Frequently Anticipated Questions

Here’s everything we can think of that you might want to know about Chasing Wonder:

Facilities

What should I bring?

• Demos, and talks that can teach, inspire, and expand the horizons of your fellow attendees

• Things that you’ve made that you want to share, show, or give away to other attendees

• (Optional) Musical instrument for impromptu jam sessions

• (Optional) Things for people to try, play with, or taste

• (Extremely optional) Wireless-enabled laptop, useful for hacking stuff, demoing your projects, etc.

Connectivity?

Wireless Internet will be available
 

Travel and Accommodations

Where should I stay?

Chasing Wonder will provide massively discounted lodging both at the location of the event and at a campground nearby. Details will be sent to you after you’ve registered.

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But I’m a student or artist and have some concerns about the cost

We’ll be providing special discounts for students and artists that won’t cost much more than a handful of fancy coffees.

When should I arrive at Chasing Wonder?

Sometime between 2:00 and 4:00PM on Friday, November 3rd. That will give you time to register, settle in, and have a tasty beverage before Chasing Wonder officially kicks off.

When should I plan on leaving?

The second day of Chasing Wonder (Saturday) goes pretty late, typically ending around 5am or 6am (No, really!), and we’ll have a relaxing Sunday morning before sending folks on their way, so we encourage you to plan on staying until 2:00-3:00PM on Sunday.
 

Getting There

Where is Chasing Wonder?

Chasing Wonder is being held in the San Francisco Bay Area. Since Chasing Wonder is a private invite-only event, exact information regarding location will be provided to you after you register

How do I get to Chasing Wonder?

You’ll most likely need to drive or get a ride. After you register, we’ll give you access to our chat server so that you can coordinate with others.

If I drive, where do I park?

There will be parking on site.
 

Presenting

What’s the deal with presenting? What’s expected of me?

This is not a traditional conference with a distinction between prepared speakers and audience–there are no official “speakers” at Chasing Wonder. Instead, everybody’s expected to participate and, if you’re comfortable, contribute something interesting, whether through leading a session or contributing your insights to various sessions. Given our limited time together, it’s unlikely that everybody will have a chance to present, but at the very least, you should have something in mind to talk about, even if it’s just in a casual chat outside of a session.

When do I need to let you know what I’m talking about?

On the first day of Chasing Wonder, we’ll have big agenda boards where you’ll be able to reserve a time slot and write down your topic.

Should I bring toys?

Yes! Robots, hacked Wii remotes, your wacky inventions and creations — bring anything fun that people would find interesting.

What about musical instruments?

Yes!  We’ll have a few guitars, to start, but please bring an instrument if you’d like to play (Although we ask that you leave your grand pianos and pipe organs at home).  Impromptu jams are always welcome!

Do I need slides?

Nope, in fact, most presentation spaces won’t even have projectors.
 

Attendees

Can I bring my friend/significant other/soulmate/obscure relative?

Only if they’re invited. Chasing Wonder is open to invitees only.

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Food

Where will I eat?

Thanks to our sponsors, we’ll be providing all meals!

• Friday dinner

• Saturday breakfast, lunch, and dinner

• Sunday Breakfast and lunch

• Snacks

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Will there be vegetarian, vegan, meatatarian food?

Yes!

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Playing well with others

Does Chasing Wonder have a Code of Conduct?

Yep. And it’s right here.

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I’m currently available and looking to meet a new girlfriend/boyfriend/partner/one night stand.

That’s not a question, but Chasing Wonder is NOT a place to find your next date. Please review our Code of Conduct

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Can I pitch my startup/product/book/whatever to other attendees?

No, but don't hesitate to talk about your work/hobby/passion! While Chasing Wonder is a place to share what you're excited about and what you do and make, it's not a place to raise money, solicit work, or sell products.

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OMG I saw that <insert famous person here> is going to be at Chasing Wonder! Can I ask them for an autograph/selfie/fist bump?

Please don't: We’re all here at Chasing Wonder for the same reason: to participate at the same level. We feel so strongly about this that we've written an entire guide called On "Famous People" that you should definitely read before coming.

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Do I have to sign an NDA or anything? How do I know people won’t share everything I say on the internet?

Chasing Wonder operates under a frieNDA. Chasing Wonder will likely be a mixture of public knowledge (here’s what we’re up to, here’s a fact about X that you probably didn’t already know) and private conversations (we tried X and it didn’t work, we’re going to compete against Y by doing Z). Be aware of this and confirm the status of ANY information before you blog or write up something you heard. We don’t have a strict policy about blogging but we do expect that if someone tells you something in confidence, that you will respect that confidence as if it were told to you under NDA. We call this frieNDA. Much of the free interchange that happens at Chasing Wonder comes from people’s confidence that they can tell each other things off the record. Please respect any request for privacy.We’d rather not have the sessions recorded or live-blogged. We’re hoping to encourage spontaneous conversation, and the idea that someone is recording can act as an inhibitor to that spontaneity. If you want to do a detailed writeup on a presentation you attended, it’s probably a good idea to check with the presenter, or in the case of a discussion, the participants. That being said, many sessions benefit from someone taking notes and sharing them with the other attendees. So the point is really just to use discretion. There’s a big difference between recording what went on for the benefit of the participants, and turning your experience into a media event. We’d prefer that you write about Chasing Wonder as a participant, not a reporter, and focus on your own experience of the weekend. [Ruthlessly cribbed from Foo Camp’s OTR policy]

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Can I post photos of me and other attendees on Insta/Snap/TikTok/Bluesky/Facebook?

Many of us love photos, and you should feel free to make photos during the event, but if you're going to include other people in your photos, you should only do so with their consent. And you must get explicit consent before posting any photos anywhere on the internet that include another attendee. Be kind.

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Can I smoke at Chasing Wonder?

Smoking is allowed outside in designated areas only.

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Can I do drugs at Chasing Wonder?

Illegal drug usage is not only illegal, but it is also not allowed at Chasing Wonder!

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Can I wear my favorite perfume?

For the comfort of all, we ask that all attendees refrain from using large amounts of perfumes, fragrances, scents, colognes, or other strong smelling toiletries. Some people are sensitive to scents and we’d like to maximize everyone’s comfort. 

Are you a Werewolf?

No, I’m just a lowly villager