19 October 2023
Yup, you read the title right! It’s the annual winter DCR Cave Open House! With the event right around the corner, we have lots to do, but first, we need to know how many beers to buy! So don’t wait around, go ahead and get registered now! This is our 8th annual winter open house (plus the summer one we did back in July, 2019).
Here’s the first, second, third, fourth, fifth, 1st summer edition, sixth, annnnd seventh DCR Open Houses!
This may well be the last DCR Open House in this particular Cave location, as they are aiming to redevelop the land into some sort of high-rise apartments or something in summer 2024.
In the past, the Open House event has hosted up to 200 people, so it’s important we get an idea of who is all coming. Despite traditional December weather of strong and windy sideways rains, Open House registration fills up super quick (so we will be capping it again), though we will keep a waitlist, just in case a registrant decides they don’t want free beer and giveaways (what?).
As with all years, the event is broken up into two basic pieces: The morning run, and the evening open house party. First up in the morning, we’ll head out for a group run. We’ve been mostly lucky each year with the weather…ignoring the one time it was well below the freezing point. So hopefully the trend holds true. The run is ‘no-drop’, so nobody is left behind, and we’ll do about 10KM at a fun pace, stopping to take a few photos along the way.
After that it’s a great time to explore Amsterdam for the day, especially if you’re coming from out of town (about 30-40% of folks last year came from around beyond the Netherlands, and even Australia!). A lot of people make a fun weekend out of it. Come in Friday after work, enjoy the Amsterdam nightlife, do a morning run and then spend the weekend seeing the sights. Your significant other is more than welcome at the Open House as well!
The open house portion is where you’ll explore the DCR Cave, and all the goodness inside of it. You’re welcome to come check out all the cool gear and test out a smart bike or two! Or, you can just stare into the ever-bright overkill amount of studio lights.
Like we have done in the past, we will do a sort of sports tech talk, including a bulky Q&A section for all your questions. So start thinking about all the things tech-geek you want to know!
Of course – there’s an endless supply of beer and wine. I think we had more than 800 servings at the last winter event. Seriously folks, you know how to party! Oh, and the instigator serving all those beers is The Girl – she will be holding down her now assumed role for the evening: Bartending.
Plus of course, everyone can just chat and catch up. With a few special guests roaming around, and myself, we will be ready for all the geek-talk you can imagine!
And lastly, we’ll have a giveaway. It wouldn’t be complete without an epic giveaway!
This year as well, if you don’t win anything, you can always pick up some last-minute holiday gifts. There will be limited DCR swag for sale. You can buy at the bar or pre-order on the registration link.
With that – I’m looking forward to seeing everyone there, hit-up the registration link down below to get started!
Specifics:
For the Open House:
Date: Saturday, December 2nd, 2023 – 19:o0 (7PM)
Location: Exact location sent via e-mail to registered folks a few days ahead, but near the VU Medisch Centrum (VU University Medical Center/Hospital) in Amsterdam Zuid
Closest Tram Stop: VU Medisch Centrum – Tram Line #24 (2-minute walk)
Bike Parking: Plenty, more than you’d know what to do with
Car Parking: There is limited parking in the general vicinity
Food: We’ll have various appetizer & dessert items…and lots of beer and wine!
Price: Free!
For the DCR Group Run:
Date: Saturday, December 2nd, 2023 – 9:30AM
Address: We’ll start somewhere in central Amsterdam, likely near Vondel Park
Price: Also free!
This group run will take us on an approximately 10KM route around Amsterdam. While the famous IAmsterdam sign in front of the Rijksmuseum is no longer there (2018 we managed a group photo the day before they removed it!), we’ll certainly try and find an equally iconic spot for the annual group photo.
Like years past we’ll have a place for you to store any bags/clothes/Haribo you want to leave during the run. And again, we’ll leave nobody behind on the run – so fear not!
Get Registered!
For the open house simply use the form below to sign-up (just so we can figure out how much cheese, beer, and wine to buy…and cupcakes(?) to make!). We’re using a different registration system this year, which I hope will make things way easier (mainly for me, but also for you). If you want to register multiple people (such as your lovely significant other), you can do that via adding a second ticket, or just filling out the form twice – once in their name. Plus, it’ll make it easier for us to send you updates along the way.
Remember we also have DCR products for sale on the website, which you can pick up at the door of the event on December 2nd. Which is effectively a free shipping bonus!
I’ll use the e-mail provided to send the final details (and a reminder) as we get closer to the date. See ya there!
Note: Folks from various sports tech companies are of course more than welcome! Just be sure to bring enough devices for everyone. Kidding! For real, you’re more than welcome to come!