The event manages to be held despite having to cancel the appointment that was going to be held in Tolosa
The 14th edition of the Gipuzkoa Encounter organized by the Euskaltel Foundation has been able to adapt to the circumstances of the confinement due to the coronavirus and has found a way to keep the event completely virtual under the slogan "Geratu Extean" (a version of the "stay at home" "in Basque). The event, which was going to be organized in Tolosa, had a capacity of 456 full stalls and was prepared to be held on Thursday, March 26, but given the current conditions it was impossible, so the organization chose to continue inventing.
From Thursday 26 at 6:00 p.m. and until midnight from Saturday to Sunday, the event is being held remotely through tools such as Discord, enabling virtual rooms according to the different themes in which the software competitions are divided free, hardware, digital art and games, only accessible to those previously registered. Spaces such as the cafeteria, spa, dining room and all the areas that would normally be available in the party have also been enabled. A way to simulate the whole environment for which they have lost the opportunity to attend and to which the organization has returned the money in any case.
Once the opportunity is open, the organizers have also decided to enable other spaces open to everyone so that more interested people can get to know this dean event and thus contribute to helping more people in their respective confinements at home. The training conferences that were going to be given will continue to be held via streaming and free of charge for all interested parties. The organization maintains an open Twitch channel at: https://www.twitch.tv/euskalencounter and the Opengune open channel is available on Discord.
Although the purpose of parties is usually precisely to socialize in person with whom we normally interact online, that the event has been maintained digitally is a reminder of the importance of these events as bridges to strengthen our ties with others, something more necessary than ever right now.
