Photo credit: Wikipedia
When is the conference?
Thursday October 6th, with a welcome event the night before.
Doesn’t that overlap with JavaOne?
It’s impossible to schedule a conference these days without conflicting with something. We did the best we could with the Monktoberfest; every date conflicted with some conference, and at least by scheduling it on a Thursday, you can attend the first two or three days of JavaOne and still make it to Portland.
Where is the Monktoberfest being held?
The conference will be held in downtown real Portland, which you may know as Portland, Maine. We’ve had reports of a couple of people booking tickets to the one in Oregon: we recommend not doing that.
Why is it in Portland, ME?
Because we have the top two beer venues in the world in Maine. According to Ratebeer, not us. Having compared them to the best that the US and beer loving countries like Belgium and Canada have to offer, we can state with confidence that these are legitimately world class venues. If you like beer, this is a must attend.
Isn’t it hard to get there?
Nope. We have an airport and everything. Flights are pretty similar to Boston’s. Which you can also drive from, incidentally. For more details, see the travel page.
Who should attend?
It is highly recommended that technologists that like the best beers from all over the world attend. We are gathering a fascinating cross-section of developers from across the industry, which makes the Monktoberfest an excellent opportunity to make a variety of connections.
Is this another social media conference?
Not at all. Think more along the lines of GitHub’s motto: “social coding”. Our speakers will be exploring how social trends can change the way we build and use technology, and how technology in turn can change the way we socialize.
When should I plan to arrive/depart?
If you’re able, plan to arrive the night before the conference, Wednesday the 5th. We’ll be hosting a pre-conference event which will include – obviously – good beer. The conference will be all day Thursday, with keynotes, sessions, breakouts and beer. At the conclusion of the event, you’re going to need to stay over: we’ll be hosting a multi-course beer tasting and dinner at the Lion’s Pride, the #2 rated beer bar in the world and the sister bar of the #1 venue. You will be treated to nothing less than the best beers from countries all over the world, many of which you cannot get anywhere else in the US.
I may be interested in sponsorship: who do I contact?
Great, you’ll be part of an excellent group. There are several sponsorship opportunities still available. Email Stephen O’Grady (sogrady@redmonk.com) for more info about getting your brand in front of some of the best developers in the world.