First of all... what we need is a list of people who are willing to say that they will at least make a decent effort to come. Please note that if you say you will, then I do expect that you will. Or, I will bother you incessantly until I drive you insane. Saying that you'll attend the con here, and then putting off any real planning and work on your part until a month before it actually happens will only cause stress and annoyance for all those involved (particularly for myself, but that's my own problem, so... yeah)
Secondly, and this can begin to be established as people start signing up on the "will make the effort to" list, is the when and where for the con. Now, as discussed in chat, we've got a few baselines established for this when and where. It has to be sometime in summer, most likely July or August to maximize attendance. Furthermore, it must be in the United States of America. The number of non-Americans who could attend the convention is rather small compared to the number of Americans, and, to the best of my knowledge, all non-Americans have a passport, while less than half of the Americans who've indicated interest have one. Ergo, to maximize attendance once again, this event must take place in the USofA. Additionally, to make this fair for everybody, I would recommend that you don't put up your own hometown as the location to hold the con. Unless you're willing to put a half dozen people up for a few nights, in which case I have only one thing to say "Do you drive?"
So now with this in mind, let the discussion begin. I'd like to hear any and all suggestions for locations and time, so that we can make a decision on this that fits as many people's schedule and budget as possible. Once we've settled on when and where, we can begin talking accommodation, itinerary, and transit, so the sooner we get this established, the sooner people can begin booking flights, trains, and days off!
For reference, I'll be making a list here of UVers who've indicated their interest in attending the Con, as well as their locations (however broad they wish it to be) so that educated decisions can be made regarding the ultimate location of the Con. This list will be kept as up to date as possible, so check back whenever you nececary.
*Note: this location should be where you expect to be during the summer, not wherever you are now, seeing as how most of us here are students*
Potential Attendees:
The_Vizir - Fort McMurray, Alberta, Canada
Windra - Ocean Grove, New Jersey
Gaius - Houston, Texas
ddpej - Backwoods Michigan
forgerofsouls - Aloha, Oregon
Sithrazer - Elsewhere in Michigan
Toadie - Ontario, Canada
Luxon Cobrat - Rockport, Indiana
Empyrean - Tulsa, Oklahoma
Code ZX - Near Juno, Central California
Possible Meet Locations:
Chicago, Illinois
ddpej's backyard in Michigan
Indianapolis, Indiana for GenCon Indy
I might prefer something slightly further south for entirely selfish reasons. But Chicago should work fine for me, and I have no other suggestions in mind. Anybody else?
Then I definitely could go. But it would be a good idea to decide the place on where the majority of you guys live. Good luck you all!
