New Organizer pricing, key improvements

Product lead Chiara delivers the latest updates, including a price change to organizer subscriptions and crucial improvements to the Meetup experience.

Hi all! It’s Chiara, the product lead for Meetup, here to share some updates with you. Today’s topics: a change in subscription pricing and the latest developments aimed at enhancing key areas of the Meetup experience.

Let’s get into it!

Subscription pricing

Starting with the trickiest topic: For the first time since 2019, existing organizer membership prices are changing. Below is a table displaying some of the updated prices before taxes.

The new prices come into effect on June 6, 2024, and will apply to all Standard organizers, as well as new Pro organizers who sign up after June 6. If you’re already a Standard organizer, you’ll continue paying your current subscription price until your next renewal date. You’ll receive an email 28 days before that date notifying you of the upcoming change.

Pro organizers who signed up before June 6 won’t be affected by this price increase.

What do the new prices support?

We believe Meetup has tremendous potential. However, given its current technological state, it will take a significant investment to unlock this potential. So while I understand that a price increase is never popular, it does enable us to invest fully in our ambitious vision for the platform. This starts with major improvements to the underlying technology and continues with making Meetup more intuitive and impactful than ever before.

Building a stable base

To tackle pressing issues effectively and prepare for future enhancements, we’re performing a complete overhaul of the existing Meetup backend architecture. With two decades of development behind it, the technological system has grown very complex: The product is written in multiple coding languages, and the website uses four different servers. As such, the entire system needs to be rebuilt as a cohesive foundation that can support both crucial fixes and new features. Though a major engineering undertaking, this foundational work will set the stage for faster, more effective updates moving forward.

Addressing top customer concerns

In the months following our acquisition, we’ve been listening closely to your feedback and going over every aspect of the platform with a fine-tooth comb. As a result, we’ve identified ongoing issues in key areas such as communicating with members, managing attendee lists, updating event information, and joining events and groups. We’ve made fixing these issues a top priority.

Improving core functionality

Progress may appear slow at first, given our initial focus on the core technological improvements mentioned above. However, substantial advancements are quickly happening behind the scenes. And once that groundwork is laid, you’ll notice a much faster pace of improvements.

Here are the main areas we’re currently working on and will continue prioritizing in the short term:

Effective communication features. Regular and reliable interaction with your members is crucial for building your community. As such, we’ve been working hard to make Meetup’s communication features more efficient and impactful. Our goal is to help you communicate more effectively with members while investing less time in doing so.

Greater member acquisition. We’re making a major investment in bringing new members to Meetup—encouraging more and more people to discover the platform and join your communities. As a result, we expect an increasing number of people to find out about and have the opportunity to join your events.

Data- and AI-driven recommendations. To spark even greater participation in your communities, we’re introducing AI models to deliver personalized event and group recommendations. Members will receive more tailored suggestions, leading to higher engagement and more meaningful interactions.

Continued investment in platform reliability and bug fixes. We’re putting a lot of resources into making sure Meetup runs smoother than ever, for reliable service and hassle-free event organization. Even as we move forward with new innovations, we’ll continue to prioritize optimizing functionality and fixing bugs as quickly as possible.

An ongoing journey

Meetup was created to unite people through meaningful connections and shared experiences. Today, the platform supports a community of members and organizers spanning 10,000 cities, 193 countries, and countless interests and causes. As organizers, you’ve been a fundamental part of these achievements, and I look forward to reaching even greater heights together. The entire team and I are fully committed to bringing you a platform that’s faster, more effective, and always delightful to use—so you can continue bringing connection and community to people’s lives.

Thank you for choosing Meetup as the home for your community.

Chiara

Product lead, Meetup