by Mike | Dec 19, 2024 | Macstock IX, Macstock News
Hey, I figure if Halloween season can begin in August and I’m STILL receiving BFCM emails nearly a month after that one day “holiday”, then I can certainly SHARE my wishes with everyone for a very happy and prosperous 2025 in mid-December!
Yeah, wow, the gears of time are turning quickly and I can’t believe this year is coming to a close (where did November go?!?), but after the biggest Macstock ever — and the beginning of our 10 Years of Macstock Celebration — I’m more than excited to SHARE with you throughout the weeks ahead what’s heading your way at Macstock 9 in July!
Wait…July? Do I know something that you don’t? Oh, right! The dates! Yes! This is the Save the Date newsletter! And with so much going on in everyone’s lives during the winter holidays, I promise to keep this newsletter short and only SHARE what you need to know right now. In fact, it’s quite possible this will be the shortest Macstock newsletter ever!
Yes, folks are already asking about next year (if I’m being honest, the first “asks” were AT Macstock 8), and I know the dates are super important for those of you looking to make your vacation travel plans for attending Macstock 9 next summer, so I’m happy to SHARE that we’ll be back again with 3 Days of Macstock on July 11, 12, and 13th, 2025.
And where will it be held? The same awesome place as last year: The Elara Convention Center at the Holiday Inn Crystal Lake. One place to stay and one place to SHARE a weekend of engaging, productivity-enhancing talks while networking with the amazing community at Macstock.
Now, there is still a TON of work ahead of me in the weeks ahead like tearing down the Macstock 8 website and updating it for Macstock 9, so please bear with me if the information seems a little … err … outdated at the moment. But, rest-assured, Macstock 9 is coming, and now that I’ve SHARED the dates, you know WHEN.
If only I could think of a theme. <grin>
So What’s Next?
- Call for Presenters! Have an idea for a talk? I’m looking to switch things up a bit in 2025, but still making sure my ideas will work with the weekend’s 3-day schedule. Stay tuned and watch this space for the official announcement to submit your talk!
- Weekend Passes will go on sale in early 2025.
- Hotel Room Reservations will open along with Weekend Pass sales. To make sure you get the best rates, please don’t call the hotel or look to book your room until the discounted room block is announced.
Wishing you and yours all the best for the holiday season. See you at Macstock 9!
Mike
by Mike | Jul 8, 2024 | Macstock News, Macstock VIII
Do you have the Weekend Pass + Workshops ticket and were wondering where you’d go for lunch on Friday during the Workshop Lunch Break? Maybe you were going to check out the Hotel Restaurant or pop down the road to a Chicago classic, Portillo’s?
Well, I’m excited to announce that OWC is back this year as a Sponsor of Macstock and they’ve decided they would like to Sponsor Lunch for Macstock’s Workshop Attendees!
That’s right! Lunch on Friday is compliments of OWC!
So, rather than loading up the car to see what you can find to eat, it’ll just be a quick step over to the Birch Room for lunch instead!
A huge Thank You to OWC for reaching out to support Macstock this year. They’ve been a fantastic partner to Macstock since 2015 and it’s great to have them back once again for our 10th Anniversary. PLEASE be sure to stop them if you see them in the halls of Macstock to say Thanks!
For over 35 years, Other World Computing has delivered outstanding software and solutions, as well as comprehensive, free resources so you can go further with your technology. Customer inspired, team focused, OWC designs, manufactures, and offers the best solutions for enabling your world. When it has to work, customers choose OWC.
Visit OWC and check out their solutions for your Mac and iOS devices at macsales.com.
by Mike | Jun 21, 2024 | Macstock News, Macstock VIII
I’m super excited to welcome Ecamm as a sponsor of Macstock 8!
I’ve been using their products for years including Call Recorder, PhoneView, iGlasses and, their flagship product, Ecamm Live! In fact, many of you already know that as of Macstock 7, all the video production for the Digital Pass is handled by our amazing volunteer Roger … and Ecamm Live. So it’s extra special for me to have Ecamm as a sponsor of Macstock this year.
And while Ecamm sponsoring Macstock this year is pretty darn awesome, we’ve also got a couple boxes of cool Ecamm swag to hand out to every single Macstock attendee as well as an absolutely amazing give-away package of software, 1-to-1 training, and merch that ONE Lucky Weekend Passholder will walk away with at the end of Macstock Weekend! (I asked…I can’t get it.) But one of you attending Macstock in person this year WILL get it!
Ecamm has a fantastic community of supportive users making them a perfect fit for Macstock and our own amazing family of Mac users. If you’d like to learn more about Ecamm and Ecamm Live, please visit https://ecamm.com/
by Mike | Jun 21, 2024 | Macstock News, Macstock VIII
From the fantastic talks, to discovering new tips and tricks, to meeting up with great friends old and new, there’s nothing like being at Macstock in person! And we still have plenty of Weekend Passes available if you’d like to join us for Macstock 8!
But if you wish you could make it to Macstock in person and it’s just not going to work to attend for personal, professional, or other reasons, the Macstock Digital Pass may be for you!
Available once again for 2024, the Digital Pass to Macstock 8 is the best way to take in the talks of Macstock Weekend if you can’t be there in person! The Digital Pass delivers on-demand video recordings of Macstock’s Saturday & Sunday sessions to you approximately 30 days after Macstock Weekend. And you can watch it all from wherever your Mac or iPad takes you!
It might not be quite the same as being there (and being at Macstock is pretty darn fun), but it’s the next best thing to seeing all of this year’s wonderful Saturday and Sunday presentations in person! If you’d like to learn more about Macstock 8’s Digital Pass, check it out here!
Please note the Macstock Digital Pass is not a live stream of Macstock VIII.
by Mike | May 14, 2024 | Macstock News, Macstock VIII, Road to Macstock
Chuck does such a great job with The Road to Macstock each year! If you don’t subscribe to his YouTube channel, be sure to do so because the best installments are still to come as Chuck introduces you to each of Macstock 8’s presenters!
Our annual ‘Road to Macstock‘ series kicks off as organizer Mike Potter talks about the changes to this year’s must-attend Apple event. Some of those changes include a new venue where everything is one place (conference, lodging and food) as well as a third day of workshops, new speakers, and more. Mike also talks about the sessions scheduled so far, the third Macstock Film Festival, and more.
