Robots @ VMworld San Francisco and Barcelona 2013

[teamstorm]

Before the rumor mill kicks into gear I thought I should post this here.

In August 2013 we're planning to take Robots Live to San Francisco (26th - 30th August) with VMware (the company I work for) for our annual conference event (www.vmworld.com). In previous years VMworld has had 'The Killers' and 'Bon Jovi' play private parties as entertainment for delegates (over 20,000 in the US). 10 years ago at the first VMworld event the entertainment was Battlebots, and this year the company has decided it wants Robots as part of it's entertainment. There will then be a second event, in Barcelona (15th - 17th October).

Preliminary Invites have already gone out to those teams that have been selected as our primary choices for these events (based on number of robots per team, and reliability of the machines) - if you've not had an invite, should any primary teams not be able to attend you may still hear from us yet !

It's taken a lot of work since October last year to get us to this stage, and a massive thank-you to Robots Live for their efforts in helping coordinate the logistics for this (sea-freighting robots to the US and air-freighting them back in time for the European Championship event on the 7th and 8th of September is no mean feat), nor is packing 25 roboteers onto a trans-atlantic flight !

Hopefully this will be the start of more events of this type - but for now as a senior member of VMware it gives me great pleasure in being able to have brought the opportunity of this event to Roboteering !

Ed Hoppitt, VMware UK Ltd
http://www.vmware.co.uk

[terry]

So if your not included how much would it cost to be included ?

[psychostorm]

Ed, I'm here thinking "Is there an opportunity for paid work for me here?"

If there isn't, there isn't but you don't get work by not asking.

[PJ-27]

There must have been some sort of error, I haven't had an invite?

Just checked my spam folders, not there either. Please re-send.

[ewan]

Good work, sounds great

[teamshock]

Great work Ed!

We'll be there with Maelstrom and Manta.

[psychostorm]

There must have been some sort of error, I haven't had an invite?

Just checked my spam folders, not there either. Please re-send.

LOL. I thought I had front asking for a job.

Does team Bitza even have a HW?

Edit: Who's arena is SF using? Robogames or Robots Live?

[Ellis]

Just spotted this. Very interesting. We live in the south of Spain and we intend to make another of our biannual trips to the UK in September/October. We will be passing within touching distance of Barcelona on our normal trajectory. If you want a hand with anything you have able bodies here who can speak the language.

Good luck with it all!

[teamstorm]

Terry, depends on how you got your robot over - the traditional way has always been to take the robot in hold luggage on the plane in pieces and pay for the excess baggage. In that situation I would imagine that you could get the robot over for about £1000 along with yourself, add hotels, transfers in and the cheapest is probably about £3000 as you'd need a few people with you to get enough luggage allowance (BA allow you to pay for up to 3 bags of 32Kg for around £110 pp). You could always look into freighting which is what we'll be doing - I could put you in touch with the company and you could make your own arrangements.... hold fire though, if people aren't able to come we'll be working our way through a reserve list, although it's fair to say that people have ripped off my arm thus far !

Ceri - 'fraid not, current plan is Robots Live but watch this space

Ellis - interesting news, might be interested in a conversation

Ed

[terry]

Wow a lot of money !
Too be honest if I didn't make the top 25 robots to go then I wouldn't want to be the odd one out who had to pay to go and know mine wasn't good enough.

[beast]

terry getting the robot over, there is a cheap option go with jhs shipping (friend of mine) about £200 but you are with out the bot for a few weeks if not months then u have all the rest of the bills
but you are right if we have not made the top 25 bots then I wouldn't want to be the odd one out who had to pay to go and know mine wasn't good enough.
same here

[cliveb]

Thats how we have felt for the last 4 years trying unsuccesfully to get on the Dublin trip, whilst more or less the same teams go year on year.

" You can please some of the people all of the time,and all of the people some of the time. But you can never please all of the people all of the time" John Lydgate/Abraham Lincoln

[grant_ploughbot]

The thing with choosing teams for an event is that the organiser has to choose people that they are confident with and know they have reliable machines. That's why you tend to see the same people invited most the time as when you don't know people very well as an organiser it's hard to make the judgement of how good and reliable they will be for your shows.

[teamstorm]

Had some great chats with teams about this at Burgess Hill, we're just finalising the final bits and pieces of logistics but it was amazing to see such overwhelming support for doing this.

I've had a catch up with the US event management team today (they're all West Coast so have just woken up) and they've confirmed that we'll be in a position to start to nail down logistics and bookings from next week following an 'executive review' whatever that means

Anyway, hold fire.... as you're aware we announced this slightly earlier than we intended to, but we should be all sorted and in a position to confirm the plan in the next fortnight !

Ed (wearing his VMware hat)