Meetups aren’t a new trend—they have been popping up around the Portland tech scene for years now, with new groups being formed every month. As an open and safe community forum, local meetups are a great place for job seekers, hiring managers, industry professionals, and influential leaders to come together and share common interests. Monthly meetups create a unique opportunity for discussion, collaboration, learning, problem-solving, and growth for the tech community through informational presentations, open forums, featured speakers, thought leaders, and group panels. Are you new to the local meetup scene? Are you considering attending a meetup this month? Here are four reasons why you should take the leap and participate in your community’s next local tech get-together:

Make industry connections.

Meetups are a great way to make connections with industry professionals in your community because attendees often have a wide variety of backgrounds and years of experience. At most meetups, you’ll find a diverse representation of people from across the board—from the CEOs of start-up companies, to entry-level professionals, to well-known hiring managers. This is your chance to brush shoulders with all levels and disciplines within the industry. Show up, introduce yourself and you never know what doors will open. Interacting with your new peers can lead to new jobs, career development opportunities, future business partners, or even possible investors!

Learn something new.

With the wealth of information, collective intellect, and experience that converges at any given meetup, you will no doubt come away from the event having learned something or been exposed to a new perspective or way of thinking. These events are a great place to hear about on-the-job lessons learned and cutting-edge best practices through the hands-on experiences of other professionals in the field. Share your own experiences and knowledge, or learn from others to find a solution to a problem that you’ve been grappling with in your role.

Meet new, like-minded friends.

Meetups are a welcoming, friendly place to share ideas with people who think just like you! This is the place to relate to others and discuss what interests you most when it comes to your tech work, including innovation, trends, research, the evolution of particular technologies and the problems that come with that, and proposed solutions. Enrich your personal and professional life by engaging with an array of people who share similar interests (and different points of view).

Because it’s free!

Did we mention that most of these events are free of charge? These get-togethers are free to the public and often held at a cool space in a tech company’s office. Though it may be outside of your comfort zone, we encourage you to be fearless (this is Portland after all), pick a meetup, book it on your calendar, and just go! Smile, introduce yourself, enjoy some food and beverage, and hang out with other tech enthusiasts—this is your chance to put yourself out there, build your own brand, and start (or continue) growing your career! Monthly meetups are so valuable in the tech industry and our community because they create a space for professionals to meet new people, share ideas, learn more about specific topics, and get inspired. Open your own door to Portland’s most interactive and engaged tech community by attending a meetup this month!

Looking for the right meetup for you? Visit www.meetup.com to search for great established technical meetups within a five mile radius.