I have to admit, I'm really excited about this devmeet... probably more excited than the people that are coming! This is the first one of these I've put together, and I've put a lot of thought into it. So now I'm gonna make it look all official and stuff and give you allll the details...


What it is: Ohio Devmeet 2007
Where it is: Columbus, OH, in the Short North District
When it is: August 25th, 11:30am until whenever


FAQ:

Where exactly is the meet???
We will be meeting at 11:30am in front of North Market [link] I'll have a sign, so look for that. We'll have lunch there, and then we'll walk/drive over to Goodale Park [link] a few blocks away. Directions and additional information for these locations is provided in the links I've included in this section.

What's the parking situation like?
When you're in Columbus, parking can be a problem. At North Market, you can park in their lot for 2 hours for $1, and $2/hr after that. At Goodale Park, there are plenty of 2 hour parking spots at the park, along with 3 hour spots on the roads surrounding the park. There should be plenty of parking here. I would recommend parking at North Market while we're at lunch, then driving to Goodale and parking there. I suspect that parking isn't enforced as strictly as they say, but we can stay in sight of the parking lots to be sure of that, or you can move your car to another spot every few hours. If you're from Columbus (I'm not all that familiar with the city yet) and know of a better place to park, let me know so that I can spread the word.

What are we going to do?
Well, like I said earlier, first we'll have lunch at North Market. If you haven't been there before, you're in for a treat! North Market is an open market that really has something for everyone. There's a lot of food places, especially ethnic, including Thai, Indian, Greek, Italian, and also has a yummy deli sandwich place and wonderful gourmet chocolates and ice cream. I'd recommend bringing about $10 for lunch, but you don't have to spend that much.

At Goodale Park, I'll start with door prizes that I'm gathering from anyone that is willing to help (let me know if you want to donate a little something, whether you're attending or not!). I'll also have a dA trivia contest and will be setting up a poster board and markers for everyone to contribute to. We'll have other games and activities to play and do the rest of the afternoon.

How long will it last?
You're not obligated to stay any longer than you want to. I'll stick around as long as there's still a few people there, but it's really up to you how much fun you want to stay for. I understand that some people have other plans for the day, and that's fine. Also, if you want to skip lunch and join us at the park, that's fine too. We should be at Goodale by 12:30 or 1.

What should I wear/bring?
It's probably going to be warm out, so wear clothing you can cool in. If you'd like to play frisbee or something, be sure to wear sneakers and clothes you can move around in. We're going to be in the shade most of the time, but I'd still recommend wearing sunscreen just to be safe. I will be providing name tags for everyone to wear as well.

I'm counting on you guys to bring fun stuff for everyone to play with. I'll bring some of my stuff, but we'll need more! Bring balls, frisbees, hackey sacks (I don't know if I spelled that right ), or any other sports equipment, as well as games like Uno or Twister. The important thing is to bring things that can be enjoyed by groups of people, not just 2 or 3 people, so that we can all get to know eachother while we're having fun. Awkward silences and talking about the weather aren't fun, but playing games with new people is! Let me know what you'd like to bring so that I know what we'll have and so that everyone doesn't bring the same thing.

Can I bring a non-dA friend?
Yes! Feel free to bring a friend, or 2, or 3! If you know someone in the area that hasn't heard about this yet, tell them to come too! Everyone's invited, and I hope that we'll have a good group. You can see who's coming and who might be coming in my journal, which I've been updating a lot. All I ask is that you let me know if you're going to make it as soon as you know, and let me know if you're bringing friends. I want to be able to plan for the amount of people I'll have. Send me a note so I can add you to my list!

Oh no! I have another question!
Feel free to note me any time with any question you might have.



I hope to see you at the meet!