So Long (for now) & Thanks For All The YES!

We knew it would be stimulating conversational fun, but none of us Radical Five could have predicted this.

Beloved community of YesAndians, you have amplified and innovated our idea by a factor of ten thousand YES's. We are forever grateful for the time, energy & care you have spent gifting yourselves to YxYY these past five years.

And until the Radical Five reconvene the Yes once more, we envision each of you carrying these ideas and ideals forward, acting as an infinitaely complex fractal of our hearts and minds, spiraling out into the universe.

Look for us in your parallel futures, as we sound the digital conch - lighting up the 'YES' button in your neural calendars once again. Until then, big teary grateful THANK YOUs from us.

Yours in Yes,
Ann Larie Valentine + Deb Schultz + Amy Muller + Willo O'Brien + Hillary Hartley

Yes Means Yes! Consent & Physical Contact at YxYY

PSA from your Radical Five founders! Yes means Yes!

Consent is very much a part of our culture at YxYY. Creating a safe space is a top priority for us.

We do not hesitate to eject people from our event who have sexually harassed others. Often those engaging in the harassment at previous events were under the influence or were seemingly unaware of their inappropriate behaviors. Please know up front that intoxication nor lack of awareness is not an excuse in our book, and you can help yourself out ahead of time by familiarizing yourself with the laws in California.

And remember, asking before you engage with someone physically doesn't have to be awkward. It can actually be pretty freakin' hot! ;)

https://youtu.be/lKeGrRRWD9g

Similarly, if you think someone is attractive, be aware that the primary impetus for our gathering is stimulating conversation. Making advances during a session is unlikely to be a desired behavior, so err on the side of caution. People walk around in swimsuits because it is hot, not because they are desiring your advances. Don't make assumptions and ask, ask, ask!

And as discussed last year, we can be a bit of a hug-y bunch, but not everyone desires every hug. A simple ask goes a long way to helping everyone feel safe & respected!

Here are some helpful tips!...
http://www.idontdoboxes.org/ten-best-ways-to-practice-cons…/

ALL YOU NEED TO KNOW ABOUT YxYY005

Are you revving up your mental engines? Dusting off your creative juice generator? YxYY005 is 22 days away!

HERE’S ALL YOU NEED TO GET READY!...

Friday’s schedule-y bits…

1:30-5pm - Event Registration in the Clubhouse, 1st floor
3pm - Ace Hotel check-in begins
7:30pm - Welcome Cocktail Party at the Commune Pool (registration re-opens for an hour at the Commune for late arrivals)
8:30pm - Opening Remarks from the Founders, Commune
9pm - YxYY Ignite, Commune -  Sign up here if you’d like to present!

If you arrive after registration closes, your wristband, registration goodies and instructions will be at the Ace Hotel front desk.

Early Birds - If you’re coming early but not staying at the Ace, you can still get a wristband for pool access (thanks Ace!). The hotel will have a list of attendees behind the desk starting Thursday evening.

YxYY Survival Guide - don’t leave your home planet without it!

How to Say Yes - If you’re new to YxYY or need a refresher, please take 3 minutes to read this and familiarize yourself with our culture so you can jump right in!

Hackpad, FB group & introducing our NEW YxYY Slack! - Join us in our ideating spaces! (email us at help@yxyy.us if you’d like to be added to the FB group) Need to book a space for your clever plans? Ask for one here!

YxYY005 FAQ has the answers to your burning questions

Room & Rideshare - It’s part of our culture to share rides and rooms. Have you a space in your car or room? Add your name here and receive our gratitude! (note the tabs at the bottom to toggle between room & rideshare pages)

The Ace is sold out but don’t fret! Many excellent options exist right nearby!

Volunteer - If you’d like to be part of our illustrious crew this year, sign up here! Volunteering is a great way to meet people and earn our undying gratitude.

DJ Sign-up. Have tunes to share? Want to bring musical goodness to our conversational goings-on poolside? Sign up!

Prom005 - Space & Time - This year’s theme, as well as ideas for costume-y goodness, can be found here. Nominate your favorite YesAndian for one of our Prom Timelords! Many thanks to our Prom Chair, Robin Lehto, an incredibly gifted event designer from SF. You have many eras of our gratitude. Interested in being on Prom Committee? Sign up here!

YxYY Code of Conduct - Learn it, live it.

Food, Glorious Food - All about eatin’ at YxYY.

Huge yes-filled THANK YOU hugs to this year’s partners...Mayfield Robotics, the creator’s of Kuri, the world's most adorable home robot and GoDaddy Pro, who’s hell bent on helping freelancers and creative types find gigs. They are the reason there’s swag in your bags & drinks in your hand. And they will be bringing other experiential goodies throughout the weekend so be on the lookout!

All burning questions not answered here can be directed to help@yxyy.us. The meaning of life, as always, remains 42. The meaning of *your* particular life, as always, is up to you!

Looking forward to collaborating, ideating, & relaxing with you poolside very soon!

Ann Larie + Willo + Hillary + Deb + Amy

Follow us & share your journey to YxYY on  Twitter and Instagram  #yxyy

"Help Me, Help You"!

Fellow Yaysayers, "Help Me, Help You"!

We know you love cool swag, free food and drinks! Each year, we reach out to a few partner companies who grok what YxYY is all about to help us bring the Yes! Our partners believe the world needs more space for creativity, inspiration and innovation.

We know we have amazing folks working in cool companies, including many super smart marketing, event, bizdev and developer relations folks. We welcome your creative ideas and connections! The sooner we find the right partners, the more creative we can be designing a weekend full of YES. Keep in mind we are a relatively small event so it is all about the right contacts in the right group.

THE ASK:

• Who do you think would make the perfect YxYY partner? Do you have a contact there, and can you connect us?
• What about your company? We have learned that the best partners are often companies that have Yaysayers in their midst. You all do the best job of advocating for the awesomeness that is YxYY!
• Do you know anyone at the following companies? We think they could be a great fit if we can find the right contact. [GoPro, FitBiy, AirBnB, Misfit, Pivotal, Slack, Intel, Amazon, Google, Etsy, Pinterest]

As events go we are ridiculously high value for the cost of participation. Our top level sponsorship is priced at the entry point for your typical business conference. We have both in-kind and cash sponsors; but for now our priority is cash sponsors since it lets us create unique experiences. Though we absolutely welcome any connection that wants to add to the Yes!

Send all connections and intros to me at partners@yxyy.us or if you prefer have them fill in our contact form on the site!

The new Partner section of the website is a great reference, specifically the Partner FAQ, which can be helpful to explain how YxYY partnership is about co-creation, not plastering logos everywhere.

Image courtesy of Carlos Pacheco

The Yes is Coming!

Greetings fellow thinkers, futurists, nerds & weirdos!

Do you hear it? That faraway ‘YES’ pinging like gravitational waves from distant colliding black holes has at long last arrived, altering our perception of the universe forever. That compels us to bellow back to our beautifully weird brethren across the universe - “YES!”.

Join us at the Ace Hotel in Palm Springs
July 8-11, 2016

Tickets go on sale March 19th at noon PST
https://yxyy004.eventbrite.com/

Pre-sale March 18th at noon PST

Our dear friends, and long-time YesAndians, Haley & Simone of Moving Portraits, helped us create a visual introduction to YxYY.  View both videos at this link and share it to help multiply the Yes!
 

Gather with us to re-awaken that creative, ideating part of our minds that, let’s face it, needs a good shake from time to time!

Answers to all your burning questions can be found in our YxYY004 FAQ.

Need help justifying YxYY to your boss? We’ve got you covered! 

We're hiring! Help us make the YES this year.

Partner with us! YxYY Partners bring, on average, 78% more YES to the world.

And finally, help us spread the good word by sharing this link! We trust YOU to choose the next generation of YesAndians! 

Yours in Yes,
Ann Larie Valentine - Deb Schultz - Willo O’Brien - Amy Muller - Hillary Hartley