Oh my, this is shaping up to be one heck of a birthday party. In fact, our heads are spinning with all of the activities (and prizes) we’ve got in store for GeekWire’s 2nd Anniversary Bash — taking place Wednesday, March 6th at the Showbox SODO in Seattle.

We’re expecting 600 folks for the party, including more than 100 rabid ping pong and foosball fanatics who will be intensely competing in the biggest geek sporting event this side of the Mississippi.

Bracket master Todd Bishop has been burning the midnight oil putting the final touches on the official matchups, and we’re planning to post those on the site early next week. Competitors in the ping pong and foosball tourneys also will receive an email on Monday with more details and a FAQ (which is also available here). Most important to know — doors open at 3:30 p.m. for warm-ups and tournament play will start promptly at 4:15 p.m. (Don’t be late!)

But this bash is more than just a place to watch Madrona’s Greg Gottesman smash a forehand winner. First and foremost, it’s a party. Certainly, a party unlike any other you’ve attended.

And, oh boy, do we have some fun things in store — many of which involve super cool prizes and giveaways. Our sponsors will be giving away more than $15,000 worth of goodies, everything from Sounders tickets to tablet computers to free lunches. Here’s what’s on the docket:

The folks at Filter getting ready for some fun at the Tron-inspired Conversation Lounge.

Conversation Lounge: Not in the mood to watch ping pong or play foosball? No worries. This year, our  wonderful sponsors at Filter and Knoll are constructing a Tron-themed conversation lounge in the upper bar area. Perfect for networking, or sipping on the signature cocktail brought to you by Vertafore, you might just find your future investor or star engineer hanging here.

Corn Hole: Budweiser, our fantastic foosball sponsor, will be busting out this special bean bag toss game and giving away tons of prizes to participants. Back where I’m from in Ohio, we call this game corn hole, though my West Coast colleagues here at GeekWire refuse to use that term. No matter what you call it, this is one fun game in which players try to toss a bean bag into a hole about the size of a pint glass. Go Bucks!!

Ping Pong Ball Hunt: Think of it like geocaching, just with ping pong balls. Back by popular demand, we’ll be hiding dozens of ping pong balls — branded with the logos of sponsor WhitePages — throughout the venue. Find a sleeve of balls from WhitePages, and you might just win a special prize.

A unicorn appeared with GeekWire chairman Jonathan Sposato at last year’s bash. What magical creatures will show up this year for the spirit prize? Photo: Adam Philipp

Spirit Prize: We’ll be giving away prizes to the folks who fly their geek flags most proudly, supporting their teammates in the tourney or just having some cosplay fun. Yes, last year someone showed up in a very bizarre unicorn costume. Many others adorned the colors and T-shirts of their companies. Decision time. Should I bring back John McEnroe this year? Or is time for the silent Swede — Björn Borg?

Photo Booth: This is an all-time favorite at the GeekWire events, and we’re pleased to announce that SideCar will be bringing it back this year. Given that many of our guests will be coming in costume (competing for the Spirit Prize) we expect some outrageous and silly photos to be circulating once again on Facebook and Twitter. Don’t forget to Tweet #gwbash.  

Warm-up and Casual Play Zone: If you’re looking to play some ping pong or foosball in a more casual setting than the Balls of Fury-intensity that we sometimes see exhibited in the main tourneys, make sure to stop into First Tech’s open play area near the registration table. We’ll have two pong tables and a foosball table on hand, so you can informally challenge your boss or rival. Let the duels begin!

Beer Pong: Yes, we even have sports that Cougs can enjoy! :) Kidding aside, thanks to our sponsors at Tableau Software we’ve purchased an 8-foot long portable beer pong table that will be rolled into the Barokas beer garden. (Yes, it’s like a mini Oktoberfest in March!).

Virtual Ping Pong: Don’t care for the physical version of ping pong? Don’t worry. AT&T will be setting up a special booth where you can compete head-to-head with other players in a virtual ping pong match. Show us your mad skills in this face-off, and you might just take a tablet home with you.

The ping pong and foosball tourneys are now sold out, but you can still get tickets for the party here. Also, just as a reminder, you can also attend every GeekWire event this year (not to mention receive other special perks) by signing up for a GeekWire Membership. If you sign up today, we’ll get you enrolled in time for the bash. Details on the membership program here.

Looking forward to seeing everyone on March 6th!! Let us know if you have questions. And thanks to everyone for your support of GeekWire. It’s been an awesome two years.

A big thanks to our sponsorsFilterBudweiserFresh ConsultingTableau SoftwareVertaforeKnollWhitePagesFirst Tech Federal Credit UnionOutlook.comBarokas PRSEOmoz, AT&T, Vitamin T, Postmates, Seattle Interactive Conference and Sidecar for helping to make this event possible. (Thanks also to the team at 47Degrees for supplying the foosball tables this year.)

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