My feelings on The Demon Rush
It's probably going to look funny that I took this long to make an SGDQ topic, but let me explain why it took so long.
Essentia is having her third child and would be too occupied to host the marathon. In addition, SGDQ is getting larger, and her house might not be able to fit enough attendees. We (me and other SDA staff) agreed Essentia has already been gracious enough to host the event twice already, and we should find a new location that would work out on a larger scale.
After a couple of weeks of searching, UraniumAnchor found a good potential spot for SGDQ.
Location
The Sheraton Denver Tech Center Hotel. As the name states, the hotel is near Denver, so it's still in a location that is closer to the West Coast, and possibly close enough for the Utah crew to take a road trip.
Also, here's the hotel on Google Maps.
Access
You can either take a Super Shuttle from the Denver airport that costs 33 dollars (or cheaper if you group up with other people), or you can take light rail and the free hotel shuttle will pick you up from the rail station as long as you arrive in the 7am-10pm time range. I don't think we'll be able to arrange regular pickups like we do for AGDQ.
Dates
I'm thinking either July 24-28 (Wed-Sun) or July 25-29 (Thurs-Mon) for the marathon proper. If we choose the former date range, then setup day would be the 23rd (Tues), and the 31st (Wednesday) would likely be the day we leave. If we choose the latter date range, then setup would be the 24th, and the day we leave would likely be August 1st (Thursday).
In other words, the date range for the entire event, including setup day and bonus stream will either be:
July 23-31
July 24-August 1st
EDIT: If ESA is really the week before us, we might want to consider pushing our dates back a week.
Cost
If we agree to the hotel's sliding scale, then it's $119 a night per room. The rooms have double beds and can fit up to four people. I think a fifth person is possible if we ask for a cot, but we need to ask about cots and how much they cost.
Anyway, some of you might be wondering what I meant when I said sliding scale. Click on the hidden button below to see Matt, the sales manager told us.
Basically, If we have around 40 people who stayed for a week, and they all wanted to stay in 4-person rooms, then that would be 70 room nights total (10 rooms per night).
To be honest, I think this is a good deal because I'm pretty confident we can hit 80 rooms a night. And better yet, there's no attrition.
Also, if we declare we are staying at the hotel by the 27th, then the internet is free (normally $150/night).
Questions and Possible Concerns
How is the internet?
All that I know is that the hotel has 50 mbps down. UA is going to check out the hotel's internet on Monday.
Why can't we have SGDQ at someone's house again?
Yes, I know we all love the intimacy of a house, and Denton one awesome cook, but SGDQ is getting more attendees and even if we somehow could host it at Essentia's house, we'd need an off-site hotel for all of the extra attendees.
Also, since trust issues aren't as big of a concern now that we're staying at a hotel, we can admit anyone who is willing to sign up and pay just like we do for AGDQ.
How do the conference room sizes compare to AGDQ?
The 500 sq ft. conference rooms are both bigger than the New York room at the 4-H Center. That room was around 400 sq ft.
For reference, the main marathon room (the Oklahoma) was 884 sq. ft.
Will our dates conflict with ESA?
No. Although we will be cutting it close with ESA, I have talked to Edenal and AFAIK, the current plan for ESA is after August 5th.
Essentia is having her third child and would be too occupied to host the marathon. In addition, SGDQ is getting larger, and her house might not be able to fit enough attendees. We (me and other SDA staff) agreed Essentia has already been gracious enough to host the event twice already, and we should find a new location that would work out on a larger scale.
After a couple of weeks of searching, UraniumAnchor found a good potential spot for SGDQ.
Location
The Sheraton Denver Tech Center Hotel. As the name states, the hotel is near Denver, so it's still in a location that is closer to the West Coast, and possibly close enough for the Utah crew to take a road trip.
Also, here's the hotel on Google Maps.
Access
You can either take a Super Shuttle from the Denver airport that costs 33 dollars (or cheaper if you group up with other people), or you can take light rail and the free hotel shuttle will pick you up from the rail station as long as you arrive in the 7am-10pm time range. I don't think we'll be able to arrange regular pickups like we do for AGDQ.
Dates
I'm thinking either July 24-28 (Wed-Sun) or July 25-29 (Thurs-Mon) for the marathon proper. If we choose the former date range, then setup day would be the 23rd (Tues), and the 31st (Wednesday) would likely be the day we leave. If we choose the latter date range, then setup would be the 24th, and the day we leave would likely be August 1st (Thursday).
In other words, the date range for the entire event, including setup day and bonus stream will either be:
July 23-31
July 24-August 1st
EDIT: If ESA is really the week before us, we might want to consider pushing our dates back a week.
Cost
If we agree to the hotel's sliding scale, then it's $119 a night per room. The rooms have double beds and can fit up to four people. I think a fifth person is possible if we ask for a cot, but we need to ask about cots and how much they cost.
Anyway, some of you might be wondering what I meant when I said sliding scale. Click on the hidden button below to see Matt, the sales manager told us.
59 room nights and below- Total rental of space- $500 per day for two small spaces($3500 total for 7 days)
60-79 room nights- rental of space drops to $250 per day for two small spaces($1750 total for 7 days)
80 room nights and over- rental of the space drops to $0 for two small spaces, complimentary.
100 room nights and over- rental of the space drops to $0, complimentary, smaller room, AND a larger room (1000 sq ft).
Room nights booked at the hotel on Wednesday-Tuesday nights will ALL contribute toward this total.
60-79 room nights- rental of space drops to $250 per day for two small spaces($1750 total for 7 days)
80 room nights and over- rental of the space drops to $0 for two small spaces, complimentary.
100 room nights and over- rental of the space drops to $0, complimentary, smaller room, AND a larger room (1000 sq ft).
Room nights booked at the hotel on Wednesday-Tuesday nights will ALL contribute toward this total.
Basically, If we have around 40 people who stayed for a week, and they all wanted to stay in 4-person rooms, then that would be 70 room nights total (10 rooms per night).
To be honest, I think this is a good deal because I'm pretty confident we can hit 80 rooms a night. And better yet, there's no attrition.
Also, if we declare we are staying at the hotel by the 27th, then the internet is free (normally $150/night).
Questions and Possible Concerns
How is the internet?
All that I know is that the hotel has 50 mbps down. UA is going to check out the hotel's internet on Monday.
Why can't we have SGDQ at someone's house again?
Yes, I know we all love the intimacy of a house, and Denton one awesome cook, but SGDQ is getting more attendees and even if we somehow could host it at Essentia's house, we'd need an off-site hotel for all of the extra attendees.
Also, since trust issues aren't as big of a concern now that we're staying at a hotel, we can admit anyone who is willing to sign up and pay just like we do for AGDQ.
How do the conference room sizes compare to AGDQ?
The 500 sq ft. conference rooms are both bigger than the New York room at the 4-H Center. That room was around 400 sq ft.
For reference, the main marathon room (the Oklahoma) was 884 sq. ft.
Will our dates conflict with ESA?
No. Although we will be cutting it close with ESA, I have talked to Edenal and AFAIK, the current plan for ESA is after August 5th.
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