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BlizzCon 2011: Reader meetup recap
This year's reader meetup was our best yet. We hit venue capacity of 2,200 attendees within the first hour of the event, blowing away last year's attendance record by a wide margin. A little over two hours into the six hour event, over 3,000 attendees walked through the doors. After that, we lost count. We only brought 3,000 wrist bands to hand out at the door. Every single one of us at WoW Insider, Wowhead, and Gamebreaker.tv had an absolutely wonderful time meeting and greeting our fans. We gave away countless prizes, drank endless drinks (as you can tell from our attendees' Twitter accounts), and had a generally great time. As we do every year, the moment BlizzCon comes to a close, we're going to buckle down and get to work on next year's event. Your feedback is absolutely welcome. If you didn't get to attend and our livestream last night simply wasn't enough for you, below is our gallery of the reader meetup. %Gallery-137254% The news is out -- we'll be playing Mists of Pandaria! Find out what's in store with an all-new talent system, peek over our shoulder at our Pandaren hands-on, and get ready to battle your companion pets against others. It's all here right at WoW Insider!
Live from the WoW Insider and Wowhead Reader Meet-up!
The annual WoW Insider reader meet-up should be on in just a few short moments! This year we've teamed up with Wowhead, Members of ZAM Network, TankSpot and WoW Interface to bring you the biggest and best meet-up we've ever done. For all those of us who couldn't make it to BlizzCon this year, don't worry: Gamebreaker.tv will be livestreaming the event with professional lighting, mics, and cameras, and Gary Gannon, Josh Allen (better known as Lore), and Mike B. will co-host with Mike Sacco and Anne Stickney. As always, you can expect a number of special guests, interviews, and prize giveaways, viewer questions answered over the stream, and possibly the sight of a few staffers passed out in the bushes if we're lucky. The online chat for the event is just past the cut!
Breakfast Topic: What are your plans for BlizzCon this year?
Oh, BlizzCon. Every year you sell out in a ridiculously short period of time, dump players in lines the size of small countries, tease us with small glimpses of future content, titillate us with some daring cosplay, and make us rage about hunters' minimum range and recent paladin nerfs in front of tens of thousands of people. We wouldn't have it any other way. And where is your place in this cosmic dance, dear readers? Are you on your way to the Blizzard mecca today? Or, like me, are you watching the live stream? None of the above? Remember -- if you're going, we'd love to see you at the Reader Meetup we're co-hosting with Wowhead and Gamebreaker.tv! If you're not going, check back with the site anyway around 5 p.m. Pacific (8 p.m. Eastern), because Gamebreaker.tv will be streaming the party. %Poll-70032% Turn to WoW Insider for all your BlizzCon 2011 news and information. Get ready to kick off the weekend with the WoW Insider Reader Meetup, cohosted by Wowhead and Gamebreaker.tv, and look for our liveblogs of the convention panels, interviews with WoW celebrities -- and of course, lots of pictures of people in costumes. It's all here at WoW Insider!
The Reader Meetup details you've been waiting for
The convention starts this Friday, but the real party begins Thursday night. The BlizzCon 2011 WoW Insider Reader Meetup, cohosted by Wowhead and livecast by Gamebreaker.tv, starts at 5 p.m. Pacific at the Anabella Hotel patio. Yes, Dan, we know that, you say. You've already told us this. True -- but now I can finally announce the details. The guests Felicia Day? But of course! Plus others from the cast of The Guild will be on hand. Members of TankSpot and WoW Interface as well as Wowhead will be in attendance. Other special guests we have confirmed include Amy Brady of the Frag Dolls, actress Michele Morrow, machinimator extraordinaire Oxhorn, and Learn2raid's Kinesthesia. That's just a few of the many WoW celebrities we have lined up for the evening. Many of these guests will be talking at the microphone with our hosts for the evening, Mat McCurley and Fox Van Allen. You will also get a chance to meet many of our guests at a special meet-and-greet area at the party. The giveaways What's a party without a few party favors? Our good friends at Cryptozoic are coming with 1,500 booster packs of the latest WoW TCG. And guild hosting site Enjin has 1,500 vouchers for two months of premium service to give away. Plus, there's more from Steelseries, AstroGaming, The Guild, and Black Phoenix Alchemy Lab -- even Dungeons & Dragons loot from Wizards of the Coast. Wizards has also generously donated three full sets of Magic: The Gathering foil M12 cards in limited edition boxes, each with limited edition sleeves and limited edition deck protectors. Handing out many of these prizes will be the lovely ladies of the Apotheosis Agency who helped us out last year, as well. Did we mention the drinks? Monster Energy is giving away cans of Monster Energy and Peach Tea during the meetup for free. All you need to do is ask one of the many servers or bartenders at the party. Looking for something a bit stronger? Alliance- and Horde-themed cocktails await your pleasure, if you are 21 or over. Wristbands will be handed out at the door after your valid I.D. is checked. If you don't have a valid I.D., you can still come in -- just no alcohol for you. The livecast Can't make it? No problem. Gamebreaker.tv will be livecasting the meetup with Gary Gannon, Josh Allen (aka Lore), and Mike B., as well as our own Mike Sacco and Anne Stickney. They will have exclusive interviews with many of the VIP guests and provide commentary on the event as it unfolds. The livestream will be simulcast on WoW Insider, Wowhead, and Gamebreaker's site. If you're on the go, you can follow it on your mobile phone using the Justin.tv app. What more needs to be said? Let's get this party started! The details What: WoW Insider's 4th Annual BlizzCon Reader Meetup, cohosted by Wowhead and Gamebreaker.tv Where: The patio and the poolside of the Tangerine Grill & Patio at the Anabella Hotel When: Thursday, Oct. 20, starting at 5 p.m. Pacific Additional info: You can be under 21 and still attend. Shoes and shirt are required. You do not need a BlizzCon pass to attend. You can RSVP on our Facebook Event page. There will be a valet charge if you park at the hotel. %Gallery-105834% Turn to WoW Insider for all your BlizzCon 2011 news and information. Get ready to kick off the weekend with the WoW Insider Reader Meetup, cohosted by Wowhead and Gamebreaker.tv, and look for our liveblogs of the convention panels, interviews with WoW celebrities -- and of course, lots of pictures of people in costumes. It's all here at WoW Insider!
Announcing the BlizzCon 2011 WoW Insider Reader Meetup co-hosted by Wowhead
[Update: More details.] What's BlizzCon without the WoW Insider Reader Meetup? Last year, we rocked with Anabella with over 2,000 attendees. The drinks flowed, the swag flew and someone ended up in the pool. Oops. How do we top last year's event? By holding an even bigger one than ever before! And we're doing that with the help of our friends at Wowhead. The Wowhead team will be cohosting the event with us including Members of ZAM Network, TankSpot and WoW Interface. We're very excited to have them with us to make this the go-to party of BlizzCon 2011. And for those of you who can't make it to Anaheim this year, we have a special treat for you, too. Last year we brought you a 3-hour+ livestream of the event as it happened via webcam. This year, we're doing the same -- but thanks to our friends at Gamebreaker.tv, we'll have better lights, cameras, mics and streaming capabilities than ever before. Mike Sacco and Anne Stickney return to hosting duties throughout the night joined by Gamebreaker's Gary Gannon, Josh Allen AKA Lore, and Mike B. Mat McCurley will be returning as MC for the evening at the main stage with his trademark humor and, of course, a box full of swag to give away. He will be assisted by our very own Fox Van Allen, who needs no introduction (as he will talk endlessly about himself if you just ask). We have a long list of VIP guests, special giveaways, and more we can't wait to tell you about. Those details will follow in the next few weeks. Come join us and kick off BlizzCon with your friends at WoW Insider and Wowhead! What: WoW Insider's 4th Annual BlizzCon Reader Meetup cohosted by Wowhead Where: The patio and the poolside of the Tangerine Grill & Patio at the Anabella hotel When: Thursday, Oct. 20, starting at 5 p.m. Additional info: You can be under 21 and still attend. Shoes and shirt required. You do not need a BlizzCon pass to attend. You can RSVP on our Facebook Event page. %Gallery-105834%
BlizzCon 2010: WoW Insider Reader meetup recap
I am quite happy to report that the WoW Insider BlizzCon 2010 reader meetup was a huge success! The patio near the poolside of the Anabella hotel was full of our wonderful readers, and I know we here at WoW Insider had an awesome time meeting all of you. For those of you who couldn't come to join us at this year's BlizzCon, I hope you got a chance to tune into the live stream of the event. Now, not only did we get to meet you, our loyal readers, but we also had a ton of prizes to give away both through our live stream and on site at the Anabella. Cryptozoic was there handing out boosters of of its current Icecrown TCG expansion, as well as a handing out quite a few loot cards, including the Wooly White Rhino and Blazing Hippogryph. Razer and Steelseries also provided loot in the form of Razer Naga mice, amazing mouse pads, Zboard keyboards and awesome headsets, and we would like to give them a big thank-you for supplying us with some truly amazing prizes for our readers including MMO-Mumble! For those of you who either couldn't join us live or on the web, I'd like to recap the events of a most wonderful evening. Photos courtesy of Mari Provencher.%Gallery-105834%
The Queue: No sleep 'til BlizzCon
Welcome back to The Queue, our daily Q&A column in which the WoW Insider team answers your questions about the World of Warcraft. Mathew McCurley, pretty much the best guy ever, will be your host. I got no sleep. None. BlizzCon. Today is party. Trying to sleep on plane. Writing this Wednesday, thinking about sleep on plane. Pretty butterflies, where did you come from? I will dance the dance of fire. No, really, tonight is the WoW Insider reader meetup at the Anabella in Anaheim. Get ready for pretty much the greatest night of WoW nerdity, prizes, fun and everything awesome. If you're going to the party, please say hello. Especially you WoW Insider Show fans -- I expect to see you out in full force spreading the good word. Starlin asked: I want to go to the BlizzCon meetup, but I'm hopelessly introverted. Is there room for someone like me to lurk in the background? Or will it just be awkward?
Reminder: WoW Insider's BlizzCon 2010 Reader Meetup and Livecast at 10p ET/7p PT tonight
Though BlizzCon 2010 doesn't officially start until tomorrow, the fun is already starting today. While attendees are flying in to Anaheim by the zepplin-load, WoW Insider is already on the ground. Later today, we will have our annual BlizzCon goodie bag gallery for you, and tonight, we will be hosting our WoW Insider BlizzCon Reader Meetup at the Anabella hotel. If you can't make it to the meetup, don't worry -- we will be livecasting the entire three-hour event here on the site via Justin.tv beginning at 10 p.m. EDT/7 p.m. PDT tonight. Though we aren't giving away an in-game pet to every viewer of the livecast, we will be giving away many prizes from Razer, Steelseries, Cryptozoic and more! Our own Michael Sacco will be manning the livecast microphone, talking with special guests, answering viewer questions and throwing in a few surprises of his own. Tomorrow, we will be back liveblogging and recapping the panels from Day 1. Remember, this is a west coast event so the opening ceremonies at 11 a.m. PDT won't be posted until 2 p.m. EDT on the site. In fact, since the opening ceremonies cover more than just World of Warcraft, we will be liveblogging it on the front page of our parent site, Joystiq, at 2 p.m. EDT/11 a.m. PDT tomorrow, so the Diablo 3 and StarCraft 2 fans can get all the latest news at the same time. We will, of course, be posting any big WoW announcements from the opening ceremonies here on WoW Insider and liveblogging the WoW panels here throughout the day. Whether you're in Anaheim or at home, check out WoW Insider throughout the day for the latest from BlizzCon 2010.%Gallery-104434% BlizzCon 2010 is upon us! WoW Insider has all the latest news and information. We're bringing you liveblogging of the WoW panels, interviews with WoW celebrities and attendees and of course, lots of pictures of people in costumes. It's all here at WoW Insider!
WoW Insider's BlizzCon reader meetup update
A few weeks ago, we announced the time and place of our 2010 BlizzCon Reader Meetup. In case you missed it: Where: The patio near the poolside of the Anabella hotel When: Thursday, Oct. 21 at 7 p.m. What: Mingling, toasts, guest stars, joy Why: It's, uh, BlizzCon 2010. Wear: Shirts and shoes required Today, we wanted to let you in on some of the exciting guests and giveaways we have planned this year's meetup. Last year's big surprise was the cast of the The Guild arriving on the scene. Though Felicia Day is unable to attend BlizzCon this year due to her current shooting schedule in Canada, she will be joining us via Skype! Scheduled to appear, in person no less, are a number of other WoW enthusiasts we have profiled on our site, including actress Michele Morrow, Star Trek: Deep Space Nine's Aron Eisenberg, Frag Doll Amy "Valkyrie" Brady and many more. Also, the husband and wife team behind the creation of Lego Booty Bay will be there with their creation. No WoW Insider event would be complete without phat loot. Cryptozoic, the company behind the WoW Trading Card Game, will be handing out a booster pack of the current Icecrown TCG expansion to the first 1,200 attendees at the door. In addition, during the meetup, we will be running a number of contests that night to unload the following prizes: Icecrown Epic Collection TCG boxes from Cryptozoic -- plus, they will be giving away highly prized, rare loot cards, including the new mounts the Blazing Hippogryph and Wooly Rhino. Steelseries WoW gaming mice, keyboards, headsets and mousepads Razer Naga MMO gaming mice A 1-year subscription for a 50-person Mumble server from MMO-Mumble And a Know Your Lore written by the WoW Insider staff about your character and published on our site! Giveaways presented by the ladies of the Apotheosis Agency, aka women in WoW costumes who actually play the game. Don't miss out on the fun. Come by, say hello to the WoW Insider staff and enjoy an exciting evening sure to be one of the highlights of BlizzCon 2010! %Gallery-104434%
WoW Insider Reader Meetup at BlizzCon 2010
This year's reader's meetup will once again be held at the beautiful Anabella poolside, just a few blocks away from the location of BlizzCon itself. You're welcome to join us at 7 p.m. on Thursday, Oct. 21. We'll be running until 11 p.m, with food and drinks available from the stunning Tangerine Grill & Patio. You'll be able to tell the WoW Insider staff on sight by more than just our dazzling personalities; we'll be sporting new WoW Insider shirts designed by Kelly Aarons. Drop by and say hello. We'll have giveaways, surprise guests and more! Where: The patio near the poolside of the Anabella hotel When: Thursday, Oct. 21 at 7 p.m. What: Mingling, toasts, guest stars, joy Why: It's, uh, BlizzCon 2010. Wear: Shirts and shoes required While you're making your plans to join us, check out the awesome great time we had last year. Hope to see you there! %Gallery-70630%
