COVID-19 Update #3 - February 10, 2020
I have once again spoken with the facility folks, and it appears that the facility will remain closed through the spring of 2021. We should not anticipate a spring event. In the fall, there may still be opportunity for a CMTO-2021 event, however, there are likely to be restrictions on the camp that will make it onerous to organize an event. For the time being we remain in a holding pattern, and will update this space and the email list as soon as new news is available.
As far as a Fall 2021 camp goes, if the facility is even available (which at this point depends on how the handling of the virus looks over the next few months) limits on sleeping quarters, eating arrangements, seating for sessions and recreational activities would greatly reduce our attendee spaces. We would also be very limited in what programming would be available, and the look and feel of camp could be very different.
We will continue to update this space as there is news to share.
Sincerely, Le Fish.
COVID-19 UPDATE#2 - July 16, 2020
Hello everyone. I just got off the phone with the grand poo-bah of the facility we rent for CM*TO. He tells me that the ongoing COVID situation has forced the closure of the facility right through the fall. This is sad since our camp happens in the fall. I thought about asking if we could pitch tents in the ditch outside the gates, but decided not to.
What is good though is that CM*TO 2020 is now CM*TO 2020-1/2. That's right, we have claimed naming rights to a weekend next spring so the show can go on. We are still working on what that weekend will be, and which round of the draft we get our pick in, but as of now, the plan is to snag something in Q2 2021 for camp (sometime from March to May). For now though, we aren't planning on a fall camp this year.
Another question on our minds is that if we bump our 2020 camp to 2020-1/2, will there still be an appetite for a fall camp in 2021? We're working on that. We're trying to figure out what to do. I'd appreciate hearing what you think.COVID-19 UPDATE - MARCH 31, 2020
So folks, I've told you a few times how important it is to me to "Never let your lips make a promise your ass can't keep..." and lately I've been keeping quiet while weighing out the impacts of COVID-19 on CM*TO 2020. The impact right now is... keep on waiting to find out the the impact.
By now we were hoping to have sold tickets, completed a skeleton of an agenda, and have some guidance for you on what the best weekend of your live would look like, but there isn't any of that. And camp still in a holding pattern.
We haven't cancelled camp either though. And I know that forecasting what the world will look like in October is super difficult right now. So for the time being please know that as soon as we can get solid information on how safe it is for you to come to camp, whether our borders are re-opened, and if gatherings of more than 5 people are allowed in the province, we'll pass along an invite and sell tickets and make camp happen... or not.
If the answer is "not" - well, maybe we'll try to put together some sort of a virtual CM*TO or just let the whole thing slide. But for now, we're in the same holding pattern you are. For now, let's all stay healthy, stay alone, and support each other to stay strong through this.
All the best,
The CM*TO Team~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Can you believe that people are already asking about dates for camp in 2020. Like multiple people have asked me about dates. MULTIPLE! And it's a whole year away!
For those planning way in advance, here is some stuff you should know...
CM Toronto (Fall 2020):
1. CM Toronto Session Proposals accepted (proposals for keynote and breakout sessions): March 2020
2. CM Toronto 2020 Lottery Opens (First 150 ppl get into the Lottery): Late April 2020
3. CM Toronto Bunks awarded (75 bunks to be awarded from lottery entrants): Early May 2020
4. CM Toronto: October 2-4, 2020Note that we have bumped the CM Toronto lottery to spring 2020. In the past we have held the lottery closer to Christmas, but this year we are planning to tighten up the schedule. This is to minimize change, and hopefully to allow folks with variable schedules to have a better handle on things like field postings, project schedules etc. (some folks can't know in January what work will look like in the fall.)
This year in early spring (March) CM*TO will be accepting proposals to form panels, lead breakout sessions, and to be keynote speakers as usual. If your proposal is a winner, you are pretty much guaranteed a spot at camp. It's worth it to be a contributor. However, you should beware that feedback from camp has us thinking about ways to have fewer "set" sessions and more impromptu/organic sessions. We have a balance to maintain here, and will likely follow the CM Seattle pattern of one "track" of FI (financial) topics and another track of RE (lifestyle) topics. When you think about your proposals give yourself a winning chance by including which track it fits in, and who your target audience is. Sessions will be chosen in a Late March Org Committee meeting.
In the spring (April) we will accept 150 names for our lottery. Those names will be entered into a random number generator in Excel, and the first 65 (or so - it's actually 75 minus Org committee and presenters) will be given 3 days to accept their bunk. After 3 days, the remaining bunks will be offered to the remaining people on the lottery list 10 at a time until we sell out. This is the same process we used this year and it worked well. One difference is that we have found an app that allows us to build and manage a ticketing website on Wordpress, so we will try to do that to sell the tickets. This means we will mostly be taking payment through Paypal. It is a far simpler and more streamlined process... As long as we can get the website up and running - something we never tackled last year.
We are considering adding an Org Com Role of Social Media and web admin. If you are local-ish to the Golden Horseshoe area and have the technical and social media abilities to do this, let me know.
Winners of CM*TO 2020 bunks should all know by or Before Victoria Day weekend (Mid-May) if our lottery and bunk sales go as planned. Your payment will be your acceptance of the bunk.
If you haven't already joined the Mailchimp email list, it is your best way to stay on top of the calendar as it proceeds. We will reach out to everyone as dates come up for camp, the lottery, and for presenters. In case you aren't on the list, but you are interested in being part of the 2020 camp,
here is the link one more time.