Finding Your People in Madrid with Community Host Valentina

Have you met Valentina? If you’re in Madrid, love eating out, or love meeting new people, we’re sure you have. As the multi-faceted organizer for Eat Out Madrid, Eat In Madrid, and CMX Connect Madrid, Valentina is the person. Check out her next events or see how she balances there communities below.

Hi Valentina! Tell us a little about yourself

Hello, I am Valentina a 30-something from London, England, currently living in Madrid with my husband. I am an events manager but over the last few years I started learning about community building and have combined them both into what I love!

You have 2 online communities that you run in Madrid. What inspired you to start these?

Eat Out Madrid was created before I moved here 3 years ago as a tool for me to find great places to eat and drink in the city without wandering the streets hungry and ending up in a place which was mediocre and a waste of money. Little did I know that 3 years later we would be the biggest online community on Facebook for people of all nationalities to share their eating out experiences in the city. In fact we have recently launched Eat In Madrid for those who love to cook and eat at home which is also becoming very popular.

CMX Connect Madrid was created merely down to the fact that I spend A LOT of time on Facebook each day managing Eat Out Madrid. It seemed logical to create another community here. CMX Connect is a local program by CMX — a San Francisco based company whose mission is to help community professionals thrive. It provides training and education for people building communities both on and offline.

The Connect program aims to bring together community professionals in cities across the world at in-person events, a perfect role for me combining my love of events management and community building. I am so glad I can be a part of this here in Madrid, connecting with other builders, learning new skills and doing what I love!

How do you see your community growing in the future? What are some tips you would like to share to grow an online community? 

I see Eat Out Madrid growing globally to other cities such as Eat Out Barcelona, Milan, Paris. With that of course comes a lot of hard work and a team of ambassadors across the world who are passionate about food and eating out. So if you are reading this and love to eat and would be interested in starting and Eat Out in your city, please let me know!

I hope the future CMX Connect Madrid means more growth and reaching a bigger audience. Community management is still a new industry which can be often confused with social media management and often as online workers we spend hours glued to our computers creating, scheduling and engaging. Sometimes we need to take a step away and talk IRL with others, so what could be better than talking with like-minded people sharing experiences, meeting new friends and getting an idea or actionable strategies you can implement into your own community.

How are you getting from where you are now to where you want to be?

This a very good question. The honest answer is hustling and being switched on all the time. With there being so many communities out there for people to join, you really need to show potential new members why they should be part of yours. This involves constant engaging both online and in person to promote who you are and why you exist. I am also coming up with new ideas on how to grow the communities whether it’s monetizing, getting exposure or just to keep conversation and engagement going with existing members.

What are some benefits of being apart of a community? What benefits you the most? 

Communities have allowed me to meet SO many people both personally and professionally.

In a time where we are glued to our devices, having communities on niche topics which allow you to share your stories and connect with others helps me learn so many new things. As an expat here in Madrid, it is hard to adjust to a new country, especially when you don’t speak the language, and meeting new people can equally be as difficult, especially when you want to meet people of your age who plan to be here long term. Facebook groups have allowed me to meet some ‘real’ friends who also share the same interests, and I am so glad that I have those people in my life otherwise living here can be very lonely.

Tell us where you like to work! From home? Coworking spaces? Cafes?

At the moment I spend most of my time working from home as I also juggle a few other jobs including online English teaching which requires me to be at home.

I do like to get out at least once a week to either a coworking space or cafe for a change of scenery because I can’t sit in my PJ’s all day everyday. I have realised I work best when surrounded by people who are also working, which is why coworking spaces are more productive for me. I do love cafe’s— especially when I am hungry, and haven’t brought food with me— but those can get expensive and you can end up eating a lot just to keep your place. The distractions can also be difficult to avoid especially if you are like me and love to people watch.

Tell us where we can find you! 

Feel free to join any of my communities on Facebook: Eat Out Madrid, Eat in Madrid, and CMX Connect Madrid / Madrid Community Builders. I hope to see you at one of my events in the future.