Austin Mega Do 2.5 - March 1-3, 2013
Jun 5, 2012, 10:00 am
#1
FlyerTalk Evangelist
Original Poster
Join Date: Jul 2007
Location: CLT
Programs: UA 1K, SPG Platinum, Penalty Box 2K, PWP Posting Unit 9
Posts: 13,514
Austin Mega Do 2.5 - March 1-3, 2013
As promised, we're announcing the dates and a few details surrounding Austin Mega Do 2.5, scheduled for March 1 through March 3, 2013. For those of you playing the home game, you'll note that this is before SxSW comes to town, and (hopefully) well before the festering of summer sets in. We've got some great plans in the works and I hope you'll see fit to join us.
You may be asking, why is this a, "2.5" event? This event will be a little different than Austin Mega Do 1 and 2 from 2010 and 2012. Where those events were rather large in scale, often leaving Austin to enjoy more of the Central Texas region, the 2.5 event is almost entirely contained inside downtown Austin. It is also shorter in duration, not starting until Friday evening (with happy hour, of course) and ending early in the afternoon on Sunday. Also, as any 2012 attendee can tell you, we were a tad heavy on the smoked meat consumption. While there will most certainly be denatured proteins, we're focusing on downtown experiences and the dining choices will hopefully reflect that.
Another benefit of being focused in downtown is the lack of long bus rides to get anywhere. Downtown Austin is not terribly large, but it's not terribly small either, and the bus service can be sporadic. For almost all events, you'll be on your own for transportation. The availability of parking can be sparse at times, as it is in almost any city, so plan accordingly. We'll provide links to maps so you can estimate how long it will take to get from location to location.
As with years past, we're announcing these preliminary details quite early. As such, they are all subject to change. I'm in contract discussions with most of the venues and services we'll be featuring, but these things tend to drag out. As always, the website (http://www.ausmegado.com) is your source for the latest and greatest information. I'll do my best to keep the threads on MilePoint and FlyerTalk updated, but the website is the final word on the matter.
With those housekeeping items out of the way, here's the juicy details as we have them today:
Hotel: Austin is well known for its high room rates, and there is no better example of this than downtown Austin. But, being downtown, there are a large number of hotels to choose from. We're excited to announce a tentative agreement with the W Austin for a small block of rooms that will be available for Do attendees at a significantly discounted rate. Keep in mind that a standard room at this hotel regularly sells for over $600 per night. Concurrently, we're working to iron out an agreement with another hotel in the downtown area that will provide the additional room space needed and at a lower price point for those of you who would prefer to go that way. And as always, you're free to book any hotel you like. We'll post more details on this front as they develop.
Schedule Of Events: (subject to change)
Friday, March 1, 2013
5:00PM - 6:30PM - Happy Hour/Pre-game at Serranos on Red River
7:00PM - 9:00PM - Private dinner at Franklin BBQ (pre-paid)
9:30PM - ?????? - Strolling Dirty 6th/Sauntering The Warehouse District (bars and drinking)
Saturday, March 2, 2013
10:00AM - 12:30PM - Visit SoCo food trailers for brunch (a roach coach these ain't)
1:00PM - 6:00PM - Tour two local Austin breweries (limited bus service available for purchase)
7:00PM - 9:30PM - Dinner at Max's Wine Dive (food pre-paid)
10:00PM - 11:00PM - Esther's Follies (pre-paid)
11:00PM - ?????? - On your own.
Sunday, March 3, 2013
10:00AM - 1:00PM - Private screening of Airplane! at the Alamo Drafthouse with brunch and cash bar (food pre-paid)
As we progress through the next couple of months, I'll provide more information concerning the details of each event and what you can expect as far as costs and sponsorships. I expect registration for this event to open somewhere in or around September 2012. Stay tuned to the website, this thread, and the Facebook group for more details as they're released.
We look forward to seeing everyone in March of 2013!
You may be asking, why is this a, "2.5" event? This event will be a little different than Austin Mega Do 1 and 2 from 2010 and 2012. Where those events were rather large in scale, often leaving Austin to enjoy more of the Central Texas region, the 2.5 event is almost entirely contained inside downtown Austin. It is also shorter in duration, not starting until Friday evening (with happy hour, of course) and ending early in the afternoon on Sunday. Also, as any 2012 attendee can tell you, we were a tad heavy on the smoked meat consumption. While there will most certainly be denatured proteins, we're focusing on downtown experiences and the dining choices will hopefully reflect that.
Another benefit of being focused in downtown is the lack of long bus rides to get anywhere. Downtown Austin is not terribly large, but it's not terribly small either, and the bus service can be sporadic. For almost all events, you'll be on your own for transportation. The availability of parking can be sparse at times, as it is in almost any city, so plan accordingly. We'll provide links to maps so you can estimate how long it will take to get from location to location.
As with years past, we're announcing these preliminary details quite early. As such, they are all subject to change. I'm in contract discussions with most of the venues and services we'll be featuring, but these things tend to drag out. As always, the website (http://www.ausmegado.com) is your source for the latest and greatest information. I'll do my best to keep the threads on MilePoint and FlyerTalk updated, but the website is the final word on the matter.
With those housekeeping items out of the way, here's the juicy details as we have them today:
Hotel: Austin is well known for its high room rates, and there is no better example of this than downtown Austin. But, being downtown, there are a large number of hotels to choose from. We're excited to announce a tentative agreement with the W Austin for a small block of rooms that will be available for Do attendees at a significantly discounted rate. Keep in mind that a standard room at this hotel regularly sells for over $600 per night. Concurrently, we're working to iron out an agreement with another hotel in the downtown area that will provide the additional room space needed and at a lower price point for those of you who would prefer to go that way. And as always, you're free to book any hotel you like. We'll post more details on this front as they develop.
Schedule Of Events: (subject to change)
Friday, March 1, 2013
5:00PM - 6:30PM - Happy Hour/Pre-game at Serranos on Red River
7:00PM - 9:00PM - Private dinner at Franklin BBQ (pre-paid)
9:30PM - ?????? - Strolling Dirty 6th/Sauntering The Warehouse District (bars and drinking)
Saturday, March 2, 2013
10:00AM - 12:30PM - Visit SoCo food trailers for brunch (a roach coach these ain't)
1:00PM - 6:00PM - Tour two local Austin breweries (limited bus service available for purchase)
7:00PM - 9:30PM - Dinner at Max's Wine Dive (food pre-paid)
10:00PM - 11:00PM - Esther's Follies (pre-paid)
11:00PM - ?????? - On your own.
Sunday, March 3, 2013
10:00AM - 1:00PM - Private screening of Airplane! at the Alamo Drafthouse with brunch and cash bar (food pre-paid)
As we progress through the next couple of months, I'll provide more information concerning the details of each event and what you can expect as far as costs and sponsorships. I expect registration for this event to open somewhere in or around September 2012. Stay tuned to the website, this thread, and the Facebook group for more details as they're released.
We look forward to seeing everyone in March of 2013!
Last edited by Mackieman; Jun 5, 2012 at 11:26 am
Austin Mega Do 2.5
Jun 7, 2012, 8:41 am
#7
FlyerTalk Evangelist
Original Poster
Join Date: Jul 2007
Location: CLT
Programs: UA 1K, SPG Platinum, Penalty Box 2K, PWP Posting Unit 9
Posts: 13,514
Jun 7, 2012, 3:50 pm
#11
FlyerTalk Evangelist
Original Poster
Join Date: Jul 2007
Location: CLT
Programs: UA 1K, SPG Platinum, Penalty Box 2K, PWP Posting Unit 9
Posts: 13,514
Quick update for our Sunday activities. I've executed the contract with the Drafthouse this afternoon so we're locked in for that event. 
For those of you who are unfamiliar with the Alamo Drafthouse, it is a state of the art movie theater where, instead of ordering concessions of questionable quality, a full menu of snacks, entrees, deserts, and beverages is available and served by waitstaff that comes to your seat. This is a concept that has caught on in various places around the US but it was pioneered right here in Austin.
We'll be showing Airplane! in all its corny glory, but I'm very happy to announce that this will be the Drafthouse Action Pack version of the movie. This is an interactive movie experience where the movie is presented as a quote-a-long, and yelling out your favorite lines is encouraged. There are also a few contests and movie-themed props to enjoy as well. Typical movie experience this ain't.
The entry cost for this event should be around $50. This includes admission to the theater, the quote-a-long version of the movie, a menu where you can select an appetizer, entree, and dessert of your choice, tax, and gratuity. All beverages, alcoholic or otherwise, are available and will be placed on your own individual tab. A preview of the menu is available by clicking here.
More news as we make it.
For those of you who are unfamiliar with the Alamo Drafthouse, it is a state of the art movie theater where, instead of ordering concessions of questionable quality, a full menu of snacks, entrees, deserts, and beverages is available and served by waitstaff that comes to your seat. This is a concept that has caught on in various places around the US but it was pioneered right here in Austin.
We'll be showing Airplane! in all its corny glory, but I'm very happy to announce that this will be the Drafthouse Action Pack version of the movie. This is an interactive movie experience where the movie is presented as a quote-a-long, and yelling out your favorite lines is encouraged. There are also a few contests and movie-themed props to enjoy as well. Typical movie experience this ain't.
The entry cost for this event should be around $50. This includes admission to the theater, the quote-a-long version of the movie, a menu where you can select an appetizer, entree, and dessert of your choice, tax, and gratuity. All beverages, alcoholic or otherwise, are available and will be placed on your own individual tab. A preview of the menu is available by clicking here.
More news as we make it.
Jun 7, 2012, 6:06 pm
#12
A FlyerTalk Posting Legend, Moderator, Information Desk, Ambassador, Alaska Airlines
Join Date: Dec 2006
Location: FAI
Programs: AS MVP Gold100K, AS 1MM, Maika`i Card, AGR, HH Gold, Hertz PC, Marriott Titanium LTG, CO, 7H, BA, 8E
Posts: 42,953
Wirelessly posted (beckoa's PWP wondrousdevice3.0: Mozilla/5.0 (BlackBerry; U; BlackBerry 9810; en-US) AppleWebKit/534.11+ (KHTML, like Gecko) Version/7.0.0.583 Mobile Safari/534.11+)
Mmm BBQ Thursday at Franklins 
Highly interested- will have to see how AS behaves with fares
Highly interested- will have to see how AS behaves with fares
Jun 7, 2012, 8:09 pm
#13
FlyerTalk Evangelist
Original Poster
Join Date: Jul 2007
Location: CLT
Programs: UA 1K, SPG Platinum, Penalty Box 2K, PWP Posting Unit 9
Posts: 13,514
It is unfortunate that most of us have day jobs that prohibit standing in line at Franklin very often. Downtown is also a bit of a haul for those of us up here in the North 40. But we do ok, and Stiles Switch was excellent today (as long as you stay away from the pork ribs).
