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!
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/
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!
The Macstock Community is made up of an amazing group of people from all walks of life who bring a broad range of interests and experiences to Macstock each summer, so we’re always looking for ways to help bring YOU to Macstock’s stage to share your unique twist on tech or this year’s theme!
Macstock IX’s theme is “Share!” and we’re looking for talks that best grab hold of this year’s theme and run with it because Macstock in 2025 will be 3 whole days! And unlike last year, we’re shaking things up a bit and sprinkling the workshops throughout the 3-Day Weekend schedule!
We are especially looking for fresh perspectives and voices to present from Macstock’s stage, so everyone is encouraged to submit a speaking proposal. Even if you’ve never presented before or somehow feel like maybe you shouldn’t apply, please know that Macstock is for everyone and no matter your background or experience level, we want to hear your ideas!
Need some suggestions to get the brain gears turning?
Regular Macstock attendee John (thanks John!) suggested a few topics that he’d be interested in hearing someone SHARE a talk on and I’ve added a few to the list as well. We’ve certainly covered some of these in presentations at prior Macstocks, but no matter the topic, there’s always something new to learn!
If you are interested in presenting at Macstock this year, please click the button below to submit your talk idea OR reach out to me and we’ll discuss your idea!
Ready to Submit Your Talk? Apply to Speak at Macstock 9 Here!
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?
Wishing you and yours all the best for the holiday season. See you at Macstock 9!
Mike
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.
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/