The GeekWire 5th Anniversary Bash is coming up this Thursday at the CenturyLink Field Event Center in Seattle. We’ve got nearly 1,500 people attending the geeky festivities, and here’s what you’ll need to know if you are joining the fun at our biggest event ever.
When and where is the event? 3 p.m. to 9 p.m. Thursday, March 24 at the CenturyLink Field Event Center in Seattle, just south of CenturyLink Field.
When should I arrive? Doors open at 3 p.m. All tournament players need to be checked in by 4 p.m., and general attendee partygoers can arrive anytime after 3 p.m.
Where should I park? Various parking lots and street parking surround the CenturyLink Field Event Center. All-day parking is available in the CenturyLink Field Garage for $7. Entrance to the garage is located off South Royal Brougham Way, between Occidental Ave S & 4th Ave S. You can also use the address of 330 South Royal Brougham Way in your GPS, although the physical address is not posted on the venue.
Take a Lyft: If you are not driving, you can use our transportation partner for the Anniversary Bash: Lyft. Make sure to use the code — GEEKWIRESEA — for a $10 credit on a Lyft ride. New Lyft riders can sign up here to get a $10 credit.
Do I need to bring my printed ticket? No. If you are registered, we will have your name on file.
Where do I check in? Make sure to get your badge and drink tickets at the main registration desk on the west side of the CenturyLink Field Event Center.
Are tickets to the event still available? A few general admission tickets to the anniversary bash are available. Grab those here. All tournament tickets are sold out.
Tournament players: Doors will open at 3 p.m. for registered ping-pong, dodgeball and foosball players, and the tournaments begin promptly at 4 p.m. Players, check out the tournament info tab on the registration site for more details, and you can check the official brackets here.
GeekWire Members: Look for the express line at registration to pick up your special member badge and (if you don’t have it already) your secret decoder keyring. More info on becoming a GeekWire Member here.
What to wear? Casual clothing is best, but don’t forget the Spirit Prize. We’ll be giving away a special prize to the folks who fly their geek flags most proudly, supporting their teammates in the tourney, promoting their companies, or just having some cosplay fun.
Hash tag: #gwbash
ACTIVITIES
Hoop dreams with Detlef Schrempf: The NBA legend and former Seattle SuperSonic will dust off the high tops for our version of the classic basketball game of H-O-R-S-E, challenging select attendees to games of G-E-E-K. Hoops sponsor Expedia will be raffling travel vouchers for those who join our version of March Madness.
Ping Pong Ball Scavenger Hunt: Search the venue for specially-marked ping pong ball sleeves, and win awesome prizes when you return those sleeves to the Nuance booth. If you’re a developer or engineer, let the Nuance folks know and they’ll provide a special prize just for you. Let the sleuthing begin.
Sumo Wrestling: Challenge your boss, office mate or rival to a friendly pushing match on the PrimeNow mat, complete with giant sumo suits. Knock someone over, and you’ll be entered to win a prize courtesy of Amazon.com.
Seattle Sounders in the FIFA 16 Zone: Sounders FC players will be on hand, challenging virtual soccer pros to mini matches in the Qumulo-sponsored FIFA 16 video game zone. Knock off a Sounder in this Xbox competition, and you’ll be entered into a drawing to win a free pass to the inaugural GeekWire Sports Tech Summit, taking place July 12-13 in Seattle. Sounders players will arrive at 4:30 p.m.
Open Play Ping Pong Area: Stop by the OfferUp open play area, and make new friends around the ping pong table. Open to everyone, and all skill levels.
Massages: Stressed out at work? Or need to loosen the muscles from that intense ping pong or dodgeball match? Relax. Licensed massage therapists from League will be on hand giving free 10-minute chair massages.
Beer Pong: Forget slams and spins. The real competition will take place in the Flowroute beer pong zone where attendees will have some fun while sipping on some suds.
Classic Arcade and Video Game Truck: Tetris and Galaga and Donkey Kong. Oh, my. Thanks to sponsor Atlas, we’re re-creating a classic video game arcade with some of the cult favorites of the 80s. Don’t want to go old school? Never fear. We’re also rolling in the video game truck with some of the hottest titles of today.
Spirit Prize: We’ll be giving away a top prize to the folks who fly their geek flags most proudly, supporting their teammates in the various tourneys or just having some cosplay fun. Do you have what it takes?
March Madness: Yes, we love hoops, and we plan to have the Sweet 16 games on the TV in a special sports bar area, sponsored by Sirqul.
More questions? Email us at events@geekwire.com. See you Thursday afternoon, and thanks for celebrating with us.
A big thanks to presenting sponsor Point Inside — which will host the action on the championship ping pong tables — for helping to make this event possible.
Also, thanks to gold sponsors: Hired, Flowroute, EY, Moz, AOL, Atlas, First Tech Federal Credit Union, Akvelon, CenturyLink, eBay, DoubleDown, BestBuy, Avvo, RealSelf, OfferUp, Booking.com, Nuance, Impinj, Qumulo, Lyft, Expedia, Virtuozzo, Sirqul and PrimeNow.
