Simmer Spotlight: Rachybop and BeyondSims Talk UK Simmers Meetup
2015-10-10
SimGuruDrake
From sharing fantastic houses on The Sims 4 Gallery to creating amazing Custom Content, Sims fans never cease to amaze us. Your creativity and passion is inspiring, which is why we were so excited to hear about the 2015 UK Simmer’s Meetup – so excited that SimGuruRachel and SimGuruLyndsay both flew across the globe to visit the meetup! It was organized by Rachybop and BeyondSims, and we wanted to talk to them about the event.
Can you start off by telling us a little about yourselves?
Rachybop: Hi! I run a YouTube channel and do a weekly show called 'Sims Saturday' based around The Sims. I've been playing the game since time began (or so it seems) and I absolutely LOVE IT!
BeyondSims: Hi everyone! My name is Dan and I am the owner of BeyondSims.com, one of the oldest Sims fansites on the web! I have been playing The Sims since around 2001 and my site is a fun outlet for me as I love writing and creating content for the game.
What is the UK Simmers Meetup, and how long has it been around?
Both: The Simmers Meetup is an annual event where Sims fans from all over the world come together to participate in activities and meet other like-minded players! We held our first event in May 2014 at the Italian Gardens in Hyde Park and the second event was held on August 1, 2015 in London. Attracting over 100 Sims fans, the event featured a modern venue, catering, EA pods, a YouTube and website panel, and a surprise visit from Rachel Franklin and Lyndsay Pearson.
What made you decide to create this event?
Both: We've been lucky enough to meet lots of Simmers from the community at EA events over the years (including each other) and we wanted to meetup with everybody for a day out in London. We then had the idea to make it public and invite anyone to attend. We did not expect anyone to actually show up, however, when we arrived in Hyde Park to heaps of new Simmers faces from lots of different countries, we realized that there was a huge demand for this event worldwide. After the events success we immediately got to work to create this year’s event.
Do you have some moments from this year’s event that really stuck out?
Rachybop: There are SO many parts of the event that stuck out for me! It was a truly magical day that I'll never forget. Creating the day was stressful at times and the pressure of making sure people would enjoy their time at the event was immense, but once those doors opened and people filled the venue, all that anxiety disappeared and it was pure fun and happiness.
Meeting new people and catching up with people I already knew was great! Being a part of the YouTube panel, giving away amazing prizes to raffle winners and hugging fellow simmers were the main highlights for me. Also, seeing everyone’s faces when the Guru's arrived was just priceless.
BeyondSims: There are so many things that have stuck out this year as it was such a step up from our first event! Probably one of the things that really stood out for me was when I finally got to see over a year’s worth of planning come to life when we opened the doors. Forgetting how nervous I was, it was amazing to see Simmers enter the venue and be surprised by what we managed to do.
The venue felt organic, Sims-themed and it was just awesome to see people enjoying themselves and putting faces to people I’ve previously spoken to online. Another big thing that stood out was when Lyndsay Pearson and Rachel Franklin from The Sims Studio walked into the venue and everyone’s faces lit up with excitement as no one knew they were stopping by! They are just a few of the things that I’ll never forget about this year’s event.
Where should people go to learn more about the UK Simmers Meetup and will you be doing it next year?
Both: To find out more about The Simmers Meetup simply head over to the official website and be sure to follow us on twitter at @SimmersMeetup. We will definitely be holding at least one Simmers Meetup next year, and we hope to take it to other countries too due to overwhelming demand from all over the world.
Have you made cool stuff in The Sims 4? Show us by using the hashtag #SimSpotlight and you could be featured next!
Want to read about other Simmers doing amazing things? Find out about Cinderellimouse, who made THAT dress in The Sims 4, and Ian Roach, who made fun TV sets in The Sims 4.
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