Meetups of planner ladies are becoming exponentially more popular thanks to Facebook. Pretty much every country/region/state/city has one, and what fun would it be if you didn't meet up with the locals for coffee and lots of planning?

You shouldn't be afraid to go to your first planner meetup, even if you are going by yourself and you don't know anyone. All the ladies there have something in common, a love for planners and planner goodies. The way to make the most out of a planner meetup is to be prepared.

But what do I bring? I highly suggest against bringing all 200 rolls of washi tape and your five sticker binders, but that is up to you. In all honesty, you may or may not be doing a whole lot of planning at the meetup, it may be more of a bonding event with 15-30 minutes allotted for group planning.

But if you want to bring supplies, common things to make sure to have in your "planner bag" are...

  • your planner: You wouldn't want to go to a planner meetup without this. Whether you bring it to show off or publicly decorate, ladies will want to see it. Plus, you want to contribute to the awesome planner stack photo at the end of the day.
  • some washi: Washi samples are great for traveling planners (check out the Miss Engineer Designs Etsy shop for $1 washi samples). They are also nice to trade, so be sure to bring empty gift cards or something to wrap them around!
  • some stickers: Like I mentioned, you probably don't need to be carrying all five of your sticker binders around, but for planning time purposes, some stickers are nice to have. You can also share with other ladies at your table.
  • sticker remover: Not a complete necessity, but I always keep Un-Du in my planner bag.
  • pens: I always bring a ton of pens, even though I'm not going to use them all. At least no one will be asking to borrow mine. If you want to be super fancy, bring them in your Kipling 100-Pen Case.
  • an open mind: Be open for anything. No one wants drama at a planner meetup, so be prepared to make friends with strangers and have a great time.
  • swap items: Occasionally, a gift swap will be coordinated on social media before the meetup. It might be "Secret Santa"-style or completely random. You are not forced to participate in the swap, but you will only get a gift if you bring one.
  • destash items: Most meetups will also arrange a little area for anyone to drop off anything they don't want anymore (used or new condition). These items are free for all to pick at and take what they want, perfect for the thrifty planner. 
  • money: Whether you are getting coffee with local planners or prepared to buy something from someone, you don't want to be without your money. 
  • not your children or husband: I hate being honest (ok, no I don't) but I really don't like when people bring their children to "adult" functions. Also, your husband probably doesn't want to be there either. Take these couple hours with your new friends and have a mini mommy vacation.

Now, I have seen people bring suitcases filled with planner supplies (shout out to the Central Ohio Planner Addicts Meetup in March 2015). I have also seen ladies just bring a purse and one planner. When packing your bag, just remember that there is a high possibility that you might be going home with more stuff than you came with, so be prepared for that. 

Have you been to a local/regional/national planner meetup? What was your experience like? I'd love to hear about it in the comments.

This blog post was written by Victoria Lee Werth for the Limelife Planners Media & Creative Team. For more information about Victoria visit her on Instagram @ohmissengineer. Please share and repost this blog entry with your friends! All we ask is that you give credit to Limelife Planners and the post author.

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