Venue update, Discord, and what's next.
Good news on the venue front: I've been in active talks with a college in the Chicago Suburbs and have toured the space in person. It checks the boxes — proper computer lab setup, enough capacity for our expected attendance, and its really great. I'm genuinely excited about it.
That said, I want to be upfront: the contract cannot be signed until June 15. There are constraints on the venue's end that make it impossible to finalize before that date. I know that's not the full confirmation everyone's been waiting for, and I'm not going to pretend otherwise. What I can say is that this is a real lead that I've put real time into, and I'll have a definitive answer for everyone around June 15. That leaves 3 months of time to book your travel and stay which should be enough.
If you're thinking about booking travel or lodging now — that's totally reasonable given the September 19 target date. Just make sure anything you book is fully refundable until we have official confirmation. I'll notify everyone on the interest list the moment the contract is signed.
The Discord server is now live. Join at discord.gg/KCzJYVmgur — this is the home for real-time updates, questions, and general community activity around the event.
Volunteer coordination will also be handled through Discord. If you've looked at the Help Out page and any of those roles seem like a fit, join the server and message me directly. I'll grant you access to the volunteer channels from there. That's where I'll be organizing things like streaming, design assets, hotel research, and day-of help.
I'll continue posting updates here on the news tab directly, so you don't need to be on Discord to stay informed. Both will stay current.
One more thing: donations are now open. If you want to help make this happen and support fee assistance for attendees who need it, you can contribute now via the finances page. Every contribution is logged publicly, with an anonymous option available. I appreciate it more than I can say.
More to come. Talk soon.
— JSwole