I would like to see if we can organize a Local Meetup for PA’s editors. We must provide Waze with at least a 2 months notice prior to any Meetup. With this in mind, we need to do 3 things… First, we need to pick a date that would be ideal for everyone to meet (assuming a Saturday & Sunday would likely work best for most of us). Second, we need to pick a city in which the Meetup will be held. I think State College (Penn State) would be our best bet since it is mid-state and about 2-3 hours from anywhere in the state. Otherwise, Proposed alternatives would be Pittsburgh, Philadelphia, Scranton/Wilkes-Barre, or Harrisburg. Last, we need to pick a venue for the Meetup, so if anyone knows of any venues in State College that can accommodate us your feedback would be appreciated. I’d love to get everyone’s input so we can get a date, location, & venue set by the end of January. Please reference this Calendar and choose a weekend that is available. It seems like our best bet is March 12-13. Also, be sure to rank your ideal meetup locations. I’ve provided some additional information about Self-Organized Local Meetups below. It was also suggested by Pesach Z & Orbit we have a Northeast regionalmeetup instead of a (state) localized meetup. Meaning, DE/NJ/NY/PA would be invited to attend as well. The proposed location for this is NJ. Do we feel we should have our own PA meetup or is a Northeast regional meetup a better choice? Thoughts? Please vote using the poll in this post with your desired choice.
These are compartmentalized development teams in waze working on different aspects of the infrasture, and back end (the gears and cogs that make the machine work). I can’t be more specific in public. But if there’s a specific area of waze you feel needs to be represented thats not mentioned in a different chioce, this is likely the option for it, and explain further to your champs.
My vote is Saturday 4/16/16 - after PA ski season & Easter break. We likely won’t be both, so a regional meetup is preferred.
PA Venue’s:
Kalahari Resorts and Conventions right off I-80 & I-380. Massive state of the art facility - just opened July 2015.
Toftree’s Resort, near State College.
Penn Stater Hotel & Conference Center, State College.
Regional Meet up - Hyatt Regency, Jersey City. Easy for Everyone to get to from CT, MA, DE, PA, NJ & NY. Sits roughly at the confluence of I-95/ NJTPK, I-78, I-80, Holland Tunnel, Amtrak & Subway to NYC. Hotel is located on the Hudson river with spectacular view of Manhatten. NY location without NY prices.
For PA Conference, I second eaglestailg8ter’s State College choices. It’s central to the state and they’re both great conference centers. Plus, I live down the street from Toftrees, haha. Penn Stater would probably be your better choice, as they have many rooms of varying sizes. Both are fairly close to the airport or right next to their exits off of I-99. I’d recommend the aforementioned March weekend because that’s Penn State’s spring break, so town won’t be quite as packed and hectic.
Regional: I suggest Wilkes-Barre/Scranton, PA or the nearby Poconos. Based on the extent of the active northeast editing community, this is a very central location for everyone. ~4-5 hrs max to Pittsburgh, Erie, Buffalo, Saratoga, Long Island, and Southern DE. I’m not too familiar with conference centers in the area, but I’ve been to the Woodlands and it’s pretty nice and convenient to get to. The Kalahari Resorts and Conventions sounds pretty close to there as well.
I guess the new thread removed my suggestion. I would suggest the Atherton for the weekend. It’s downtown so you aren’t limited to having to drive if we want to visit restaurants, shopping, bars, etc. We’ll also want to check that whatever weekend we pick doesn’t conflict with the Blue/White game.
Self-organized…so, who is in? Pick a weekend that a small group can attend and we’ll figure out the details. Obviously, not everyone can make it or will be happy with the location, but that’s life. If this is successful once, we can try again for those that can’t make it this time and pick a different location.
I suggest the Lehigh Valley area because it’s convenient for PA/NJ/NY editors that are 1 to 2 hours away. I’d prefer Harrisburg because it’s my home location, but most editors are not near here. Allentown is 90 miles and I’m willing to drive/carpool that far for a fun-filled day of Waze excitement. :lol:
