Tommy, Oliver, Reb, thank you.
Your quick recovery time is impressive.
I'm guessing that all stress aside, this means that you enjoyed it as much as I did. Am sure I speak for most of the StarMegaDo participants that that's a good thing to know, considering how knackered you were by the end of it.

Please put my name on the list for attending SMDII.

How thrilling to be right into planning it. Only yesterday I was telling someone (yet again) about the StarMegaDo. Whenever I feel a bit stressed, I watch our Toulouse attempted landing again. Works every time. I start hooting & hollering right along with it.

Value for money 2009.
I flew in from Australia in Y, & did SFO - EWR redeye in Y. A night in EWR to start the Do there. J on LH405. Charter in Y. In FRA stayed at Sheraton. Went to Seehiem dinner, then share cab back to FRA. Then LH FRA LAX in J. Then on back to Australia, in Y.

So, the extra costs were my positioning flights, meals in EWR the night before we started, and in Seehiem. Other cost was the share cab ride back to FRA - only ?12 Euro. Over 10 days. Oh, and a couple of drinks in the bar at the Sheraton.

It was overall, great value for the money for me, for an amazing experience, right inside the working parts of airlines & airports. And with a bunch of interesting people (hello to all I hung out with & sat with / near). Doesn't get a lot better than that.

Days away.
5-10 days is fine.
Given that anyone from this part of the world has to do some positioning before the Do starts, and get home after, I would be looking at 10/ 12/ 14 days away. That's fine.

How much willing to spend for 2010?About the same again, with prorata increase for longer event / more flights / more functions.

Couple of other thoughts:
+ Can we "reward" our key sponsors (LH) by involving them again, if this was worthwhile for them? They did heaps of things for us. Other sponsors (thank you all) may have seemed to do less, but it may have been a proportional amount of $'s out of their marketing budget.

+ Thinking about timing, most of the participants were from the US. So, maybe avoid the last few weeks before US Thanksgiving, but still take advantage of a relatively low season for fares.

Sat 23 October to Sun 31 October gets the Do done, a few weeks' of work in, and then the Holiday season starts. The weather in the Northern hemisphere isn't too bad by then. The Southern hemisphere is in late spring, and the weather is great. IIRC equatorial areas are not in typhoon, hurricane / cyclone season. Airlines & hotels are more likely to do deals. Also airlines & airports are more likely to be able to give us the private tours & functions, and be able to regain their poise before the holiday season starts.

Maybe extras on the Sat & Sun, then the main part of the Do during M-F when there is more resource availability for the airlines / airports, as Tommy said.

+ I liked the concept that the Do going to eg SEA or where ever, is not a holiday to the Seattle area & beautiful Pacific northwest, but is why SEA / PAE would be of interest to us, as a flyer community

+ D-ABON was a fun ride. Maybe some time again, same plane, same crew.
Please include a charter again. It does give us more possibilities. The idea of going places / seeing things that we simply wouldn't be able to normally do really holds appeal.

+ The airplane graveyard sounds great, as do the Boeing in SEA (or BNE) visits. Inner workings of airplanes, airlines, airports, lounges. I could enjoy seeing & hearing some of the same things again. Some I didn't get to hear about - how cargo is done, checked bags, the other stuff that happens in the background. I didn't do the Chelsea tour, & everyone who did loved it.

+ It will no doubt take many StarMegaDo's to cover all the possibilities of places, RTW's, Circle Pacifics. We all have that to look forward to, one year at a time. Also, I see that there are talks afoot to have a big OneWorld Do. Maybe they'll intersect with a StarMegaDO in some city one day! Sort of a MegaFlyerTalkerDo for the couple of days they intersect!

+ A deposit for the place on the Do works for me.

+ Tommy & Oliver, the majority LOVED what you put together for 2009. Whatever you settle on for 2010 will be a great Do to do. Your experience & early planning & these questions you are asking us will sort out most of the bumps from 2009.

Happy New Year to you all & see you at the SMDII.