Macstock Frequently Asked Questions

You may purchase a ticket to Macstock right up to the first day of the conference. However, the deadline to register and receive the full benefits of the Weekend Pass, Single Day Pass, or Weekend Pass+Workshops Pass, including lunch each day and a t-shirt at the time of check-in, is no later than June 28th, 2024.

If you register after June 28th, lunch may not be available (although we’ll try our best to get it for you — please ask at registration!) and we may need to mail a t-shirt to you.

The Macstock VIII refund policy for in-person tickets is as follows:

If circumstances change and you can no longer attend Macstock, you may cancel your registration per the schedule below by providing written notice to the Organizer using the contact information above or via our Contact Us page.

Please keep in mind that there are certain points in the conference planning process where costs are incurred that we cannot recover, so cancellations made 14 days or less prior to the start of Macstock will not be refunded.

The Macstock refund policy for in-person tickets is as follows:

• All Macstock Passes (tickets) include a $10 non-refundable processing fee built in to the price.
• Macstock Passes (tickets) are not partially refundable.
• Cancellation by June 13, 2024: Full refund of registration fee less the $10 processing fee.
• Cancellations made June 14, 2024 through June 27, 2024: Refund of ticket price paid less $50 cancellation fee. Cancellation fee includes the $10 processing fee.
• Cancellation after June 28, 2024: no refunds. Cancellations made 14 days or less prior to the start of Macstock, as well as attendees who fail to attend, will be responsible for the full ticket price paid.

If you do not attend Macstock and did not cancel your registration, you will be responsible for the full ticket price paid and you will not be refunded.

Please remember that canceling your registration does not cancel your hotel and travel arrangements. You are responsible for canceling your own hotel and travel reservations.

Macstock Digital Pass:

Due to the nature of the pass, Digital Pass ticket purchases are non-refundable after the content has been delivered to Digital Passholders. This includes any live streamed content.

If you have any other questions or concerns with your Macstock registration, please Contact Us!

When purchased, you’ll receive an email confirmation of your order. You may print your confirmation and bring it with OR display your confirmation on your device at the Macstock Registration Desk.

If you’re unable to locate your email confirmation, all we ask at the Registration Desk is that you provide your name and email used to purchase your Macstock Pass along with a verifiable ID to confirm your identity.

Absolutely! Please Contact Us to let us know that you’d like to change the day of your Single Day Pass. Because we’re arranging for meals each day, please be aware the deadline to switch days at no cost is June 28th, 2024.

After June 28th, 2024 there will be a $25 fee to cover the additional meal expenses.

Though not listed on the Registration Form, if you are unable to attend the entire weekend, please Contact Us to find out your options to purchase a Single Day Pass for Macstock VIII.

Definitely! When registering, please indicate any special diets and we’ll do our best to accommodate you!

Macstock uses Stripe to process transactions on our website and we use Square at Macstock’s in-person Registration Desk.

Payments made via Stripe should appear on your card statement as Macstock Conference

Payments made via Square should appear on your card statement as SQ* ESC TECHNOLOGIES GROUP

Macstock no longer uses PayPal for website transactions.

*** No credit card information is ever stored on our servers ***

No! Macstock uses Stripe to process transactions on our site. Not only do we not keep your credit card on file, we never even see it! Your payment is sent directly and securely to Stripe.

Payments made via Stripe should appear on your card statement as Macstock Conference

We no longer actively solicit payments via PayPal on our website.

There are several choices for travel to/from most of the regional airports to the Elara Convention Center where Macstock VIII will be held. Those options include public transportation via rail, ride-sharing services, and Taxi & Limo services. Please see our Transportation Page for a sampling of options in the area.

The Elara Convention Center at Holiday Inn Crystal Lake has created a special room block at a great rate for Macstock attendees. However, if you prefer a different hotel chain, there are several to choose from in the area. Many of them are located within Crystal Lake and only a few minutes from the Elara Convention Center.

Remember: If you’ll need transportation while staying in the area, please contact your hotel to inquire if local shuttle services are available to you and if your hotel will provide shuttle service to the Elara Convention Center.

You may want to check out the McHenry County Conservation District website for their available campgrounds. They are a fantastic organization and do a lot to preserve and protect the land of McHenry County.

Information about their available camping can be found here: http://www.mccdistrict.org/rccms/individual-campsite-reservations/

For camper/RV camping with a few more amenities, there’s also the Chicago Northwest KOA in Union, IL: https://koa.com/campgrounds/chicago/

Macstock has defined both a Code of Conduct for its attendees as well as a set of rules we ask each speaker to acknowledge and abide by during the conference and official conference-related events (such as the Midwest Mac Mingle).

In short:

Macstock is dedicated to providing a harassment-free conference experience for everyone, regardless of gender, gender identity and expression, age, sexual orientation, disability, physical appearance, body size, nationality, race, or religion (or lack thereof). We do not tolerate harassment of Macstock participants in any form. Sexual language and imagery is not appropriate for any Macstock venue, including talks, workshops, parties, Twitter and other online media. Macstock participants violating these rules may be sanctioned or expelled from the conference without a refund at the discretion of the Macstock organizers.