Ok guys, it's that time again! Here's the details for the 4th annual South Eastern Laser Enthusaist's Meeting.
The event will be held over the weekend of August 21st and 22nd, in Newton, North Carolina. This city is just south of Interstate 40 at exit 130 (NC hwy 16). Newton is just under an hour from the Charlotte/Douglass International Airport (CLT) in Charlotte, NC. It's also about the same distance from the Asheville Regional Airport (AVL) in Asheville, NC, and about an hour and a half from the Piedmont Triad International Airport (PTI) in Greenville, NC. Of the three airports, Charlotte is probably the biggest. (It's a hub for US Air.)
There are several good places to stay in Newton. There are two very nice bed and breakfast inns, but they tend to fill up rather quickly. The first is The Trotthouse Inn, which is 1 block away from the venue, and the second is The Peacock Inn, which is about 3 miles away from the venue. (Follow the links for directions and contact info.) Both places run around $90-$100 per night. Be sure to mention that you will be attending SELEM at the auditorium when you book your room. (The Trotthouse knocks off $10 per night for people attending functions at the auditorium; The Peacock might do the same...)
Thanks to 300Evil (the evil Adam!), we also have a group rate arranged at the Holiday Inn Express in Conover for SELEM attendees. A regular room will run you just $79, and suites are $99. (This represents a 25% discount off the standard rates!) This hotel is about 4 miles from the venue, right off I-40 at exit 130. If you want to stay here, I suggest you book your room by phone. Call them at (828)-465-7070 and be sure to give them the special group code "SELEM" so you get the discount. (Note: Cassie Arrowood is the dayshift manager who set up the discount for us.)
EDIT: A few people have noted that you need to tell them you are with the "SELEM laser group" to get the discount. So be sure to mention that when you are booking your room, and ask for the group rate.
You are of course free to stay at any hotel you wish. Of the three listed above, the Trotthouse is unquestionably the most convenient, but when I last checked, they only had 2 rooms left. (I booked my room back in March!) Note also that once the B&B's fill up, nearly everyone else will end up staying at the Holiday Inn Express, mostly because there is an unofficial after-hours (read: midnight till 4 am) laser party in the conference room downstairs every night from Thursday through Sunday. (Evil Adam is normally right in the middle of this laser party!)
As before, we will be renting out the Newton-Conover Auditorium (formerly known as the Newton-Conover Civic and Performance Place) for the weekend. Here is a link to the venue location. It's a 500 seat auditorium with a large stage area and a couple dressing rooms backstage. There is a loading dock that leads through a set of double-doors and right up to the stage.
People are encouraged to arrive in Newton on Friday, August 20th. We will have the venue open from noon until 5 PM for people to load-in and set up their equipment. But if you can't arrive until later, you can always set up while the event is going on. (It will be much more crowded on stage by then, however.)
We will be holding the traditional "pre-SELEM dinner party" at The Artist's Cafe in downtown Newton on Friday evening starting at 6 PM. This restaurant is only a few blocks from the auditorium, and they've got very good food at reasonable prices. After dinner, we will retire to the upstairs lounge for drinks. I expect we'll be there until they throw us out, which is usually around midnight... All attendees are *strongly* encouraged to attend this party. Yeah, it's really that much fun!
Officially, SELEM begins at 10:00 AM on Saturday. We will run until around midnight that first day. Sunday morning we will start back up at 10:00 AM again and run until around 5:30 PM or so, at which time we'll need to start packing up and cleaning up. I hope to be out of the auditorium by 7:00 PM.
This year I've invited Mike Dunn to attend as a special guest. He is about 85% sure he'll be able to make it at this point. Also, I expect we'll have a few other special guests in attendance, but I haven't gotten confirmation from them yet. As a special treat, Clandestiny has volunteered to bring a large frame Kr/Ar pair to the event (along with one of his massive beam tables) so he can put on an outdoor show for us. This is dependent on his very busy schedule, but at this point there appear to be no conflicts.
One change from previous years is the stage layout: We'll have scaffold set up on stage this time to hold the projectors, and we will have fewer "presentations" this year so that we have more time for laser shows. (I expect we'll only have 2 or 3 presentations - more on this as we get closer to the event.) I will be much more involved with the load-in work on Friday, and we hope to have pre-assigned areas for people to set up their projectors so that we have a more symmetrical layout. I should also have a 10-port buffered ILDA splitter present, which will help us connect more projectors together.
As always, we'll have plenty of tables and chairs at the venue, and David and I will be bringing our traditional sound system. (Bring ear plugs if you don't like loud music!) Members are encouraged to bring their projectors, but it's not mandatory. Also, if you have any equipment you want to sell, there will be tables set up backstage for people to buy/sell/swap stuff. If you are bringing a projector, please be sure to bring plenty of extra cables (ILDA, power, & ethernet) to facilitate easy setup. And just as in previous years, we will have access to 208V 3 Phase AC power and water for cooling, if you want to bring an ion laser.
Registration cost is $40 per PhotonLexicon member. If you want to bring your spouse, other adult family members, or friends / co-workers along, that is fine, as guests are encouraged. We do ask that you not bring young children, however, as there are safety hazards present in the auditorium that make it impossible to "child-proof". Mature, teenage children are allowed, provided you are willing to adequately supervise them.
If you know of someone who is not a member of PhotonLexicon but is otherwise a laser enthusiast, they are welcome to attend as well. They can either register themselves, or they can attend as your guest.
The registration fee is used to cover the rental costs associated with the auditorium, and to cover the cost of the official SELEM shirts. Each person that pays the registration fee will get one shirt. If you want to buy additional shirts for yourself or your guests, they are available for $20 each.
Please note that refunds are not possible. If things change after you have paid and you discover that you can't attend, that is unfortunate, but no refunds will be offered for canceled plans or no-shows. If there are excess funds left over after all SELEM expenses are paid, those funds will be donated to PhotonLexicon to support the forum. Also note that no one earns any money from this event. Everyone volunteers their time and effort. Having said that, however, I do think it's appropriate that you offer to tip Steve Roberts if he works on your ion laser! (Last year he worked on nearly a dozen different heads for free...)
To register, simply send your payment of $40 to me at:
Adam Burns
102 Nightingale Manor
Charleston, SC 29418-3038
Or you can send it via PayPal at adburns@sc.rr.com
Remember! You need to tell me 3 things when you register:
1) what size shirt you want. (small, med, large, XL, 2XL, 3XL)
2) how many will be in your party (including guests).
3) what equipment (projector / controller) will you be bringing.
Also remember that extra shirts can be pre-ordered for $20 each. Just tell me how many extras you want and what sizes. The shirts are black knit "polo" style shirts with 2 buttons, a collar, and the SELEM logo embroidered on the front. There may be a limited supply of shirts at the event (usually one or two), but don't count on being able to buy one at SELEM. If you want extra shirts, now is the time to order them.
Finally, if you don't read anything else, read this:
SELEM is an at-risk event. That means that by registering for the event, you certify that you and your guests are aware that there will be very bright, high-power lasers present, along with potentially lethal voltages (especially in the hallway where the 3 phase power will be available), and you furthermore agree to personally assume any and all risk of injury to you or your guests that may be associated with attending the event. You will be required to sign a liability waiver at the door to get in.
Adam
PS: We are also planning a laser safety seminar for Monday, August 23rd, after SELEM is finished. This will be a day-long presentation by Casey Stack from Laser Compliance Inc. It will be held in the conference room at the Holiday Inn Express hotel in Conover. So if you want to stay an extra day and attend this special event, keep that in mind when you book your hotel for SELEM. I'll start a separate thread for the safety seminar registration once I've nailed down all the details. (Figure in another week or two.)
If anyone needs to get in touch with me during SELEM (or if you have questions beforehand and want to chat), feel free to call me on my cell phone at (843) 324-0735.
Registered (paid) attendees:
300Evil + 2 guests
Allthatwhichis
Araugh
Blowfly
Bradfo69
Buffo
Cfavreau
Daedal
DanBarlow +1 guest
Dchammonds
Displaser + 1 guest
DJ Doublebass + 1 guest
DJMatt
Docjohn
Dream beamz
Drlava
DSLI-Jon
DZ
Emory + 1 guest
Flecom + 1 guest
Gottaluvlasers
Hakzaw1
Imagelight
Ireedz
JohnYayas
Laserman121
Lazerjock
Laserock
Lulighttec
MarioMaster
Massivesound
Mecheng3
MisterWilling + 1 guest
Mophead + 1 guest
Platinum
Polishedball
Ppporch
RGB-gas
Stuka + 1 guest
X-Laser