Chinatown Crawl Expanded

Did you know my Chinatown Crawl UYE (Unofficial Yelp Event) made one year? It started with a trial last May during Asian Heritage Month Celebration. The response and popularity were increasing on Yelp and Facebook. Managing guests list has been a chore using Yelp Events. I am experimenting a new system by posting my meetup on more event sites like Google and invited Google Local Guides to attend.
Extended my invitation to Local Guides

The hardest part of hosting a popular meetup event is attendance headcount. It has always been above my original expectation. But by how much? Finding a suitable restaurant with enough seating is important. When my count of 18 guests at December's Night Market UYE grew to 22. Sherry at Yummy Kitchen was able to find solution at the last minute. Again at February's Hotpot UYE, 12 guests became 16. I had to rely on restaurant to accommodate expandable crowd.

Speaking of accommodation, creating a good relationship to restaurant owner is also important. Sherry met me a week in advance to create my party menu. In order to sample everything, she broke a regular plate into two to share at each table while charging one. Where can you find a great party planner like that?

This year's AHM meetup got me a little upset when my anchor restaurant closed 3 weeks before my event and replacement restaurant refused to accept my reservation. Unfortunately, I had to move my venue 2 miles away. Not to mention how much money I already invested on eating and exploring the menu to create a perfect crawl experience.

Think quick, rabbit! 

I had to cram a new menu like taking a final exam. Instead of my usual way of experiencing the food, I read reviews. Luckily, there were plenty of my Yelper friends posted review to let me select the meetup food. This is not possible with reviews on Google Maps.

The event is listed on Google | Yelp | Facebook | Local Guide Connect

Heres my 4th Annual Asian Heritage Month UYE menu at Xinjiang BBQ in Metropole Center.

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