When I was laid off in February 2009, I had a hankering to practice my German-language skills. If you don’t use it, you lose it, right?
After realizing that Des Moines didn’t have any German-language clubs (Google said so), I decided to start one?
I was extremely nervous. I added the first event (at Hessen Haus, of course!) to every online calendar I could find, all of the Des Moines-based LinkedIn Groups, contacted the German-language instructors at local high schools and universities, etc. I thought to myself, “What if nobody comes; what if a hundred people show up?” This was my first foray into creating a Tribe. Inspired by Seth Godin, I felt mildly confident in my abilities…
Over 5 years later, our e-newsletter list has grown to over 250 with the help of Facebook and word of mouth marketing and average event attendance is 20-25 German-speakers.
I’ve made such amazing and cultured friends in this group over the years. Below are a few pictures from a dinner party hosted by Stammtisch – Des Moines German Club Members, Eric and Pam Hyde.
I was really proud of my cheese plate (Part I)
I was really proud of my cheese plate (Part II)
Do you speak German? Know someone who does? Sign up for our e-newsletter to receive our event announcements! We’d love to have you!
