Re: [boost] BoostCon 2011 Dates and Hotel Discount (this week only!)

Subject: Re: [boost] BoostCon 2011 Dates and Hotel Discount (this week only!)
From: OvermindDL1 (overminddl1_at_[hidden])
Date: 2010-05-20 20:29:54

On Wed, May 19, 2010 at 7:52 PM, Nevin Liber <nevin_at_[hidden]> wrote:
> On 19 May 2010 09:44, Rene Rivera <grafikrobot_at_[hidden]> wrote:
>>> Â  1. atmosphere counts, and the conference just wouldn't be the same
>>> Â  Â  Â anywhere else.
>>
>> Which assumes you can't get a similar atmosphere some place else. Note I
>> don't consider the scenery the same as the atmosphere ;-)
>
> Aspen is isolated, which works very well for BoostCon.
>
> For instance, if you walk to a restaurant in town (and you can walk;
> you don't have to drive or cab it), it is very likely you'll run into
> other BoostCon folks. Â And given that it is off season, you can get in
> just about anywhere w/o a reservation.
>
> There are no other evening distractions, so people come back for the
> after dinner sessions, and wake up for the morning sessions.
>
> If you hold it near a big city, you may lose that. Â Big cities have a
> night life. Â Many of us traveling to big cities have friends we rarely
> get to see face to face that we'll take time at night to visit.
>
> Even for locals, they don't tend to stay at the hotel, as it is hard
> to justify the cost. Â And it is also easier for locals to get sucked
> back into work projects because they haven't actually travelled
> anywhere.
>
> Those things go against the intimacy of BoostCon.
>
>> OK, perhaps a poll is in order at this point. I'll set one up for people to
>> fill out.. Do people have suggestions as to good places to consider for
>> holding some future BoostCon at? My shorts list is:
>>
>> * New York
>> * New Jersey
>> * Toronto
>> * Chicago
>
> It isn't just picking a city. Â Someone needs to commit to being the
> point person to make sure that things happen, even if the other
> volunteers have to bail. Â I've put on minor events, and I've watched
> friends put on major events, and it is a lot of work.
>
> And if we skip Aspen, it may hurt the relationships we've built up
> with the Meadows and the Physics Center. Â Changing the venue has
> consequences.
>
>
> Personally, I vote for keeping it in Aspen.

+1 for keeping it in Aspen.

I should actually be able to attend next year, unless it is held
further away, then travel costs raise that to a near impossibility
again.  I live only a 9-10 hour drive from Aspen, so the room costs
are my main thing to deal with.