commitment to a second pre-event stage

Does the following context want to say:

1. there are two pre-event stages: 1. online announcement of the information, and 2. physical meeting in which precise instructions are issued.

or

2. Online announcement is a pre-event stafe that plays the role of traditional meetings in which precise instructions were issued in the past

Context:
Thus, the ‘call to arms’ that sets the event in train by announcing time, place and proposed action occurs via a range of social networking, texting or email modes of communication and implies, moreover, commitment to a second pre-event stage in the form of the ‘meet-up’ at which precise instructions are issued to performers.