I’m new-ish to postcrossing, joined mainly during the lockdown… so I’ve never been to a meet-up… But I love those meet-up cards that everyone talks about… Can someone help me understand…
Who usually designs these meet-up postcards? are they given out prior to the meet-up or at the event or do you purchase them?
What are the stamps on the back of the postcard? do attendees bring their signature stamps at the event? Where do I buy one?
What do you do at the meet-ups other than socializing with other postcrossers?
Every country will have different practice depends on your culture
It depends on meet up organizer or local postcrossing community in your area. There must be someone who is expert in designing card. They are usually asked by meet up organizer to design the card.
You buy and bring your own stamp. Check with printing shop in your area. You can ask special design. In my country we can order online.
Usually the cards are designed by the organizer(s) of the meet_up. Some send cards days/weeks to attendees in advance so everybody can prepare as they wish. At other meet_ups the cards are distributed during the meet_up. Usually, the cards have to be bought from the designer, but usually it’s more cost-of-production, not cashing-in (in fact, postcrossing does not want their logo used for business/profit purpose)
Speaking of the logo, there is a guideline how to use it correctly: Logo Usage Guidelines
Some attendees sign by hand, others have stickers and/or special stamps with their user/name. Esp. for bigger meet_ups where ~300 cards go around (small) stickers/stamps show their potential in saving from a sore arm. Stickers and/or stamps you have to organize yourself, either in a local copyshop nearby or online. (Local business deserves support, btw)
Some meet_ups start with a tour through downtown or a museum or a park … Card-shopping is kind of prominent and popular. Some meet_ups have time for lunch, others ‘only’ for coffee and cake.
But I think the most energy goes into exchange and chatting and socializing - it’s meeting other like-minded folks who finally know and understand the charm(e) of postcrossing
PS: if you like meet_up cards, you could/should mention it in your profile. That might improve your chance of receiving some. (As meet_up cards are somehow ‘handmade/selfprinted’ and don’t leave much space for the usual ‘please write the story of your life, city and country’ (exaggeration), these cards are not loved by every user (which is okay). So sometimes meet_up attendees are reluctant in sending these cards. So any encouragement is helpful, if you want to reveive them.)
You can also get free postcards and even stamps if you can get sponsor for your meet up.
Sometimes the meet up in here was sponsored by Indonesia Post Office. They gave free cards and merchandise
Most of your questions were already answered, but I’d like to add a bit to this point:
Just head over to the meet up section and you can read what the meet up is all about. Is there any guided tour in a museum? Just chatting? A boat trip? There’s so much variation, so I can only advise to read it a bit over there
I read a lot of upcoming meet-up pages, signed up for a virtual one… But had all these questions after reading those event details… somehow it’s assumed that everyone knows about the “unspoken” rules/guidelines about it… I even searched in discussions… but couldn’t find anything…
I’m so glad everyone is so helpful on this thread… I’m learning so much new information on this thread
If one order postcards from Vistaprint for instance, one can easily create a meet-up postcard even without having done so before. No need to be an expert.
At the meetups I’ve attended, the meetup postcards have often been distributed at the meetup. But sometimes they’re handed out or sent out before the meetup.
Although it’s common that the host of the meetup makes the postcard, the host and the particpants can agree that someone else is creating it.
Some bring a stamp, others bring a pen. The purpose is the same, to add their username on the postcard. Using a stamp is faster than writing by hand.
It depends on the meetup. One might go postcard shopping, visit a museum or another interesting place or something else. And writing a few postcards is kind of mandatory.
