[GTALUG] Prompting the return of In-Person events.

[Scott Sullivan]

TL;DR

I'd like to get a temperature of the room for other folks appetite for 
the return of in person meetings / events.
Pleases chime in so that leadership can see what demand may exist that 
is being unmet.

---

What are the barriers to returning to in-person?

How as a community can we help to make this happen?

Is this something the community still desires?

Are there supplemental events that can happen outside of the main 
talk-oriented meeting, like a pub afternoon / night?


GTALUG has endured for nearly four decades now, I was privileged to be 
part of that leadership for half of it. Stepping away in the years 
before pandemic, and returning only for a year in the wake of Chris's 
passing to help the board.

For me, the value of GTALUG was the long tail of social interactions 
that came out of the in-person meetings and events. Little side bars on 
niche subjects, getting to talk with fellow folks about their choices of 
software, hardware or latest gadgets. Get into all the details and 
reaffirmations of friends and colleagues.  Join a group meal ahead of 
the meetings, and staying late at a pub afterward. All activities that 
can't happen in a conference call. There were also the special events, 
like Linux in the Park. Meetups at conventions and trade shows, or even 
running a booth where it made sense.

The pandemic changed a lot. Old venues have locked down, and plenty of 
folks have legitimate reasons to remain cautious. But what hasn't 
changed is the desire and need for that in-person experience and 
affirmation of community. I've been speaking with Alan, Gord, Evan and 
others about this void that hasn't been closed yet. I'm aware it's a 
topic of discussion at the leadership level. So to the questions above, 
let's bring this out where we as a community can come together to ask 
and answer.

-- 
Scott Sullivan