I’ve received some questions from first time Macworld attendees asking how the line up procedure works and to give them time frames for getting to Moscone and then finally sitting down for the keynote. I’ve gone to Macworld with a Superpass, Users pass and with a Media pass and you’ll receive a different treatment depending on the pass you have.
Media: Plan on arriving between 7:30 and 8:30AM and at 8:50, you’ll be walking into the keynote hall and get seated in preparation for Steve to take the stage.
Platinum / Super pass: Plan on arriving at Moscone around 5:00AM for the best seat but you do get preferential seating so getting there at 8:00AM isn’t too crazy and you’ll most likely still get in.
All other passes: You’ll have to fight to see Steve. You get to wait the longest and get the worst seating. Arrive as early as possible. I think 8:00PM the previous day is the earliest I’ve seen someone in line but at 4:00AM you’ll get a great seat in the hall but after 7:00AM expect to sit in the overflow room or not to see the keynote at all.
Schedules: This is a rough schedule for how things should go down.
Media: You stand around for a few minutes, go inside the hall and watch Steve.
Platinum / Super pass: Around 7:30, you’ll be taken into a room with a line full of people that also paid over a thousand bucks for their pass and then at 8:45-8:55, they’ll ask you to enter the main keynote hall.
User Conference Pass: You’ll also be taken inside at 7:30 and packed in a room that’s just below the keynote hall. I think it was 7:00AM that we were put in here last year. It’s pretty warm and then you’ll be out of the weather. You’ll still be sitting on your butt so if you had a chair outside, hold on to it for the inside waiting time.
[UPDATE] Dripps asked a followup question that I wanted to answer. He asked, “When you are let into the room with User Conference Pass people….does it matter where you were in line (is there still an order) or do those that push and get into the right spot get in first?.” If you’re 40th in line at 3AM then around 7:30-8:00, you’ll be divided into lines based on which pass you have but you’ll remain in the spot where you lined up originally. This line, for th emost part, remains the same until we all run into the hall where the keynote is held. Apple staffers yell, “no running” but we’re a mob and you must fight to get a close seat.”
