EGC 2011 in Vegas Aug 5-7, be there!

[SubaruBrat]

The RetroGaming Roundup show is pleased to announce the Emergency Gaming Convention (EGC) to be held August 5-7 in Las Vegas Nevada. After passing though the 5 stages of grief upon hearing of the cancellation of our favorite yearly event, CGE, we had an Animal House style epiphany. There was no way we were going to quietly accept this and wait till 2012. So we devised that we would have our own 3 day party in Vegas because we couldn't stand the idea of missing out on hanging out with our listeners and fellow gamers in the happiest place on earth, which is of course Vegas. We have come up with a pretty solid schedule of events that will provide both gaming and the camaraderie that we love so much about CGE. We hope that you will join us for EGC 2011, and we are well aware that the typical barrier to many people making a Vegas trip is the assumption that is it inherently expensive. Our crack travel department has been ferreting out hotel deals and has written a cost conscious guide to a Vegas trip.



Welcome to the home of the Emergency Gaming Convention; EGC 2011. We hope that our listeners, and fellow CGE veterans alike, will join us for a 3 day gaming party in Las Vegas. There is no fee to attend this event, we are offering T shirts at cost to help us identify each other which is optional. While the major events are largely planned out some minor details such as where we will have breakfast on a given day will be updated as we near the weekend of the event.

HOTELS
We have picked the south end of the strip for its selection of hotels that are priced to fit a wide variety of budgets and so that we can all be within a short distance of each other. RetroShaun has researched the pricing and found the rates below. There is no "official" hotel of EGC 2011 from a financial standpoint but for planning purposes we will consider the Excalibur to be the preferred hotel. We do ask that people DO NOT stay at the Tropicana as their behavior as reported by the CGE owners is why there is no CGE 2011. One tip for searching for airfare and hotel combo deals; if your using expedia or US airways vacations etc. try searching for longer periods than you plan to stay for. It is actually cheaper to book a week of hotel and airfare than it is to book just the weekend and airfare. Its crazy but that is the way it is. Feel free to use this thread to arrange room shares and such.

Prices retrieved based on Aug 5th - 7th

South Point: $60 (Further away, cab rides or car would be necessary)
Hooters: $76 (Strongly suggested as a budget hotel as it is very close)
Excalibur: $82
Travelodge: $99
Luxor: $105
Monte Carlo: $111
NY NY: $127
MGM Grand: $155

All are "average" prices for those 2 nights.

EVENTS

FRIDAY; 12:00 noon until departure to the Haufbrau meet-up as people arrive at the Luxor food court (Bring your DS and favorite multiplayer games!), the group should not be too hard to spot, look for the RetroGaming Roundup or Gamegavel Tshirt to spot me or Socal. At 6:00pm we head to the Haufbrau house for dinner (With a toast to CGE 2012) followed by pub/casino crawl on the strip. If you plan on playing some slots or other gaming on our pub/ casino crawl you can sign up for the casino cards in advance, Mlife covers many of the south strip casinos.

SAT; Breakfast 11:00am at the Pyramid Cafe and depart for the Pinball Hall of Fame from there at 12:00 noon. At 5:00pm we hit the INSERT COINS Barcade, for gaming goodness and a panel discussion with our listeners to be held there which will air on our EGC 2011 special show as well as streamed live on our Ustream, well hang out a while then depart for dinner at the Golden Nugget when everyone is ready. For those not attending in person, Ustream should be up by 6:00pm although this may vary a bit.

The Insert Coins Barcade has given us a very accommodating welcome and this promises to be a special event. We will be set up to conduct a panel discussion about EGC 2011 and whatever topics you want to get on the RGRUP show. They have a fully equipped console area and arcade stocked with classics for us to enjoy after the show. And for those who can't make it we will be streaming the event live from Insert Coins!

Check out their drink menu;
The MARIOTINI
The LUIGITINI
The PEACHYTINI
The PLASMA GRENADE
The YOGA FIRE
The MORRIGAN
The MEGA BUSTER
The CENTIPEDE

SUN; Breakfast at Denny's on the strip at 11:00am, then hit the Coney Island Emporium (multi place racing games) and then Gameworks; Wrap up dinner at Margaritaville as the group sees fit time wise.

TRANSPORTATION
Many of the events are withing walking distance of the hotel, for those further away there are plenty of cabs available which get pretty cheap when shared by a few people. The Friday and Sunday events are pretty much all walking distance events. Saturday it might make sense to split a rental car between several people.

A SPECIAL NOTE FOR LAST MINUTE GUESTS

If you found out at the last min, from the INTV release your more than welcome to come, email scott@retrogamingroundup.com directly to avoid the delay of registering on the forums and let us know your coming. But of course do check out our kick ass forums and Retro Gaming Show!


TO REGISTER;

To register send a Private Message to me with the following info:

NAME
PHONE NUMBER
ADDRESS
SHIRT SIZE, if you want a shirt. We have yet to determine a price but they will be at cost, shirts will be mailed before the event.
HOTEL (if known)
WHEN YOU PLAN TO ARRIVE

[retroshaun]

I'll be there!

All room prices are based on standard rooms with 2 beds and are therefor perfect for room sharing.

[teknohed]

My august is filling up quickly! but I will be there!

[SubaruBrat]

I just did my reservations, can't wait to get there! We are going to be staying a week or so longer than the EGC but due to work constraints I can't arrive there until Friday. I was just thinking that we should all post when were arriving and leaving as some folks are arriving Thursday, some Friday, some leaving Sun, some later so some more hanging out could go on outside of the planned events.

My flight arrives 1:30 Friday and I should be downstairs at the Luxor by 2:30, I will be free Sunday evening but past that the wife and I have plans.

[darksol]

Sounds interesting so far.

Sent from my Droid

[retroshaun]

I still need to have a think about it because theres a chance we will be moving home (or maybe even moving City / State!) before then, so that kinda messes up the flight plans!

I'll probably jump in with a room booking in a couple of months time.

[Byte Knight]

Sounds like the ultimate guy's vacation - count me in!

[SubaruBrat]

You won't regret a second, and, its fucking Vegas!

[SubaruBrat]

We just ordered our tickets to Penn & Teller, were going Tuesday the 9th.

[teknohed]

Hey RGR Crew! Long time no post! Things have been a bit crazy for me the last couple months. THQ announced that they are closing down the LA office I'm working in and offered me two options. Relocate to Montreal or get laid off in July. Looks like I'm moving to Canada! There has been a strange mix of excitement and total dread around the house for the last few weeks. My wife has lived in LA All her life. She's seen now maybe 3 times, and now we are moving to a place that is below freezing for three months a year.

Also, this means I'm not sure where I'll be by August! I hope I can still make it to Vegas, but it might not work out. I'm totally bummed about that, but I guess I'll be on the east coast and maybe I can make it down to Magfest this year. Anyway, I'll keep you all posted! Keep up the good work, I've been listening and watching the big game hunter even though I haven't had time to troll the forums!