Planning for Monitorama EU

You may have seen the recent tweets about next year’s scheduled Monitorama PDX event. Plenty of other readers did, so it was no surprise to see questions about our next EU event. I’ve written before about the delays which have caused Monitorama EU to slip time and time again. But lost in the shuffle is a thorough explanation of why these delays magnify what is already a very difficult proposition (organizing an event overseas).

Naturally, I’m sure that it already sounds like a challenge to organize a successful conference thousands of miles away from home. And this would be correct, though in all fairness I’ve organized all of the previous Monitorama events from my rural “home base” in Maryland (roughly 4,500 kilometers from Portland, Oregon). Thanks to the internet, organizing a remote event is far less painful than it would’ve been even a decade ago.

Since our last EU event in Berlin of 2013, we’ve been very close to locking up venues in Barcelona, Portugal, Amsterdam, London, and (yes, again) Berlin. Unfortunately, any of these would have resulted in compromises that I wasn’t willing to accept in the name of Monitorama. This probably sounds cheesy, but I respect our audience too much to put on an event that doesn’t meet or exceed my own expectations.

I’m obsessively sensitive to the user experience of our attendees, speakers, and sponsors. There’s a long shopping list of attributes in the recipe that makes up a successful conference: a venue that highlights our single-track format; convenient access to dining, accommodations, and nightlife; comfortable spaces for vendors and the hallway track; in-house support staff that treat us like partners and our attendees like royalty; seasonal travel and cultural considerations; accessibility, and much, much more. There are many wonderful locations and venues across Europe, but so few that check off all of our requirements.

To the countless people who’ve reached out to me over the years, offering support, venues, or even hands-on assistance, I want to say thank you. It means so much to know that this event series is loved across the world. Hopefully this post will illuminate the challenges we face in bringing it closer to our friends overseas. I ask for your patience and understanding while we narrow our search for the best possible home for Monitorama EU. I am firmly committed to bringing you the best event as soon as we can. Rest assured that, as always, we will announce any updates the very moment our next destination is confirmed.