By Robert SanzaloneLast night I was at the October installment of the Vancouver Entrepreneur Meetup and - wow, was I impressed! I have been both a participant and an organizer for Meetup in the city since 2004 and the organization has seen both ups and downs.

It all started as a simple idea and interface on the Internet. Choose a topic, choose a LOCAL venue then choose a date and time to meet. The cool thing about it was how you were GUARANTEED to meet new and interesting people. My enjoyment always was at the very beginning of the meeting. Two people, say at Blenz or Starbucks, cautiously approach each other at one of the tables. "Are you here for the Meetup?" one would say quietly. "Yes, I am. You too?", "Yes". Then quietly the conversation began as each person sniffed the other out. After a few minutes when the volume began to increase, another would come in and say, "Is this where the Meetup is?" and the two sitting, as if long time friends, pipe out, "Yes it is! Come on in!" and so forth. By the end of the evening you have a large table of newly found friends talking about not only the initial topic, but everything else that might be of interest. Always entertaining.

The fun started to dry out after Meetup made a "major" announcement in early 2005. The organizers were required to collect a fee to maintain each group on the website. MANY groups immediately folded as the backlash echoed in each city, including Vancouver. As organizers bowed out, so did the participants who didn't want to have their own financial burden (be it as it was, it initially was only $9/mo). Some organizers just foot the bill themselves, others asked for meeting "donations" to recoup the cost. Everyone seemed very unhappy as people looked for the "value" in the meetings.

With the success of last night's Vancouver Entrepreneur Meetup, this seems to have finally turned around. Minna Van of TheNetworkHub office space took the initiative to reconnect with the entrepreneurs of the city. While most previous meetings have been in cafes and restaurants, Minna put forward her own space as a relaxing, inviting environment. Of course the rounds of free wine and cheese to the guests certainly was a classy and well received alternative to the usual coffee and pop!

Hats off TheNetworkHub and the NEW Vancouver Entrepreneur Meetup. Check out their website and see you at their next event!