We are canceling the live event in Las Vegas, August 3 - 5.Instead, we aim to launch one or more Virtual Smashup projects in the Fall of 2019, followed by one or more live events early in 2020, perhaps one in the US and one in UK.
Why?
Basically, we ran out of time as we were trying to organize the event: sponsorship, organizer recruiting and on-boarding, Call for Participation, legal structure, venue. No fault to anyone. We started relatively late, and our standards are high. We didn't want to just throw it together and risk having things fall apart during the event.Benefits
This new schedule gives us time to do it right, starting with the basics. For example, we will secure a "fiscal sponsorship" relationship so we have the legal, financial, and operational infrastructure to take donations, manage risk, and to spend money responsibly.Another "basic" that needs attention is contact and relationship management for all the people who have expressed interest, asked questions, or need responses. This includes a dedicated website instead of this blog.
The new schedule gives us the lead time to recruit organizers and collaborators in academia, professional associations, industry, independent consultants, and government, both in US and internationally (mostly UK, Europe, Switzerland).
Personally, I'm not disappointed. The core idea is solid. Lots of interest. This change makes some space for some of my other priorities (dissertation!).
Stay tuned!
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