I agree with Neil,
The fact that it is at the pub and that there is a chance for a free
pint is very apealing to many people.
Beer fueled bravery helps certain introvert geeks to raise their hands
and ask some questions after the session. It also helps in networking
and more informal contacts with fellow geeks.
Food is very important factor too, as many people come straight from
work and their last meal was lunch.
More formal venues like Old Broadcasting House are really good for
more formal meet-ups, like anti-conferences, community conferences or
even full blown conferences (???) as the venue provides full AV
facilities, exclusivity and few other impotant things that pubs lack
of. I think it would be good for the club to organise something bigger
in the Old Broadcasting House (like some really good and famous
speakers or maybe a community conference) and it is really cool that
December meeting is there. It will give us a chance to see, how well
it suits the club.
If the current venue is getting too small, I think we should scout for
pubs with bigger function rooms in the centre of Leeds and we should
do it as soon as possible, because various societies book such rooms
well in advance.
Daniel
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Daniel Drozdzewski