I Had contemplated starting a thread on Meet up etiquette.
Tipping the host should almost be mandatory.
THey've given huge amounts of time and energy putting it together. Amazingly generous to open up their homes to people .
All the utilities, and unseen costs that go into a meet up I couldn't even begin to imagine.
Even if you are down, a little something helps.
If your up, consider it other peoples money and tip more.
I think everyone going to a meet-up should do or contribute something, but tips or a financial contribution? I disagree.
Yes, cash is always appreciated, but so is beer, bourbon, and wine. Food contributions are always great. Ordering pizzas or a sub run helps out immensely if lunch was not planned. People gotta eat.
At longer, larger meet-ups, ice runs are needed because few people own ice machines capable of 20+ people. It's only a few bucks, but greatly helpful to a host who doesn't want to leave his house unattended - and whose car is probably blocked in.
Bottled water is often overlooked, but I've seen a case per day downed at some meets. Snacks will get nibbled on, but this is a "know the group" kind of contribution. At one meet-up Nutter Butters were all the rage, the next meet they went untouched leaving one more thing for the host to clean-up afterward. Which might not seem like a lot, but how many garbage cans does the host have? Meet-ups generate
a lot of waste.
Speaking of waste, you can help a host greatly by knowing where their back-up supplies are. Trash bags need to be changed when the can is full. If you know ahead of time where cleaning supplies are, you wont need to distract the host who in tanking over a $300 pot with "Uh... where is your mop?"
Early arrival to help set-up or staying late to help tear down or clean up could be appreciated, or outright refused - check with your host.
The nice thing about a meet-up, is that nearly everyone there has hosted games. We all know the work involved in an evening of hosting, even if we are unaware that if is exponentially tougher when carried out for 3-4 continuous days.
But mandatory? I have skipped meet-ups where there was a fee for an Air BNB the host rented. I get it, if you live in a big city, you may not be able to host in your flat, but you are also asking people to buy airline tickets and perhaps even rent a car. Some drive for hours from their home. If you are staying in the Air BnB, I understand footing your share of the bill, but not everyone wants to sleep on a couch. Old age and hard work reeks havoc on a back that a couch does not help. Besides, as I've said before, PCF'ers are generous. Let them contribute.
...but never make it mandatory.