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[imbri]

[vortech]

I am confused by how you are using the word concurrently, Imbri.

[imbri]

[Syncopal]

Hey all! Just wanted to give a perspective from someone who hasn't attended an Argfest before and IS planning on hoofing it to Hotlanta this year to break my FestCherry.

Having no preconcieved notions about it, I am really excited about both parts of the conference. And correct me if I'm wrong, but more attention/corporate interest = more games to play and more options for the PM's yes? Not to mention to those of us who want to eventually make a career out of producing ARG's, it opens more avenues for actually getting paid to do them, which means more of us in the community can produce better and bigger games.

I am especially looking forward to the game days to see what others have come up with and different and new ways of live interaction with the peoples. Not to mention watching how the groupthink differs between in person and online. Add to that the fact that I am coming into the ARG world from more of a live event/entertainment background, it is really one of the main reasons Im flying across the country to attend.

And how can this event lose it's social angle? I cannot wait to actually be able to meet you guys and buy you a drink (probably frozen lol!) for doing all of the hard lifting while I have been mostly lurking over the past few months! LOL!


Thanks to everyone whos putting it together! And in the next month or so I should have some time to throw in some volunteer hours for ya!

Cheers!

[miss_seph]

Roughly what part of the city should one start looking for accommodation in? I'm allowed to go as long as it doesn't cost too much, but I can't book my flights until I know that accommodation won't break the bank, and I can't tell that unless I know what part of the city to start looking in

[Nighthawk]

I think they previously mentioned Midtown Atlanta.

I'll probably book my flight in the coming days, but am still hesitant to do so without a schedule. As it stands now, I will definitely be there Thursday and Friday for the "business" days, but don't think I'll be able to stay beyond that due to financial and work-related reasons.

Also, I might still be going alone, so the possibility of wanting to share a room still exists.

[Pixiestix]

typically we all get rooms at the same hotel {which is also were the conference takes place}, with a group discount, and normally the hotel is announced when registration opens... which it was supposed to be already.

All i know is the buzz in chat the other night from people not in the know is that the hold up might be a lack of sponsorship leading to a lack of deposit money for the hotel. but that's unconfirmed rumor.

ETA: OMG YAY CARO!!!!!!

[imbri]

It's not an unconfirmed rumor - it says as much in the blog post calling for ARGFest Boosters. We need money to reserve venues. We prefer not to open registration until we have guaranteed venues. That is why there has been a delay - it doesn't seem fair or right to place the initial costs on the backs of the people already giving hours of their time. Fortunately, an absolute angel and has loaned us some money to get us started and it shouldn't be long now

As for waiting until a schedule is posted before getting airfare - we're accepting panel proposals for a few more weeks and it'll be another week or two before the schedule is posted. The basics won't deviate from what is already on the website, so you can count on that.

And, yes, it'll be centereed around Midtown which is a widely recognized neighborhood in Atlanta so if you google Midtown Atlanta hotels you should find a variety of places at a variety of price points.

And I've got to echo pixie's OMG YAY CARO! I cannot wait to meet you

[miss_seph]

Thanks gals, I'm looking forward to meeting you lot too - assuming I can get flights at a decent price - it's not looking too promising now though Cross your fingers for me

[Pixiestix]

woot!!! booked my flights for under $200!!!!

i'll be touching down in atlanta about 2pm on wednesday, and i'll be leaving monday night at about 7:30 {flight at 9:30}.

[Euchre]

If there's a need for seed funding to help ARGFest get secured venues, maybe it's time for an 'ARGFest Needs Your Help' Global Announcement post/thread not unlike the Unfiction Needs Your Help! thread of a few years back?

[imbri]

Hey all!

The submission deadlines for games & sessions have been extended. You now have until May 15th to tell us what sorts of sessions & panels you want to have and, if you want to run a game during the festival, you have to get that into us by June 15. In both cases, earlier is better! This is especially true for panel & session ideas if you are proposing something but aren't the speaker because we'll have to find the speaker(s).

I know Lex made a stink about how we've gone all corporate, but that couldn't be further from the truth. We're an event that is put together by the community for the community. What's awesome and has always set us apart is that our community is made up of people who think, play, and do (sometimes all three!). The thing is, right now we're hearing more from the thinkers & doers (the academics and designers). If the players want a voice, they have to speak up! So, I encourage you to let us know what you want to hear and see at ARGFest.

Also, because we're put together by the community for the community, we really need the community to get involved. As always, we're desperate for help. So, if you want to get involved, please fill out the volunteer form and if you have skills & experience that you think we'll need make sure to mention them.

Direct links to the various forms & other stuff...
Volunteer Form
Panel/Session Submissions
Game Submissions
Twitter
Facebook

[Nighthawk]

You know, I was thinking... Since the issue seems to be lack of sufficient funds to reserve venues, why not begin taking ARGFest registrations and use the revenue that generates?

[imbri]

There are a couple problems with that approach from our perspective.

1) There is no guaranteeing that if we open registration, people will register when we can't tell them that we, for sure, have venues and vendors. For example, you had qualms about reserving a hotel room (which requires no money down and can be easily canceled) before you knew things were in place, so why would you give us money?

2) The price of registration isn't some random number. It is based on how much the conference will cost. We cannot know that until we reserve venues. If option A will cost us $40,000 and option B will cost us $60,000 - what do we charge for registration? If we open up registration hoping for option A, but the venues & vendors are booked in the meantime, we won't have enough money to make option B happen and who eats the cost? Or, if we can't find someone to give us the money, do we cancel and refund all of the registrations that come in knowing that people will lose airfare, etc. How long do we wait in the process? Do we hold out, hoping we can find the extra $20k, or do we cancel immediately?

In the ideal world, and hopefully next year, we'll have money to put down deposits and won't run into this problem. That was not the case this year. If you remember back to last summer, you remember us begging for money so that SpaceBass wouldn't have to eat the cost. We had absolutely nothing to put down for this year and, I'm sure, that's a big part of why we're so cautious. It's also why we created the Boosters - heck, if we're gonna beg, better to do it earlier and have the ability to acknowledge your help publicly - it's just a mention on the site & and in the program, but it's something.

Fortunately, we've gotten a couple sponsors in the last week or so. I have meetings set up this week with a couple of the venues and one of the vendors. Things are moving ahead. Registration will be opening soon. Along with, I hope, a few speaker announcements. Oh! and I cannot wait to spill who the Grand Inquisitor is going to be this year. Hee.

(but, still, if you want to be a Booster, we won't turn ya down. more money is more better )

[Caseys_Mom]

tech. question