It all started as a tweet – just a chance message between two people either side of the Atlantic. It became bigger than anyone dreamed.

It’s April 2009, and a few messages back and forth across the Atlantic between Trey Pennington and Scott Gould lead to an agreement. In May 2009 they decided that, while Trey was over in the UK, they’d meet in London and shake each others hand. This meetup became a Tweetup when Trey suggested he came down to Exeter to say hello to the small local Twitter scene that was building.

The 'first meeting' of 'Like Minds'

So it was on May 26th, 2009, that Trey arrived in Exeter and 12 people sat round a table in the Mill On The Exe. Over dinner the next piece of the puzzle came together where it came to light that Trey, hailing from Greenville, was friends with Olivier Blanchard – AKA 'The Brand Builder'. This was the same Olivier whose blog Scott had been reading for months before – something was happening that was more than just chance.

Having already started a good dozen Social Media Clubs in the States, Trey saw the potential for this growing Exeter community to build a Social Media Club of its own. Trey flipped open his diary, got Olivier on the phone, and there and then the three of them agreed a date for Exeter's first Social Media event – set for Friday 16th October.

Trey left Exeter the following day, leaving behind Scott whose mind was now flourishing with ideas.

The Connection

The idea sat dormant until Scott sat down a contact that he had waited months to meet due to clashing schedules: Andrew Ellis. Drew splits his time between the South West and London, where he runs multiple businesses and was firmly plugged into the vibrant digital scene in the capital.

Scott shared this idea that he had with Trey and Olivier – but in Scott's mind, this was an event for no more than 60 people, at £100 per head for high level Social Media training. Luckily, Drew had something else, something much bigger in mind. Drew pitched a vision of an event that was open, accessible, and not cost prohibitive.

A handshake, and there it was. Now it just needed to exist. And it needed a name. It was during a catch up over coffee between Scott and Michael Greeland that the name came about. As Scott was relaying his passion and enthusiasm, the phrase slipped out that it "would be a place for like minds." No sooner had the words slipped out of his mouth that Scott remarked, "That's a good thing to call it! Like Minds!"

The First Like Minds

Preparation for the inaugural event on October 16th started in earnest on September 1st 2009. A website went up at the address alikeminds.org, the price point was set at £25 early bird, and the speaker lineup consisted alone of Trey Pennington and Olivier Blanchard. The first tweet went out on the #likeminds hashtag, and now it was a case of getting it together in 6 weeks – and hopefully selling tickets in between!

The first local partners came on-board within the first week: Rokk Media, Bluegrass IT, Optix Solutions, Greenland Studio, with Every's Solicitors confirming a few weeks later. Addiply and UKNetWeb soon came on board too, with Business Cornwall joining as media partners. Starbucks agreed to do the coffee, and Club Wi-Fi said they'd handle the Internet connectivity. Meanwhile, further speakers were confirmed in the form of Daren Forsyth, a former BBC Executive and key connector in the London Social Media scene, and Maz Nadjm, Sky's Community Product Manager.

As the 16 October date closed in, ticket sales increased and buzz spread. The subject, "Measuring Social Media" attracted attendees from across the country, and come that Friday, the queue stretched around the corner from the Exeter Conference Centre. The numbers came in; over 200 in attendance, over 560 watching online, and proof that a profitable event can be organised and marketed successfully solely by using Social Media.