Glocal Meetups

Decide where and when to host your meetup (in-person or virtual). To take the fuss out of organising the meetup, ensure that you select a location that doesn't have a booking fee and one where attendees cover their costs. This ensures an inclusive experience for everyone.

Do you have a friend in your city who's also a University of Sydney alum? Partner up and make it a collaborative affair. 

Submit your Host Application Form to the University of Sydney at least 6 weeks before your proposed event date. We will be in touch about supporting you. 

Once the University of Sydney has been in touch about your event, its time to spread the word. You can do this on your socials, email or by phone. We will also be here to support you in promoting your meetup, managing the registrations and sending out reminders.

The adjective "glocal" combines factors that are both local and global. Our Glocal Meetups bring local alumni together globally.

We can compile a list of alumni in your area, although the capacity of your chosen venue will influence the number of people that we send the invite to. 

In addition to sending an invite on your behalf, you’re welcome to invite alumni friends who you personally know. The Glocal Meetup program provides an excellent opportunity to reconnect with old friends from the University of Sydney community.

Please note: All in-person Glocal Meetups must be held at a public venue (e.g. restaurant, coffee shop, park etc).

Since the Glocal Meetup program is all about making connections and building a community with fellow University of Sydney alumni, we encourage each host to focus on sharing their Glocal Meetup with their networks of fellow Sydney alumni, including those who completed a semester abroad.

Absolutely! If you decide to co-host with a fellow alum, kindly indicate this on the Host Application Form.

We recommend selecting an event date that is at least six weeks away to accommodate time to finalise event details and adequately promote the gathering to alumni in your area. 

After all details have been confirmed with our office, our average promotional timeline is four weeks long. During this time, an initial invitation email and two follow-up reminders will be sent. Some venues might also need final event numbers confirmed a few days to one week before the event date.

No. Unfortunately, we cannot provide hosts with financial assistance or compensation. However, we are committed to supporting your hosting experience in a number of ways. We can assist by:

• Promoting your Glocal Meetup to fellow alumni in your respective geographical area.
• Setting up the registration form and managing registration for your meetup on your behalf and will provide you with RSVP updates once a week.
• Sending reminder emails to your guests approximately one week as well as one day before the event date.

Many elements of the planning process will be the same, or similar, to the planning process for in-person events. However, there are a few key differences:

• Virtual gatherings will take place on Zoom. As the event host, you will take the lead on hosting the gathering and engaging your guests as well as managing the technical aspects. Don’t worry, we have step-by-step instructions on how to use Zoom in case you need them.
• You will need to consider how you’ll engage your guests during the gathering (e.g. icebreaker activities, conversation starters, etc.) as it can be more challenging to mingle in a virtual environment. Find some ideas here.

No. Glocal Meetup hosts are not permitted to ask guests to pay to attend their Glocal Meetup or collect any money from the guests. Since most in-person gatherings will be held at public venues such as restaurants, guests will be asked to pay for their own food and/or drink. Make sure your chosen venue, and your server on event day is aware that each guest will be paying their bill separately.

To support your event, the University of Sydney will:

• Email alumni in your area to notify them of an upcoming Glocal Meetup and encourage them to register.
• Post your event on the Sydney Alumni Community Network on LinkedIn.
• List your Glocal Meetup on the Glocal Meetup webpage.

We also encourage you to use your own social media channels to promote your Glocal Meetup and get people talking about it!

For data privacy reasons, we are not permitted to share alumni contact information with Glocal Meetup hosts. However, we can manage registrations on your behalf, and provide hosts with RSVP updates and a final list of confirmed guests (which will include first and last name as well as their most recent USYD degree) once registration closes.

Yes! Check out the list of Glocal Meetups to find gatherings you can attend in your area.