A new Mac event, the Regional Macintosh Gathering, will be held at the Queen Mary in Long Beach, California, April 4-6. Its goal is to provide a “unique mix of everything a Macintosh user seeks,” creator-organizer Deborah Shadovitz said.
“I’ve been pondering ways to satisfy the requests of Mac users to get together in groups larger than found at local user group meetings, to have low-cost classes, and to enable face to face meetings with vendors for people that can’t make the trip to the mecca of Mac shows, Macworld Expo,” she said.
Representatives from such companies as Aladdin Systems, Micromat, Prosoft Engineering, Diamondsoft, eZedia Inc., MacAlly, Stone Design, and ThinkFree Corp. will be on hand. Vendors will offer presentations on font management, video effects in iMovie, how to make your Mac secure, the benefits of Rendezvous, and more
The Mac Gathering will also have a swap meet area where attendees can buy or sell used equipment. A Help area will offer get free consultations from professional consultants. There will be classes from experts such as Apple Consultant Network Members and book authors on topics such as AppleWorks, FileMaker Pro, professional color handling, and setting up a Web server. There will also be a BlueScreen Gaming computer gaming area and, at night, live music.
The Mac Gathering will hopefully be just the first of many regional Macintosh gatherings throughout the US (and maybe elsewhere later), Shadovitz said. She, and those working with her on the Long Beach event, are looking at user groups and user areas all over the US. If your MUG (Mac User Group) is interested in talking with her about a regional event, drop her an e-mail.