts this year would be gold/yellow text on green — I've given the Pantone code to the manufacturer however they will probably just pick whatever in their inventory that's closest. The delivery of the T-shirts is also delayed (as of 18 Oct) due to Chinese national day holidays and material change. Currently no ETA but I'll work with the organisers once I have received the shirts, so I can forward those to organisers in different states. I'll put the design here when the manufacturer sent me a photo of the test print.

300 shirts are ordered this year, and I'll try to distribute them amongst organisers, so that they can be given out to ozbargainers during the event. Not everyone is going to receive a free OzBargain T-shirt of their sizes — consider that as a bonus rather than entitlement.

Organisers: please do not promise the availability of T-shirts.

Update 31 Oct: looks like it might get to the organisers near the last week of November

Q: Can we bring family members and kids to OzBargain meetups? Will the cost incurred by them be paid by OzBargain?

OzBargain meetup events this year are for OzBargain members only — you need an OzBargain account (that's not recently created) to register for meetup events. Our meetup budget of $45 per person is also for OzBargain members only. You can bring your family or friends to OzBargain meetups. However if they are not registered to the event, they aren't sponsored.

Q from organiser. How is OzBargain paying for my event?

The sponsorship works by reimbursing the cost of the event. So

  • As an organiser, please pay for the venue and food first. Use the reward cards if you wish to collect points. However please keep all your receipts.
  • Send the receipts to my email address scotty@<this domain>. Make sure you take good photos and the numbers on the receipts are readable. Please also include your banking details (BSB/Acc or PayID) in your email so I can reimburse you.
  • I'll do a fund transfer to your bank account.

This post is work in place. I'll keep everyone updated when we move closer to November and event features get implemented.

List of Events

DateTimeVenue, LocationOrganiserRegWL
ACT
Fri, 22 Nov7:00PMDookki, BelconnenCodeXD160
Thu, 28 Nov6:30PMStar Buffet, Canberra captain danger200
NSW
Fri, 1 Nov1:30PMIppudo, Chatswoodihbh260
Thu, 7 Nov6:00PMThe Savoury Dining, Penrithidontalwaysnotlie140
Sat, 9 Nov11:00AMTaste of Shanghai, Burwoodjiayijames160
Mon, 11 Nov6:00PMFortress, Sydneyimpostor660
Tue, 12 Nov6:30PMLuho, Crows NestSerathis420
Wed, 13 Nov6:00PMBar Reggio, Darlnghursttlai200
Thu, 14 Nov6:00PMLeumeah Hotel, Campbelltownweb5090
Fri, 15 Nov6:30PMCommercial Hotel, ParramattaI Smell Pennies810
Fri, 15 Nov6:00PMDoodee King, Castle Hillsd4399340183
Sat, 16 Nov5:30PMStar Buffet, BankstownI Smell Pennies320
Mon, 18 Nov6:00PMNikaido, MascotFat Horny Ghost820
Thu, 21 Nov6:00PMSubset 27 Ed Square, Edmondson Parksuchan180
Sat, 23 Nov1:00PMAll About Chicken, Coffs Harbourtwilsoncrow80
Sat, 23 Nov12:00PMDa Franco, Concordjiayijames131
Sat, 23 Nov6:00PMZaap by Chang Thai Lao, Cabramattadinted200
Wed, 27 Nov7:20PMEpicurean Crown, BarangarooFat Horny Ghost246
Sat, 30 Nov5:00PMButchers Buffet, BlacktownSydneySurfer668
Sun, 1 Dec11:00AMHyde Park, Sydneycerealsmok3r510
NT
Fri, 29 Nov6:30PMParap Tavern, ParapJaymeRyan50
QLD
Sat, 2 Nov4:00PMMt Gravatt Street Food, Mount Gravattilyhu130
Sun, 3 Nov6:00PMDavid's Master Pot, Underwoodp1723227
Sat, 9 Nov12:30PMGreen Zebra, Sunshine CoastAlley Cat90
Sun, 10 Nov6:00PMVizzeto Woodfire, Moorookaquop120
Wed, 13 Nov6:30PMOkami, SpringwoodWarmachine992710
Sat, 16 Nov12:00PMThe Gunshop Cafe, West Endquop212
Sun, 17 Nov1:00PMEl Atar, ToowoombaTooSerious250
Fri, 22 Nov12:00PMHanwoori Restaurant, Brisbanejaysee-teh3611
Sat, 30 Nov11:30AMRen Yakiniku, Sunnybankjaysee-teh5626
SA
Wed, 13 Nov7:00PMIndian Temptations, Enfieldtwilsoncrow340
Sun, 17 Nov6:00PMBeach Bum, Hovekickling320
TAS
Sun, 10 Nov1:00PMBar Wa Izakaya, Hobartzelliot40
VIC
Fri, 8 Nov7:00PMWill's Dumpling, Moonee Pondsharryozz440
Tue, 12 Nov6:00PMMoohan, Box Hillhamroll510
Thu, 14 Nov6:00PMFortress, Melbourneneil940
Fri, 15 Nov6:00PMOkami, CragieburnRoadZilla190
Fri, 15 Nov12:30PMInglewood Coffee, Mount Waverleyneil470
Tue, 19 Nov6:30PMVillage Green Hotel, Mulgravepatryn330
Fri, 22 Nov6:00PMPacinos, Flemingtoncerealsmok3r277
Sat, 23 Nov12:30PMQuang Vinh, St Albansmangamuncher50
Fri, 29 Nov6:15PMMoon Dog Wild West, Footscraymangamuncher154
WA
Sat, 9 Nov6:30PMThe Gate Bar and Bistro, SuccessOzbargainasaurus188
Sun, 10 Nov6:00PMMack Daddy's, Mount LawleyMixhael4019
Sat, 30 Nov6:00PMMack Daddy's, Mount LawleyMixhael211

45 events from 35 organisers.

Comments

    • I would, I've registered for Ippudo on the 1st of Nov but its not the ideal time for me, if there's an alternative event i'd love to hear more about it!

      • Do you have any suggestions on location?

        • I'm not really knowledgeable abt restaurants but I know Itzan Yakiniku at Chatswood does a pretty cheap buffet, last I went there it was $29.9 for the weekday lunch option

          • @Bonemusher: Sorry, I meant in the Northern Beaches

            • @haru: ohh in that case I've got no clue sorry haha

    • You have until 31 Oct to get organised!

    • Added to the event list.

  • +1

    As a first time organiser of the Blacktown Butchers Buffet OzBargain Birthday event, I was thinking of organising some prizes.

    I was thinking of ordering some OzBargain pens and fridge magnets (happy to pay out of my own pocket), but don't want to just create more token junk that'll end up in the bin and clog our environment.

    Any bright ideas?

  • @scotty Can you please add Hobart? How do I turn it into an event?

    • You should just update your original post. I'll unpublish your new post and move the info to the original one.

      • Cheers!

  • +1

    I got 6 spots left for the epicurean buffet @ Crown in Sydney for $90

    Probably the most expensive birthday event but under $100 seafood buffet is a bargain!πŸ˜‰

    https://www.ozbargain.com.au/node/873822

  • Can someone in the Penalty Box join a b'day event?

  • +1

    Hey @scotty how is check-in going to work on the day? Same like last year?

    • +2

      Yes same as last year. Moreover, the co-organisers can also access the event tab this year to mark attendees off.

      Using QR code to check in is probably still preferred to ensure the people are who they claim they are, but would be a bit slower when the organiser has lots of people to check in.

      • A group of us organisers have spotted a person or possibly more who have attended 3 events (not an organiser) and is possibly using an alt account.

        What do we do if they turn up at our later events?

        • +1

          TWAM so the alt account can be banned

        • +1

          Were they wearing the same OzBargain shirt? It needs a wash now.

  • Please add this to the list (not my event, but I want to make sure I can register before I go sleep haha)

    [ACT] OzBargain 18th Birthday - Southside Canberra Meetup (Thursday 28th November, 6:30pm) @ Burns Club Star Buffet

    • Event has been added

  • +34

    Here's an update on the T-shirts this year — it's severely delayed. The manufacturer just got back to me this morning and mentioned that they are expecting to finish on 10 Nov. It's going to take a week of DHL to deliver to my place in Sydney, and probably another week to post to various states — we are now looking at the last week of November, which means many events would miss out. Finger crossed that the manufacturer can actually post them out by 10 Nov, as there has already been some significant delay so far.

    It's the same manufacturer from Xiamen China that I have been using since Oct 2012, and they made most of OzBargain T-shirts so far. Usually the turnaround time is around 1 month. So this year, I contacted the manufacturer with design, sizes, quantities, etc on 27 Sept, picked the fibric from the Pantone colours, received the invoice and paid on 30 Sept.

    Then the week long Chinese national holidays. By the time they got back to me it's already 11 Oct. A few days later (15 Oct) they said they don't have enough 180gsm fabric, so we changed to the 200gsm fabric with extra cost. Paid immediately.

    They sent me the photos of the same on 23 Oct, and asked whether we want to make another 60 shirts from the left-overs from the whole roll of clothes, on top of the 300 that we were originally ordering. Sure — since it's likely we won't have enough. Still waiting for invoice for that, but yesterday I asked the rep again and got the reply of the 10 Nov ETA.

    I'll keep everyone updated on the T-shirt situation here.

    • +5

      thank you for your effort @scotty

    • +3

      xmas party drinks somewhere to meetup and grab a shirt?

    • +2

      Thanks @scotty. Maybe the ones at the end of the month might have a chance to get some then.

    • Thanks Scotty!

    • +1

      Thx @scotty for the updates. No drama, as you've said it's a bonus not an entitlement. Appreciated the efforts of ordering them and covering the costs for members to celebrate Ozbargain's 18th Bday.

      Can't believe I've been here since 2016. Time sure flew fast!

    • -1

      Thanks for all your work scotty. Alternatively is there the option for members to purchase/paying for shipping?

      • -1

        Not a bad question. Not sure why negged.

    • +7

      It's 17 Nov and unfortunately I've only had very minor update on the T-shirts situation.

      • Manufacturer (in Xiamen) sent me photos of the packages and created the courier label on 9 Nov
      • Courier took the boxes on 11 Nov
      • Tracking stated that the packages have cleared custom and left Shenzhen on 16 Nov

      It certainly took longer than usual. Now waiting for it to arrive in Australia, clear the custom here and then drop off at my place. I'll also visit my parents in Queensland Tues-Wed this week which means if they do arrive during the week, I won't be able to process them until next Friday.

      • Thanks for the update. Was hoping to get one at the Moonee Ponds meetup a couple weeks ago as a Christmas present for my Dad. Any way I can still get one? Happy to travel around Melbourne and will be in Sydney around Christmas time if that helps.

        • +2

          I'll send some T-shirts to neil for distribution in VIC, and to some organisers in later VIC events.

      • Thanks for the update Scotty. Hoping they'll arrive in time for Blacktown event on 30th!

  • -2

    "Please have all the events posted up before the end of October. We will not accept any new meetup requests after 31st of October."

  • +10

    Welcome to November, and we have our first meetup event in Chatswood today. For both organisers and attendees, please check the document on how to use the check in system, and make sure you mark the attendee's username off.

    New this year — co-organisers can now also go to the event tab on your post to mark people off, if you prefer this than using the QR code.

  • Ozbargain officially turns 18, time for another AMA @scotty? ;)

    • +6

      Let me think about it. Maybe near the end of the November?

      • -2

        @scotty ( 28 NOV 2019 )

        I might do another one when OzBargain turns 18. Maybe.

        • might

        • +5

          Maybe

          • @scotty:

            The word 'maybe' is used to refer to something that is probable or likely.

            Ahh, so it's likely to happen then! Thanks for the heads up scotty!

      • Awesome love the AMA. I need to start thinking of some juicy questions!

    • It was great to read about old AMA. yes , @Scotty, things may have change from last AMA.

  • +1

    Just regarding the credit / debit card surcharges, I am pretty sure organisers should cover themselves ?
    Which shouldn't be that much anyway. So no need to ask for reimbursement.

    But in previous years, how does that usually work ?

    As I don't think any of these organisers would choose cash as payment methods in 2024.

    • +2

      If it's under the budget we'll cover those.

      • Thanks for the clarification, will remind everyone to keep under budget.
        Just in case it's over, I am happy to pay the card surcharges myself.

    • yeah try to keep it under and you'll be fine. You will find that there is a bit of an underspend so the surchage will be picked up

  • Hi - could you update the event listing page to the date of Wed, 27 Nov 7:20PM Epicurean Crown, Barangaroo

    https://www.ozbargain.com.au/node/873822#comment-15878890

  • -2

    Sorry is it too late to be another event organiser at SA?

    I am planning to organise a buffet dinner cost around 40 per person.

    Thanks Scotty.

    • +4

      Sorry it's a few days too late.

      • Understand, thanks Scotty. I just realise this initiative.
        Happy 18th birthday and thanks for arranging this :)

    • +1

      "Please have all the events posted up before the end of October. We will not accept any new meetup requests after 31st of October."

  • If anyone wants to sponsor the Blacktown Butchers Buffet event on 30/11 with prizes, feel free to send me a PM. Thanks!
    https://www.ozbargain.com.au/node/872839

  • +3

    Thanks for your generosity, @scotty! Just came to say how disappointed I am that noone else remarked on your incredible work of (ai) art for the thumbnail. It's got all of OzB's favourites, including:
    Bikies
    KFC
    Dominos
    jv

    Too bad you couldn't squeeze in a couple of eneloops to really make it shine!

    • Where can I find this incredible thumbnail?

      • +3

        Homepage, under "Notice"

        • Cheers! As a regular user I prefer to stay on deals page to see the latest greatest as they get posted rather than wait for them to pop up on front page.

    • Somehow this earned me a neg vote. I guess someone really doesn't like eneloops…

    • +11

      Full size image via Google Gemini.

      It's actually quite tricky to get all the memes in photo as Gemini keeps erroring out with this:

      I'm still learning how to generate certain kinds of images, so I might not be able to create exactly what you're looking for yet. Also, I can't help with photorealistic images of identifiable people, children, or other images that go against my guidelines. If you'd like to ask for something else, just let me know!

      • Another draft which was quite good but not quite there.

      • And this early draft which was not really ethnically diverse enough. Albeit the later ethnically diverse ones were different races but seemed to have the same look . Anyway, some weird quirks.

      It also wouldn't allow me to add Ruslan Kogan, Gerry Harvey, or Big Man Scotty. Disappointed.

      • This is the quality content I'm looking for! Love how the two earlier drafts managed to get eneloops in :D
        Cheers for the effort, @neil

      • haha this is amazing. thanks for creating it

      • +1

        @neil any chance I can use this image on a possible OzB birthday cake?

        • +1

          Ha sure.

      • πŸ˜„

  • Hi guys,
    Can anyone tell me if someone registers on the wait list, do they still show up as attending that event?
    I have multiple ppl attending 2 events and wait listed to mine and need to know if that's OK?

    Thanks in advance!

    • +1

      Correct, someone who is registered to one event and waitlist on a 2nd event will show:

      Registered: 2
      Waitlist: 1

      So it seems like they are trying to attend 3 events but in fact that's not the case.

      • +1

        @SydneySurfer this is why you also got confused last week. Hope this clears that up :)

      • +1

        Thanks a bunch for clarification!

  • +5

    Did a mini printed-out trivia at today's Penrith event, if any organisers want an ice-breaker activity and want to use it, feel free to PM me for a copy of the questions for inspiration/direct use.

    • How was the meetup? Any pictures?!

      • +4

        Good chilled fun :) lots of bargain ideas, wins and experience shared, and comp discussion/inspiration too. A few no shows :( but the restaurant didnt require pre-payment so no nasty extra costs πŸ™ here's an early pic https://files.ozbargain.com.au/upload/113146/117244/20241107…

        • +1

          Wonderful. See you at Parra next week :)

        • +1

          Wow I'm surprised there are no shows despite having a deposit!

          • +4

            @Serathis: They paid for their No Show badge 🫠

            • @kerfuffle: Yes is the badge a thing for all no meetups or just the bigger ones?
              Yes forfeited deposits = trivia prize $

    • Is it OzBargain themed trivia?

      • +2

        Yep!

        • @neil can we do this at one of the Vic events?

          • +2

            @sween64: Sure, as long as I don't have to organise it. :)

    • send it to @emphasise mans gonna send it for me right chief?

      • +1

        Some credit due to @emphasise actually, he gave me two of the questions from his memory of doing it. Good inspiration.

        • thats so good that he helped out! hes a good lad haha

    • +1

      Yes please! Will pm you

  • Hey organisers, are you using the 2 methods of checking attendees in using either:

    1. printout of the Event QR Code for attendees to scan and check in themselves

    Or

    1. Organisers scanning the attendees QR code?

    That way, we can make sure they are who they say they are, rather than just ticking them off in the events tab, which can be open to imposters who pretend they are someone else.

    Please let me know your thoughts.

    • +2

      That's the idea. Having the organiser scanning attendees' QR code would be the more secure approach, as people can take a photo of printed event QR code and pass around (if someone really want to avoid getting the no show badge).

      However most events ended up just having organiser ticking the attendees off from the list because it's "easier".

      • I had a problem this week with my own screenshot QR code being older than 2 hours and therefore deemed unacceptable. This meant I had to find a way to get my code off the network at the entrance. Luckily there was wifi available.

        • +1

          Do you mean you were an organiser or attendee with QR code?

          You didn't have mobile data?

          As a first time organiser, I'm trying to work out what to do at my event to prevent breaches.

          Am thinking that I and co-organisers can just scan the QR codes of attendees but don't want them to hold us up with issues like no mobile data or account log in issues (suspicious).

          Maybe I'll see how @I Smell Pennies does it tonight.

          Due to posts of people using multiple accounts or sneaking into more than 2 events, and my event having a waitlist, I am trying to ensure people aren't taking advantage while others miss out.

          • +1

            @SydneySurfer: Attendee. If you generate a QR code at home, it expires 2 hours later and you can’t regenerate a new one. So the only way to check those in (with this issue) is organiser manually ticks them off.

          • @SydneySurfer: I was an attendee without mobile data.

Login or Join to leave a comment