On the heels of an outstanding Macworld 2010, IDG has announced that free exhibit hall registrations are available for a very limited time for Macworld 2011.

Macworld 2011 is scheduled for January 25 – 29, 2011 (Conferences) and January 27-29 (Expo) at the Moscone Convention Center in San Francisco. You can get a free Expo pass now though March 8 by visiting the special registration page.

Do we need to say this? Free registration to the year’s biggest and best Mac event, no strings attached. If you’re even thinking of perhaps going maybe, sign up now. Still not sure if Macworld is for you? Check out all the interviews, panel discussions and more that were documented on MacVoicesTV, and you’ll be convinced.

The folks at the Hotel Mark Twain in San Francisco have once again extended a special offer for lodging for Mac User Group members visiting the city for Macworld 2010.

The Hotel Mark Twain is a three-star hotel, located near Union Square, and is offering MUG members:

• $67* and up for standard rooms
• $87* and up for deluxe queens or double doubles (includes continental breakfast for 2 people in deluxe room)
• $107* and up for deluxe king rooms (includes continental breakfast for 2 people in deluxe room)

and free wireless for all MUG members!

To get this special deal, contact the hotel directly at 415/673-2332 and push ZERO for an operator and ask for the MUG RATE.

(The “and up” means when they start selling more, the rates will go up. There will still be a deal for MUG but now is the best time to reserve your room to get this rate.)

Rates valid 2/5-14/2010.

* rates are net per room per night, single or double occupancy, subject to 15.5% hotel tax.

Mac User Group activities at Macworld Conference & Expo slow down today, as attendees try to get those last minute visits in to the exhibitors they haven’t been able to get to yet.

The Diablo Valley Macintosh Users Group steps up to the plate to make it three days a row anchoring the Mac User Group Booth. Today, they partner with SF Cutters, a local Final Cut Pro User Group, to help make attendees aware of the depth and diversity that is the Mac User Group community.

The User Group Lounge will wrap up with a special presentation by John Christopher of DriveSavers. John is always entertaining with his takes of disk disasters and heroic data recovery, so be sure to stop in to learn more about what they do. You can bet that your MUG’s members will ask about DriveSavers sooner or later.

Get all the information on this year’s Mac User Group events and activities on our Macworld Conference & Expo 2009: User Group Events page.

The appearance of a slew of MacNotables‘ panelists highlights today’s Mac User Group activities at Macworld Conference and Expo.

The User Group Lounge will host the likes of Adam and Tonya Engst, Jason Snell, Dennis Sellers and Ted Landau, as well as a presentation by Bill Palmer of iProng.com.

The action in the Mac User Group Booth today will come from the Diablo Valley Macintosh Users Group and the East Bay Macintosh Users Group.

Get all the information on this year’s Mac User Group events and activities on our Macworld Conference & Expo 2009: User Group Events page.

The busiest day for Mac User Group events at Macworld Expo starts early and ends late today, with something for everyone.

If you registered for the Adobe User Group & Professional Association Breakfast, you’ll need to get up early. If you didn’t, you’ll need to get up earlier to get on the Wait List to have a shot at getting in.

At the show, be sure to stop by the User Group Lounge for a does of MacNotable appearances. Scheduled to appear today are Bob LeVitus and Christopher Breen. Chuck Joiner and Nancy Carroll Gravley will deliver presentations on making your Mac User Group a better place, authors and Mac Experts Tom Negrino and Dori Smith will share their expertise, and Deb Shadovitz will talk about being a better presenter.

The Mac User Group Booth will host the Diablo Valley Macintosh Users Group and a second appearance by the North Coast Mac Users Group.

One of the most important sessions of the week will also be held this afternoon at 5 PM in Room 102 of Moscone South. Paul Kent will host a special Town Hall meeting on the future of Macworld Conference & Expo, and all attendees are invited to come and get involved. If you find any value to Macworld Expo, you need to attend this meeting.

Wrapping up the day is the 8th Annual Final Cut Pro User Group SuperMeet. This event always sells out, but you might be able to sneak under the wire if you get there really early.

Get all the information on this year’s Mac User Group events and activities on our Macworld Conference & Expo 2009: User Group Events page.

Mac User Group events at Macworld Expo for Tuesday are highlighted by a special appearance by Apple Senior Systems Engineer Dave Marra in the User Group Lounge, and the opening of the Mac User Group Booth.

Also scheduled for the User Group Lounge today are discussions by Randy Singer and Ilene Hoffman.

Groups exhibiting in the Mac User Group Booth include the North Coast Mac Users Group and the Stanford/Palo Alto Macintosh Users Group.

Get all the information on this year’s Mac User Group events and activities on our Macworld Conference & Expo 2009: User Group Events page.

If you’re in San Francisco for Macworld Conference and Expo, you may want stop by The Westin San Francisco on Market Street around 4 PM and see if there are still tickets available for the Apple User Group Reception.

Special guests scheduled to attend read like a MacNotables roster: Christopher Breen, Adam and Tonya Engst, Dennis Sellers, Jason Snell, Jim Dalrymple, Bob LeVitus and Chuck Joiner.

Tickets are $20, but may be sold out, since the event is limited to 200 attendees, so if you’re walking up, plan to do so early.

Find out about all of the Macworld Mac User Group-oriented events and activities through The MUG Center’s Macworld Expo 2009 coverage.

If you’re going to Macworld Conference and Expo and are (or want to be) part of your Mac User Group’s leadership, you need to be sure to attend two specific sessions in the User Group Lounge.

On Wednesday, January 7 at 12 PM, Nancy Carroll Gravley, the President of Capitol Macintosh (CapMac) and the Computing with Bifocals columnist from The Mac Observer will present Ways to Make Your User Group More Successful. If you haven’t been watching the CapMac web page, you’ve missed one of the most creative sets of meeting agendas and services in the MUG universe. Come hear Nancy discuss their successes and what goes into making them happen.

Then, at 2 PM the same day, Chuck Joiner, the editor of The MUG Center and president of the Hershey Apple Core, will discuss Evolving Your Mac User Group. Chuck’s extensive coverage of Mac User Groups and his years as Chairman of the Apple User Group Advisory Board provide him with a unique perspective on where MUGs are and where they’re going.
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With only 12 more days to the 8th Annual FCPUG SuperMeet to be held Wednesday, January 7, 2009 at the UCSF Mission Bay Conference Center in San Francisco, CA, the agenda for the event has been announced. Subject to change, as all such things are, the presentations deliver something for everyone:

• Apple: The latest on Final Cut Studio

• JVC: Craig Yanagi of JVC will announce the world’s first acquisition product developed especially for Final Cut post production. Come and be a part of this historic event.

• BlackMagic Design: Animator/filmmaker M dot Strange shows you the ultimate low budget 3d animation techniques that can be utilized to create eye popping animations without having to break the bank, or your brain. Featuring a walkthrough of two recent 1080p 3d animated music videos he produced in the past year.

• Bruce Nazarian: Blu-Ray on the Cheap. How to build a compatible Blu-Ray Disk and burn it on DVD-R media without a Blu-Ray burner.

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The Macworld MUG Event Calendar is your one-stop information source for all things Mac User Group scheduled for Macworld Conference & Expo. Bookmark this page or subscribe to the iCal version of the calendar and take it with you on your iPhone or iPod. Read the rest of this entry »