We are having a HA Meetup in Sydney CBD on 29 July from 6pm/ Follow the link if you want to come along. Home Assistant Meetup Down Under · Luma
Hope it is the start of something great, a synergy of minds and ideas, and hopefully some vendors may come along, not only to display upcoming products, but get valid feedback of end-user experiences with their products and how important third party integration such as HomeAssistant is to their economic prosperity, especially in Australia/NZ where there is a smaller market crying out for approved products at fair prices.
For any vendors reading, send your tech support and R&D staff, not your slick marketing folks and bikini clad bimbo shielas in the middle of winter. Freebie give-aways can include beta testing models where product development can be guided by robust product testing. Aussies are often quite ingenious, crafting items to meet solutions the original creator never thought of. Many an invention or new idea has been created over a cold beer or two.
If you're paying air fares, I'd love to come... ![]()
@toddy contact Harvey Norman, JB HiFi, Kogan and other box stores, as well as some of the other manufacturers and vendors such as Apple, Samsung, etc to get the ball rolling into something that might become the equivalent of the CES DownUnder. Tech page writers from SMH etc might want to mention it in their columns. Silicon Chip and APC might be too late for next month as the July issues have already been printed, but a few lines with some photos are always welcome by editors keen to fill space with local interest stories, and put bums on seats for future meetings. Ham Radio clubs - there is often a lot of overlap. TAFE and Uni departments will promote it too, giving you access to a future generation of developers and educated users, networking with peers and industry movers and shakers.
This would be the ideal forum for @samburner3 to display his SwitcherRoo innovation, and make a host of sales to a captive audience. Be cheeky, and ask Deta or Bunnings to sponsor his return flight and overnight stay from Melbourne - the cost would be easily recovered with the added sales boost, or even ask for a few items as promotional give-aways to be won on the night by attendants.
This meeting of enthusiasts is how the Sydney PC User Group got started, way back in the 1970's in St Leonards - I know as I was there. Same for the TRS80 and Apple ][ microcomputers in the back of Mick's florist shop in Botany, the Canberra and Melbourne PC User groups. I even met Steve Ballmer at a MelbPC User Group meeting, Microsoft acknowledging their importance in the local industry by making him available to demonstrate Windows to a captive audience. These computer clubs and maker clubs would probably promote you heavily as well, as long as it doesn't clash with their meeting dates, forcing members to make difficult attendance choices.
Please take plenty of photos and videos and document what may be a historic occasion. Your ultimate challenge may be finding a suitable venue big enough to cope with monthly meetings.
Aussies love home automation and need an avenue to share ideas. Best wishes! This could get HUUGE!
Is there an actual location for this meetup ?
It says to register, but still only states "Sydney CBD"