KeyCon 2017!! --> OVER

[ghostjuggernaut]

My top choices right now are NoVa or Vegas. Of course that's assuming we have someone to organize.

[mike52787]

Florida please! If it's florida, Ill be there.

[litster]

Anyone who works at Amazon, Google, Microsoft in the Seattle area?  Maybe they can reserve conference rooms in those companies.

[Kellybear]

I vote Seattle.

[keytohopiness]

Ditto!

[Waateva]

I vote for Flint.  Super cheap lodging, and a lot of people would get to experience the feeling of possibly being gunned down in an alley for the first time!

[Flyersfan1]

If people are tired of Chicago, I vote Vegas.  Cheap flights, dirt cheap lodging, tons to do.  Would give me a nice excuse to go back; haven't been in some time.

Philly kind of fits all the necessary criteria.  Large enough airport and close proximity to the I95 mega dense population for easy driving for lots of people.  Moderate lodging costs right in the heart of the city, plenty to do outside of the con, lots of good food (dalessandro's anyone??).

DC isn't much more expensive than other large cities for lodging and there's plenty to do. I don't think you'd need to host it outside the city to keep costs down, but you could stay outside due to the metro.  Flights aren't as cheap though, so that's a down side.  Anyone from this area can drive to Philly instead. 

The Rockies alone are enough to draw me to Denver.. don't care about anything else!

I like you.  They are 5 minutes from my house!

[jal]

I'd personally lean Los Vegas, not that my vote should mean much. I don't especially like Vegas, but it is easy for me to get to and cheap, and I'm coming for the people and the keyboards, not the gambling and blow, so local attractions don't mean much to me.

Philadelphia would probably be my East Coast choice; I used to live in NYC and could visit some old friends before or after.

Every time I've been to D.C. something bad has happened. Doesn't mean I won't come, but I'll pack extra lawyers, guns and money.

[riotonthebay]

Las Vegas 

[Vadurr]

In for Vegas!

[bmmcwhirt]

Indianapolis is pretty central.

[Joey Quinn]

Indianapolis is pretty central.

But it's in Indiana

[romevi]

Indianapolis is pretty central.

But it's in Indiana

^

[ghostjuggernaut]

Is there anyone in vegas that is willing to organize everything?

[exitfire401]

I vote for Flint.  Super cheap lodging, and a lot of people would get to experience the feeling of possibly being gunned down in an alley for the first time!

Or K-zoo, where your uber will get you where you're going, but take a few lives before or after

[XMIT]

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.

[Joey Quinn]

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.

This sounds like the best option so far.

I took a quick scroll through that collection folder, with all those vintage boards what made you buy a Blackwidow?

[XMIT]

Y'all come down to Texas. )

This sounds like the best option so far.

I took a quick scroll through that collection folder, with all those vintage boards what made you buy a Blackwidow?

Buy?! )

These were recycler finds. At least, the big ones were. The little one was something that Goodwill Austin was selling online. I fully believe in supporting the good work they do by buying their stuff. Plus, Razer Greens in good condition aren't so bad - I prefer them to Cherry MX Blues (higher actuation, lighter, less hysteresis).

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.

[mniels]

Y'all come down to Texas. )

This sounds like the best option so far.

I took a quick scroll through that collection folder, with all those vintage boards what made you buy a Blackwidow?

Buy?! )

These were recycler finds. At least, the big ones were. The little one was something that Goodwill Austin was selling online. I fully believe in supporting the good work they do by buying their stuff. Plus, Razer Greens in good condition aren't so bad - I prefer them to Cherry MX Blues (higher actuation, lighter, less hysteresis).

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.

Thank you for making me feel like I do think spend my free time efficiently.....


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[Joey Quinn]

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.

Texas just moved to my top choice for this Keycon.

[XMIT]

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.

Texas just moved to my top choice for this Keycon.

If you do this during the summer, I don't think you'll enjoy it nearly as much. Spring and fall are the best weather wise. Summer is hot, and winter can be anything.

[kurplop]

Great offer, XMIT. I think it would be fun to check out your stash. Summer heat in Texas is oppressive but spring and fall can be real nice.

[pinkizhip]

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.

This sounds awesome. I'd try to make this shindig.
+1

[Air tree]

Texas sounds great!


I'll see if I can afford to go this year. If it's texas it'll be a lot closer. 

[Ciemnika]

Our nation's Capitol, maybe?  Two airports, lots of flight choices, and more possible locations than you can shake a stick at.


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Also expensive AF for places to stay (or at least what people that have traveled there recently have told me).

I can't  imagine that it would be any more expensive then say, Chicago.  Plus, you could do it in Arlington or Alexandria which would be less expensive and you are still only a 5 minute Metro from the city if you want to do some sight seeing.  And those areas by themselves are great and have lots to do.  Just a thought.

This. It doesn't have to be held right downtown near the capitol or anything. There are plenty of nearby places around DC and northern VA that would be fun and very affordable for this type of event. Group tours of the area would be a nice side benefit.


"KC DC" make it happen! =)

Since I live in Northern VA, I'm a huge fan of this plan. I'm right by Dulles airport if anyone has questions about the area.

Just so y'all know, NoVA is not expensive to visit. It's not as inexpensive as middle-of-nowhere Alabama, of course, but anywhere that's a massive destination for tourists tends to have artificially deflated prices for accommodations unless it's a luxury destination (see: Las Vegas, Atlantic City, Cancun, etc.). I've brought my parents here numerous times, and have put them in 4-star and 5-star hotels every single time and paid never more than $175 a night (for the Ritz Carlton), and typically closer to $120 a night.

There are lots of places where a convention could be held in VA or DC, but the smart choice would be to do it west of the city, not south, and definitely not inside. Look at Reston, Vienna, or Falls Church as possible central location points, which are all easily metro-accessible for people who'd like to venture into the city.

[mniels]

Our nation's Capitol, maybe?  Two airports, lots of flight choices, and more possible locations than you can shake a stick at.


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Also expensive AF for places to stay (or at least what people that have traveled there recently have told me).

I can't  imagine that it would be any more expensive then say, Chicago.  Plus, you could do it in Arlington or Alexandria which would be less expensive and you are still only a 5 minute Metro from the city if you want to do some sight seeing.  And those areas by themselves are great and have lots to do.  Just a thought.

This. It doesn't have to be held right downtown near the capitol or anything. There are plenty of nearby places around DC and northern VA that would be fun and very affordable for this type of event. Group tours of the area would be a nice side benefit.


"KC DC" make it happen! =)

Since I live in Northern VA, I'm a huge fan of this plan. I'm right by Dulles airport if anyone has questions about the area.

Just so y'all know, NoVA is not expensive to visit. It's not as inexpensive as middle-of-nowhere Alabama, of course, but anywhere that's a massive destination for tourists tends to have artificially deflated prices for accommodations unless it's a luxury destination (see: Las Vegas, Atlantic City, Cancun, etc.). I've brought my parents here numerous times, and have put them in 4-star and 5-star hotels every single time and paid never more than $175 a night (for the Ritz Carlton), and typically closer to $120 a night.

There are lots of places where a convention could be held in VA or DC, but the smart choice would be to do it west of the city, not south, and definitely not inside. Look at Reston, Vienna, or Falls Church as possible central location points, which are all easily metro-accessible for people who'd like to venture into the city.

Just for as a point of reference, when I was living in Reston a couple of years ago I would put my folks up in a very nice Hampton Inn for around $100 a night, often less than that.


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[XMIT]

You can get a motel room up by where I am for like $80 a night or something. Hotels in downtown Austin proper will be more expensive. But drive about 30 minutes out of downtown and you're in the country.

[dante]

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.

SOLD.

[aviphysics]

Seattle, or anywhere West of Las Vegas.

[Spopepro]

DC area *is* slightly more pricy than many when you consider flight, lodging, and food, but I also thought it was one of my favorite places to visit when I had no money, just because all the sightseeing is cheap or free. It is probably the friendliest location to young (<21) folks because there's lots of stuff to do.

Vegas is cheap for flights and lodging, but can be down right hostile if you're young, and I've found that in recent years entertainment costs have gone nuts. Still, as a central-ish location that is easy for everyone to get to, it works.

But the thing that really makes a key con awesome is when someone, or a team of people, who are willing to do the heavy lifting of playing host. With that in mind, it's going to be tough to beat XMIT's offer of Austin. While most people think of the cost of attending, the quality of the event is all about planning and ownership. Having events, demos, and a big collection already ready to go (my fave part of the CA con was the crazy historical collections gathered in one place), Austin is probably the best plan at this point.

[mniels]

Unfortunately, the DC area is the only place I could attend (two small children makes leaving a little difficult) but the Austin idea is pretty awesome if that is where it ends up. Just make sure to post lots of photos!


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[Badwrench]

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.

Texas just moved to my top choice for this Keycon.

If you do this during the summer, I don't think you'll enjoy it nearly as much. Spring and fall are the best weather wise. Summer is hot, and winter can be anything.

I think the fall would be a great time to meet up there.  If we do early fall, flights and lodging should be much lower since there is no holiday or usual planned travel then. 

A quick look at Southwest from the west coast for early fall (August) shows about $500 round trip.  This price should actually drop a little as the date approaches when they start to see more empty seats not being purchased.

By comparison, Las Vegas pricing is coming in under $200 for the flight.   


Also, I would be willing to bring my soldering gear (or use someone elses) to do a presentation.  If it is in Vegas, I would be driving anyways, so 3 less people need to rent a car.   

[aptivaboy]

I'd like to toss my vote in for the Vegas area. Tons of cheap flights there (mainline and puddle jumper), tons of places to stay, tons of places to hold an event in, and tons of places to eat.

[apathy3cs]

As long as I remember to keep track of this I'm one of the more open for locations.  I would rather it in driving distance (Texas is a long drive but it's not a bad one - done it twice). 

I will also agree that that Texas recommendation by XMIT sounds amazing, so that's where my recommendation lies.

[clankgy1]

From a purely objective point of view (I'm not likely to be able to make this until job is solidified), Austin sounds amazing.

I'd also suggest SoCal as an option if somebody can organize.  Plenty to do here, weather is nice 95% of the time, etc...

[bmmcwhirt]

Indianapolis is pretty central.

But it's in Indiana

There is a reason why there are so many Cons in IN, like GenCon, Starbase Indy, etc...

It's clean, cheap, and unlike Chicago you wont get murdered, and unlike Vegas your not constantly harassed by prostitutes. I no longer goto DefCon because of Vegas.

[litster]

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.

Holy **** XMIT!  Your collection is incredible!  Much respect.  It would be great if you will host it in Austin.

[XMIT]

Holy **** XMIT!  Your collection is incredible!  Much respect.  It would be great if you will host it in Austin.

I'm happy to host but it's up to all of you to figure out where this is going to be. I usually fly Southwest in and out of Austin airport and the fares aren't so bad. But it's true, places like Las Vegas will always be less expensive. So let's see what happens!

[kurplop]

My son-in-law sets up trade conferences in the Austin area all the time and is willing to help if desired. What would our specific needs be?

[XMIT]

My son-in-law sets up trade conferences in the Austin area all the time and is willing to help if desired. What would our specific needs be?

So the tough one - namely, a venue - is all but settled. TechShop in Round Rock can host. I'm a member there and I can book their conference space for events. That's where we are having the Austin keyboard meetup in March.

This would look a lot like an Austin keyboard meetup. We'd have a space for a while, tables, a space to give presentations, lots of parking, maybe haul in some food. I would probably spend much of the day running demos since you need to be a member to use the machines.

There would be all manner of little errands to run the day of: picking people up from the airport or their hotels if they are having trouble, moving food around, setting up tables. Beforehand, any sort of advertising would be good.

But, really, there is not much. Things like travel, and raffles and giveaways and demos, can be easily delegated.

[kurplop]

It looks like you're able to do much of the heavy lifting. That all sounds great. I'm sure there would be a lot of volunteers willing to help with those other details.

Vegas is closer for me but I've done the LA to Austin drive many times. It's a 21 hour drive. Makes for a long day but the roads are great.

The more I hear, the better the Austin area is sounding to me.

[ghostjuggernaut]

 But no more Uber in Austin

[XMIT]

But no more Uber in Austin

Yeah, and no Lyft either, that is really terrible. But there are a bunch of Austin specific ride sharing services such as Fasten. If we end up doing something here I'd put together some information for guests including a list of ride shares. Best to install those apps before getting on the plane.

If you're not aware, Austin wanted Uber and Lyft to fingerprint their drivers ("think of the children" politics...) so they pulled out.

That's just in Austin, though. I live in Cedar Park and the venue is in Round Rock. They still have Uber and Lyft. But the airport is in Austin, as are the bus and train stations.

[ghostjuggernaut]

But no more Uber in Austin

Yeah, and no Lyft either, that is really terrible. But there are a bunch of Austin specific ride sharing services such as Fasten. If we end up doing something here I'd put together some information for guests including a list of ride shares. Best to install those apps before getting on the plane.

If you're not aware, Austin wanted Uber and Lyft to fingerprint their drivers ("think of the children" politics...) so they pulled out.

That's just in Austin, though. I live in Cedar Park and the venue is in Round Rock. They still have Uber and Lyft. But the airport is in Austin, as are the bus and train stations.

Haha yeah I was mostly joking about it. From what I have heard, it's a pretty hot topic of discussion in Austin.

[nugglets]

and unlike Vegas your not constantly harassed by prostitutes.

This honestly made me LOL. I've been going to Vegas 2-3x a year, every year, for 13 years now (plus many trips with my Dad as a kid). In all that time, I've talked with a prostitute maybe five times. And at least two of those were me approaching them like an ******* to prove a point to someone who didn't believe they were a prostitute.

Then again, I've never been to DefCon (though I've been in Vegas during DefCon, as well as the AVN Awards and a dozen other large events) so maybe they just know the lonely nerd crowd keeps them busy and so they target it? Only thing I can think of. I don't see KeyCon having the same draw for them, so we should be safe

If it's in Austin, I nominate myself for the "drink beer all morning while waiting in line at Franklin's" contingent.

[jal]

I would probably spend much of the day running demos since you need to be a member to use the machines.

FWIW, I'm not sure if I can commit to attending yet, but I'm a TS member as well, and wouldn't mind demoing. I'm mainly a metal guy, but have done the SBUs on all of the wood equipment at the SF shop, as well as several others.

[Dernubenfrieken]

I am definitely in support of anywhere in the northeast, especially Philly or NYC. I could definitely help organize/scout places/cook/etc, especially in NYC area. Lots of good brewerys, restaurants, record stores, multiple barcades and obviously a **** ton of tourist attractions. Hell, if we get a permit we could just set up in central park or something and just have a keyboard picnic.

[dgneo]

I am definitely in support of anywhere in the northeast, especially Philly or NYC. I could definitely help organize/scout places/cook/etc, especially in NYC area. Lots of good brewerys, restaurants, record stores, multiple barcades and obviously a **** ton of tourist attractions. Hell, if we get a permit we could just set up in central park or something and just have a keyboard picnic.

Seconding Philly/NYC. Northeast would be amazing

[ntw]

there should be live-streaming option so people from other countries are able to join virtually

[att1cus]

I live and work in Villanova, PA right outside Philly, and I work for Villanova university.

I'm volunteering my time and resources as an organizer if you guys need one. 

I can host a keycon right here at Villanova.  We have large spaces equipped with internet and streaming technologies for broadcasting classes and lectures, which we could use to live stream this event.  It's also very easy to get to Villanova and has lots of parking that I'm sure I could arrange for us.  I also live about 2 minutes from the university if we should need anything from my place.  I can provide lodging for a few others at my place as well, if needed.

EDIT: There's also affordable lodging nearby.