Forget Group Chats. Try a 24-Hour Reply-All.
Real-world hosting tips from Nick Gray, how bold DMs helped us land big-name creators, and powering the World's Largest Hackathon.
đ§ River Live Sessions
On our first episode, Nick Gray joined us and we talked:
đ§đźââď¸ Skincare routines.
We shared our best tips: CeraVe, lots of water, no alcohol, andâthe secret ingredientâcutting out toxic relationships (Maybe the most effective of all đ).
⨠On being a great host.
Hosting is one of the most meaningful ways to build real-world community. Start small, donât stress about the perfect venue; skip trying to name your event or set a cadence until youâve hosted a few. A good host creates space for others to connect, and that ripple effect can be powerful.
Lead a couple of icebreakers, it might feel awkward at first, but it helps spark connections, mix up the room, and set the tone for the kind of gathering where people feel truly welcomed.
đ§ His killer "the 24-hour reply-all" trick to keep people connected after his events.
After each gathering, Nick sends out one group email to everyone who attended and invites them to share anything they wantâa cool project, a social link, a playlist, a cause they care about. The only rule? Youâve got 24 hours to chime in. After that, the thread ends.
Itâs a way to keep the energy going without flooding peopleâs inboxes for days. Over 80% of guests usually reply, creating a flurry of connection and follow-up. The key is letting people know itâs coming before you send it.
đ¨Bonus hosting tip: skip the hot downtown bar and book a quiet hotel lobby instead. Built-in seating, high tolerance for crowds, and no angry bartendersâhotel bars are a favorite backup venue if your homeâs off-limits.
đ Community Content
Going All-In on IRL
River CEO and co-founder, Rae Lambert, sat down with The Digital Frontier to talk about our community-led missionâand how she got Jason Calacanis, Balaji Srinivasan, and Sam Parr excited about it.
The piece dives into Riverâs origin story, starting with a womenâs brunch at the All-In Summit that snowballed into a global movement of fan-led meetups. It gives a behind-the-scenes look at how those early eventsâorganized with Airtable, Twitter DMs, and sheer determinationâpaved the way for a platform thatâs now powering community gatherings around the world.
They also share Raeâs âaudacious DMâ strategyâ from cold messaging Jason Calacanis to sending our founding engineer, Andrew, on a last-minute mission to pitch Sam Parr in person, itâs scrappy and resourceful. That same boldness is what helped bring big creators like Tim Ferriss onto the platform. Now, weâre looking to expand River beyond tech circles into politics, wellness, music, and moreâshowing that anyone with a strong community can go IRL, no events team required.
Featured community builders
đ§ Zara Safsovski â Ottawa, Canada.
Founder and CEO of two innovative ventures: EveAI, which brings AI to healthcare documentation, and Glide Entry, making event access seamless. She also leads initiatives for diversity and inclusion, advocating for people with disabilities. Sheâs also an advocate for diversity and inclusionâespecially for people with disabilities. When sheâs not building the future, sheâs working out, exploring AI trends, or showing up for Ottawaâs growing tech scene.
â Wanna join Zara at her next meetup? Check out her events here.
âď¸ Mathew Kerbis â Chicago, IL.
Also known as The Subscription Attorney, heâs on a mission to end the billable hour for legal services and help the legal profession move to affordable and predictable subscription billing. Heâs also a host of Law Subscribed, a podcast highlighting attorneys and tech founders shaking up the traditional law firm model.
â In Chicago and want to meet Mathew at one of his meetups? See his upcoming events.
đĽ Faris Sheikh â Boston, MA.
Growth marketing consultant & video content creator at @faris.tech. Heâs an ex-growth at 2 unicorns, who helped scale to $100M in ARR, now helping CEOs in Boston with their marketing. He also loves making cocktails, skiing, and playing poker.
â Want to connect IRL with Faris? Check out what he's hosting.
Are you a host or community builder?
Join our Slack community to connect, get help, and swap tips.
Whatâs new at River
New communities
đşď¸ Worldâs Largest Hackathon presented by Bolt | Bolt.new is uniting builders for the Worldâs Largest Hackathon â $1M+ in prizes, hundreds of thousands of participants, and zero barriers to entry. Join or host community-led IRL events to turn your idea into reality and be part of a Guinness World Record!
âď¸ Coffee Club by CEO.com | Coffee Club is all about bringing small groups of leaders together to share experiences, support one another, and take chances on themselves and othersâall in a collaborative, welcoming environment.â Join or host a Coffee Club meetup.
đ EXL by Speero | Networking meetups for experimentation, growth, and data professionals. No pitching, no pompousness, just networking over experimentation-led growth. Join an Experiment Live meetup near you.
New features
Big Release! River 2.0 is here, making it easier than ever to host IRL events and connect with communities.
đ Host an event inside a community â Join new communities, create events, and invite nearby users to connect and grow your following.
đ Host an event under your personal calendar â Run independent events under your own name and invite your followers directly.
đ¤ Find & follow â Discover communities, events, and hosts near you to keep getting invited to awesome gatherings.
Weâd love your support by liking/commenting/sharing our announcements
Thanks for reading, and see you next time with more community trends, builders, and stories to share!
âđ˝ Ana Rivera Schmidt
Director of Community at River
P.S. Want to learn more about River? Check out our Slack community and join an upcoming live session to get a demo or talk community strategy.