For a few years now, we've been having our First Saturday Coffee and Donut Fly-in at the McKinney National Airport in McKinney, TX. It has grown into the kind of crowd we attract now, as you will see in the video. This has now become our Monthly Chapter Meeting. We gather at the same hangar around 8:30-9:00 AM and have social time, then around 10:15-10:30 AM, we have announcements and a drawing for prizes. Then we tell the crowds that we have a presentation (or a video) in the hangar next door. We give everyone there the choice as to whether they want to stay in the Coffee/Donut hangar to socialize or attend the presentation. It's all about giving the visitor free choice. We have noticed that this type of venue attracts not only pilots, but their spouses and kids (and even the family pets). This is working! Food, Fun and Fascinating stories (some of which may be true!).
We didn't have a lot of airplanes fly in at this particular event, because the wind was 20-25 mph (gusting to 30 mph).
Enjoy the video:
Smitty
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bDm-XQ8BS1Q
For more info, check out our Coffee/Donut Page:
http://www.eaa1246.org/coffeeanddonuts.asp