Wow.

I don’t know how to put this weekend into words that will do it any justice. It was just incredible, start to finish. Digital Overload 2006 was an absolute success. The entire event went off without a hitch.

It was everything I was hoping it would be. I got to hang out and play video games with some CAD readers, people would come up to me and just say hello, and we’d chat, it was awesome. People were laughing, gaming, making new friends, having a great time. It was a totally laid-back, friendly environment.

Setup went so smoothly we opened the doors a little bit early. And registration was impressive. Check-in was a breeze, and within an hour the entire hall was aglow with computer monitors. People brought TV’s and consoles and set up in the designated console area, which was a huge hit. People were playing tabletop games like Apples to Apples, Munchkin and Axis and Allies.

I met so many great people. Everyone that came over to chat was really friendly. I even got to chat with two guys who flew over from England. Talk about hardcore, man.

Huge, huge thanks to everyone who helped out at the event. To the Ni! guys of course, for running such an incredible network. I’d swear a Wookiee life-debt to these guys, but I’m not a Wookiee so that would just be kind of weird. But seriously, they’re amazing and I’m so happy to have them on board for this and future Digital Overload events.

To our volunteers, thank you so much. You guys really helped check-in and check-out go smoothly. A lot of first-year events have problems with this, and thanks to you guys, ours was like butter. The line never got really long. You all did an outstanding job. I hope to have all of you back with us next year!

To Randy and Ryan of Blind Ferret, great business partners and even better friends, thank you for making this a reality. You took a pipe dream of mine and made it happen this weekend, and it blew away all of my expectations. I had such a fun time this weekend, and I can’t wait for next year.

And most of all, to the attendees. Digital Overload was a success because you showed up. Everyone I spoke to said they had a great time, and I hope that rings true across the board. I really hope to see you all back for Digital Overload 2007.

We’ve already begun planning next year’s event. We learned a lot this past weekend, and we have a list of things to add or work on for next year. Now that we’ve gotten our first event done, and because it was such a success, next year will only be bigger and better.

More prizes to give away, more tournaments, everything. I’m already excited just thinking about it.

There are some pictures and recaps of DO2006 in the forums and on Game Overdrive.