As has been outlined on previous messages about this, the KansasFest board has been deliberating on what to do about this year’s annual gathering. Initially it was hoped that the world and national situation would be sufficiently improved by July that we could proceed as usual. However, it has become clear that the economic disruption and potential health risks make gathering in Kansas City this year no longer viable.
Rather than completely canceling this year’s event, the Board has decided to move in the same direction as many others have done, and that is to have a gathering via group meeting software, a sort of “Virtual KansasFest”.
We plan to hold this online event Friday and Saturday, July 24–25, 2020, for about six hours each day (with breaks included as usual). Since this is an abbreviated event, speaker times will also be abbreviated, each running from 15 to 30 minutes (session announcement to follow separately).
The registration cost for Virtual KansasFest 2020 will be $20 per person. This will guarantee a login spot to attend all talks and participate in online activities, as well as a commemorative 2020 KFest pin which will be mailed separately (postage paid). This will also include a discount coupon for an optional T-shirt, to be ordered separately. Session recordings will be available free of charge (as usual) on YouTube and the Internet Archive.
We have been in communication with our previously announced keynote speaker, Robert Woodhead of Wizardry fame, and have decided to postpone his keynote until KFest 2021, when we expect we will be back to our usual meeting together in Kansas City at Rockhurst.
Further information will be provided in the near future, and we expect to open registration on April 30th. Put it on your calendar, and plan to meet online with us in July!