REBarCamp OC is in June, and it is at the beach.  It goes without saying parking is an issue you should plan for.  A few tips to keep in mind:

• Carpool if you can
• If you are lucky, there is free parking.  Within the residential streets just north and south of the venue, there is free parking.  It will be worth a cruise up and down to see if you can tap into your parking charm and grab a spot.  You may have to walk a few blocks, but it will be worth it.  There will be ample signs posted stating the street cleaning schedule.  Be sure to read these and make sure you are not on a stretch of curb that is slated for Thursday cleaning.
• Bring quarters.  The most immediate parking to the venue is all meter parking.  Cost is $1/hour.  Meters run from 8:00 am - 6:00 pm.  Most meters take 6 hours of quarters at one time, but note that a few are 1 or 2 hour maximum at one time.  Parking tickets are a huge source of revenue for the city of Newport Beach and this is prime parking ticket territory.  We will be making announcements during the event to remind people to “feed your meters”.
• Bike to the event if you can.  There are ample bike racks right outside the venue.  Bring a STURDY bike lock.

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You may have noticed that we’ve been referring to it as “BarCamp at the Beach”.  Given the location just steps to the sand, it’s a great name.  We also could have called it “DiveBarCamp” - finally, a BarCamp being held at a bar!  And a bar with some history to boot.  The Blue Beet has been around since 1912 - long enough to develop a reputation that some may refer to as “salty”.

We suggest you to dress comfortably.  Come as you are and look forward to participating in a great day.  No one will judge you for wearing flip flops…heck, thanks to Altos Research, we’re even giving them out at the door .  We have some of the most interesting minds and progressive Realtors in the industry attending.  Mix this with the relaxed atmosphere of the beach and the Blue Beet, and it will be a day to remember!

Are you using REBarCamp OC as an excuse for a Southern California vacation (and really, who could blame ya)?  Here are a few details that may help your planning:

• Parking in Newport Beach near the pier (event site) will require quarters, lots of quarters. Approximately $1.00 per hour. There is free parking throughout Newport Beach on the side streets, but may be hard to come by during the summer. Good Luck!
• If you rent a bike, make sure to rent a lock as well. Stolen bikes on the peninsula are as common as Fail Whales.
• Ride your rented bike (and lock) to the Wedge and eavesdrop on the tourists who think they know all about the beach and how the wave breaks. Only the locals really understand the mystery of the Wedge.
• If you are interested in body surfing check out the Wedge - but don’t go in if the waves are big and you really don’t know what you are doing - it can be deadly. Seriously. The best board surfing is at 18^th street and the River Jetties or 52^nd street.
• The best kept secret in Newport Beach is the ferry ride across the bay from Balboa Island to the Peninsula - $2.00 RT on foot and $2.50 RT on a bike. Don’t get caught on the other side because it stops running at midnight.
• 2^nd best dive bar on the Peninsula is The Balboa Saloon - cheap beer, darts and a pool table. The bartenders have worked there over 20 years…tell Eric we said hello.
• www.visitnewportbeach.com does a great job of filling in the rest of the details.

• 8:30 - 9:30 AM:  Registration
• 9:30 - 11:00 AM:  Keynote Conversation/Set Session Topics (we will be starting on time)
• 11:00 - 11:50 AM:  Session 1
• 12:00 - 12:50 PM:  Session 2
• 12:50 - 2:00 PM:   Lunch/Meter Break
• 2:00 - 2:50 PM:  Session 3
• 3:00 - 3:50 PM:  Session 4
• 4:00 - 4:50 PM:   Session 5
• 4:50 PM +:  Happy Hour @ The Blue Beet (Don’t forget to feed the meter!)

A few notes about the schedule of events.

1. We will begin at 9:30 sharp!
2. We anticipate a capacity crowd and a waiting list.  Waitlisters will be granted access at 9:30 for any RSVP’d attendee who has not checked in.  If you have RSVP’d and not checked in by 9:30, you will be bumped to the wait list and admitted on a space permitting basis.
3. Sessions are 50 minutes long.  If you have hopes of facilitating a session, please plan accordingly.
4. The majority of parking around the venue is meter based.  Bring quarters ($1/hour).
5. Lunch is on your own.  There are ample locations within walking distance to get food.  You may want to bring a beach towel and sit on the beach.

Also, if you are here a day early, please join us for the pre-event happy hour starting at 6:00 pm at Gulfstream.  Further details are posted here.

Just because the “schedule” ends at 5:00 doesn’t mean you have to rush off!  Some of the best value of REBarCamp is from the connections and discussion that occur after the event.  And, since REBarCamp OC is being hosted at a bar and restaurant, it is no great surprise that the post event happy hour will occur right there at the Blue Beet.   In addition to a full bar complete with an awesome team of bartenders, the Blue Beet has one of the best dinner specials in Newport Beach.  Along with a full dinner menu, the Thursday special is Pork Chops for $9.95  (2 thick cut pork chops, cooked perfectly and served with mashed potatoes, fresh green beans, and apple sauce).  Plan to stick around and debrief, mingle, and have some fun!

If you have smokes (cigars) bring em’, if you have a bottle of wine bring that too (no corkage) and come sit with everyone on the Adirondack chairs and enjoy the warmth of the fire in the early evening.  If you are smoke and wine free, no worries they have plenty of wine, beer and spirits to choose from.  Note that drinks aren’t cheap (you will be in the middle of Corona del Mar, after all) but the place is long on Southern California atmosphere and will be the perfect place to kick off our REBarCamp OC experience!

Place: Gulfstream

Location: 850 Avocado Avenue Newport Beach, CA  92660 - on the patio (walk through the bar to get to the patio)

Time: 6:00 PM - whenever

If you’ll be there, let us know in the comments!

It is an “un-conference.  REBarCamp is a one day “get-together” of some of the smartest social media marketing minds in Real Estate, that anyone can attend.  There is NO preset agenda.  Attendees actually decide what the sessions will be (what YOU want to learn from these minds) first thing in the morning.  We write the desired sessions on a big whiteboard, and then divide the  sessions into tracks, so there is always 3-5 sessions going at one time.  Here is one more very unique thing about REBarCamp.  The sessions are NOT presentations, they are CONVERSATIONS. The experts in the room will often givea 15-20 minute talk  on a subject to get the conversation going, and then open the room to question and answer.  If you have a question or a statement, ask it.  If  you have an answer, offer it.  If you have nothing to add to a conversation, REBarCamp is not for you.  There are NO attendees at REBarCamp, only PARTICIPANTS.

Some REBarCamp sessions from previous REBarCamps include Why your RE website is failing,  How to use LinkedIn to create leads, Understanding Listing Syndication,  Getting the most out of your IDX, Maximizing Internet Lead Conversion, everything you need to know about Facebook,  and  How to use Twitter to establish, gain and engage your sphere of influence. But at REBarCampOC, YOU will decide what you want to talk about, so be there early!!

Social media is the new Real Estate Marketing Landscape, and REBarcamp could possible be YOUR best opportunity in invest in your future…

Save the Date - June 25th, for Bar Camp at the Beach. We may be setting a record for the shortest advance warning on a RE Bar Camp but we’ll pull it off. The venue is booked, the website is up, and sponsorship is coming in. Registration will be open soon…stay tuned for details. To stay in the loop, be sure to follow @REBarCampOC on Twitter. We’ll be announcing all new blog posts and relevant information via Twitter as it is available.

Our venue is the Blue Beet Cafe, located just steps from the Newport Beach pier (pictured above).  The venue’s not so fancy (maybe we should call this DiveBarCamp?), but the relaxed environment and beauty of Newport Beach should be the perfect backdrop for some great conversations.  And, hey, its finally a BarCamp at a bar!   The half baked session at the end of the day might take on some extra meaning.