by Mike | Mar 19, 2025 | Macstock IX, Macstock News
Spring has been teasing us here at Macstock HQ, but spring in Northern Illinois never arrives without a fight. This past week we’ve hit highs in the 70s followed by over an 1″ of snow and lows in the 20s. All…in…the…same…week. Rest assured, by the time Macstock gets here in Summer … well, at least I can promise we won’t have any snow. But that’s about as far as I’ll go with my predictions.
Speaking of Macstock, did you get your Weekend Pass to Macstock yet? If not, don’t miss your chance to save during Macstock 9’s Early Bird Sale!
If you would like to join in the fun and community spirit of Macstock, then don’t miss your chance to pick up your Macstock 3-Day Weekend Pass during our Early Bird Sale that’s running the entire month of March and save yourself $50 OFF the regular price!
Don’t wait too long though, because the Early Bird sale only runs through March 29th, so if you’re planning to join us this July, be sure to get your tickets today!
by Mike | Mar 19, 2025 | Macstock IX, Macstock News, Road to Macstock
This is an exciting week because our friend Chuck Joiner has kicked off his annual Road to Macstock series on MacVoices!
Every year Chuck sits down with all those who put so much time and effort into making Macstock Weekend a fantastic time for all and that list includes Macstock’s presenters, volunteers, sponsors, and, yeah, even me. 😄
Chuck does such a great job with The Road to Macstock each year and if you don’t follow his podcast already, please visit MacVoices.com, subscribe to his MacVoices Dispatch Newsletter, or click to get the latest on his YouTube channel because the best installments are still to come as Chuck introduces you to old friends and new that he’s meeting all along the Road to Macstock!
by Mike | Mar 17, 2025 | Macstock IX, Macstock News
I’m thrilled to announce that Ecamm will be back and partnering with Macstock again this summer at Macstock IX!
Showcasing their flagship product, Ecamm Live, our friends at Ecamm will be at Macstock all weekend long showing off the latest ways to live stream, record, and present! Whether you’re just starting out or are an experienced presenter or streamer, you’ll be able to join Ecamm in their dedicated Demo Room throughout the weekend to experience, hands-on, the latest updates to Ecamm Live, learn new ways to improve your presence on Zoom, YouTube, Twitch, or … even the classroom or office! Heck, you can even pick their brains with your questions about cameras & microphone technology too.
Did I mention they’ll be giving a special 90 minute workshop too? Stay tuned for more details as we get closer!
I’m a long-time Ecamm Live user myself — going back at least 8 years now. Since it’s made for the Mac (and only the Mac), it’s easy to pick up and works exactly as you’d expect a Mac app to work. Even if you’ve never clicked “go live” before, you may be surprised at the flexibility built directly into Ecamm Live. Not only do I use it to produce my audio show (yes, audio show!), but many of you already know that since Macstock 7, all the video production for Macstock Weekend, including the Digital Pass, is produced with Ecamm Live. As an added bonus, I no longer need a stand-alone Zoom client installed on my Mac because that’s also now built into Ecamm Live.
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 or download the demo prior to Macstock, please visit https://ecamm.com/
by Mike | Mar 2, 2025 | Macstock IX, Macstock News
Early Bird Sale Begins!
Our SUPER Early Bird sale may have ended yesterday, but that doesn’t mean the discounts will stop, because Macstock 9’s Early Bird Sale begins TODAY!
That’s right, Macstock’s 3-Day Weekend Pass is having an Early Bird Sale during the month of March! If you would like to join in the fun and community spirit of Macstock, then pick up your Macstock 3-Day Weekend Pass during our Early Bird Sale for $50 OFF the regular price!
Our Early Bird sale only runs through March 29th, so if you’re planning to join us this July, be sure to get your tickets today!
When you attend Macstock this year, you’ll hear community-leading experts SHARE Three Days of engaging, productivity-enhancing Presentations and Workshops empowering you to expand your knowledge and skillset with new tools that can be put to immediate use in your professional or personal life.
Macstock’s Theme for 2025 will be “Share!” and your 3-Day Weekend Pass is scheduled to include:
- All Featured Sessions & Workshops
- Lunch Provided (all three days, Fri-Sun)
- Commemorative Macstock IX T-shirt!
- Free Digital Pass Included: On-demand Recordings of All Sessions (avail. post-Macstock)!
- Access to any of Macstock’s Official Evening Activities (Subject to Change)
- Bonus Swag!
- And…more. There’s always more!
Macstock IX will take place July 11, 12 & 13, 2025 at the Elara Convention Center in the Holiday Inn Crystal Lake.
An Update on the Hotel Block
The hotel block has been going fast! I’ll be working with the hotel to expand the block, so if you’re not seeing room availability or not seeing the type of room you’d like, please know that I’ll have an update on this shortly!
Announcements will be made via the Newsletter, but if you would like a quick email to let you know when more rooms are available, please Contact Me!
by Mike | Feb 15, 2025 | Macstock IX, Macstock News
Macstock 9’s 3-Day Weekend Passes went on sale today, Saturday, February 15th at a special SUPER Early Bird Price of $100 OFF the regular price!
This special Super Early Bird pricing will end on March 1st (that’s TWO WEEKS) so if you already know that you’re headed to Macstock this July 11, 12, & 13th, this will be the absolute best pricing available all year!
Get Your Super Early Bird Weekend Pass Here!
by Mike | Feb 11, 2025 | Macstock IX, Macstock News
As I write this, we’re looking at a Winter Storm Watch for the Macstock Area beginning tomorrow morning (the 12th) and lasting throughout the day with up to 6+ inches of snow predicted across the area.
I can’t help but feel the vast majority of “Woodstockians” may be silently cursing Woodstock Willie the Groundhog who, only just last week, predicted an early Spring!
Darn that groundhog!
But, to be fair to Willie, he may have predicted an early Spring, but he didn’t say anything about “no blizzards” along the way to that Spring.
If you’ve been to Macstock, you may already know the movie Groundhog Day was filmed in Macstock’s hometown, Woodstock, IL and just last week, I was invited to join Katie and Natalie of The VHS Club Video Podcast to discuss the movie and share a couple clips from a walking tour of filming locations! I had a great time on the show and you can check that episode out here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OaPHSwsG72g
Love totally awesome movies from the 80s & 90s? You may want to subscribe to The VHS Club Video Podcast: https://thevhsclubpod.com/
BUT, I have ANOTHER Prediction to share with you: Macstock IX’s SUPER Early Bird Sale!
It’s almost time! Mark your calendars because Macstock 9’s 3-Day Weekend Passes will go on sale this weekend, Saturday, February 15th at a special SUPER Early Bird Price of $100 OFF the regular price!
This special Super Early Bird pricing will end on March 1st (that’s TWO WEEKS) so if you already know that you’re headed to Macstock this July 11, 12, & 13th, this will be the absolute best pricing available all year!
I’ll send out another reminder this weekend because the link to make your Hotel Room Reservations will open up the same day! Remember: 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.
Can’t wait to see you at Macstock 9!
Our SUPER Early Bird sale may have ended yesterday, but that doesn’t mean the discounts will stop, because Macstock 9’s 
As I write this, we’re looking at a Winter Storm Watch for the Macstock Area beginning tomorrow morning (the 12th) and lasting throughout the day with up to 6+ inches of snow predicted across the area.