We’re getting excited for GeekWire’s 4th Anniversary Bash, taking place this Thursday at the Showbox Sodo in Seattle just south of Safeco Field.
More than 700 people are expected for the big event, including 169 ping pong and foosball players who are participating in the official tournaments, looking to earn eternal geek glory and great prizes. But this party offers more than just geeky table top sports, so come ready to have some fun.
Given the big crowd and all of the activities in store, make sure you arrive on time, with doors opening at 3:30 p.m.
The official tournaments are sold out. But a limited number of tickets for the bash are available, so grab those before we close down the registration later today.
Here’s a quick rundown of the key details in case you’re attending Thursday. Looking forward to celebrating with you!
Time and location: The event will take place from 3:30 p.m. to 8 p.m. Thursday, March 26 at the Showbox SODO, at 1700 1st Ave. S. in Seattle, just south of Safeco Field. Here’s the map.
Parking: Although there is no validated parking for this venue, there are various parking lots and street parking (if you are lucky) surrounding the Showbox SODO. Come prepared with your cash/credit card for these prepaid lots.
Players: Doors will open early at 3:30 p.m. for registered ping-pong and foosball players, and the tournaments begin shortly after 4 p.m. Players, check out this FAQ for additional tournament guidelines. We’ve also updated our post from last week with the latest versions of the brackets.
Attendees: From the CenturyLink Conversation Lounge to the hidden ping-pong ball hunt, we’ll have a wide variety of activities throughout the afternoon and evening for all attendees, with prizes and lots of great food and drink. See a list of activities below.
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: Posting to Twitter? #gwbash
Thanks to our Sponsors! A big thanks to presenting sponsor CenturyLink — which is also hosting the conversation lounge in the upper bar area and the championship table — for helping to make this event possible.
Also, thanks to our ping pong table sponsors: Shippable, EY, OfferUp, UPSConnect, Qumulo, EMC Isilon and Best Buy, which is also sponsoring the foosball tournament. Also, a big thanks to gold sponsors: Moz, eBay, Knoll and DoubleDown, as well as silver sponsors: First Tech Federal Credit Union, Merriman, ThePlatform, Whitepages, Oracle/BlueKai, Dropforge Games, and JMA. Also thanks to supporting sponsors RealSelf, Fuel Talent, and Rightside.
Activities
Conversation Lounge: Not in the mood to watch ping pong or play foosball? No worries. This year, presenting sponsor CenturyLink is hosting a conversation lounge in the upper bar area. Perfect for networking, or sipping on cocktails, you might just find your future investor or star engineer hanging here. Oh yeah, make sure to ask a CenturyLink representative about an extra drink ticket, and be sure to enter their drawing for a chance to win a signed Sounders FC or Seahawks jersey.
Star Spangled Banner: We’ll kick off the event in style this year with a special rendition of the National Anthem, performed by one of Seattle’s top techies.
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 DoubleDown — in the bar areas of the venue, and maybe even the patio and bathroom. Find a sleeve of balls and return them to the DoubleDown booth, where you might just win a special prize.
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, a few years ago someone showed up in a very bizarre unicorn costume. Many others adorned the colors and T-shirts of their companies. Decision time.
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 eBay’s open play area near the registration table. We’ll have two pong tables on hand, so you can informally challenge your boss or rival. Let the duels begin!
Beer Pong: Thanks to our sponsors at Whitepages we’ve purchased an 8-foot long portable beer pong table that will be rolled into a special beer garden area. (Yes, it’s like a mini Oktoberfest in March!).
Headbands: What’s ping pong without a stylish headband? After all, you don’t want your sweat dripping on your opponent or neighbor. Dropforge Games is giving away headbands to all tournament participants, and there may be a few more left over for those who simply want to rock it 70s style. They are also giving away a $100 Pagliacci Pizza gift card to the person who obtains the fastest “speed run” on Super Mario Brothers.
See you Thursday! Email us at events@geekwire.com with any questions.
