The rumors are true:

 

Sunday, February 14th from 3-8 PM at Wikia HQ

360 3rd Street, suite 750  

San Francisco, CA  94107

A live event has long been one of our most popular requests, but it's been challenging for us to try and find a way to organize something that meet or exceed lofty expectations compared to all the big for-profit events that companies have launched over the years.  We weren't interested in renting out some hotel ballroom or tacky nightclub and charging for entry at the door, nor did we think anyone would be satisfied with an "official" gathering hosted at a picnic table in a public park.  You deserve the best we can provide and we just couldn't come up with a suitable venue:  until now.  

Our friends at Wikia have graciously offered to host our first official live NikeTalk event at their beautiful company headquarters in downtown San Francisco.  

In the tradition of the original Bay Area sneaker summit events organized by some of NikeTalk's earliest members, NikeTalk Live will be a community meet-up event rather than a "sneaker convention."

Hang out and watch the game with longtime community members and staff in the lounge area.  Enjoy some tournament action in Wikia's dedicated gaming space and compete for prizes and bragging rights.  

Take part in our charity auction to help us raise money for a great cause and bid on some unique items.  Stop by Wikia's Fan Studio and record a message for your fellow members.

We have some surprises in store as well, and plan on breaking a little news at the event that should be of interest.  Even if you can't attend in person - you'll want to stay tuned on the 14th. 

Space is limited, so the event will be invitation only - and only 40 invitations will be available.  As most sneaker fans are sick of dealing with long lines and lotteries, invitations will not be issued by random drawing or on a strictly first come, first served basis.

Instead, we're inviting anyone interested to reply to this thread to request an invitation.  Preference will be shown for veteran users who've made positive contributions to our community.

If you'd like to attend the event and can plan to be in the San Francisco area on Sunday, February 14th*, just reply to this thread and tell us why you'd like to come.  Let us know if you'd like to help out by contributing an item to the charity auction.  

To help accommodate those who would like to attend from out of town, please submit all invitation requests by Wednesday, February 3rd.  

*(Yes, we know that All Star Sunday takes place on Valentine's Day.  The event is scheduled for 3 - 8 PM, so those planning to attend may want to schedule any romantic dinner reservations for later in the evening.) 

 

That was a concern going in, but the All Star Game is essentially the red carpet event for the sneaker industry and we felt it made sense to schedule around an existing event of interest to sports & sneaker fans.

We did NOT want to put on an event where it's just a bunch of kids standing behind tables full of shoes.  Those interested in such things already have many options.  Our members tend to be older than that and those types of events generally don't really represent the social nature of our community.  There's a healthy middle ground between hosting a wine tasting and a flea market.

Given the community's focus and interests, it made sense to plan around basketball rather than football, and pro basketball rather than collegiate.  

Valentine's Day can create a conflict for some people, but we didn't think it would be a deal breaker for most.  Many people in long-term relationships, for example, are committed to each other more than to the commercialized notion of choosing one day out of the year for ALL couples to celebrate their love.  Most of the staff in attendance are in long-term relationships and will be able to attend with the full support of their spouse/partner, but there will be one or two who will be unable to attend due to pre-existing Valentine's Day plans.  

We totally understand that, but hope you can appreciate why it's scheduled as it is.  

If this year's event is successful, it's certainly possible that we'd hold one in NY.  That idea has already been brought up, in fact, but we're taking things one step at a time. 
 

That would be fun, and the lounge area could certainly accommodate something like that.  We'll have more than one big screen going, with one already scheduled to have social/community related content.  Setting it up to allow guests to share their favorite NT quotes or memories is possible for that - and we're also planning to have the Wikia Fan Studio going throughout the event.  Guests will be invited and encouraged to share some of their favorite NT memories, and that can be shared at the event and with the community at large.  

We definitely want to hear from people who feel they have something they can contribute to the event in some way.  It's a COMMUNITY event, after all, and our community is nothing if not collaborative.  

"I'm local, I want in" is fine, and we definitely appreciate that, but if it comes down to choosing between different guests to invite obviously we'll favor those who will join us in trying to make the event the best it can be.

 

Some NT staff members will be in attendance - and at least one is flying in at considerable expense to be there.   

While I will regrettably not be among them, I've been involved with planning every aspect of this alongside @Nelson C and our friends at Wikia and will support the event to the best of my ability.  

I've spent time at Wikia's HQ for meetings (in fact, sharp-eyed guests will be able to spot a copy of the children's book we funded via Room to Read that I gave to Wikia's CEO during a prior visit) and I can assure you that the venue will only be outshone by the quality of people present.  

I'm really looking forward to a successful event and hope that many of you will consider attending.  It should be a lot of fun.

 

On February 3rd we're going to take a look at how many people expressed interest in attending.  We want to cut off requests far enough in advance that those traveling from out of the area will have sufficient time to make plans.  Requiring guests to book travel plans at the last minute wouldn't be considerate.  

If the number of requests received by then exceeds the maximum number of available invitations, we'll have some difficult decisions to make.  If you've been a member for awhile, your odds are favorable - provided your account is in good standing and we can trust you not to start fights or steal chairs.  

We'll start sending out invitations via PM shortly thereafter.  Guests will need to display their invitation at the door and be on the guest list in order to gain entry to the event.  

If you were being catfished, you'd be given a bait and switch.  I'm not telling you that Michael Jordan will be there, only for you to show up to find Bryon Russell. 

Some aspects of the event are still being finalized, so we're not going to make any promises that we can't feel 100% confident of delivering.  

Alcohol will not be served and security will be present.  Internet tough guys need not apply.

If you want to go, don't be intimidated.  I hope everyone interested - who can actually make it out to downtown SF on February 14th - will request an invitation.  

We already know that some people will have scheduling conflicts because of Valentine's Day and we also just want to get a good sense of what the demand is for this sort of event.  

We only have so many volunteers to help out, so that limits the number of guests we can safely and comfortably accommodate.  And comfort is a concern.  We want everyone to have a great time.  It's harder for people to relax and socialize if there's hundreds of guests swarming around.