Hey Jerry.

Nobody seemed to have any great ideas. My suggestion for a restaurant still stands, unless you think it's just too restricting.

There are some really nice places right near me, just off I-40. There is also a really nice city park just around the corner from me. I think that at this point, either a nice restaurant or the park is our best bet. We're a little pressed for time now.

The event is scheduled for 5pm to 7pm (1700-1900 EST for you military types) on Saturday Aug 12th.

Thoughts?

I will be there if I can..not sure yet...

...restaurant sounds good to me...these kind of things are always best done around food :o)

jeremiah

Wonderful! Well...that's three of us (hopefully -- keepin' my fingers crossed that you'll make it Jeremiah). I can schedule a reservation.

Let's try to get a rough (accurate to within 4 or 5 people) head-count by mid-day Friday.

A short list of restaurant ideas in the I-40 area:

Olive Garden
Red Lobster
Golden Corral
Remington Grill

...any votes for the restaurant? [See post above for short list.]

Ale House at Crossroads.

Jerry

...never been there. It sounds like fun.

So Carolina Ale House it is. 5pm EST on Saturday Aug 12th.

CAROLINA ALE HOUSE MAP

Anyone bringing spouse or significant other? I think there was some discussion of that earlier. I think my wife would be bored with the Vegas talk but she'll probably come if there are other non-Vegas folks there.

Looking forward to meeting you guys.

Jerry

EDITED TO CORRECT "tonight" error

OK folks:

I'm still hoping to get a basic head count by this afternoon (around 4:00pm). If you're planning to come TOMORROW night and you see this thread in time, drop us a quick post so I can arrange a reservation.

If anybody needs extra info on how to get here or anything else, feel free to email me (ke4tsa at i5pmusic D0T com).

TeeTime: I don't have a significant other to bring....so I won't have one with me. Perhaps Jeremiah or one of the other folks will be able to provide some non-Vegas company. :-]

Thanks!

Hey guys, sorry for the short notice but I'm not going to be able to make it this evening, but I definately want to meet up with you guys sometime soon.

TeeTime, if I was coming, my wife would most likely want to come if only to go shopping and eating up there, so next time we plan something maybe they'll have someone to hang out with.

Hey Kevin!

Thanks for letting us know you won't make it. We'll look forward to meeting you next time.

Thanks so much for setting up the Google Calendar.

See ya around!

Great! Count me in too. I am not available for the August 12th meeting but plan on attending futrue ones.

Thnaks for getting this started.

Pete Goswick
Durham

Terrific Pete! ...great to have you!

VEGAS is growing!

Thanks to guys like you.

We didn't have anything like this when I lived in the RTP.
I truly hope this group succeeds.

Well....whenever you're ready to move back, we're ready to have you join the group! :-]

Seriously, thanks for the good wishes; and as a former RTP guy, you're welcome to participate as much as you can from CA. This goes for anybody who's interested. You certainly don't have to LIVE here to be a part of the group. If you're stopping by, doing temporary work in the area, or need anything in the RTP, please contact us! I'd like to see this develop into a serious entertainment industry resource in the Triangle. That means we need contacts and input from folks all over.

dang!...i'm not goint to be able to make it...i thought I could get away from things here at home (fayetteville)...but it's not looking like I will...sorry guys...

jeremiah

OK....well stay tuned to this thread (and the Google Calendar) for updates after tonight. We'll use this thread until we get a website, email list, forum, blog or some form of communication specifically for the RTP group. A public blog one one of the free blog services might be a good place to start.

TeeTime,

It looks like it might be just you and me tonight. I haven't seen a confirmation form anybody else yet. I probably won't make a reservation if it's just two or three of us. Do you think it's necessary? I don't know the Ale House -- perhaps a reservation is a good idea on Saturday night, even for a small group.

I plan to get there a bit before 5pm. You should have no trouble spotting me -- I'll have my stuffed dog Gilbert on my shoulder. (See my website for details...). 8-)

Mike, I suggest we eat out on the patio since the weather has turned tolerable here in the triangle. I'll be there about 5:00. Whoever is there first just tell the hostess that you are expecting another party. If either of us runs into an issue, just leave a message with the hostess for the other.

Looking forward to seeing you tonight.

Jerry

GREAT! That sounds like a plan.

Anybody else who can make it, just show up and look for the guy with a stuffed dog on the patio!

Well folks, the first RTP Vegas Users Group meeting is over!

Jerry and I had a fabulous time at the Ale House. The food was great. For those who haven't met Jerry, he's a terrific fella with a LOT of Raleigh history and culture at his fingertips. He had some excellent advice and suggestions for the users group, some wonderful stories, an excellent technology background, and he picked a superb restaurant.

We talked over some important goals and ideas. It looks like we're gonna push towards getting a blog set up for RTP group communications. Does anybody on the forum have a lot of blog experience? I will look into getting one set up, unless somebody else is a blog guru.

Also, I think we're going to shoot for regular meetings on WEEKNIGHTS, with special events on weekends. Jerry and I discussed the possibility of filming our events and posting them to the web for members who can't make it to the regular meetings. This would provide some great practice editing material for new folks, and the final results would be available for group members to critique. We also discussed webcasting the meetings instead (or as well).

Thanks Jerry! I had a great time and I appreciate your ideas a LOT. [I know I barely scratched the surface of what we talked about, so feel free to add to my report!]

Does anybody have any thoughts on the above?

As Mike noted, we had a really nice first RTP Vegas Users Group meeting Saturday. I sure wish the rest of you could have been there. Here are a few thoughts in addition to the point's Mike has already covered:
1. To be successful, the RTP VUG will need a regular meeting place where we can project Vegas on a large screen and share our experience, questions and tips. Mike and I are looking for such a place for the next meeting. Please respond if you have any recommendations.
2. Mike and I discovered we have very different, but complimentary video-related skills. We expect the greater group to really round out the "skills inventory" and present a great opportunity for us all to learn from each other.

Please let us know which weekday nights you are most likely to be available. For me, Monday, Wednesday or Thursday can usually work. Does 7:00-9:00pm sound like a good time to meet?

Regards,

Jerry

Jerry,

Right now 7-9pm on any of the three days you listed would work OK for me. I do have a gig planned for this Wednesday...but it's not a regular thing.