How to Host an Event | Keep Calm Community Barcelona

Last updated 9 August 2026

Who can host

Anyone in Keep Calm Core or Helpers can host an event. You don't need to be an admin of any WhatsApp group to do this - see the pinning step below for what to do if you're not one.

1. Before you post anything

Pick an activity, date, time, and location.
Check with the admins in Keep Calm Organisers before posting anywhere else. It's the admins' job to check your proposed date/time against everything else already planned and flag any clash - don't rely on spotting a conflict yourself. This is also a good moment to see if anyone wants to help or co-host. Organising alone is harder than it needs to be.
Decide if this needs a capacity limit or payment (e.g. a court booking, a ticketed venue). If yes, you'll need a Google Form or similar sign-up (see hiking/planning.md step 6 for a template). If no, a plain WhatsApp Event with a "Going" RSVP is enough, no form needed.
Don't overcommit, and say so up front. Work out roughly how much of your own time this will actually take (planning, chasing RSVPs, on-the-day admin) before you agree to it, and bring in a co-host rather than stretching yourself thin. Do the same for attendees: state the expected cost per person, even as a rough estimate, in your first post - don't let people sign up assuming it's free and find out otherwise later.

2. Create the WhatsApp Event

Use WhatsApp's built-in Create Event feature (in the relevant group: group name -> the +/attachment icon or group info -> Create Event). Fill in:

Event name - short and clear, e.g. "Sunday Beach Volleyball". This is the line that shows up in the group's pinned-message preview at the top of the chat, so it needs to stand alone with no other context: include the activity and day/date, don't rely on people opening the full post to understand what it is.
Date and Start time
Location - a pinned map link if it's not obvious
Description - what to expect, what to bring, cost if any, and a link to the sign-up form if you're using one
Photo - always attach one. Ideally a real photo from a previous edition of this activity (social proof of people actually having a good time beats a generic graphic or stock image every time).

See social/annual_celebration/whatsapp_event.md for a filled-in example.

If you can't create an Event (some groups restrict this to admins), post the same details as a regular message instead, or ask in Keep Calm Organisers for an admin to create it for you and add you as a co-host if WhatsApp supports it for that group. If posting as a regular message, the same rule applies: the first line is what shows in the pin preview, so lead with the clear, standalone version of the event name, not a greeting or a "hey everyone."

3. Where to post it

Post in the primary group for the activity (see whatsapp-groups.md for the full list).
Cross-post to Keep Calm Social if it's open to the wider community rather than one activity's regulars.
Don't post the same event in more than 2-3 groups - it reads as spam.

4. Managing RSVPs

People mark themselves Going / Maybe / Not going on the WhatsApp Event. Keep an eye on numbers if capacity matters for your logistics.
Allow plus ones by default. Only restrict them if you have a hard capacity limit (a booked court, a ticketed venue, a fixed number of seats) - the default should be the more the merrier.
If there's no money involved, expect drop-offs. A chunk of people who marked "Going" simply won't show up on the day - that's normal for a free, casual event, not a sign anything went wrong. Don't take it personally or chase people down over it.
Plan your numbers with slack, not against the edge. Assume some people won't show, some will arrive late, and some will leave early - don't book, reserve, or promise anything (a headcount to a venue, a minimum group size) right at your actual RSVP total.
If something is being reserved on your behalf (a court, a pool table, tickets, a table at a venue), get payment upfront, before the event, not on the day. Money is what actually converts a "Going" into a real commitment - a WhatsApp RSVP alone doesn't. This is the same rule already used for paid padel sessions ("a player is only confirmed when they've paid - a yes in WhatsApp does not count").

5. Handling money

Keep Calm has no single fixed mechanic for collecting money on one-off events - fronting the cost and Bizum-requesting shares afterwards, splitting evenly in cash on the day, or having everyone pay the venue directly can all be right depending on the event. Pick whatever's simplest for that specific case, but keep two things consistent:

Say how and when people should pay in the event description, so nobody's guessing on the day (see step 1 - this is the detail behind the cost estimate you already posted).
Move the actual collecting out of the main group. Create a small ad-hoc WhatsApp group with just the people who owe money, rather than chasing payments in the open event chat. It keeps "has X paid yet?" chatter away from people who aren't involved, and is a lot less awkward for whoever's behind on paying. Close or leave the group once everyone's settled up.

For a small, capacity-limited, paid event where a full Google Form feels like overkill, posting the sign-up as a single message with a numbered list works well: everyone can see exactly how many spots are left and who still needs to pay, without a separate form or spreadsheet.

🌅 KEEP CALM [EVENT NAME] 🌅

Hi @all! [ORGANISER] has arranged [one-line description of the event and venue].

📍 [VENUE]
📅 [DATE]
🕖 [MEET-UP TIME] meet-up & registration, [START TIME] [activity starts]
💶 [PRICE] per person (normal rate is [STANDARD PRICE])
🎟️ [NUMBER] spots only - first come, first served once paid
🏄 All abilities welcome, no experience needed - it's a guided session
🍻 Drinks/hangout after for anyone who fancies it

👉 HOW TO JOIN: Copy this whole message, add your name and then put a ✅ next to your name once paid!
💳 PAY HERE: [PAYMENT LINK] (write your FULL NAME as the payment reference)
⚠️ It's first come, first served

1. [Your name]
2. ...
[continue up to your capacity limit]

How it works in practice:

Whoever wants a spot copies the whole message and reposts it with their name added to the next free line
Once they've paid, they (or the organiser) add a ✅ next to their name
The organiser can see live, in one glance, exactly how many confirmed and paid spots are left, no separate tracking needed
Once every line is filled and ticked, the event is full, later copies of the message with a new name added past the limit don't count. Ask latecomers to comment their interest instead so you have a waiting list in case of drop-outs

When to use this instead of a Google Form: small capacity (roughly under 25-30), a single simple price, and a payment link that supports a free-text reference (so you can match payments to names). For anything bigger, or that needs more info collected (dietary requirements, T-shirt size, emergency contact), use a form instead, see hiking/planning.md step 6 for that template.

This is about your mechanics as organiser - for the participant-facing rules (what someone owes if they drop out, refund terms, etc.) see Payments, Refunds & Cancellation.

6. Get it pinned

Once your event is posted, ask an admin (in Keep Calm Moderators or Keep Calm Organisers - tag one directly rather than posting and hoping someone notices) to pin it. Pinning is an admin action, and it's temporary: the admin pins it for the run-up to the event and unpins it once it's passed, so pinned messages don't pile up in the group over time.

7. On the day

Arrive early, be visible, welcome people as they turn up.
Do a headcount if it matters for logistics (courts, capacity, transport).
Expect a spread, not a clean start and finish. People will trickle in late and duck out early, especially at free or casual events - time anything that needs everyone present (a group photo, an announcement) for a natural lull mid-event rather than the official start time.
Keep a simple attendance register. Note down who actually showed up, not just how many - the WhatsApp "Going" list ticked off as people arrive is enough, or names jotted on your phone. This is what actually feeds community activity tracking; RSVPs alone don't tell us who really turned up.
Take a group photo - it's the easiest way to fill step 8.
Handle it if plans change on the day (delay, venue issue, weather) - post an update in the same group you used to announce it.

8. After the event

Send a recap message using the Post-Event Recap Template in the group(s) you posted in. It already covers:

Thanking attendees and any co-hosts/helpers
Asking people to share photos/videos, tag @keepcalmbarcelona and use #keepcalmbarcelona on Instagram so the community account can repost
A feedback form link
What's coming next, if there's a follow-up planned

Three things to actually do, not leave to chance:

Send the feedback form link in the recap. Set one up even for a small/casual event - it's the main way we hear what to improve, and skipping it "because it's informal" is how we stop learning from events.
Post photo(s) to the group as part of the recap, even before attendees send in theirs - it sets the tone and gives people a reason to add their own.
Post to Instagram yourself. Don't rely only on attendees tagging @keepcalmbarcelona for a repost - put up a post from your own photos (or hand them to whoever runs the account) so every event gets covered, not just the ones where someone happened to tag us.
Send your attendance register to Keep Calm Organisers. Post the list of who actually showed up (from step 7) in the group so the Core Team can log it for community-wide activity tracking - see Data & Privacy for how attendance data is handled.

Drama happens - protect yourself

Every event gets some of this: last-minute drop-outs, late arrivals, early leavers, someone unhappy about something minor. That's normal, not a sign you did something wrong.

Expect it, don't take it personally. A chunk of "Going" RSVPs not showing, or people drifting off early, is normal for a free or casual event - see Event Rules for how persistent no-shows get handled. That's the community's system to enforce, not something you need to police yourself.
You're not personally on the hook for other people's money. If someone doesn't pay their share, that's covered by Payments, Refunds & Cancellation
- don't front the shortfall yourself, and a couple of reasonable reminders is enough chasing.
You don't have to referee conflicts alone. If attendees clash, or someone's behaviour is a problem, see Handling Problems and escalate to Complaints & Grievance rather than resolving it solo in the open group.
You can say no. If a request (a refund, a late add, a special favour) doesn't feel reasonable, it's fine to decline - you're a volunteer, not a service.