You talk. We listen.
After every gathering we ask the whole community, both the people who came and the people who couldn't, what worked, what didn't, and where we should go next.
Then we actually change things because of it. Here's what you told us, and what we did about it.
And nobody rushed it. People spent 17 to 25 minutes on a survey that ran as long as 68 questions. This is considered feedback, not a quick thumbs-up.
The feedback that changed the event
Three things you told us after the first year, and exactly how the second year answered them.
You told us
"It was a hassle to get to."
For a lot of people, especially the ones who couldn't make it, the biggest thing in the way was simply getting there. Ease of travel was the number-one factor folks weighed when picking a city, both years running.
So we moved. Year two headed to Chicago, a central hub that's easier to reach for more of the community, whichever direction you're coming from.
"Very easy. The train line made things easy, and Chicago was very easy to get around."2026, Chicago
You told us
"The late-summer heat was a lot."
Year one landed in September, and the timing was the part most likely to draw a wince. People asked for something earlier, before the peak of the heat.
So we moved it up. Year two shifted to June, more attendees said the timing worked, and fewer of the folks who stayed home blamed the date (down from about 1 in 5 to 1 in 9).
"June was ideal, not too hot, not too cold."2026, Chicago
You told us
"One t-shirt wasn't enough."
Year one, the official merch was a single group-order tee. The feedback was clear: people wanted more to choose from. In the 2025 survey, 13 of 20 wanted a hoodie, 10 wanted hats, and 10 wanted other shirt styles.
So we opened up the shop. Year two swapped the one-time group order for an always-on print-on-demand store you could order from anytime, now stocked with hats, hoodies, tanks, and long-sleeves alongside the tee. The old group order had an easy-to-miss deadline: six people told us it's why they went without a shirt in 2025. With no deadline in 2026, that dropped to zero.
"Don't like wearing regular shirts in the heat, would have bought a tank-top version."2025, Las Vegas
What people love about it
Ask people for the single best part of the weekend, and most of them don't name an event at all. They name each other.
About 2 in 3 favorite-part answers pointed to the people and the vibe, not any activity.
You said the best part was…
"Meeting everyone in a drama-free environment. Just the social aspect was amazing."
"Honestly, just meeting everyone was the best part. The group meals were also nice to just relax with everyone."
"Getting to meet everyone, especially during meals."
"The vibes. It wasn't so much about the events hosted each day, but just the general atmosphere of everyone in attendance."
"Ya know, the time I got to spend just talking with people, just talking, that was really nice."
"Meeting all the return homies and new homies who were there for the first time!"
Nobody's ready to leave
18 people said the weekend was too short; not one said it was too long. And 42 of 45 would tell a friend to come early or stay late.
A few plans, lots of freedom
A handful of set events with plenty of open time to roam, and the free time landed "about right" for 37 of 47 attendees.
Dinner and karaoke steal the show
The group dinner and the karaoke night are the runaway favorites (the 2025 steak dinner pulled a near-perfect 17 of 20 top marks; karaoke's a hit both years).
The fan-run Magic table
A player-organized Magic: The Gathering session in 2025 that 9 of its 11 players rated a perfect 5.
Small on purpose
40 of 46 attendees call the size just right, and newcomers still feel folded in, not lost in a crowd.
The door's wide open
Most of these surveys came from people who didn't make it to a gathering. Almost none of them said it wasn't for them.
When we asked the folks who stayed home why, the answer was almost never "not interested." It was cost, distance, timing, or simply not hearing about it in time. The wall was practical, not personal.
They're sold on the idea before ever setting foot at one: 86% of the wider community in 2025, and 93% in 2026, said the format sounds great. About 132 of our nearly 200 responses came from people who couldn't attend, speaking up even when they couldn't be there. And size isn't the deterrent, the folks who haven't come call the group size just right too, and plenty wish it were bigger.
You told us…
"FFXI friends are forever. I'm on Horizon because of friends I made 20 years ago on retail."
"Loved the idea. Sad I couldn't attend."
"Be fun to shoot the breeze with other nerds!"
And they want to do more than show up. Interest in community-led side activities climbed from 58% to 73%, pointing right at where we're headed next.
Where we go next
The freshest thing we asked in 2026: what, when, and where should the next gathering be? Here's where you're pointing.
The East Coast is calling
When we asked where to gather next, the answer came back loud and clear: the East Coast.
Fair's fair: our 2026 survey asked with a lean toward the Eastern US, so some of that tilt is ours. But this is plainly where the enthusiasm is.
The one wrinkle is cost. A few of the priciest East Coast cities are exactly the ones that gave people pause, so we're weighing "East Coast" and "affordable" together, not as the same thing.
Most-named next stops
- New York
- Washington D.C.
- Boston
- Philadelphia
- Atlantic City
with New Orleans the strongest pick further south.
Spring or fall, not the peak of summer
If there was one near-universal note, it was "anything but the heat." Comfortable weather beat everything else, and climate was the third-biggest factor people weigh when choosing a city. Late spring and fall are the clear favorites.
Things we're minding for 2027
- If we head to the East Coast, peak Atlantic hurricane season runs roughly August through October, so we'll be mindful of that.
- A lot of the community's streamers would rather not collide with TwitchCon, which lands in the fall (usually October-ish).
- And plenty of parents are working around the school calendar, which usually starts back up in August.
Add it up, and we're leaning toward late spring or early fall: mild weather that sidesteps the heat, the storms, and the busiest stretches of everyone's calendars.
Making the hangout even better
Nobody wants to reinvent the weekend, the easygoing format is a genuine hit. But a few upgrades came through loud enough that we're thinking hard about them:
- A shared home base. Scattered lodging was the biggest pain point in 2026, and "walkability" more than doubled as something people weigh. One central spot to gather beats chasing each other across a city.
- An easier night-one icebreaker. Something low-key and conversational to open the weekend, so people can actually meet before things get going.
- A proper sendoff. A farewell brunch or one last Sunday hangout was the single most-requested addition.
- More community-led activities. People loved the fan-run stuff and want more room to spin up their own side-quests.
Looking ahead
"If the focus of the meetup is the meetup itself, the area matters less than accessibility to the whole community. Nobody goes to DragonCon to sightsee Atlanta; they're there for the Con."
"Early fall was great. Late spring isn't bad either. Things are a lot cheaper during off-season, and it isn't so hot."
"Much cheaper, but I did miss the centralness of having a home base that everyone could meet up at in the morning."
"The foundation is strong, and the folks making it happen can keep iterating and grow it to encompass more of the player base. Can't wait to attend the next one!"
These takeaways come from four community surveys across 2025 and 2026: nearly 200 responses from attendees and non-attendees alike. We keep individual answers, names, and personal details private; everything here is the community speaking as a whole.
Have a say in the next one
Every decision above started as a community answer. The conversation (and the next survey) lives in our Discord.
Join the Discord