by Mike | Mar 20, 2024 | Macstock News, Macstock VIII
FINAL CALL! We still have a handful of speaking slots open! If you’ve been struggling with submitting an idea, be sure to reach out to me soon! Not sure about your topic or have reservations about taking the stage? Macstock is open to everyone and we’re looking for fresh new ideas! I’m here to help, so if you have any questions, drop me a note and we’ll chat! mike@macstockconferenceandexpo.com
Macstock 8’s theme this year is “Level UP” and we’ll be hosting many of your favorite presenters from past years (yes, a few are lined up already!), but the Macstock Community is made up of an amazing group of people from all walks of life who offer a broad range of interests and experiences, so we’re always looking to help bring YOU to Macstock’s stage to share your unique twist on tech or this year’s theme!
As we did last year, Macstock’s Saturday & Sunday Sessions will take a more traditional, 45-minute format and should be focused on a specific concept, skill, or way of working with Apple (or other) hardware & software. As in past years, these sessions will be available to all Weekend Pass attendees.
You have something special to offer and All Are Invited to submit a talk for Macstock!
If you are interested in presenting at Macstock this year, please reach out to me ASAP and we’ll discuss your idea! And if you know someone who would make a great presenter, please get in touch with them, introduce Macstock, and ask them to contact me directly to learn more!
Whether or not your presentation is selected, learning about you, your experiences, and topics that you enjoy exploring helps us Level UP Macstock for the future!
by Mike | Mar 20, 2024 | Macstock News, Macstock VIII
We’re kicking off 10 Years of Macstock this summer and I couldn’t be more excited to share with you what’s planned for Macstock 8!
Not only are we building a line up of 14+ great presenters who will be giving talks centered around this year’s theme, “Level UP!”, but we have a brand new venue this year too! For the first time in Macstock history (and you’ve all been asking for this), you’ll have hotel, conference center, and plenty of room to hang out with fellow attendees each evening all…in…one…place!
And that’s not all! With 8 Speakers announced so far (and more coming in the weeks ahead), we’re topping off what will already be an awesome weekend by offering a day of Workshops as an “add on” to the Weekend Pass! Developed with the help of Mike Schmitz and led by some of your favorite Macstock presenters, Macstock’s Workshop sessions aim to provide deeper dives into topics through Interactive Discussion and In-depth Demonstrations. I’ve been wanting to bring workshops to Macstock for several years and the new venue makes it possible this year!
Here’s a Quick Re-cap of Macstock 8’s Weekend:
Macstock VIII will take place July 12, 13 & 14, 2024 at the Elara Convention Center
at Holiday Inn Crystal Lake, where we’ve got a specially discounted block of rooms at a great rate for Macstock Weekend. More info on that below.
Standard Weekend Pass (Saturday & Sunday):
Sessions will be held from 9:00am – 5:00 PM on July 13 & 14, 2024
Weekend Pass + Workshops (Friday, Saturday & Sunday):
Please plan to arrive a day earlier! Workshops will be held from 9:00am – 5:30 PM on Friday, July 12, 2024.
One More Thing:
Macstock VIII’s Weekend Pass is Available NOW and for the next two weeks (exp. April 3rd) you can SAVE on your Weekend Pass by using the code, EARLYSPRING, when checking out!
by Mike | Feb 4, 2024 | Macstock News, Macstock VIII
Macstock VIII will host many of your favorite presenters from past years (yes, a few are lined up already!), but the Macstock Community is made up of an amazing group of people from all walks of life who offer a broad range of interests and experiences, so we’re always looking to help bring YOU to Macstock’s stage to share your unique twist on tech or this year’s theme!
As we did last year, Macstock’s Saturday & Sunday Sessions will take a more traditional, 45-minute format and should be focused on a specific concept, skill, or way of working with Apple (or other) hardware & software. As in past years, these sessions will be available to all Weekend Pass attendees.
We’re also exploring the idea of offering Workshops at Macstock VIII! Workshops would be offered as an “add-on” experience that provides a more in-depth, deeper dive, into a topic. Workshops should encourage discussion & activity and may range from as little as 90 minutes to up to half a day!
You have something unique to offer and All Are Invited to submit a talk for Macstock!
If you are interested in presenting at Macstock this year, please reach out to me and we’ll discuss your idea! And if you know someone who would make a great presenter, please get in touch with them, introduce Macstock, and ask them to contact me directly to learn more!
Whether or not your presentation is selected, learning about you, your experiences, and topics that you enjoy exploring helps us Level Up Macstock for the future!
by Mike | Feb 4, 2024 | Macstock News, Macstock VIII
It’s hard to believe, but 2024 marks the beginning of 10 Years of Macstock! Who would have thought that after a single-day gathering on Father’s Day weekend in 2015, we’d still be around in 2024 marking Macstock’s 10th year?
Although this is only our 8th in-person gathering (yeah, I see you counting out those fingers!), let’s not forget two great virtual years in 2020 and 2021!
So, I figured why not stretch this celebration out?
We’re going to chomp those cherries to Level Up Macstock in 2024 and keep our celebration going through Macstock X in 2026!
by Mike | Feb 4, 2024 | Macstock News, Macstock VIII
Much like Woodstock’s Woodstock Willie, who emerged from his stump, yawned, and stretched his furry paws before declaring that his shadow was most definitely NOT seen and we would have an Early Spring (yay!), Macstock’s own prognosticator, Macstock Mike, emerged from his post-Macstock 7 slumber, yawned and stretched (he does not have furry paws), looked about and declared that we would, most definitely, have a Macstock VIII in 2024!
Yes, we may be starting off a little more slowly with the newsletters, but Macstock Mike has been spending the past month or so busily coordinating dates with select presenters and, more importantly, working hard to land a venue for this year!
But, with said venue just…about…landed (a story for another time), I think we’re ready to drop a few quarters into the ol’ coin slot and Press Start on Macstock VIII!
Save the Date!
Finding a venue was a bit trickier this year for reasons I’ll happily share in a future live stream (or perhaps over a pint or two some evening Macstock Weekend) but Janet and I found a place that we feel will be PERFECT to Elevate the Macstock experience to the Next Level.
It’s got everything we need. In one place!
And remember driving all over McHenry county jumping from hotel, to venue, to meeting up with friends after a fantastic day of talks? Yep…we think we’ve got most of that licked too!
I’m excited to share more details just…as…soon…as…I…can, but we’re still working out some final details with the convention center, so contracts aren’t quite in place yet, but what I can tell you is to mark your calendars and save the dates because:
Macstock VIII is coming the weekend of July 12-14, 2024!
by Mike | Aug 30, 2023 | Macstock News, Macstock TV, Macstock VII
The Macstock VII Digital Pass Recordings are LIVE and ready for you to watch!
I can’t believe it’s been just over a month since Macstock ended. (Re)Watching this year’s talks as I cut down the live stream into individual presentations reminded me of the amazing line up we had at Macstock VII. Every speaker hit it out of the park and I couldn’t be prouder to bring you the Digital Pass Recordings so you, too, can enjoy them again and again!
Whether you joined us for Macstock VII with a Weekend Pass, a Virtual Pass, OR you purchased a Digital Pass outright, you now have access to Macstock VII’s full schedule including 11 fantastic presentations, 2 days of the Macstock Film Festival, plus the MGG Caucus (which you can also enjoy as episode 993 of Mac Geek Gab)
Yep, it’s all there — including the stuff in-between the talks (just as if you were sitting there in person).
But, what if you don’t want to sit through all the extra fluff? No worries! I’ve included cues about 20 seconds into each video that let you know where to “jump” to get straight to the action!
Speaking of cues: In the interest of full disclosure, I did make slight changes to the original live stream recordings here/there if I felt it necessary to help you hear or see a portion of the weekend a little better. As they say, Live Happens!, so “some portions of the recording have been edited for time and/or content.” 😁
Oh! I should probably mention that if you couldn’t make it to Macstock VII (in person or virtually) and thought you might have missed your chance to purchase a Digital Pass the first time around, they’re still available! Just visit https://macstockconferenceandexpo.com/product/macstock-vii-digital-pass/ to pick up your Macstock VII Digital Pass today!
I’m thrilled with how well this year’s Digital Pass turned out and I hope you are too! It’s amazing how far we’ve come with the Digital Pass in just a few short years.
