Social Media Club Richmond (SMCRVA) founder Doug Meacham grabs his iPad and heads for the front of the room. For the first time, he’ll address the group he originally sought to form more than three years ago. For this program, he’ll perform the role of the warm-up act, prepping the audience for a high level of discourse on the ubiquity and potential for mobile technology.

Mobelux CTO and RVA visionary du jour, Jeff Rock, waits in the wings, an authoritative and mind-expanding presentation on “what’s next” is queued up on his MacBook, ready to roll. A space meant for old fire engines is packed to the gills with Richmond’s tech savviest. Even as the lights go down, the cold glow of cellphone and tablet screens illuminates the face of each attendee. The buzz in the room is palpable.

The event sold out a week ago and wait-listers found few people looking to give up their spots. Eventually, standing-room only tickets were sold, allowing last-minute types to line the walls as the presentation began.

Sell-outs used to be common for Social Media Club. The launch event in May of 2009 saw 150 eager attendees stuffed like sardines into the banquet room at Morton’s downtown. Four weeks later, 250 plus filled the atrium and IMAX theater at the Science Museum for a raucous panel discussion on changes social media had brought to traditional media.

At the heart of the organization’s tremendous success was an ability to bring the online world, particularly the burgeoning local Twitter scene, offline… and then take it back online again, as dozens of attendees used the SMCRVA hashtag to create a virtual event that effectively mirrored the live proceedings. For much of 2009, a ticket to Social Media Club was the hottest thing in town. Now, virtual events are often held as it brings the community together. Of course, they get a little bit of help from We & Goliath (www.weandgoliath.com) when it comes to hosting the virtual event but it allows everyone to see one another, converse, and overall just have a good time.

The after-parties became legendary, if not notorious. People looking for jobs found jobs. Likewise, people looking to hire found a savvy, engaged audience. Whole firms seemed to be conceived in the wake of the SMCRVA explosion. When asked about that early success, Meacham reflects, “It was something new. It was interesting to all the marketing people in town. It was fun, like a monthly party.”