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, Canberracaptain danger222
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, Concordjiayijames110
Sat, 23 Nov6:00PMZaap by Chang Thai Lao, Cabramattadinted170
Wed, 27 Nov7:20PMEpicurean Crown, BarangarooFat Horny Ghost257
Sat, 30 Nov5:00PMButchers Buffet, Blacktownsydney au6810
Sun, 1 Dec11:00AMHyde Park, Sydneycerealsmok3r550
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-teh250
Sat, 30 Nov11:30AMRen Yakiniku, Sunnybankjaysee-teh370
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, Flemingtoncerealsmok3r210
Sat, 23 Nov12:30PMQuang Vinh, St Albansmangamuncher60
Fri, 29 Nov6:15PMMoon Dog Wild West, Footscraymangamuncher2110
Fri, 6 Dec4:30PMAsian Beer Cafe, Melbourneneil240
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

46 events from 35 organisers.

Comments

          • +1

            @sydney au: I was an attendee without mobile data.

            • @roughana: Also mobile data inside the venue was patchy; took ages to log into Eventbrite to the point where impostor just looked me up on his list instead (and I'm on Telstra)

      • Thanks Scotty. From what you've said, I think that I prefer to have organiser scan the QR code for that reason.

        I'll notify my attendees in advance to log into their account QR code on their mobile at check in for me to scan.

        I'll encourage those who think they can't do that to cancel and allow people on waitlist and others to join.

        • +2

          Do note that the QR code regenerates every few minutes (preventing people passing their own QR code around to have others check-in for them) so they do need internet access to regenerate their code at the spot.

          I don't actually mind too much organisers just tick people off — OzBargain meetups aren't security conventions. Circumvention is possible when bypassing QR code, but I guess it's not worth the effort.

  • ah Parap Tavern, right beside my old house on Mackillop st

  • Any suggestions as to how do I share the pics from tonights event to rest of the guys?

  • +16

    We cut special cake for OzBargain's 18th Birthday at our Vic Okami event - Pineapple Flavored cake

    The Gang - Pic

    • +2

      great job on organising your first event!

      • It was fun.

    • +1

      Thats really cool! Amazing effort!

  • Looking forward to going on Saturday 30th Nov at Mack Daddys Mt Lawley, Perth WA.

  • +26

    Good news! Startrack has delivered this year's OzBargain T-shirts to my door this morning. All 5 boxes of them!

    Not so good news. I am actually away at my parents' place in Queensland until Thursday so I won't be able to do any posting. I'll send some T-shirts on Friday after getting back to Sydney, to meetup events near the end of the next week — I'll try to contact you to get your addresses.

    I'll also send extra T-shirts to @neil to be collected by those in Melbourne. The rest of the T-shirts will be distributed at the Hyde Park picnic on 1 Dec, organised by @cerealsmok3r.

    • +4

      Hectic! Have a feeling the Hyde Park picnic is going to get a flurry of sign-ups now!

    • +4

      @scotty I recall jaysee-teh saying they'd be away/unavailable for part of this month so in case you need a backup for Qld you can send them to me. I WFH most days so can receive deliveries pretty easily, and will be going to the Sunnybank event so can bring them there.

      • thank you for reading my commentary & your proactiveness @quop !
        i am back on board so I shall be good to receive the T-shirt :)
        thank you though for your proactivess

    • Legend Scotty!

    • +1

      happy to transport some shirts if you prefer.

      • +2

        When are you travelling to VIC for this Friday's meetup? Want to grab some T-shirts before you depart?

        • yeah sure can!

          • +1

            @cerealsmok3r: hit me up for some shirts, if you have some, i was planning to do a random giveaway for the guests that i ran a couple weeks back

            • +1

              @hamroll: You might want to check with @neil — I've sent him a large box of t-shirts for VIC ozbargainers. Might arrive by the end of the week.

    • Any coming to SA?

      • +1

        There aren't any more events for SA tho?

        • No but was hoping to share some tshirts with everyone anyway

          • @kickling: If I am sending someone some shirts in SA — can that someone organise a pickup party? Unfortunately I only have S, M & L left.

            • +2

              @scotty: Yup. I am happy to be the shirt receiver and organiser to disseminate goods fairly.

  • +4

    Just saw the news about train disruptions from Thursday to Saturday this week.
    Four of us are organising events:
    - myself on Thursday
    - @twilsoncrow
    - @jiayijames
    - @dinted

    Hopefully everyone else will plan ahead. I'll send a message to my group to plan ahead.

    • +1

      Just saw the news as well, quite a short notice from them.

      "between 10pm on Thursday to 6am on Sunday" at this stage.

      Good idea, will notify my group tomorrow (unless they cancel the industrial action last minute).

      • +1

        Good idea, will notify my group tomorrow (unless they cancel the industrial action last minute).

        My bet is that they'll resolve it before then.

    • Thanks for the callout @suchan I will monitor and make a decision on Thurs about next steps.

    • Thanks for letting us all know.

    • +2

      Trains strike has been called off

  • +2

    Happy 18th Birthday

  • Hi can a mod or @Scotty please check and issue the 'not a bot badge' for the Epicurean Buffet as I had some enquiries.

  • +11

    @Scotty and other organisers, my event had to be prepaid. The member who was a no show was also a no show for Penrith.

    We had a long waitlist too with others very keen to attend. Scotty prepaid the $45, while they paid an $8 deposit only.

    Can something be done to ban them from attending/registering for future sponsored events?

    They were logged in before the event so would have seen all the messages.

    I also sent a message at the beginning of the event and they waited until after the event to reply that they forgot.

    They have not replied to my request to pay $37, the balance of the $45, so I can reimburse @scotty, even though they've seen my message. Not only is it really slack, it's unethical to not pay for what they cost others.

    Surely something can be done so they can't do this again. I feel bad for those on the waitlist who even contacted me on the day to see if they could attend, while this member didn't even bother and wasted OB money and cost another OB member an opportunity to attend.

    • +3

      I've also informed someone who received a t-shirt from the Blacktown event, it's only 1 per person.
      She was asking me any more t-shirts received by other organisers for the previous event she attended.
      Had to inform her no t-shirts to be distributed to other organisers for this year, also she won't be eligible to get a 2nd one anyway.

    • +2

      Name and shame

    • +1

      I would give them the benefit of the doubt and assume something happened to them that they couldn't make it. It's very easy to judge when you only see one side of the story.

      I'm pretty sure the no show badges automatically filter them out for the following years event. I could be wrong

      I'm not a fan of prepaid or deposit because 1) I'm too lazy and it takes too much effort, and 2) you just feel bad when people can't make it and there's a waitlist. People go for a free meal and that's fine but at my event, I'll encourage them to socialise because that's one of the reason we have it. It helps deter certain behaviours and encourages more positive interactions amongst ozbargain members

      • +2

        They replied to my first DM asking if they were coming that the reason was they forgot, but did not reply to my DM asking them to pay the $37.

        They were online over an hour before the event, so would have received the notification I sent everyone that morning.

        I also sent them a DM, which they replied to right after the event. I was thinking of trying to sell it to someone at the door to recoup OB/scotty's money, but wasn't sure if they were running late.

        Anyway, if there was a reason, then of course it's all fine, but forgetting is something that people can easily take responsibility for and repay the money. If it was me and I forgot, I'd feel bad and offer to repay the extra $37 since it was my bad, especially since others missed out and there were multiple reminders that it was prepaid. It's not just the money, it's also about taking responsibility and doing the right thing.

        • +1

          Yeah sounds like way too much effort personally haha. But I hear you and get where you are coming from. My next question is what was stopping you from relinquishing the role last minute or 15 mins after the event? I would have done it if I cared about attendance or ensuring fairness and equity. Knowing the western peeps, they all lived locally and would rock up right to the last minute (at least that was the case when I organised one of the first Penrith events)

          Not everyone thinks like you nor do they understand what to do and I personally think its unfair to impose that judgment onto them but thats me. That is partially why consequences exists and there are many ways to address it. You could not give them a shirt next year or outright prevent them from attending.

          • @cerealsmok3r:

            My next question is what was stopping you from relinquishing the role last minute or 15 mins after the event?

            These are good questions to call out and something to work through for the next birthday event.

            Once someone has checked into the event - users can no longer unregister/join waitlist. Organiser can also manually start this in the event tab.

            I think it needs to be a condition that anyone registering for these events at minimum read this main post detailing what to do etc.

            • +1

              @CodeXD: Some attendees had informed me there was bad traffic so I wanted to give this no show the benefit of the doubt. Hence my DM to them at 5:15pm to check if they were on their way. . Everyone else who thought they were running late had DMed me.

              The key point is that the no show forgot, not caught up in traffic, etc. There was very little time to do much in the 1.5hrs AYCE and trying to draw prizes, etc. Time flew. By the time it passed the time when they were likely to show up, it was too late and I didn't have time anyway. Clear instructions were given that if people couldn't make it, they should let me know.

              • -2

                @sydney au: Wasnt this your first event? I think you may have bitten off more than you can chew, through no faults on your part at all, though.

                there’s just some who didn’t appreciate the time and effort taken to organise an event, especially one of your size.

                My own event also require me to continually message people and remind them to pay deposit but not getting a response until nearly the event until a soft threat or being kicked from the event triggered a response.
                Someone even showed up who somehow paid but were not registered, which is thankfully offset by one person who were no-show.

                • +5

                  @suchan: @suchan No one can prevent an OB member from forgetting to attend an event for which they registered, so it's definitely not evidence of an organiser biting off more than they can chew, nor a result of it being their first OB event. However, I understand that different people have different critical thinking and logical processes. Thanks for your input and for your effort with your own event. Good on you.

                  Thankfully, no one paid or turned up who was not registered. I had cross referenced every payment in my bank account with the OB member on an accounting software, AND a spreadsheet, AND a colour coded sheet for refunds. I also prewrote OB names on coloured stickers to prevent such a situation.

                  • Hubby and I visited the restaurant before the event to speak with the manager and counted the correct number of table and chairs for exactly 60 people.
                  • ensured we had exactly 60 drinks vouchers.
                  • Daughter (and son not even attending) drove to pick up tshirts from scotty for OB members.
                  • Thankfully, everyone was able to check in with their QR code.
                  • had to draw rest of prizes outside restaurant though as the AYCE time expired.
                  • drawing time took longer than expected with hubby's software — which cleverly removed previous winners' names after each draw. But it did take a while because we had so many t shirts due to event date aligning with delayed shipment from China. What a happy fluke for those wanting a tshirt! 😄
                  • Yes, always room for improvement and always learning where and how to improve.😊

                  Thank you again to @scotty and OB sponsorship.

    • +2

      Well I reckon if a venue requires deposit upfront, then the attendee should deposit the full cost upfront too to minimise this.

      Gotta be fair to Scotty and OzB and reduce wasted cost.

  • +30

    Well. That pretty much concluded all the meetup events this year. Thanks to all the organisers who put in a lot of work getting the venue, contacting users, etc.

    I'm still waiting for receipts from @cerealsmok3r and @Mixhael for their last events to do some stats.

    • +2

      Happy 18th Birthday!! Thank you for sponsoring the gettogethers.

  • +27

    Update: All the data are in now. Here are some stats from this year's meetups.

    • 45 meetup events around Australia with the help of 35 organisers. We finally managed to have a Tasmania meetup this year, although only 4 people came.

    • 1,124 check-in sessions from 788 ozbargainers.

      • Highest checked in was again the Fortress Melbourne meetup — 94 registered, and 86 turned up.
      • We have quite a few small meetups with single-digit participants. Hobart and Toowoomba both had only 4 people coming.
      • Many of the participants aren't active on OzBargain at all. With the Box Hill event, 36.7% of participants (18 out of 49) have never commented on OzBargain this year. Over 30% at the Fortress Melbourne event. Just to highlight that the meetups might be the only interaction some of them might have with other ozbargainers.

    Checkins vs 0 Comment Ratio

    • Total cost reimbursed is $47,483.10, which is a huge increase from last year's (more than double the cost).
      • Despite increasing the budget, there are still quite a few events gone over budget. There are also quite a few that are exactly at $45/person as they seek extra payments from the participants.
      • Cheapest event was again Ippudo @ Chatswood at $18.06/person, and 2nd cheapest was Inglewood Coffee Roastery Tour at $24.79/person
      • Total cost of T-shirts + postage is over $6,000 on top of events

    Checkins vs Cost PP

    I just think I'm living in quite a different world to many ozbargainers. I know quite a few of you are already thinking about meetups next year — hold your horses for now, as I do need to evaluate whether the meetups have achieved their intended purposes.

    More about this in the next couple of days.

    • +6

      Maybe in future, members fully pay for their own meetups? Possibly OB can just give away shirts or provide them at cost.

      • I mentioned something like this, a couple of months ago:

        Maybe lower spend limit + OzB Clothing?
        eg.
        $20 + Hoody
        $30 + TShirt
        $40 + Socks

        • Probably needs more of an incentivised approach. Loyal customer type thing. The more active a member is the higher tier rewards. Would mean more admin/crunching for these dinners though. But would make it fair on a sliding scale and promote more activity and deter bday freeloaders

          • @kickling:

            The more active a member is the higher tier rewards.

            The "activity" metric is a bit difficult to judge, because quantity doesn't always determine quality.

            Then again, some personas here, regularly attract negative votes for innocent comments made as well,
            which actually discourages more participation…but conversely boosts the 'activity' of those neggers.

            What if there's an Easter egg hunt on this website, ie. there are 10x dinner vouchers hidden on this website,
            and either finding them through skill or answering some riddles/trivia, can they get the dinner vouchers?

            Maybe, going back to basics, ie. $10 budget for next year's birthday meet-ups, and event caps of 20 people, will force people to be more creative with that $10 budget with smaller group-size ?

            This could spin off into a "The Apprentice: OzB Edition", where teams will need to come up with events for the lowest budget possible, and Scotty can 'fire' those that didn't! hahah

            "You are negged"

            • +1

              @whyisave: Yeah, my comment is just a simple starting point. You will have to think about a metric/KPI that is fair for all. Will most likely need a combination of a few metrics. But volume would be the easiest to capture. Then you have to weight each metric and then revalue.

              For those who have no activity, maybe still allow them attendance but only 50% meal discount or something. Whatever is the quantum to deter wrongdoers but sweet enough to attract real attendance.

              Just thoughts.

              • @kickling:

                You will have to think about a metric/KPI that is fair for all. Will most likely need a combination of a few metrics.

                Basically, we will end up creating a points system, like governments do for immigration application.
                The gammification of Visa policy.

                After collecting the points, the government makes them stay/participate somewhere for a set-period of time, before giving them a values-based test, and then makes a person "part of that group".

                I mean, these discussions basically show that the OzB founder(s) and other esteemed regulars, have noticed enough behavioural shifts, to have such discussions.

                I don't think these are unique problems.
                This happens with all groups of people, that over time, values and behaviours don't always transfer between age groups, when groups get too big to foster collective goals, decline in empathy in a severely apathetic world, etc.
                Building platforms is a hard enough job, but ensuring engagement with the platform is another job in itself.

                maybe still allow them attendance but only 50% meal discount or something.

                Working for food?
                Who would have thought this is a good strategy :-D

                • +1

                  @whyisave: We all gotta eat haha.

                  I also do think that this year (a) cost of living pressure(s) increases drive to seek more handouts, and (b) the bday budget was very generous, bolstering (a).

                  I wouldn't go as far to say it's like going to a social points system … more like a rewards club/membership. But agree, same same in principle.

                  I don't know what the goals/vision/targets are for ozb and rate of growth, but I think ozb is getting large enough to have to consider the above, plus more…

                  • +3

                    @kickling: I don't want it to be a social point system either. My original comment was just pointing out the significant portion of meetup attendees aren't even interacting on the site throughout the year.

                    Not talking about how we should restrict, but how the meetups have failed their purposes. What should the purposes be anyway in the first place?

                    It's just that currently the meetups don't sit well with be personally. I will explain a bit more later.

                    OzBargain hasn't really grown after pandemic either. Traffic has been reducing year after year, and the revenue from programmatic ads have dropped as much as 40% just comparing to last year. Unfortunately one can only be generous when there's resource to give away. Not so much this year.

                    • @scotty: fingers crossed that the ads revenue will be picking back up again for OZB !

                      let us make sure we click on those OZB ads :)

                      • +2

                        @jaysee-teh: I think it's just industrial trend. You can see from the number of websites/online publishers closing, downsizing or changing hands this year.

                    • +2

                      @scotty:

                      It's just that currently the meetups don't sit well with be personally. I will explain a bit more later.

                      For me I think the idea is for fellow active engaging OzBargainers to interact, talk about bargains, saving tips and all that jazz, while hoping to tell friends to come here for more money saving tips.

                      The issue is that many people are just in it for the free meals. You get the same crowd of people who are only active at meet up time each year and that's it. They only want to eat and don't want to interact. They have no idea about all the inside jokes, like they saw the jv mask and said "who's that?".

                      This is very evident with the prizes. Once they're all given out you'll turn around and find more than half the crowd has left.

                      For me I don't even have time to eat because it's all about meeting new people. Putting a face to the name. It's unfortunate most people don't see it this way.

    • +4

      Thanks Scotty! I think the OG meet ups with active ozbargainers is the way to go. Maybe less advertising about them? Users who are keen will see it, comment minimum too. Or we pay our own way and maybe enjoy a free t-shirt every few years (like has been said)

    • +9

      I was talking with a few people that I consider 'Ozbargainers' and a couple of thoughts on this.

      • The event/s turned out to be Ozbargained. In true spirit the freebies got slammed and people tried to max out their value. It happens with a lot of freebies with not so strict rules
      • The $45 cap was too high, in the spirit of Ozb there should be some type of attempt or showcase at some deal for the food. Using discounted GCs or coupon to order everyone's meal or similar. In true Ozb spirit they would still try and max whatever the new lower value would be. Even if just a get together for pizza (because that is what the limit is), I feel the true Ozbargainers will attend to catchup and share deal stories
      • Don't pay for things over the cap, put it in big bold writing you will not pay over (at your discretion obviously), or ban them from hosting another event, just something to stop people going over every year. It is annoying to see several events every year go over and still getting compensated
      • Implement some account age/post/comment threshold you need to have before being allowed to participate
      • Further limit attending multiple events

      These are just ideas/opinions so happy to hear what others think about them

      • +3

        Implement some account age/post/comment threshold you need to have before being allowed to participate

        This one is easy, only OzBargain Premium+ users can attend. I'm still on the border on the value received with my current subscription, but this might give it the extra kick my subscription needs.

        • Haha

      • -1

        Don't pay for things over the cap, put it in big bold writing you will not pay over (at your discretion obviously)

        This 100% needs to fall back on the organiser if what they plan is over the cap. It was highlighted very clearly and yet meet ups still went over.

        Something I've seen and disapprove of is prioritising people who previously attended events rather than prioritising those on the waitlist who missed out. However I understand this is solely at the discretion of the organiser.

        • -5

          i always tell scotty if im gonna go over and be completely transparent and putting it out there that I will cover the difference.

          I think your second point i sort of disagree with. its definitely first come first serve and there should be no priority given out to anyone. I had some of my ozbargainer friends asking to be placed there and they knew to stop bothering me because im way too lazy to do it and i basically slug them for joining too late.

          they were also asking for shirts and hoodie and i said similar things. im already stressed organising an event that requires meticulous planning and attenion to and they think ill listen to their request? they can keep dreaming lol. if theres leftovers theres leftovers, if not then too bad i got better things to care about

      • +9

        Don't pay for things over the cap

        Usually it's the organisers who have to fork out extra money to cover the spill. Sometimes it's because someone ordered something extra. Sometimes people didn't turn up to prepaid events. Most of them already had hard enough job so I don't really want to burden them more by not reimbursing the cost.

        I had a chat with neil this morning, as the Inglewood Coffee event was well received. We aimed to sponsor the tour + food & drink, but he found that someone actually bought coffee beans and put under OzBargain's account.

        • +1

          Thanks @Scotty for your graciousness in not only sponsoring these events in the first place but also covering the excess when it's not really the organiser's fault that people abuse what's on offer.

          All the ordering went through me for one of my events, and for the other I checked in with the wait staff multiple times to cross check numbers and $. That's how I tried to ensure we didn't go over budget/there were no hidden surprises in the final bill.

          But the larger the event the harder it is to police. Remember that organisers are just regular members too and volunteering their time and effort. So often you see comments about who's gonna organise an event for X or there's never anything at Y but not many are willing to step up to organise something. So purely putting the blame/responsibility solely on the organiser isn't always the right outcome either.

          In any case I think that going forward if there is to be more sponsored meetups then more detailed requirements need to be in place for both attendees and organisers. Organisers will need to think/work harder at planning something that suits both those requirements (eg. a venue that requires prepayment for example might not be suitable) and the purpose of having these meetups in the first place.

          • @quop: Thats right. Agree with quop.

            I organised my first meetup this year and was quite strict with the restaurant/venue that I will only pay $45 max and that any orders/purchase from anyone in our party will be paid by themselves. Gotta ensure the venue understands our requirements too.

        • +1

          Now thats a d%ck move on that persons behalf, can't believe the audacity of that at all. Maybe organisers should tell the event management/cashier that no additional charges are to be added to the accounts without the direct approval of the organiser (easier to say in hindsight of course but a suggestion for the future)

          Definitely think you could also look to lower the cost sponsored and still see some great events, collectively we should be able to find some great bargains in our local communities.

          I also think its not a hard ask that there should be a requirement for active user engagement in that year, and not just persons writing single word responses either, actual engagement or contribution to the community be it posting of deals/comps etc. I understand this could take some reviewing of accounts but may also boost engagement on the site for you.

          Also for those attending a sponsored event, do the right thing by everyone else and actually be there 10-15 mins before (or as requested) to be checked in to take some stress off the organisers and those helping as well.

          Thanks once again Scotty and to all the individual organisers for their efforts.

          • @BillyStm: Agree with @BillyStm, that's a dick move.

            For my event, i told the manager of the restaurant that if anyone else orders other than me, no one will be paying for it.

        • +2

          Unfortunately with planning events there's just so many external variables that for an inexperienced event organiser like myself, it's always a stressful but presents new challenges.

          We had to split the tables to avoid the 10% group booking fee over 9 people. The seperate table was seated on the other side of the table and ordered an extra sparkling water (it was a buffet so they thought was free until they received the bottle - took 10-15 mins to resolve within our allocated 90 min buffet time). My table was fine but was difficult given we didn't have the easy option for us to pay for drinks seperately as reconciling the final bill would be tougher.

          Reducing the budget + having a small margin to cover would cover for these variables.

          • @Fat Horny Ghost:

            it was a buffet so they thought was free until they received the bottle

            How much was this said bottle of 'sparkling' water ?

            • +3

              @whyisave: Like $12 for a 1L bottle of San Pellegrino, whilst we have an all time low from Woolworths at
              $1.60

      • +1

        I do this for free sometimes with my mates sharing stories when I visit them outside of ozbargain bday months lol. theres a few group chats on various platforms to discuss deals now

        I'm not a fan of the second last point. its quite discriminatory which kinda goes against the whole purpose of why we have them in the first place.

        the rest is fine but maybe not the last one. that was a pain point for many people as they were deciding which one to go to. I was hoping that an exemption wasn't set in place for people to attend the event. it would have been such a cool and easy to plan event for 8 people before there were 63 registered lol.

    • how was Ippudo at $18.06 when it was $1 ramen anniversary day? were they drinking alcohol or something?

      • +6

        It wasn't $1 ramen. It's the $10 ramen Tuesday and then people ordered sides.

    • -4

      The data checks out. With almost double the amount of events and a higher spend, this is what I expected. I also had a suspicion that people would spend closer to the $45 because it was set that high when $35 would have been enough. What I've noticed is that people will order to the maximum which I don't blame them. Being efficient is part of being an ozbargainer. I didn't even order much at my own event because others had ordered heaps and it was too much food for them.

      What I didn't like was how people defaulted to an ayce as an event location. That to me was pretty disappointing because personally I think they're a poor place to be socialising. You're basically eating non-stop (and sometimes poor quality food) and for some people its an opportunity to dip. I think its better to go off a smaller restaurant in need or the local favorite so that it becomes a more intimate setting rather than letting the rich get richer and there so many peoples you cant keep count. I think personally I'll stick to smaller events and a cheaper rate but not pizza cheap - that can be someone else's goal.

      I've inspired people to organise their own events which has come timely with the introduction of the attendance cap so net win for the community. I may not be around to talk and share deals but glad that others are doing it in the same spirit which makes me satisfied. also happy that some chose to call me for advice with planning but deep down i knew they would do a good job :)

      Lets be real though, its a sausage fest. There was talk of female preferred event last year but quite frankly none of the them chose to step up. when asked, its apparently too much effort, dont want to be judged, think they'll do a bad job or worried about whos coming and which family/friends they can bring or busy with life. I get people get anxious but thats a lot of excuses besides the last one lol. maybe we'll see more vegetarian/lgbt/female preferred events if scotty decides to have this initiative next year

      I really like the tools that organisers had this year and the notification functionality was the holy grail that we needed. I didn't bother with deposits because im lazy lol. i mostly used the manual feature but realised you can use it to by pass the event limit which has happened a few times accidentally so hoping that gets patched up. also got hit with some no show badges being on a waitlist which is a win for me because more badges.

      I've befriended so many ozbargainers alike and I think im quite blessed to meet people with shared values. I've befriended a handful of ozbargainers that have helped me personally grow and let me seek advice from them. I've travelled with some of them locally and will soon be travelling internationally with some more (using ozbargain deals ofc). I've helped helped some of them in some capacity and have been invited to some of their major events. The most recent surprisingly enough is being invited to one of their weddings which warms my heart.

      've got more thoughts but ill respond to others instead.

    • hold your horses for now, as I do need to evaluate whether the meetups have achieved their intended purposes.

      Cost Of Giving Crisis

    • +1

      There's always many freeloaders / cheap individuals / those not purposely socialising with other Ozbargain members at an Ozbargain meetup (some even requesting seperate table away from others or just admitting they are just there to eat and don't want to socialise). So many were there just to eat and get a free feed and disappear from Ozbargain til the next event.

      Fair enough as there's no restrictions or certain rules against this, but they add little value to Ozbargain and to the community.

      It also appears that the more social events were canapes based i.e. Commercial Hotel and Fortress (requires more organisation but these should be prioritised more so than restaurant meetups).

      I also planned through choice of restaurant and by having larger gap payment (a reasonable $40 out of pocket), there would be less of them and attracted a very different demographic of OzBargainers (those hunting for value and bargains, rather than a focus on living on an extremely tight ass budget).

      My recommendation is considering tiered budgets for different events to maximise focus towards the community i.e. limited no. of restaurants events with budgets like $20-25pp.

      More organised meetups involving canapes, sponsored prize events, Ozbargain competitions similar to Commercial Hotel event and Picnic should up to $35pp.

      Perhaps events including those with higher budgets should be limited to those actively contributing and being part of Ozbargain or limiting non contributors (must have minimum amount of deals, posts or comments per year decided at the main birthday post each year) or just enough to filter out the non-contributors who only turn up for their yearly free meal.

      • +2

        I like all your ideas mate.
        To add, I did notice a couple of people exactly like how you mentioned. They were at both my events. Head down, looking at the phone, the entire time. Even when prizes were being given on, death scrolling. I went over to say hello; head came up, nodded and went back to death scrolling. Don't need people like this to TBH. Gives me the shits.

        The idea that Commercial Hotel presents is good. But Commercial Hotel is a major rip off. Very poor value for money. I vote that we find a similar, cheaper venue next time around. Or something with more bang for buck.

  • +5

    For all of those in VIC who didn't get a t-shirt (most of you), you can grab one this Friday at Asian Beer Cafe. See here

  • +2

    For anyone in QLD (but really Brisbane) who didn't get a t-shirt, I have 1x S + 3x L available. I don't have the dimensions but if you keep an eye on neil's post above those details should be posted shortly, and if you've met me in person then for rough reference I found the L too big and an M a decent fit.

    DM me with your preferred size by the end of this Friday 6/12 if you'd like to get one. You'll need to be able to collect from me (pickups from 4113/4067/4000 usually available depending on day/time of week) and I'll be prioritising applicants if there's more demand than supply. Factors will include whether you attended one of my events, but feel free to press your claim however you see fit as long as you limit it to 50 words. I'll reply to those DMs over the weekend/by early next week and arrange pickups with those who are getting shirts.

    • +2

      T-Shirt sizes, see photos

      • +1

        Something's a bit funny here… the large width (about 49cm) is smaller than the medium width (about 53cm) and pretty much the same as the small width. The XL width (52cm) also doesn't seem to fit a pattern. Maybe it's a case of the luck of the draw!

        • Sorry, I remeasured the large and it's 54cm. I think I must have not stretched the shirt properly.

      • Ah, snap, what a disappointment!
        Was expecting you to be modelling it for us! 😅😋

    • +4

      People who wear medium size may want to try small size this year FYI

      • +2

        i recommend sizing down for all sizes. thats the main comment for most peeps at events I've been to

        • +2

          Or just get more KFC deals and you'll get grow into it!

  • +3

    Throwing my hat in the ring about organisation, attendees and costs:

    Minimum of 2 organisers - reduces strain/stress

    Any additional charges only with direct approval of one of the 2 organisers - keep costs under control

    To lower cost of events, OzB pays 50% of the cost, user pays the other 50%

    Potential metric is that you must be an 'Active' user on OzB - this can decided by the community/mods/senior members. X comments in the previous quarter/year, X posts, etc

    Be there 15 mins prior to check in, or else gates close and you miss out - exceptions at the organisers discretion - the organisers need to get on with the event and cannot be waiting for you

    Consider group booking fees and how to get around these to keep costs down

    Anyone with no show badges automatically goes first on the waitlist. THEN, if anyone cancels, they get moved up, 48hrs prior, ONLY IF they confirm via dm and pay the deposit

    All cancellations are in line with venue rules, so if venue says no refunds, then the dropout gets nothing back.

    • i really like the no show badges

      • +1

        I'm sure that could be arranged.

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