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Some people think it is fairly easy to organise a munch. They seem to think it's just a case of turning up in a nominated pub and sitting socialising for several hours, which to some extent it true. What they don't see is the commitment and organisation needed to undertake a regular munch. Saying that it can be a very rewarding experience and lead to many good friendships with local people. So for anyone thinking about maybe starting a munch in their locality, take a look at the guide, think about it and then decide if it is something you would really like to do. Firstly, check out what is happening in your local area. Is there a munch nearby already? Is there a munch organised before a club event that maybe you weren't aware of? You can check out various listings on UK websites, newsgroups, message boards. Try looking up your area in a UK specific search engine like google. Talk to people online via irc, icq etc to try and establish exactly what is going on in the vicinity already. Secondly, post a message on a newsgroup, local mailing list (try yahoo search for local mailing lists) asking if anyone in the area would be interested in attending a munch locally if there is one. Don't be surprised if you get hardly any response at first. It can often take people a while to warm to the idea of something new. Thirdly form your own mailing list for the vicinity. Get it listed on UK websites. Announce it on UK mailing lists. Try to generate as much interest as you can to draw local people into chatting and getting to know people online. Form an irc channel or an msn or yahoo community with the place name in the title to draw local people who maybe just surfing, in. If you are able to make a single page website with a little bit about yourself on it. Make yourself known. People will be much more willing to attend a munch organised by people who have an online and real life presence than a complete stranger. Do some research of the local pubs/venues. You may have to make several visits on the day of the week you plan to hold the munch ie a Saturday or weekday night, just to see how busy it is, what the general feel of the place is like. It is no good visiting it on a Wednesday evening say if you plan to hold it on a Sunday afternoon. See if there is a private room available free of charge usually. Talk to the landlord or bar staff to see how kink friendly they are. In view of recent munch outings it may be advisable to explain what type of group you are, and what you plan to do at the meetings to reassure them that you won't be tying people up and using the place to hold an sm evening. If they understand and accept that you are just a group of likeminded people, using their pub as any other pub goers would, if the local press do approach them letting them know about all the "depraved going on's right under his roof", they won't be shocked and react badly. It is advisable when chosing a suitable place that you don't use family type restaurant/pubs that have kids playroom facilities. Even though these facilities may close at 9pm, they really aren't suitable places to hold a munch. Try and choose a pub that has a seperate room or places where you can tuck yourselves away from the main busy area so that you lessen any chances of offending people, and being overheard. Are there large areas unused in the bar area that you could take over, or is it small booths where people would be split up for instance? Find out bar prices and how they compare locally. Do they serve food? Is there disabled access, and a disabled toilet for example? Do they have sky sports usually on at a time when there would be a munch? How loud is the music, can you talk over it? How accessible is the venue? Is there good car parking, train links? Not everyone will arrive by car, so you need the venue to have good access to public transport. Meanwhile, try and go to as many munches as you can yourself. See how others are organised and work. Talk to the organisers, ask questions. Pick out the things that you feel work, and take the best things from each and base your munch on those things. When you have found a venue you feel is suitable set a date and announce the munch. Check first that it doesn't clash with any other event in the region. Remember some people will travel a fair distance to a munch, so try and pick a day when nothing else is happening. You can advertise it via newsgroups, mailing lists and UK websites. Even if there hasn't been much interest shown, it may surprise you when people do find out it is going to happen. When advertising the munch consider the implications of mentioning the venue publicly. Unless the landlord knows and is ok with you publicising his pub in the context of holding a munch there, I would strongly advise the venue not being made public. Get people to mail you for details, or disclose the venue on a local mailing list that doesn't get hit by search engine spiders. Once the search engines pick up details then the information is available for anyone searching for that particular pub to find. The press included! Some pubs won't want thier venue connected in any way with bdsm in any shape or form, and you have to respect their wishes. Plan ahead and try to plan for it to be a regular event, rather than a one off event. So announce it as say the third Sunday of the month, or the first Monday. People like to think it will continue and become established. They are much more likely to support it if they think this is the case. This also means some commitment on your part. Ensure that you will always be available on that date for at least the first few months anyway. Set up an e-mail address that deals specifically with queries about the munch. You will probably get a few mails asking what a munch is, what to expect , what to wear etc. Try and have an idea in your own mind about how you would like it to be, and any "rules" that you feel should be imposed. For instance, do you allow fetish dress, sceneing, showing of equipment and pictures? Be honest with people about what is and isn't acceptable at your munch. Do a search for a map so you can offer directions. Try and have a mobile phone number available for the day itself for people who get lost, or nervous newbies who may need reassurance. If you are male, try and arrange a female friend to be there to meet females, and advertise this fact. On the day of the munch check your mail for last minute queries, and arrive at the venue early in case people start to arrive earlier than advertised, and also to claim your "area" in the pub. Have something that people can recognise the munch by. The usual thing seems to be an A-Z, balloons or a teddy bear of some sort. If you use a teddy bear don't draw attention of other pub goers by using a bondage bear. Make sure you can clearly see the door and watch out for likely munch goers. If you have advertised a meet and greet system..make sure it happens. Stand up and greet the person. Take time to make them feel welcome. Introduce them to other people by the name they have chosen to identify themselves as. Some people find using stick on name badges useful to help people get to know each other. If the person has never been to a munch take time to explain what is going on locally, try to put them at ease. Remember that impression of someone's first munch stays with them and will determine if they chose to ever go to another one, so try and make it a positive experience for them. However tempting it may be to sit and talk to the people you know, don't forget others may not know anyone, so try and include them in general conversations. Don't leave people feeling isolated and left out of things. Often it has been hard for them to make that initial contact and turn up to a munch. Try not to drink alcohol when you are at the munch. Alcohol is great for making you feel relaxed, but it is also not good for the munch organiser to be drunk. You need to stay on the ball to ensure nothing untoward is happening. After all you are the one taking the responsibility for the munch, make sure you can live up to those expectations. Lastly try and relax and enjoy the munch. Now this all may sound like a lot of hard work, and yes it can be especially if there are a lot of new people at once. However it can be a really rewarding experience too. Once you get to know more people try and get them to help more by acting as meeters and greeters. This will take some of the pressure off you, and will mean that if you find that you can't make it at any time there will be back up so that the munch can still go ahead.
Don't be too despondent if you don't get many people at first. Often many
will mail you and say they will come along, but if you work on about a
third of those who say they will be there turning up, it should give you
a rough guide as to how many to expect. It takes time for these type of
events to build up, and form a core of regulars. Don't give up too quickly.
At the end of the day if you only have one person come along, that's one
more person less isolated, and hopefully one more local contact than you
had before you started out.
Last updatedAugust 2006 ©tiana 2000-2006 |