SAVE THE DATE

for the 2024 GSMU (Great Scavenger MeetUp)!

Well, save the approximate date. We’ve got a little research to do, but we are tentatively planning on a Great Scavenger Meetup in April or May of 2024 in Sacramento, CA.

We got a lot of thoughtful responses from the survey we sent out a couple weeks ago. There is interest in a GSMU, especially if we give a bit more time for Covid numbers to continue to decline, and many stated they would like more time to save up for a big trip. There was interest in both 2023 & 2024, but a 2024 GSMU would get a much higher turnout. The “where” also got a lot of response – in fact the Write-Ins got the most votes! When aggregated, the area with the most write ins was Western North America. Some were specific and named cities, others states, and others were more regional. Some just wanted to go somewhere warm.

When we combined comments about where, plus the concern about cost of travel and lodging we settled on Sacramento. It’s literally half way between San Diego CA and Vancouver BC. The weather in April & May is warm, but not hot. It has an International Airport, and the Amtrak Train depot is walking distance from where we’re looking at centering the activities and lodging. On top of that, it’s near a lot of other fun & beautiful locations in California for those that want to extend their vacation. The hotels are less expensive than the bigger cities along the west coast, but still have the amenities, great food, and interesting places to visit & a lot of outdoor venues. It’s also flat and easy to walk around.

Introducing Regional Meetups

We also celebrate that the Scavenger Hunt has participants from around the world. Most participants are in North America, but we also have a sizable European community, a group in Australia and New Zealand, and players across Africa and Asia. Many Scavengers have met via Mini Meetups – some of which were big and more than just a short photowalk. Memory is a bit fuzzy, but I think the idea of the GSMU started because of all the Flickr, G+, and other photowalks going on at the time. We don’t want to dilute the fun and specialness of the GSMU, but also recognize that “Mini” can sound misleading.

Which is what led us to “Regional”. We’ll help with spreading the word to Scavengers, but the planning and responsibility is on whomever wishes to put one on. It can be an afternoon, a weekend – no limit other than it needs to be open to all Scavengers, not conflict with a GSMU, and not be a money making event. If you’re interested in hosting one, and want help spreading the word, fill out this form.

Why the Distinction between Regional and GSMU?

The idea behind the Great Scavenger Meetup was to bring all (or as many possible) Scavengers together. They were driven from the top down but wouldn’t have been such a great success without all the great Scavengers helping to plan (looking at you Nancy Levan!), put on workshops, and all of those who traveled to attend. Because of the work, and travel distances for many, every two years became the timing for past GSMUs.

The locations were chosen to make it easy for the greatest number of Scavengers to attend – such as vicinity to international airports, lodging choices, and travel costs. Covid put a monkey wrench in things, but we hope that by 2024 more will feel comfortable traveling.

Regional Meetups help fill in the gaps. Not all of us have the funds or time to travel far regardless of how much notice is given. Some will have conflicts with the date chosen for the GSMU. And many of us don’t want to wait two years between meetups! There are also those that just prefer smaller or shorter events.

Bring on the Fun!

Are you ready? Please watch this space as well as your email & posts in our Community for more information about the 2024 GSMU in Sacramento.

More Meetup Info

Curious about past meetups? Check out this overview: