This <strong>Monday, September 17, 2012</strong>, we're having an event focusing on <a href="http://groups.drupal.org/node/254658#featured-presentations">How to Rock Your Drupal Groups Announcements</a>, followed by a <a href="http://groups.drupal.org/node/254658#drupal-after-dark">Drupal After Dark</a> at Droplabs. If you're new to announcing events on Drupal Groups (i.e. groups.drupal.org, or "GDO") or are already a seasoned event organizer, this event is for you. Join us!

We'll be meeting between 7-8pm Pacific at <a href="http://droplabs.net">Droplabs</a>, your FREE Drupal event and coworking space in Downtown Los Angeles. Those interested in attending this event remotely are welcome to <a href="http://groups.drupal.org/node/254658#join-online">join us via WebEx</a>.

After the how-to session, we'll have time for questions and answers and then finish off the night with a <a href="http://groups.drupal.org/node/254658#drupal-after-dark">Drupal After Dark</a> at around 8pm.

For any changes to our <a href="http://groups.drupal.org/node/254658#agenda">agenda</a> for the evening, stay tuned to this event announcement or click the <a href="http://groups.drupal.org/node/254658#signup">Sign up</a> button below (or both!) to be notified when the agenda has been updated.

<h3>Thank You to Our Sponsors!</h3>

<a href="http://www.larks.la"><img src="http://groups.drupal.org/files/larks-90-82.png" hspace="2" vspace="2" width="90" height="82" alt="Exaltation of Larks - Expert Drupal strategy, consulting, development and training" border="0" align="right"></a> The projector and video conferencing support for this event are being provided by <a href="http://www.larks.la">Exaltation of Larks</a>, a Drupal strategy, consulting, development and training company with a team of Drupal experts in Los Angeles.

We create fun websites, mobile apps, virtual worlds and e-commerce sites. Follow us at @<a href="https://twitter.com/LarksLA">LarksLA</a> or like <a href="https://www.facebook.com/exaltationoflarks">Exaltation of Larks</a> on Facebook to learn more about our Drupal services and upcoming trainings.

<a href="http://droplabs.net"><img src="/files/dl_scale_logo2.png" width="125" height="48" alt="Droplabs Los Angeles" align="left" hspace="10" vspace="5" border="0"></a> This event is hosted by <a href="http://droplabs.net">Droplabs</a>, a collaborative Drupal event and coworking space in Downtown Los Angeles.

We're quickly gaining a reputation for being the only free coworking space around with a <a href="http://droplabs.net/about/prices">freemium business model</a>: come work here for free and only pay for the extras, such as 24/7 access, equipment rental and a locker for your belongings.

To learn more about Droplabs, visit <a href="http://droplabs.net">Droplabs.net</a>, follow @<a href="https://twitter.com/Droplabs">Droplabs</a> on Twitter, sign up at <a href="http://meetup.com/Droplabs">Meetup.com/Droplabs</a> or like <a href="https://www.facebook.com/DroplabsLA">DroplabsLA</a> on Facebook!

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<h3><a name="agenda"></a>Agenda</h3>

Join <a href="http://groups.drupal.org/user/1242">Christefano Reyes</a> (@<a href="https://twitter.com/christefano">christefano</a>) for a how-to session for event organizers who'd like to learn more about the advantages and limits related to using Drupal Groups (i.e. groups.drupal.org, or "GDO") as a forum and marketing channel for community events. We'll be demonstrating one particular recipe for comprehensively utilizing cross-posting, signup settings, etc. to maximize value for the event and its attendees.

Please note that this is not an overview of Drupal Groups for group administrators (or "group organizers" as they're commonly called, or "OG admins" if you want to be specific). We recorded a separate video at http://drupaldojo.com/session/organicgroupspanels-gdo about how to use panels and vocabularies as OG admins.

For more information about the roles and responsibilities on Drupal Groups (i.e. groups.drupal.org, or "GDO"), see http://groups.drupal.org/node/42654

 &nbsp;&nbsp; <strong>6:55pm</strong>
 &nbsp;&nbsp; <a href="http://groups.drupal.org/node/254658#join-online">Start of WebEx Meeting</a>

 &nbsp;&nbsp; <strong>7:00pm</strong>
 &nbsp;&nbsp; Introductions and Overview</a>
 &nbsp;&nbsp; <a href="http://groups.drupal.org/node/254658#featured-presentations">Featured Presentations</a>
 &nbsp;&nbsp; <strong>How to Rock Your Drupal Groups Announcements, by Chrisefano Reyes</strong>

 &nbsp;&nbsp; <strong>8:00pm</strong>
 &nbsp;&nbsp; Wrap-up, Clean-up and Close-up
 &nbsp;&nbsp; <a href="http://groups.drupal.org/node/254658#drupal-after-dark">Drupal After Dark</a>

<h3><a name="join-online"></a>Join us on WebEx and Twitter!</h3>

The featured presentations at this event will be broadcasted via WebEx, courtesy of <a href="http://www.larks.la">Exaltation of Larks</a>. WebEx works in your browser, whether you use Linux, Windows or Mac OS X, and has <a href="http://www.webex.com/products/web-conferencing/mobile.html">mobile apps</a> for Android, iOS and more.

To join the meeting, click the <a href="http://groups.drupal.org/node/254658#signup">Sign up</a> button below to receive the meeting URL and password (a Drupal.org account is required).

During the event, the event organizers will be monitoring Twitter for feedback and questions that mention @<a href="https://twitter.com/DowntownDrupal">DowntownDrupal</a>.

<h3><a name="featured-presentations"></a>Featured Presentations</h3>

Join <a href="http://groups.drupal.org/user/1242">Christefano Reyes</a> (@<a href="https://twitter.com/christefano">christefano</a>) for a how-to session for event organizers who'd like to learn more about the advantages and limits related to using Drupal Groups (i.e. groups.drupal.org, or "GDO") as a forum and marketing channel for community events. We'll be demonstrating one particular recipe for comprehensively utilizing cross-posting, signup settings, etc. to maximize value for the event and its attendees.

Please note that this is not an overview of Drupal Groups for group administrators (or "group organizers" as they're commonly called, or "OG admins" if you want to be specific). We recorded a separate video at http://drupaldojo.com/session/organicgroupspanels-gdo about how to use panels and vocabularies as OG admins.

For more information about the roles and responsibilities on Drupal Groups, see http://groups.drupal.org/node/42654

<h3><a name="drupal-after-dark"></a>Drupal After Dark</h3>

After the how-to session, we'll have time for questions and answers and then finish off the night with a <a href="http://groups.drupal.org/node/69098#drupalafterdark">Drupal After Dark</a> at around 8pm. After we wrap up the meeting and clean up, a group of us will go to a nearby restaurant or pub. 

In the past, we've had beers and a bonfire and were serenaded by <a href="https://secure.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/wiki/Skrillex">Skrillex</a>, who was rehearsing next door for the Mothership tour. We've also gone to a variety of other locations, including <a href="http://droplabs.net/about/location-and-directions">Barbara's at The Brewery</a> at 620 Moulton Ave. (just a 5 minute walk away) and <a href="http://droplabs.net/about/location-and-directions#nearby-attractions">Carnitas Michoacan</a> on 1901 N. Broadway (just a 5 minute drive away).

To suggest an alternate location for our Drupal After Dark, <a href="#comments">leave a comment</a> below or bring it up during the event.

<a href="http://maps.google.com/maps?f=q&source=s_q&hl=en&geocode=&q=651+Clover+St,+Los+Angeles,+CA+90031&aq=t&sll=37.0625,-95.677068&sspn=59.898929,74.267578&ie=UTF8&hq=&hnear=651+Clover+St,+Los+Angeles,+California+90031&ll=34.065174,-118.218212&spn=0.031107,0.036263&z=15"><img src="http://groups.drupal.org/files/bigartlabs-googlemap.png" align="right" width="329" height="214" hspace="10" vspace="5" alt="Google Map" title="Droplabs is at Big Art Labs and is 100% Zombie-proof™"></a>  <h3><a name="location-and-directions"></a>Location and Directions</h3> &nbsp;&nbsp; <a href="http://droplabs.net">Droplabs</a>
 &nbsp;&nbsp; 651 Clover St.
 &nbsp;&nbsp; Los Angeles, CA 90031

Droplabs is in the Mission Junction neighborhood of Downtown Los Angeles at <a href="http://www.bigartlabs.com/">Big Art Labs</a>, just 1 mile down Main St. from Union Station and Philippes (the first-ever venue for Los Angeles Drupal meetups!). We're one block west of <a href="https://secure.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/wiki/The_brewery_art_colony">The Brewery</a>, the largest live-and-work artists' colony in the world.

Free parking in our large parking lot is first-come, first-served. After parking in the lot, follow the yellow signs that point to Droplabs. (If our lot is full, you can park for free on Clover St.)

Droplabs is a brief walk from the <a href="http://maps.google.com/maps/place?ftid=0x80c2c66414593f27:0x60b5a3405ed20d76&q=type:transit_station:%22Main+/+Lamar%22&hl=en&ved=0CBMQgQVIAA&sa=X&ei=1TcVT7zDEoewoQSt8NnIAg">Main St. / Lamar St.</a> stop on the the Metro Local 76 bus line. This is also the Lincoln Heights / Chinatown DASH stop.

To carpool or catch the Droplabs shuttle from Union Station, <a href="http://groups.drupal.org/node/254658#comments">post below</a> in the comments.

<h3><a name="what-to-bring"></a>What to Bring</h3>

Just bring your laptop, your business cards, a list of preplanned questions or whatever else you need. You're also welcome to bring some light food, sodas or beers to share with others at the event.

Do you have a job announcement? Bring a copy of your job description and several business cards for our "take a card, leave a card" table.

Please note that our guest wireless network is limited to 1Mb per client, so bring your MiFi router or a phone you can tether with if for some reason you need a lot of bandwidth. Access to our high-speed network is included with a Droplabs membership.

<h3><a name="about-downtown-la-drupal"></a>About Downtown Los Angeles Drupal</h3>

The Downtown Los Angeles Drupal group regularly meets in and around Downtown Los Angeles, California. We organize a large number of <a href="http://groups.drupal.org/node/246793#downtown-los-angeles">weekly and monthly events</a> on various Drupal topics, including the general Downtown Los Angeles Drupal meetup that has been meeting regularly on the 3rd Tuesday of the month since early 2010.

The Downtown area is the most active area for Drupal in the Greater Los Angeles Area and has seen hundreds of Drupal events, including job fairs, meetups and workshops, study group meetings, conferences about design and theming, paid trainings, FREE tutoring sessions from Drupal professionals and barn raisings to benefit non-profits and members of our community here in and around Downtown Los Angeles. 

Attending Drupal events in and around Downtown Los Angeles is one of the best ways to meet and talk with other Drupaleros and we encourage you to attend as many meetings and special events as you'd like. Whether it's to find solutions to problems you've been having, sharing something you've learned or just meeting interesting like-minded people, the Downtown Los Angeles Drupal events are an essential resource for Drupal professionals and hobbyists alike.

If you aren't already a member of Downtown Los Angeles Drupal, it's easy to <a href="http://groups.drupal.org/og/subscribe/219129?destination=node%2F219129">join our community</a>. Our community calendar is on our "Events" tab on our home page at http://groups.drupal.org/dtla

The Downtown Los Angeles Drupal group proudly participates in the <a href="http://groups.drupal.org/california/drupal-travelers-program">California Drupal Travelers Program</a> and can host businesses and community members who are visiting the area. Inquire within by contacting any of the Downtown Los Angeles Drupal organizers.

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