.LAN 2014 and the future!
As I reflect on this past weekend's .LAN experience, I realize just why I do what I do every year. Two years is a long time to spend searching for a hotel and planning for an event. I kept reminding myself throughout the last 3 months that folks didn't have much time to plan for this year's event, but we barely saw 30 attendees this year, and going in, I was admittedly a bit defeated.
The attendance count wasn't the only thing that led me there. The fact that sponsorships were at their lowest since 2009 and that we weren't able to qualify for the Smite prize packaging because we didn't have 8 teams were all things weighing on my shoulders in the weeks leading up to the event.
However, that feeling of anxiety quickly left me the day of setup and as folks started checking in. What resulted was one of the most fun experiences I've had at a LAN party in 10 years. We had a great group this year, full of fun and laughs.
Friday's cards against humanity game was quite enjoyable, despite my lackluster hand. There were will still plenty of belly laughs to be had and I think we mostly walked away without offending any one person too badly.
The Counter-Strike: Global Offensive tournament was amazingly fun and competitive, with many of the matches coming down to the final rounds.
I emerge from every .LAN with fond memories, but .LAN 2014 will be one that I remember for quite some time. It was the proper way to start up the event again. It has reminded me of why I do this every year and most importantly, it has me excited for 2015 already.
What's next?
One of the biggest things I need to work on in preparation for .LAN 2015 is the website. In 2012, I built it from the ground up, learning OO PHP on the way with the idea that it was something I wanted to build from. I wanted it to be a single solution for everyone. Something folks could use year after year without having to go through and sign up individually every year. The solution I built in 2012 was just two-thirds of that vision. I want to start the process of trying to work towards that vision for 2015.
.LAN is an event of "Midwestlans"
For the past few events, I've been branding separately. The event has always been "dot LAN", but I bought midwestlans.com to be something more.
I want midwestlans.com to be the hub for all midwest LAN parties. I know of three midwest-based LAN parties. My vision is to build a platform that the other events want to use.
Because of this, I'll be making some tweaks in how the website presents event parties. I want midwestlans to become it's own entity, and my hope is that 2015 will start that.
A new event
One thing that's severely missing in the midwest is a competitive tournament event. This would not fall in line with .LAN formats, but would be solely for competitive teams to come in and play against others for a grand prize pool.
I'll be spending the majority of my time through the end of this year re-establishing relationships with e-sports organizations throughout the nation in order to establish a midwest e-sports scene.
I want a midwest e-sports scene. I don't think the east and west coast should be the only ones having all the fun.