2017/03/05: Date poll is done!
June 23-25 is the tentative winner, pending confirmation from att1cus.
2017/02/22: Date poll is up!
Get those votes in!
KeyCon will be taking place in Philadelphia, PA this year! 2017/02/12: City poll is up! We have organizers for three cities so far:
Austin - XMIT
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Y'all come down to Texas. 
)
If we host it in Austin:
1. I can partner with TechShop as a venue. I can run info sessions on injection molding, CNC milling, 3D printing, soldering, welding, painting, and laser cutting using their facilities.
2. You can see my keyboard collection in person. https://goo.gl/photos/5phzWXQMQZ9jwcvD9. I've got a truck and can bring as many boards as people want to see.
3. I'll smoke a brisket. Seriously. It takes a day but it's amazing.
4. It's warm in the winter.
I'll show up if it's in Dallas or San Antonio for sure.
Plus - I can't promise this at all but there could be a little field trip to a good vintage finds place in Kerrville (2 hours) or a recycling facility in Dallas (3 hours). If it happens I've got a car that can haul seven adults plus me.
I'll put together a better pitch later but, by comparison, Austin will be warmer, have better BBQ, have more access to heavy machining facilities at TechShop, and maybe a little cheaper for lodging. But it also won't be as friendly for walking. Downtown is super friendly for walking, but the airport and the venue are not that close and will require cabs or ride shares to get around.
It seems like folks are more excited about the Philly option and that's fine but again I probably won't be able to make it up depending on the date.
- att1cus
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Reasons for keycon 2017 in Philly:
Facilities:
I work for Villanova university in Villanova, PA. My job at VU is to help record and stream classes and events out to external students and interested parties, so I can stream this event live assuming we’re in an equipped room. If we’re not in an equipped room, we can simply use a laptop and USB webcam to stream the event live on twitch. As an employee, I can reserve classrooms on campus at any time, so long as they have not already been booked. The facilities have AC/heat, wifi and Ethernet access, projectors with audio access, and plenty of rest rooms. Campus also houses several dining halls for dining options during convention hours. Parking at campus is free and convenient for transporting things to/from your car to the room(s) we choose. I can even reserve other individual classrooms in case we are interested in doing break-out workshops (I.E. soldering 101).
Transit: printed guides will be provided if you need them
Driving:
The campus has its own exit off of I-476, which has a close connection to I-95. Commuting there will be very easy with GPS if you decide to drive. As mentioned above, there will be plenty of free parking.
Trains:
Villanova has their own train station on the Paoli/Thorndale regional rail line, provided by SEPTA. 30th street station in Philly is an Amtrak and SEPTA station, and is a major hub for interstate trains as well as the local regional rail trains. Commuters can take an Amtrak train to 30th street station in Philly and then ride the regional rail train from there directly to Villanova’s campus.
Flights:
The philly international airport is directly on I-95 for anyone who wants to fly in and rent a car. There is also a regional rail train that will take you directly to 30th street station in center city philly, where you can switch to the paoli/thorndale regional trail train and ride directly to campus.
Lodging:
There are several area hotels surrounding Villanova university, as well as plenty of hotels in the city. I live about .5 miles from the campus, and can host 1 or 2 guests at my place.
Food:
Several on-campus dining halls and tons of options for eating around campus. Restaurants for every palette: Chinese, Japanese, pizza/hoagies/steaks, wings, middle eastern, vegan, etc. Also many, many restaurant options in the city and at KOP mall.
Bars:
Lots of bars in walking distance to the campus.
Attractions:
Several museums in Philadelphia, including a display at UPenn on ENIAC – the first computer ever made. King of Prussia mall is also close by, and is one of the largest malls in the country, with tons of restaurants and higher-end retailers, plus an awesome movie theater. Their site has all their details: http://www.simon.com/mall/king-of-prussia . There are also many local historic sites, such as Valley Forge park in close proximity. There’s also pro sporting events and music in the city if you are interested in those types of events while here.
- Dominathan/jal
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I'd be willing to host in SF, if people would want to do it here (I know the Massdrop HQ keyboard meetup is also here). My apartment building has a rentable space that could definitely work well. Plus, I'm right next to BART.
Heck, I'd help with that, too, and could offer similar access to Techshop demos as has been discussed for Austin.
But given people have complained about the potential costs for doing this in the DC area, I'm pretty sure it is a nonstarter, given that we're in a neck-and-neck race with Manhattan for Most Expensive City. Also, we're pretty much as far left as you can go on the map, meaning worse flights for everyone <waves> over there.
That said, if for some reason folks wanted to do it, I'd love that and could throw effort and some resources at it.
The poll will be active for 1 week, starting 2017/02/12.
A new year is upon us, so a new KeyCon shall be planned. I'd like to have a dedicated organizer this year, to ensure that the plans don't fall through. Let's start the discussion by picking a location, keeping in mind that we will need someone to run the show and make things go smoothly.
Poll
