This things was a blast last year -- and produced not only amazing business/product stuff, but also an interesting 'alumni' that is even stronger today. Highly recommended!
If you can get the Chicago tech community excited and supportive, that will help the case. We'll make the final decision based on where the most participants and sponsors come from.
yeah we need some love from chicago. i am actually from chicago originally, now helping organize startupbus, so i'll do what needs to get done. let's get a chicago bus rolling!
let's get some more people from chicago to sign up on www.startupbus.com and then get sponsors from the area engaged. contact startupbus sponsoring team and we'll work to make that bus possible.
I was on the bus last year and couldn't afford the SxSW admission. It was still one of the best things I've ever done and many things I did and learned in the last year were enabled more or less directly by the StartupBu
Gotta say - doesn't matter if you're in or not at SXSW. Maybe for the interactive, you can't go to the panels...but there's parties..and then during music? There's so much free stuff all over the city it's insane.
last year i was also on the bus. in summary - it was a blast, but let's put it this way: in big part it was thanks to the bus that i've moved out to the bay area from the midwest.
Don't forget if you are going to fly instead a number of us are taking the "Nerd Bird" flights on SouthWest, which will be geek-leaning fun time.
https://spreadsheets2.google.com/ccc?hl=en&key=t05WrwwlA...