Before you decide to establish a Speculative Futures Meetup chapter, The Design Futures Initiative recommends you consider the following:
This can be a lot to consider. I think the most important questions to focus on initially are whether or not you have the time to dedicate to starting a chapter and it’s community and if you have a team to support you as you do so. Meetup cadence, setting your Meetup up for success, finding the right content, securing a venue, and working out a budget will be covered in later sections of this Toolkit.
It's important to recognize that by initiating a Speculative Futures chapter you're committing to a long-term effort that may or may not culminate in the manner originally aspired to, as efforts involving groups of people rarely do. To avoid underwhelming the community you intend to foster, keep in mind that if you can't commit to something, don't do it.
Do take the time to seriously consider your personal bandwidth and support system before agreeing to act as a Lead Organizer or Co-Organizer of a chapter.
There's no rule saying you have to start a new chapter on your own, or that an existing chapter should be lead by a single person. In fact the Design Futures Initiative recommends that you have at least 1 other person to help you. It's common for chapters to have more than one organizer, and in conversations with experienced community organizers we were advised that each chapter convene an organizing body of 4-5 committed individuals as possible to appropriately delegating organizing responsibilities.
Support for a chapter doesn't need to only come in the form of an additional organizer. Seek advice from subject matter experts who have previously organized Meetup communities in your city or who have acted as advisors to design and futures practitioners in your city.
Be clear about what your intentions are when asking for their time and knowledge. Time can be quite precious, do your best not to waste your time or the time of others.