The Midwest Speedfest (May 8th-9th, 2015 - Bloomington, MN)

TonyOgbot

Edit history:

TonyOgbot: 2015-02-18 08:44:19 pm

TonyOgbot: 2015-02-18 08:43:16 pm

TonyOgbot: 2014-12-24 02:05:00 pm

TonyOgbot: 2014-12-17 02:48:45 pm

TonyOgbot: 2014-12-17 01:35:58 pm

2014-12-17 01:23:50 pm

The Midwest Speedfest
When: May 8th/9th 2015
Where: Ramada Bloomington Minneapolis Airport/Mall Area (http://www.ramada.com/hotels/minnesota/bloomington/ramada-bloomington-hotel-minneapolis-airport-mall/hotel-overview)

This event will be run alongside Digital Destruction, a two day celebration of all things gaming. If you’d like to learn more about Digital Destruction, you can find more at http://2dcon.net. It's also a free event, so the only costs of attending will be traveling and living expenses on top of rooms at the venue.

Marathons these days tend to have a focus on helping out a good cause, and while there’s nothing wrong with that, the stress of money generation makes it hard for organizers and runners alike to get together and have a little fun. The Midwest Speedfest is a marathon that will be run in the spirit of good fun, and will be used as a tool to allow us all to come together and bond over this wonderful hobby we all share and partake in. Even though it is labelled as a Midwest marathon, everyone is free to submit games and travel to the event.

Travel Information

Airport: MSP International Airport (https://www.mspairport.com/)
Being one of the international hubs of the US, flying in will be a definite possibility for those that wouldn’t want to make the drive. Most airports and airlines have a way of getting to MSP, and luckily for everyone involved, the airport is pretty close to the venue itself.

Hotel: Ramada Bloomington Minneapolis Airport/Mall Area (http://www.ramada.com/hotels/minnesota/bloomington/ramada-bloomington-hotel-minneapolis-airport-mall/hotel-overview)
This Ramada location has played host to many annual anime conventions, and after experiencing the venue itself after visiting a few of those cons, I have to say that it’s a really impressive venue. On top of being an excellent place to host this event, it provides a shuttle service that will not only take you from the airport to the venue, but also take you out to the Mall of America as well as other immediate local attractions such as the Waterpark of America and IKEA.

Schedule: http://bombch.us/yxr
Stream: http://twitch.tv/midwestspeedfest

Anyone involved that is interested in advertising the event on their channel, please feel free to do so. Here's what I currently have on my twitch profile:

If you want to steal that image from my profile, feel free to do so. If you want a copy/paste example of what to put in your profile, here's the exact text I use:

Code:

Clicking the image will send you to the Midwest Speedfest twitch page

When: May 8th and 9th

Where: Ramada Bloomington Minneapolis Airport/Mall Area

This event is a part of Digital Destruction, a two day celebration of all things gaming.  Find out more about the event [here](http://www.2dcon.net/).

[Schedule](http://bombch.us/yxr)

From this point on, it's full speed ahead. Hexade, Seckswrecks and myself will be hashing out a lot of the finer details from this point onwards, but if you want to help us out at the event, please feel free to contact us and let us know. Can't wait to meet up with all you cool people.

Thread title:

The Midwest Speedfest
When: May 8th/9th 2015
Where: Ramada Bloomington Minneapolis Airport/Mall Area (http://www.ramada.com/hotels/minnesota/bloomington/ramada-bloomington-hotel-minneapolis-airport-mall/hotel-overview)

This event will be run alongside Digital Destruction, a two day celebration of all things gaming.  If you’d like to learn more about Digital Destruction, you can find more at http://2dcon.net.  It's also a free event, so the only costs of attending will be traveling and living expenses on top of rooms at the venue.

Marathons these days tend to have a focus on helping out a good cause, and while there’s nothing wrong with that, the stress of money generation makes it hard for organizers and runners alike to get together and have a little fun.  The Midwest Speedfest is a marathon that will be run in the spirit of good fun, and will be used as a tool to allow us all to come together and bond over this wonderful hobby we all share and partake in.  Even though it is labelled as a Midwest marathon, everyone is free to submit games and travel to the event.

Travel Information

Airport: MSP International Airport (https://www.mspairport.com/)
Being one of the international hubs of the US, flying in will be a definite possibility for those that wouldn’t want to make the drive.  Most airports and airlines have a way of getting to MSP, and luckily for everyone involved, the airport is pretty close to the venue itself.

Hotel: Ramada Bloomington Minneapolis Airport/Mall Area (http://www.ramada.com/hotels/minnesota/bloomington/ramada-bloomington-hotel-minneapolis-airport-mall/hotel-overview)
This Ramada location has played host to many annual anime conventions, and after experiencing the venue itself after visiting a few of those cons, I have to say that it’s a really impressive venue.  On top of being an excellent place to host this event, it provides a shuttle service that will not only take you from the airport to the venue, but also take you out to the Mall of America as well as other immediate local attractions such as the Waterpark of America and IKEA.

Schedule: http://bombch.us/yxr
Stream: http://twitch.tv/midwestspeedfest

Anyone involved that is interested in advertising the event on their channel, please feel free to do so.  Here's what I currently have on my twitch profile:

[img]http://puu.sh/g3bEN/1abb714413.jpg[/img]

If you want to steal that image from my profile, feel free to do so.  If you want a copy/paste example of what to put in your profile, here's the exact text I use:

[code]Clicking the image will send you to the Midwest Speedfest twitch page

When: May 8th and 9th

Where: Ramada Bloomington Minneapolis Airport/Mall Area

This event is a part of Digital Destruction, a two day celebration of all things gaming.  Find out more about the event [here](http://www.2dcon.net/).

[Schedule](http://bombch.us/yxr)[/code]

From this point on, it's full speed ahead.  Hexade, Seckswrecks and myself will be hashing out a lot of the finer details from this point onwards, but if you want to help us out at the event, please feel free to contact us and let us know.  Can't wait to meet up with all you cool people.

Lenophis

2014-12-17 01:27:59 pm

0-10

Oh hell yes. Minneapolis is barely a drive and i have an added bonus of visiting some friends in Rochester. Count me in

TonyOgbot

2014-12-17 01:30:52 pm

Excellent! Make sure to throw in a submission, and I'll get that reflected on the response form ASAP.

Snowstorm

2014-12-17 02:33:46 pm

I'm so going to this!

Komrade

2014-12-17 03:21:57 pm

I'm on on board for this. Cheesy

Hexade

2014-12-17 03:54:12 pm

I would also like to add for Melee fans that the event will be hosting a tournament at the same venue.

http://www.2dcon.net/sessions/super-smash-bros-tournament/

There will also be an LoL tournament if you have a team that is into that.

This is an event for tabletop, console, arcade, and gaming in general so when you are not in the speedrun area there will be plenty to do on the side.

CosmykTheDolfyn

2014-12-17 04:31:18 pm

NowOwnsAFreaking Plane

Trying to figure out if I'll be able to drive from Ohio to this, but it sounds like a blast.

Komrade

2014-12-17 05:11:56 pm

Anybody in the northwest area of Indiana (South Bend) that wants to carpool, just pm me. If you're farther west its not a big deal, as long as it's not too far out of the way

Golden

2014-12-17 05:28:06 pm

Voice

This is basically in my backyard so I'll probably be able to be there. I'm waiting to find out some job related things in the next few days, but if that all gets figured out then I can maybe commit to helping out more, offering games, etc.

Skelekat

Edit history:

Skelekat: 2014-12-17 05:41:58 pm

2014-12-17 05:41:19 pm

This sounds awesome! I live really close by, so definitely count me in!

Lenophis

2014-12-17 06:02:33 pm

0-10

Alright, it's done. This should be a lot of fun, whether my games get in or not. Look forward to going!

EggmaniMN

2014-12-17 06:13:58 pm

I'll likely be there, though probably only Saturday, maybe Friday night. Maybe the Pizza can Pop one more time.

TonyOgbot

2014-12-17 07:47:26 pm

It's nice to see so much interest! Luckily the event is pretty far down the road, so there should still be a lot of time for people to think, then decide.

Also, here's the current situation on the marathon itself. We currently have two 12 hour shifts guaranteed for our event, but I'm working with the organizer on getting us a 24 hour room for a full 48 hours of runs. It's ambitious, but I'm sure we can definitely fill the time. If anyone is wondering why I submitted so many games, it's mainly just to remind myself of what I run in the case I need to fill time. I'll be dedicating most of my time at the event to making sure it's running, but I'll be able to jump in and run a few games if needed.

This is a labor of love and passion for this community. Let's have some fun, alright?

Komrade

2014-12-17 08:18:46 pm

Will the marathon be live over twitch? I'm assuming so, but which channel?

Hexade

2014-12-17 08:30:16 pm

Quote from Komrade:

Will the marathon be live over twitch? I'm assuming so, but which channel?

Definitely Komrade. We just created the Twitch page so be sure to spread it around.

http://www.twitch.tv/midwestspeedfest

Komrade

2014-12-17 08:31:37 pm

Cool, I will. If it hasn' already been done, including the twitch page on the schedule would be a good idea :p

Hexade

2014-12-17 10:23:55 pm

If you want to help out with the marathon in any way or have questions we are now on the SpeedRunsLive irc channel.

#midwestspeedfest on irc.speedrunslive.com

Enkaybee

2014-12-17 10:52:00 pm

twitch.tv/enkaybee

Sounds like it could be fun. I live near Lake Harriet so I may as well stop by.

TheTycon

2014-12-18 12:12:37 am

Taking the helm.

I'm thinking about going to this, I'll submit a couple games soon once I know I can, sounds fun.

Dangerless

Edit history:

Dangerless: 2014-12-18 02:59:57 am

2014-12-18 02:51:24 am

Excellent!

I'll sign up for this, it's about a 5 hour drive to there from where I'm at. I can't exactly promise at this moment I will be there but I wouldn't see why I wouldn't be.

Though I'd like to know what kind of TVs this marathon be using. Hopefully old CRT SD TVs for some of them right? I only ask because for the game I submitted a CRT TV makes it easier to do a lot of the tricks.

EDIT: I realize I put down an oddball time for finishing my run (ETA). If necessary just make my ETA 55. Makes everything easier for your end.

Hexade

2014-12-18 09:50:36 am

Quote from Dangerless:

I'll sign up for this, it's about a 5 hour drive to there from where I'm at. I can't exactly promise at this moment I will be there but I wouldn't see why I wouldn't be.

Though I'd like to know what kind of TVs this marathon be using. Hopefully old CRT SD TVs for some of them right? I only ask because for the game I submitted a CRT TV makes it easier to do a lot of the tricks.

EDIT: I realize I put down an oddball time for finishing my run (ETA). If necessary just make my ETA 55. Makes everything easier for your end.

Don't worry about it. We appreciate the submission but let us know in the coming months if you can't make it.

We are planning on having the local guys bring CRTs to the event. I am personally going to transport my one big CRT and another smaller one.

There will be a spreadsheet in the future listing all the equipment that is being brought, but it sounds like we will be just fine in that department.

Also I corrected your time to 00:55:00 although it's not that big of a deal.

[quote="Dangerless"]I'll sign up for this, it's about a 5 hour drive to there from where I'm at. I can't exactly promise at this moment I will be there but I wouldn't see why I wouldn't be.

Though I'd like to know what kind of TVs this marathon be using. Hopefully old CRT SD TVs for some of them right? I only ask because for the game I submitted a CRT TV makes it easier to do a lot of the tricks.

EDIT: I realize I put down an oddball time for finishing my run (ETA). If necessary just make my ETA 55. Makes everything easier for your end.[/quote]

Don't worry about it. We appreciate the submission but let us know in the coming months if you can't make it.

We are planning on having the local guys bring CRTs to the event. I am personally going to transport my one big CRT and another smaller one.

There will be a spreadsheet in the future listing all the equipment that is being brought, but it sounds like we will be just fine in that department.

Also I corrected your time to 00:55:00 although it's not that big of a deal.

TonyOgbot

2014-12-24 01:59:53 pm

Just a few announcements:

- Cutoff for submissions is February 1st. The reason for this is mainly to give the organizer of Digital Destruction a full schedule for our event, and on top of that, we should actually know for certain if we're getting the promised two 12 hour shifts, or if the organizer can swing getting the venue to allow us to run the event for 24 hours.

- On the topic of scheduling for the event, that is still in the air. I'm in direct contact with the organizer, and he's keeping me updated regularly, but he's still negotiating with the venue on making the entire event 24 hours. As soon as I know, that will be reflected in the OP.

- This is actually going to happen. I know a couple members of the community are confused about whether or not this event is a real thing due to the origins of the idea, but a lot of footwork is being put in towards making this into a reality. If you have any doubts, please personally contact me if you have any questions.

Happy Holidays, everyone! I hope you're all having as great of a time with your family and loved ones as I am.

Just a few announcements:

- Cutoff for submissions is February 1st.  The reason for this is mainly to give the organizer of Digital Destruction a full schedule for our event, and on top of that, we should actually know for certain if we're getting the promised two 12 hour shifts, or if the organizer can swing getting the venue to allow us to run the event for 24 hours.

- On the topic of scheduling for the event, that is still in the air.  I'm in direct contact with the organizer, and he's keeping me updated regularly, but he's still negotiating with the venue on making the entire event 24 hours.  As soon as I know, that will be reflected in the OP.

- This is actually going to happen.  I know a couple members of the community are confused about whether or not this event is a real thing due to the origins of the idea, but a lot of footwork is being put in towards making this into a reality.  If you have any doubts, please personally contact me if you have any questions.

Happy Holidays, everyone!  I hope you're all having as great of a time with your family and loved ones as I am.

TonyOgbot

2015-01-26 12:14:17 pm

Just dropping a friendly reminder that submission are closing at the end of the day on February 1st. Shortly after that passes, I'll be contacting everyone that submitted to see if they're still able/willing to come out to the event. As soon as I get a headcount, I'll be working with everyone in #MidwestSpeedfest to come up with a schedule.

Since there hasn't been much progress in terms of making the event a 24 hour event, we will be working with two 12 hour shifts as mentioned earlier in the planning process. If there's any changes you would like to make to what you've submitted, please swing by #MidwestSpeedfest on SRL IRC and let someone know. Currently, Seckswrecks, Hexade, Meows and I have editing powers with the response form, so if you can get the attention of anyone listed, you'll definitely be taken care of.

philosoraptor42

Edit history:

philosoraptor42: 2015-01-26 02:20:56 pm

2015-01-26 02:19:54 pm

Dapper as fuck.

I'm moving to Minneapolis in a couple weeks, so perhaps I shall submit something Smiley

Guess I have to determine what pretty quickly.

TonyOgbot

2015-01-28 12:48:19 am

So, big news dropped by the GDQ staff today. Midwest Speedfest is not cancelled, but I would definitely understand if any out of state attendance decides not to make the trip out to save for SGDQ.

I will still be contacting everyone once submissions close. If you want to lighten the contact list, feel free to let me know sooner.

Quote from philosoraptor42:

I'm moving to Minneapolis in a couple weeks, so perhaps I shall submit something Smiley

Guess I have to determine what pretty quickly.

Sick dude! I'll give you some time if you like, since we're probably looking at being under the amount of hours needed for our original plans after the SGDQ announcement.