Shedding Some Light

Here are some follow-up notes about Virtual Fox Fest 2020, the first but likely not the last online event hosted by Geek Gatherings:

• Videos for all presentations are now available on YouTube for free to everyone, as our contribution to the VFP community. Be sure to subscribe to our channel.
• If you want materials (white papers and sample code) for the presentations, go to  https://geekgatherings.com/Registration and “register” for the conference. You’re not really registering since it’s over, but in the Registration Fees section of the registration page, you’ll see “Virtual Fox Fest 2020 Session Materials (download)”. The cost of the materials is $49. There’s also an opportunity to sponsor Virtual Fox Fest, which means your name will be listed on our Sponsors page.
• We’re planning on doing a survey soon. It’ll be sent to all attendees but if you want to participate so you can help shape future events, email info@geekgatherings.com and ask to be included.
• We have tentative dates for an in-person Southwest Fox conference next year: October 14-17, 2021, at the same location as previous years: the SanTan Conference Center in Gilbert, Arizona. At this point, we don’t know whether we’ll be able to have an in-person event, but hope springs eternal!
• If you didn’t attend Virtual Fox Fest, check out our Facebook page and see what you missed, then plan to attend a future one so you can join in the fun.

On a personal note, I found the Virtual Fox Fest exceeded my expectation on every front. It ran smooth, no show-stopping technical glitches, and the people who attended interacted just like when we are in-person with the exception of handshakes and hugs. I still walked away exhausted and energized at the same time. I’m looking forward to the next event, no matter where it is hosted and how we get together.

But the number of days is dwindling to do so. Our thanks to all those who responded to our plea not to wait for the last minute. Here’s a reminder in case you got busy and forgot…

Virtual Fox Fest starts next week and is held October 15, 21, and 27, 2020! Get registered today! http://geekgatherings.com/Registration

Get Your Geekwear

Order your Virtual Fox Fest gear from https://geekgatherings.logosoftwear.com/. Choose from the options shown or create your own unique Virtual Fox Fest-wear.

To choose your favorite color instead of ours, click the item you want and on that item’s page, click Customize This Product. On the page that opens, click Product & Color and choose the color you want.

To create custom items, click any item. On the page that appears, click Customize This Product. On the page that appears, click Product & Color and then click Change Product. You can select from all items offered by Logo Sportswear.

If you want the VFF logo printed, be sure to start with one of the t-shirts. If you want the logo embroidered, start with anything other than one of the t-shirts.

Once your VFF gear arrives, post your pictures on social media with the hashtag #VirtualFoxFest, so we can see them.

Only 7 days until we gather virtually via the Internet! We look forward to seeing everyone soon.

We’re pleased to announce GeekWear by Geek Gatherings. Order your Virtual Fox Fest gear from the options shown or create your own unique VFFwear.

Unfortunately, because of family matters, Cathy Pountney had to withdraw from presenting this year. Fortunately, John Ryan offered to present “Visual FoxPro Advanced and VFP C++ Compiler: a New Lease of Life for VFP”.

Registration is open, get signed up today! Only 36 days until we gather virtually via the Internet!

Registration for Southwest Fox is now available. See the Speakers page for a list of speakers and Sessions page for a list of sessions. Super-Saver Registration, which saves you $125, is available only through June 30th, so don’t wait. We also let you pick a free pre-con if you register by June 30th.

Putting on a conference is a risky endeavor. Conference centers require a guaranteed minimum income to block the dates of a conference; for a conference like Southwest Fox, that minimum is in the tens of thousands of dollars. We have to commit to the conference center by July 2nd and need your support by July 1st to make that commitment. We will not send out any “We need your help” appeals so please do not wait; register by June 30th! We know most of you like to wait until the last minute to avoid the credit card bill arriving too soon. We will not charge any attendee credit cards or cash any checks until we have committed to going forward (sometime after July 2), so this is not is a reason to wait.

Besides being an organizer, two of my companies are sponsoring the conference. White Light Computing is a Platinum Sponsor this year. CleverFox Backup from Forward Thinking Software is a Gold Sponsor this year.

Doug, Tamar, and I look forward to seeing you in October!

Only 139 days until we gather in Gilbert!

Speakers and sessions have been announced. Registration opens soon; send an email to info@geekgatherings.com if you want us to email you when it’s ready.

And it is true, I am not speaking this year. Doug and Tamar told me to take a year off to maintain my sanity. Actually, it was me who is taking the year off to maintain my sanity. Thanks for understanding. The session list looks really good, and the speakers are the best around this year. I hope you will agree.

Only 170 days until we gather in Gilbert.

Sorry for the delayed post, but good news…

We’ve issued the Call for Speakers for Southwest Fox 2018. If you are interested in presenting, please read the document and consider submitting sessions via the Geek Gatherings Submission Web site.

Registration will begin June 1st, but we have to get the usual great topics from great speakers first. All the details are in the Call for Speakers document so get reading and get submitting. Deadlines are closer than they appear in the mirror.

White Light Computing is once again a Platinum sponsor, and Clever Fox Backup is a Gold sponsor.

Only 234 day until we gather in Gilbert!

Ooops, I goofed! I went on vacation and completely forgot to schedule the end of July reminder to get registered before the Southwest Fox 2017 Early-bird deadline. So to make up for this colossal mistake, we have decided to extend the Early-bird discount of $50 through August 21st.

The conference takes place October 26-29, 2017 in Gilbert, Arizona and we really hope you can be there. Head over to the registration Web site today: https://geekgatherings.com/Registration

Check out our list of amazing speakers and dig into our session tracks on our site: http://swfox.net. Follow the news about the conference on our blog.

We’ve issued the Call for Speakers for Southwest Fox 2017 and Southwest Xbase++ 2017. If you are interested in presenting at either conference, please read the document and consider submitting sessions via the Geek Gatherings Submission Web site.

The conferences take place October 26-29, 2017. Session proposals are due by Monday, March 13 at 8 AM EST.

Having talked with a couple of potential speakers already about the topics they are considering proposing, I am definitely excited about this years conference which is only 241 days away. I look forward to hearing about your submissions.