4D Summit 2009 Photos


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4D Summit: [Schaumburg 1999] [San Diego 2000] [Vancouver 2002] [Santa Fe 2003] [New Orleans 2004] [San Francisco 2005] [Memphis 2007] [Long Beach 2008] [Atlanta 2009] [San Diego 2010] [Boston 2011] [San Jose 2012] [Las Vegas 2013] [San Antonio 2014] [Portland 2016] [Washington DC 2018]

Here is a collection of photos from the 4D Summit in Atlanta, GA, October 6 - 9, 2009.

Tuesday, October 6, 2009: The 2009 4D Summit was held at the oh-so-trendy W Hotel in midtown Atlanta.
When we arrived, we felt welcome immediately for some reason.
We checked into our gorgeous rooms, grabbed a bite from the adjacent food court, and then headed to the lobby bar.
There was unusual furniture ...
... and pillow spinning.
There were sleepy men with British and Australian accents ...
... and hairy men with American accents ...
... and men using iPhones to find the nearest steak restaurant.
The Orchard crew had dinner at Einstein's a couple of blocks away, ...
... then cocktails on the patio back at the W.

Wednesday, October 7, 2009: The first full day of the Summit, Eric and Bobby checked the schedule online.
Here's some of the swag 4D gave us. Not shown: a matching t-shirt with the 4D 25 logo.
The faithful waited outside the auditorium for the keynote to begin.
Mike welcomed us all, there was some talking, and then ...
... there was lunch and these beautiful desserts.
Before the afternoon session, Brendan confirmed that he would not be giving back the Debbie bobblehead I had unwisely shown him that morning, but he assured me his intentions were good. I foolishly believed him.
Debbie Bobblehead kept an eye on the proceedings from her perch at the front of the room.
Everyone seemed to love this slide, so here's some proof that we actually attended that day.
That evening, the "Unconference" was held on the top floor, featuring informal sessions, tasty food, and beverages.
Attendees gathered around several different stations where people were discussing projects they had worked on.
Here are Tom and Omid, two of 4D's finest.
The view from the 27th floor is just a wee bit nicer than the view from the 8th floor. Let's check it out.
There's Stone Mountain in the distance. Cool.
While the Unconference continued, the OEM Dinner was starting in a dark, mysterious private room at the Spice Market restaurant. Here is the stairway leading to a lovely pond in the center of the room.
First, there was some conversation, ...
... then there was some eating and drinking, ...
... then some more eating and drinking, ...
... then some freakishly closeup candid photos of Braden and Christian.
After dinner, the Orchard group was reunited once again at the Bat Cave, also known as that oddly shaped room under the stairs.
Before turning in, we took a quick glass elevator trip to the top floor. It's a time-honored Summit tradition dating back to 2005.
Midtown Atlanta is quite lovely at night, especially when viewed from a glass elevator.

Thursday, October 8, 2009: But all too soon, it was Thursday morning and we were playing with our food.
We attended Summit sessions, including this one given by Angelo.
Let's take a moment to admire the ladies' room at the W Hotel. The glass sink bowls were illuminated from below and dance music was pumping in the deserted room every hour of the day.
Now, let's admire the fruity water. This stuff was not only beautiful to behold, it was delicious. What a crushing disappointment it was to to not have these on our desks when we returned. The mints and wetnaps were also a treat.
After the sessions ended, we walked a couple of blocks to the evening's entertainment destination, ...
... the Atlanta Opera House.
It's a beautiful building with a soaring ceiling, balconies, open areas, and rooms in the back.
Dinner was served in a long corridor, ...
... and we were starving, so we got ourselves fed quickly so we could get to the evening's activity ...
... gambling! Rich had just returned from Vegas so he showed us how it was done.
Folks were enjoying themselves at tables all over the room, here ...
... here, ...
... and here.
It turns out that the Debbie Bobblehead was too.
Back at the craps table, JC was on fire with the dice, ...
... so he celebrated with a blue drink, and Spencer and I joined him. Can't recall the name, but I think the initials were BMF.
Taking another stroll around the room, here are Julio, Walt N. (Guam), and Justin, ...
... and here are Doug, Brian, and Ann.
Don't you worry, Brian and I got our photo taken together like we always do every year.
More shots of the Orchard guys gambling. There were hundreds more I'm not including. You're welcome.
In the back room, Dave showed off one of his shiny new iPhone apps. Sure, any of us could do that, but it turns out that he actually wrote this one.
When I finally got the bobblehead back, I trusted Larry just long enough to pose for a photo. To be fair, Larry was the one who warned me not to bring it in the first place. You were right, Larry. I was wrong.
Simon brought frozen desserts over to share with the lovely Leah.
Mike proved that he's still got the look.
Dave and I bumped iPhones. Yes, it was just as exciting as it sounds.
Meanwhile, the party was raging in the main room and our own Tony got to draw a winning ticket for the raffle at the end of the night.
Marie coaxed a lucky winner up to the stage.
The big winner was Jerry, who was thrilled with his new iPod.
The crowd proceeded to get down with their bad selves to the music while I went up to the balcony for the view.
Hey! I know those blurry people! Why are they aiming their phones at me?
There was a slideshow running all night with classic photos from the 4D archives, Tom D.'s collection, and photos from this very website. Those people look familiar, but way too young. Seriously, what color hair did I have in 2000?
The slideshow also featured the ghost of Orchard past.
After the casino fun, we walked to Taco Mac, recommended by the Orchard guys who had enjoyed their evening there the night before.
I scrutinized the beer menu with my old lady glasses. There were hundreds of beers listed, and this photo didn't include the beers on draft/draught listed on the back.
We had already decided on Irish Car Bombs, another Summit tradition from 2007 and 2008. Sharp eyes will spot a non-Orchard guest -- Jerry -- who was temporarily adopted for the evening. Photo by Eric.
Great, just great. I can't take that bobblehead anywhere. But in the bobblehead's defense, it was a delicious Belgian beer.
Next up: Jäger bombs.
Back at the hotel after a fun evening, few of us could resist making the electronic popcorn move across the screen simply by moving in front of it. Arm waving works as well.

Friday, October 9, 2009: On the final day of the Summit, we decided that we would attend any session that Chris V. gave, including the excellent lightning sessions introduced this year. He's just that entertaining.
We checked out of our rooms and waited for our transfer to the airport.
Drew helped us pass the time with a deck of cards.
We hit the food court in Atlanta for dinner.
When our flight was delayed in Atlanta, ...
... we got out the cards again to pass the time until it was finally time to fly home.

4D Summit: [Schaumburg 1999] [San Diego 2000] [Vancouver 2002] [Santa Fe 2003] [New Orleans 2004] [San Francisco 2005] [Memphis 2007] [Long Beach 2008] [Atlanta 2009] [San Diego 2010] [Boston 2011] [San Jose 2012] [Las Vegas 2013] [San Antonio 2014] [Portland 2016] [Washington DC 2018]

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