The team from RealSelf takes home the “spirit prize” at the 2016 GeekWire Anniversary Bash

GeekWire’s 6th Anniversary Bash is coming up this Wednesday at the CenturyLink Field Event Center in Seattle. We’ve got more than 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. Wednesday, March 15th at the CenturyLink Field Event Center in Seattle, just south of CenturyLink Field. The main entrance and registration will be at the southwest doors on Occidental Ave S.

Seattle Sounder Stefan Frei, center, at the 2016 GeekWire Bash, along with an attendee and a mysterious unicorn. (GeekWire Photo)

When should I arrive? Doors open at 3 p.m. All tournament players need to be checked in by 3:30 p.m., and general attendee partygoers can arrive anytime after 3 p.m. Peak party time will be around 6:30 pm when we are immersed in the finals of the ping pong, dodgeball and foosball tournaments.

Do I need to bring my printed ticket? No. If you are registered, we will have your name on file.

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. 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 ReachNow: Leave your car at home and take a ReachNow BMW or MINI to the GeekWire Bash! ReachNow members can end their trips at the ReachNow Drop Zone located at the NW entrance of the CenturyLink Field Event Center off Occidental Ave – no circling for parking required! #RockstarParking.

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 along Occidental Ave S.

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, but we will have plenty of open play for foosball, dodgeball, Catan and ping pong.

Serious ping pong action at the GeekWire Bash

GeekWire Members: Look for the express line at registration to pick up your special member badge and be automatically entered in our Member Giveaway. More info on becoming a GeekWire Member here.

Tournament players: Doors will open at 3 p.m. for registered ping-pong, dodgeball, foosball and Settlers of Catan tournament players, and the tournaments begin promptly at 4 p.m. Players, check out the tournament logistics, rules and other information in these posts: Dodgeball, Ping Pong and Foosball.

What to wear? Casual clothing is best, and headbands are optional!

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 

Have some fun on the Smartsheet sumo mat.

Sumo Wrestling: Challenge your boss, office mate or rival to a friendly pushing match on the Smartsheet sumo mat, complete with giant sumo suits.

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 FIFA or challenge a player to a match of ping pong. You also may get a chance to take a selfie with the MLS Cup.

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.

VR Lounge: Thanks to the folks at EventStarVR, you’ll get to enter fun virtual worlds and play interactive games at this year’s Bash, including Longbow, Space Pirates and Xortex. The HTC Vive systems will be located near the registration area, and available to guests on a first-come, first-serve basis. Enjoy!

Beer pong action will be back at this year's anniversary bash.
Beer pong will be back at the GeekWire Bash, along with a giant size version of the game

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. Even more fun, we’ll be busting out a giant version of this fun activity.

DJ Morgan: KEXP’s DJ Morgan will keep the party atmosphere flowing throughout the evening from her perch at the ReachNow DJ booth. Maybe a little Balls of Fury soundtrack.

Classic Arcade and Video Game Truck: Tetris and Galaga and Donkey Kong. Oh, my. 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, where you’ll also be able to get your hands on Nintendo’s new Switch gaming console.

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?

Classic arcade games. Yes!

The Tabletop Gaming Zone: Board game geeks unite! Play a little Settlers of Catan, or learn a new board game in the brand new tabletop gaming area. Instructors from Games & Gizmos will be on hand to provide instruction and insight on some of their favorite board games.

Tricycle Races: Forget NASCAR. We’ll see who can buzz around the track the quickest on adult-sized tricycles, courtesy of sponsor Obliteride.

Donut Wall: After exerting yourself on the tricycle track or dodgeball court, grab a tasty donut, courtesy of Chef.

The circle bar from Sirqul: This year we’re hoping to foster even more connections at the Sirqul bar, located centrally so guests can mix and mingle with old and new friends. Stop by, have a beverage and talk about the action in the tournaments.

Bash After Party: Want to keep the party rolling? Join us at Quality Athletics (121 South King Street) around 8:45 p.m. where our partners, Gentleman Jack, will be serving up drinks and snacks, and hosting a VR experience and other fun.

Event Map: Take a look at the map below to get a sense of all of the craziness happening this Wednesday.

More questions? Email us at events@geekwire.com. See you Wednesday afternoon, and thanks for celebrating with us.

Please note this event is 21+. Also, see our terms of use and code of conduct for GeekWire events.

A big thanks to our gold sponsors for helping to make the GeekWire Bash event possible: CenturyLink, Qumulo, Moz, Sirqul, Flowroute, ReachNow, OfferUp, Avalara and Smartsheet.

Also, thanks to silver sponsors: Moss Adams, Taser/Axon, Fred Hutch Obliteride, First Tech Federal Credit Union, EY, Avvo, Big Fish Games, Wealthsimple, Perkins CoieRealogics Sotheby’s, Capital OneWoot, Impinj and HomeAdvisor.

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