Upwork Huddles: Meet Fellow Freelancers From Next Door

Feature image (above): Upwork Huddle in Barcelona, Spain

Upwork Huddles are independently organized meetups, hosted by experienced Top Rated freelancers for the local Upwork freelancer community. They’ve brought hundreds of freelancers together over the past year. “I don’t usually have someone to talk to about what I do for a living who can really relate, but these people do,” said one freelancer after attending a meetup.

Here’s a look at why Upwork Huddles are growing and what you can do to get involved:

Connecting local freelancers and creating local communities

We’ve heard from many freelancers across the world that they love the opportunities and the lifestyle of online freelancing. But they also shared that it can be a struggle when they don’t have co-workers around, when they aren’t able to share their experiences and best practices, challenges, and successes.

“We feel a better sense of community and I personally felt so much valued, so thank you, thank you, thank you! This has been a true blessing.”
—Mark J. P., Upwork Huddle host
Top Rated freelancer from Cagayan de Oro in the Philippines

The idea of the Upwork Huddles was born. Since their start in the fall of 2016, Upwork Huddles have gained a lot of traction. Sometimes, even people from Upwork headquarters are able to attend.

Upwork Huddle in Karachi, Pakistan

Many freelancers have told us they had waited for an opportunity like this to meet like-minded freelancers. Huddles are a great place to socialize, extend networks, share stories about the online freelancing lifestyle, and have fun together.

Over the last year, dozens of Top Rated freelancers across the world have volunteered by organizing and hosting 88 Upwork Huddles, with more than 1,300 freelancers attending.

“The Upwork Huddle was a great moment in my life. I thought I was alone freelancing in my area – but I was wrong. I’m so inspired now to take the next step in my online profession!”
—Freelancer from Dhaka, Bangladesh

What’s next?

We look forward to enabling and supporting more and more Top Rated freelancers to host Upwork Huddles in their cities. Starting in early 2018, we will begin featuring an Upwork Huddle host each quarter through an interview series. Stay tuned!

If you want to read more about Upwork Huddles or submit your interest to host a local Upwork Huddle, you will find further information in this help article. Please note that becoming a Huddle host is a perk for freelancers who have obtained Top Rated status.

Upwork Huddle: Oakland, CA, U.S.A.

Thanks to all Upwork Huddle hosts and attendees for your contributions to help develop local Upwork freelancer communities. And welcome to the Huddles schedule to take place through the end of this year—invites will be sent out to local freelancers shortly.

And if you’re still waiting for your turn to host or attend an Upwork Huddle in your area, follow the buzz online: #upworkhuddle (on Twitter, Instagram, or Facebook).

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