Meetups are for everyone

There is one thing I really like to do: going to and organizing meetups.

But it turns me off when such a space is exclusively open to "experts only". There are events that accept speaker proposals only when they are "experts".

Some events even limit the attendees to "expert-only" as well.

In either way, only one or a few people are in power to decide who is "expert enough" in order to be part of it. And I have very mixed feelings about it.

One reasoning behind creating "experts-only" spaces is to maintain quality. This way, organizers can (or think they can) ensure a topic is covered in a high quality. Also, (they think) discussions can go in depth, and beginner questions in complex topics aren't covered over and over.

It's perfectly fine and valid to communicate a target audience upfront for certain advanced-level sessions. But I wouldn't systematically exclude people from a meetup based on the perceived level of expertise.

Perceived level of expertise. This perfectly describes the core problem: deciding who qualifies as an "expert" is rarely an objective process.

Often, it depends on criteria that favor individuals who have had greater access to education, mentorship, and professional opportunities.

For example, women are often seen as less competent than their male counterparts, even when they have the same qualifications. In "expert-only" spaces, this bias might result in women being overlooked or undervalued.

For marginalized groups, gaining expertise often involves breaking through barriers like limited networking opportunities, implicit bias, or outright discrimination.

If advanced meetups exclude these individuals based on their perceived lack of experience, it creates a vicious cycle:

• They can’t enter "expert-only" spaces
• Without access to these spaces, they can't advance
• They miss network opportunities
• They’re perpetually excluded from opportunities that could help them advance.

This structural problem disproportionately affects those who already face hurdles in accessing resources and recognition.

The exclusion often overlaps with other problematic practices, such as creating unwelcoming environments for women, LGBTQ+ folks, or people of color.

"Bro-culture" events (like beer-driven meetups) can amplify this issue.

Meetups are for networking and gaining new perspectives on certain topics.

The time for a meetup is already very limited (I learned that from facilitating HHTML, where having 4 talks on a single evening turns out as a bit too much).

Mostly, when you want to cover a topic more in depth, the best way to do so is to link to more detailed resources. For example, refer to an in-depth article or book on the slides.

If you run an "experts-only" space, you – and everyone else involved – are going to miss out the opportunity to advance.

Creating a space for all levels allows cross-level communication, where everyone, beginners as well as more advanced foks, can gain new perspectives.

The tech industry already struggles with inclusivity. Let's not reinforce this structural discrimination further.