Re: Beer and Gear surprise

Why is the event called "beer 'n gear" if I can't hand out T shirts and schwag? Like the above writer, I always looked forward to collecting a drawerful of T shirts and trivia at past NANOG beer 'n gears.

"Gear" derives from the fact that equipment vendors are invited to bring hardware to talk about. Sometimes we've had a bunch, sometimes not so much. The vendors decide whether they want to bring equipment, though - as has been pointed out, there's a non-trivial expense involved. Perhaps you might suggest that, in the event that trinkets return, the name of the session be changed to "Beer and Gear and Trinkets" when you fill out your survey form. Stephen