Evening @ Adler bittage
If you RSVP'd for the LiveTable via comments or email, I have them and have accounted for them.* I was really out of it when I posted the final date and preliminary roundup for this, and when I woke up and saw the response I had a small "Oh lord, so that wasn't just a dream." cold-sweat moment, where I was trying not to wet myself.
When I saw the response, my first order of business was to contact Brian Geiger, who chaired this year's Adhoc/Machack and has been great about giving me heads up on possible problems, as I've given quite a few talks but never been involved in putting anything like this together. It's all stuff one could figure out, but man is it nice to have someone who has already figured out just rattle it off. He then blew me away by telling me that our RSVP's in 2 days passed Adhoc's total attendance for this year.
Right. No pressure there. This was linked from like... three sites, and we passed 150 RSVPs in 2.5 days.
Right now, my biggest concern is finding a place not too far from the planetarium that can handle 100-150 geeks and geekettes showing up demanding alcohol and pub grub, without freaking out or demanding some crazy deposit. I don't expect everyone who wants to attend to want to head somewhere afterwards, but I'm expecting many will because it's such a unique opportunity for people in general, let alone those in the Midwest.
As mentioned, I can't promise that the place we go won't allow people under 21 in, but I get that there'll be students and such attending that are underage, and I get (As do those attending) that not having a chance to shake their hand and say a few words could harm your psyche, so there'll be a little bit of time allotted at the end for shaking hands and such.
*Lastly, RSVP'ing is going to be very important, as this is a month away and word is probably going to leak out more than it has. I appreciate that you guys have been good about this. However, if it comes down to it, and I need to send you a Golden Ticket with a serial number, I need a way to get it to you, so RSVP'ing with no contact info is helpful in terms of head count but dicey in actually getting you in a seat.
Posted by drunkenbatmanSeptember 23, 2005, at 04:00 AM
Comments (7)
Posted by: Evan Schoenberg at September 23, 2005 08:57 AM
Having just helped organize our first post-huge-test party, I feel a need to share a key technique: Offer a minimum guaranteed bartab for the group in exchange for exclusivity (not at all likely on a weekend night, but was very doable for us on a Monday night) or drink/food specials for the crowd. On a Monday night, we got the place [a bar / small club] to ourselves and great specials in exchange for promising a $500 minimum, and that was with approx. 130 people.
Posted by: Chase Browder at September 23, 2005 09:19 AM
count me in for "A night at the Adler", cant wait
Chase
Posted by: Art Pena at September 23, 2005 09:46 AM
Okay,
I might suggest looking up the following website: Metromix ( http://metromix.chicagotribune.com/ ) and then under its "Restaurants" and "Bars & Clubs" sections. In the "Find a [topic]" menu on the left-most column, choose "Grant Park..." as the location (which is where the Adler is) and see what you come up with that matches the event's tone. Hint: I don't foresee much.
Really though; there aren't a lot of choices in the area that would befit the evening's pied piper, el drunkenbatman. So, I'd suggest you choose "Lincoln Park" and "Bucktown/Wicker Park". Though further north of the Adler... more, como se dice, engaging (especially on a Friday night). But maybe those could be saved for the after-after-party.
See ya,
Ap
Posted by: Monica at September 24, 2005 10:47 PM
Hello, just in case I replied in the wrong section, count me in!
RSVP == 2
Monica
Posted by: Andrew Turner at September 26, 2005 08:02 AM
RSVP++;
Posted by: cremes at September 26, 2005 03:16 PM
I already RSVP'ed, but I have a suggestion for the venue afterwards. There is a Bar Louie at the intersection of Polk & Dearborn (the old Dearborn Train Station) that could accommodate this number of people. Also, they card individually as you order instead of hard-card at the door.
This isn't too far away from Adler and could be easily walked in 20 minutes or so.
Don't forget to take everyone up on the buy-you-a-beer offer. :)