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Originally Posted by brendand
Sessions start at 9:00 am and end at 6:00 pm if I remember correctly. It's a very long day. But lunch is like 2 hours I believe.
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Doors open at 8:00 am for breakfast, first session is typically at 8:30, not 9:00. I seem to remember lunch being 90 minutes, but whatever it is, it's plenty of time to go get lunch somewhere else, or if you eat at Moscone, you can use the labs or just socialize. 6:00 sounds about right for the end time, maybe 6:30.
Quote:
Originally Posted by brendand
There's two ways to get a good seat at the keynote. One is to get there VERY early. Last year my friend started lining up at 3:30 am. I got there around 6:00 am. We got pretty descent seats. The other way is to wait until they've seated all the VIPs in the front area and then they start waving anyone over to the front so they can fill the empty seats for the cameras.
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There's also a huge element of luck. I was in line about 4:15, was perhaps #200 or so in the line, but once we moved into the Moscone, the line was probably 15 or 20 abreast, and relative positions changed alot. Though it was a very nice group of people, there were opportunists who jockeyed for position and several people ended up in front of me who started quite a ways back.
Just before they let us up to the fourth floor, they set all four escalators to go up, and then just dropped the rope. It was possible to be the first person in line before the escalators and be beat by a few hundred people into the main room. It was also possible to come in later and get a great seat because they never know how many VIP seats they are going to need, so the whole front section is off-limits to the first wave of people. But the VIPs typically take maybe the middle two front sections (less than half the area reserved), and they then open up the rest after five or ten minutes.
You'll have a better chance at a good seat if you don't care about staying with your friends. If you are a big group that wants to stay together, your chances of getting one of those prime seats in the front are much less and basically it's only going to happen if your timing is perfect. If you don't mind being separated from your friends and move quickly, you can almost certainly get a seat up front, albeit on the sides.
If you get there really early, you're almost certain to get into the main room, but unless you're a VIP, you're not guaranteed a decent seat. You'll have to jockey a bit and cross your fingers some, too. But there aren't any horrible seats. The RDF works everywhere in the buidling.
The line is actually a good time. I really enjoyed talking with so many different people. I'm not sure that I'll be going quite so early this year, that's a long time to wait with very few restrooms and the overflow rooms are quite comfy and you actually get a better view because the viewscreens are bigger and you're closer to them. I'm going to play it by ear and see how it goes.
Quote:
Originally Posted by brendand
Either way, it's a very long wait for the keynote, but it's well worth it as it's an amazing start to the week. Hopefully Steve is well enough to give the keynote this year. Get well Steve, we're rootin' for ya!
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Absolutely - if it's your first time, you definitely want to get there early and take in the whole experience. The keynote line is a great opportunity to meet lots of people. Just make sure to bring some food and empty your bladder before you head over there, because you won't hit the first restroom until after 7:00am when they open the doors.
See you all there!
