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By Tomasz “Fanotherpg” Kaczmarek following the example of Chris Street reports
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Note: “This article is not endorsed by, or affiliated with, Clickteam in anyway. Should information be incorrect, please contact me and I'll correct the article accordingly.“
ATTENTION: If you are interested only with presentation stuff – Proper Click Convention Report - go to Chapter Four! I make an introduction about Organisation part and behind curtains report for everyone who never participate (and those who participate) to show the convention from each side – and this was the thing which I always missed in previous reports... So if anyone will be bored because of that, one word SORRY!
What is more I'm not native English, so like Popcorn said 'there's thousands of mistakes in it, but leave it, it's got your style'
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Chapter One: Before the Convention – December 2008 – July 2009
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This year's Click Convention wasn't held by CT staff, but only with their blessing and it was more Click Party like Muz said. Why? Because due to many different situations most of people couldn't come so we had only 8 participants, but there was place for about 40 people and about 30 was interested... So sorry Francois for misunderstanding me when you thought that it would be about 30 clickers in Poland!
I also would like to thanks Mitsou and pikor for helping with organization of this convention, BrandonC, MadeByNewt, Venom and William Clement for checking the Stickam! All the participants not only Polish ones like Don Sotto, draq or Mr Knife but especially Popcorn, Random and Francois Lionet for attending this year Click Convention and all the people who help inform people Kisguri, Muz, OldManClayton and Rikus! It was our second try to invite you, now you agreed and we hope that you liked it... But let's start from beginning how it all started.
Don't worry, I don't want to bore you or anything, but you just had to know something. Concept for this year Convention started last year during first Polish Click Community Convention (8-10 September 200 but we decided to publish information in December of that year. We decided that it should be longer and bigger (about one week and 30 participants only from Poland). But after few days I asked Jason Darby how to organize the Click Convention, he helped me a bit and I decided to make it this year. I translated all materials and other stuff and after some talks with users (mostly Yves) we decided to make 2 separate conventions. 2 day international one during weekend and 5 day Polish one, which became Polish Game Developers Convention (opened to all developers but it was in about 90% Clickers).
Also it was planned to be held in Hostel Alcatraz which was near City Centre, but due to some problems with renovations we couldn't stay there so this is why we changed at last moment place of living to one star Hotel Premiere Classe. It was even closer to the City Centre and thanks to pikor and Mitsou it was really cheap (because we had to make a presentation for them and we used Clickteam Software and Flash for it). So we hope that all problems where behind us but.. It was just hard beginning
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Chapter Two: Unofficial beginning - 23rd - 24th of July 2009
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Everything should start at 25th but people, like people wanted to come earlier, so Popcorn decided to come at 23rd because his only flight to Warsaw was in late evening, Don Sotto, Francois and Random on 24th and only draq and Mr Knife arrived at 25th like it was planned. I arrived at Warsaw at 8 pm by train. It was the cheapest and fastest way for me to get there, but it still take over 4 hours of travelling but my Clickteam cap was great and I could read a Lamb by Christopher Moore so it wasn't so bad. After couple of minutes at station pikor pick me up and we together moved to hotel. At place I checked our room for three people and after half of hour we moved by tram to the airport where we arrived at 8.50 pm. Popcorn arrive at 10:10 pm, but pikor decided to be earlier. Which we got to know later was the biggest mistake of the convention.
City 'panorama' from Polish room
Why? Because just after we arrived at the airport the huge storm started over Warsaw and it lasted for about 4 hours. So Popcorns flight just after we arrived was delayed for about 20 minutes, at 09:40 pm we where informed about next 20 minutes delay, at 10:10 pm we where informed about delay for 11:00 pm and then it was just saying delayed. In the same time Popcorn plane tried to land for about an hour and after that they where moved to Cracow (it's 274.49 km in straight line!) and we couldn't contact with each other because Popcorns phone was broken. He could call but he didn't hear me and his texts (SMS) didn't reach me but I could send him as answers my messages. So we decided to visit whole airport for several times.
Frederic Chopin Airport
At last, about 1:47 am, Popcorn arrived. We didn't recognize each other in first moment – I've got a CT cap but he was looking for CT T-shirt . But I noticed him, I wasn't sure and I called him and yeap it was Popcorn! Next time I will take a microwave or something to detect this guy... But OK, we went back to hotel, when we were at 2:40 am and for about 2 hours we were talking, looking at some projects made by him and pikor and we decided to go sleep at 4:30 am. But after all we went to sleep just before 5.
City 'panorama' from Polish room with Popcorn on the first plan
About 11 on Friday we were all ready to work. But after all we just had to calm ourselves because first person Don Sotto was coming at the railway station about 4 pm, so we go to the city centre walk a while, eat at McDonalds and moved to the press room of MCPPH (Methodical Center of Psychological-Pedagogical Help) where the convention was planned to be held. We made preparations, arranged the tables and tested Stickcam, the webcam communication system. Thanks to my friend Venom for helping out! But we've got for it, because of our late only half of hour, but everything was working quite good so we decided to leave it and we went to pick up Don.
And again new problems! It was misunderstandings about where we should pick him up. We waited at the railway station where the train arrived, but he never showed up. It appeared he had decided to find us by himself and we had to walk 2 km to find him! But we were lucky and as soon as we find we moved to hotel because we had to be at the airport at six and we wanted to refresh ourselves .
When we arrived we were a bit shocked only plane from Holland (from where Rando should theoretically arrive), more precisely from Amsterdam arrived just before 5pm! So we get a bit worried we where looking him on the whole airport and tried to contact him. His German phone was turned off and Netherlands one disconnected me, but after a dozen or so minutes he received my SMS and text me that he just landed and he left me plane number. I checked it and it was from Prague! I asked my self 'What the?' but ok, we split into two groups (pikor, Mitsou and Don Sotto stayed at Terminal 1 and I with Popcorn went to Terminal 2, because we wasn't sure where he would enter. For our luck recognizing him wasn't hard, but we were joking with Kjetil that we should stand with a huge poster with comment 'Random' ,because we didn't know how many people landed . As soon as possible we go back to the rest of the people. After some greetings we move to the Cafe for some drinks and talked for about half of hour because Francois Lionet should arrive at 7.10 pm at Terminal 1 – that was what he was saying.
We were lucky that he informed me that he will come from Zurich (them it couldn't they just come from they countries like Popcorn ?) so we checked the plane about 7.03 pm and ough! He just landed and he should leave at Terminal 2! So we ran there and awaited dozen or so minutes... And in the same time Francois went alone on Terminal 1, like he told us, and waited there, because he saw that there is no one awaiting him he bought a Polish phone card and called me I pick it up and I was surprised that he went there so we ran back for him (on the ground 0 there was terminal 1 and on the first floor Cafe where Don Sotto, Random and Popcorn were chatting. So after a while we were all together I proposed Francois to sit down. After a while he asked me if we are waiting for anyone else and he wasn't happy that I said no, because only two more people will join us next day.
So in total there was only 6 clickers and Mitsou + 2 following day, and Francois was a bit disappointed because he understand from our PMs that there would be much more people (I was talking about places and that dozen or so people are still considering coming but finally they couldn't come what was a pity. So we return to hotel and... The fun begun. Why fun? Firstly it was CC with no native English speaker, secondly it was the smallest convention (yeap Click Party, Muz) and last but not least it would be 'Polish style' not typical Con.
After reaching the hotel we moved into our rooms. And Francois surprised us with question would be possible to have individual room for him, you know he grown up from the student lifestyle it was a little knock down but pikor as soon as he get know what is going on went with Lionet to reception and ordered new room.
Meanwhile Don was chatting with our international guests and make friends with them and I was pleased seeing that they are understanding each other. After hour and checking our emails, showing some projects our guests decided to eat some Polish food outside. But we said that this special is for the Sunday, so we will eat firstly something more international but in the same time we will visit Old Town of Warsaw during night, and everyone were excited about it!
I won't describe you the way to the city centre by the tram, and from there to the old down by foot. But firstly we decided to eat something so I together with Random asked and asked Francois with lot of questions about MMF and possibilities to improve it, we even didn't change our mind in the Pizzeria when not Polish people tried our beer. We know that it is very good and everything but we just don't drink it So we get know many interesting things about MMF and give some ideas for it. We hope that Clickteam will start the list from the end with the suggestions so our would be at the beginning because it's a few thousand positions list... But after all we walked forward to the Old Town. Everyone were impressed by the city climate because Warsaw is very, very climatic city. Pikor was showing us different buildings, and I had to translate what they are. Unfortunately they weren't so impressive like during day, but still they make us saying wow, nice etc also we were going through area where Warsaw Ghetto was placed, which is working on imagination especially when the 70th anniversary of starting World War II is coming...
Clickers in the Pizzera - from the top left Random, Fanotherpg and top right, Francois, Popcorn and Don Sotto
But we didn't want to get depressed or anything and wanted to make as much as we can during that short weekend so we decided to continue our walk to the Old Town when we sat under black sky. We stopped at one of Polish cafeterias, and sitting on kind of market under umbrellas. It was about midnight and we spend there over an hour chatting about ourselves, Click Community, Clickteam, click future etc. And later on we decided that it's time to come back to the hotel, so we go for a bus a longer way (because we had to wait too much time) and after returning to the hotel we talked a bit but after Francois went sleep everyone do the same except me and Don Sotto, because he wanted to show me his game made especially for CC09 (Shipyard) and I can say that I was impressed. It turn based tactical strategy when we place as a commander of fleet. But because after testing it it was about 4.30 am we decided to go sleep. And this is how unofficial beginning ended...
Walking toward Umbrellas, trying to place our proposition on the top of the list BTW if you are wondering what is on my T Shirt it's fanart made by one of Polish Clickers (my photo made on Lech Wałęsa style) with text Fanotherpg First President of Polish Click Scene of course in Polish (if you want it check 15 number of our Click e-zin Slime http://fabrykagier.com/slimaczek and text Solidarnie)
From the left: Random, Popcorn (with his bear!) and Don Sotto
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but we decided to publish information in December of that year. We decided that it should be longer and bigger (about one week and 30 participants only from Poland). But after few days I asked Jason Darby how to organize the Click Convention, he helped me a bit and I decided to make it this year. I translated all materials and other stuff and after some talks with users (mostly Yves) we decided to make 2 separate conventions. 2 day international one during weekend and 5 day Polish one, which became Polish Game Developers Convention (opened to all developers but it was in about 90% Clickers).
City 'panorama' from Polish room
. But I noticed him, I wasn't sure and I called him and yeap it was Popcorn! Next time I will take a microwave or something to detect this guy... But OK, we went back to hotel, when we were at 2:40 am and for about 2 hours we were talking, looking at some projects made by him and pikor and we decided to go sleep at 4:30 am. But after all we went to sleep just before 5.
?) so we checked the plane about 7.03 pm and ough! He just landed and he should leave at Terminal 2! So we ran there and awaited dozen or so minutes... And in the same time Francois went alone on Terminal 1, like he told us, and waited there, because he saw that there is no one awaiting him he bought a Polish phone card and called me I pick it up and I was surprised that he went there so we ran back for him (on the ground 0 there was terminal 1 and on the first floor Cafe where Don Sotto, Random and Popcorn were chatting. So after a while we were all together I proposed Francois to sit down. After a while he asked me if we are waiting for anyone else and he wasn't happy that I said no, because only two more people will join us next day.
