Each month, we host what we’ve lovingly named the “Big Ass Twitter Happy Hour” (BATHH) where people come from the internet to meet offline. No one is selling anything, there are no speakers or sponsors, everyone just comes together to mingle and get to know each other and it’s a brilliant networking opportunity because it is a passive happy hour.

It’s so passive that not everyone signs in or wears a nametag (which is actually required to get into this free yet private event). That said, last month, we were able to wrangle nearly 150 people at the sign in table (which is lovingly run by volunteers) and if you want a great group of people to follow in Twitter, click here to follow all attendees that signed in, with ONE CLICK!

What about the upcoming #BATHH?

Want to join us for the next #BATHH? It’s on June 17th starting at 6:30pm at Union Park, RSVP here with your Twitter or Facebook account and feel free to bring guests even if they’re not online yet.

The event is run by several volunteers who will be helping you sign in and find your way around, and we encourage you to follow them in advance, so please do so now by clicking their names below:

Sign in table:

• 6:00-7:00 @justthisguy, @caitstuff & @cmj519
• 7:00-8:00 @bigmikeinaustin & @prwoman1
• 8:00-9:00 @sejose24 & @willsmom

Hosts (that’s us): @LaniAR & @BennRosales

This month’s Twitter Happy Hour was held at The Ginger Man on 3rd Street in downtown Austin and despite the rain, the bouncer (is that the right word to use these days?) said there were nearly 300 people in the door, about 20 of which weren’t affiliated with the Twitter Happy Hour. Parking was insane and the rain and cold were very un-Austin, but several hundred people still showed up, proving that although we LOVE the Ginger Man, we’ve outgrown the venue.

Follow everyone that was there with one click!

Want to follow everyone that went to the event? Even if you didn’t go, no worries, the point is for networking and that can be done online too! Click here to follow all of the attendees that actually signed in (and shame on the massive number of people that did NOT). If you were there but either I couldn’t read your name or you were stubborn and didn’t sign in, leave your name in the comments here and we’ll add you to the list so people can find you.

A special thanks to those who volunteered at the sign in table: @kimhollenshead, @terribishop, @tiffclemons, @memaples, @lorriemeyer, and @baddmom.

If you’re looking to build your network in Austin, click here to follow everyone that RSVPd, even those that said no.

When is the next #BATHH???

Mark your calendars, because we’re going to kick off SXSWi with a huge “Welcome to Austin” party for the geeks who get into town for the conference the night before. Save the date: March 11th for the March #BATHH (big ass twitter happy hour) at Frank’s starting at 6:00pm.

Get those people OFFline!

I’ve written frequently over the years advocating inviting your online contacts to join you offline for some face to face time and while there are countless ways to do this, there are very few ways to manage these events online. For tweetups, I use Twtvite.com (click here for a sample invitation) and for professional events, I use Eventbrite.com (click here for a sample invitation). What’s important to me regardless of the site I use is the following:

1. Ability to promote and gather RSVPs from Twitter and Facebook.
2. Ability to edit the invitation should details change.
3. Control over HTML so I can insert our logo or make the invitation unique.
4. RSVP management that allows attendees to see and get to know each other before the event.
5. Simple UI and clean, modern options.

Alas, the day has come where I can finally say that I am happy with an invitation management system and it hasn’t even been introduced to the public. Because I’m known as a local organizer, I got an email from a company called Anyvite.com asking what was important to me in an invitation management system and within 24 hours of our phone conversation, they had made updates and changes that I had indicated were critical for me and because of their incredible customer service, innovative thinking, fast pace and absolutely gorgeous site, I am now a convert to tweetvite.com (click here for sample invitation). I love tweetvite as much as I love napping on a work day and Starbucks combined… seriously.

So here’s a peek into why I love tweetvite and how it works:

The back end for editing:

click images below to enlarge

Customization options:

You not only have options to control the color of the font and background of your invitation, you can use their templated options OR make the invitation mimic your own Twitter background which could possibly be one of the most creative touches I’ve seen in a long while:
click image below to enlarge

Attendee Management:

This feature is not one I’ve found in other invitation management sites and it’s extremely useful!

And here’s the final product:

The team took into account all of my requests and my number one is the ability to read the RSVP list at a glance and know who’s coming (and be able to see their bios), so now when you hover over a guest’s avatar, you see their Twitter bio which IS AWESOME! Guests are kept in alphabetical order and the site loads so quickly, the Yes/No button is super easy to see and find and the ability to share it on networks is great (and will be growing to my understanding), you can see how many views the invitation has had, a hashtag is allowed for tweets about the event, attendees can add the event to their calendar from the invitation itself, mapping and directions are automated and there is a comment board and live twitter feed right there on the invitation (wow that was a mouth full!):

I’m excited because without even talking to the team at Tweetvite, I would have been totally pleased with what they presently have but knowing that it’s THIS GOOD out of the box prior to being public and there are more improvements to come, I’m sold! I can’t wait to see what’s next!

Next week, we will be going to an impromptu Tweetup at Rudy’s on 183 North where we’ll eat barbeque and chit chat with everyone there. There are usually between 20 and 100 people depending on the date, time and organization, so you never know what you’re in for. Click here for all the details- @agentgenius and @laniar will be there representin’ @newmedialab!