Thanks for pushing this, Thomas, and for the update on the venue.
I’d like to raise one concern: the cost. For 39C3 the standard ticket was €190, supporter tickets went up to €300, and tickets sold out very quickly (usually within minutes). If 40C3 prices stay in that range, add travel and a hotel stay between Christmas and New Year’s, and attending easily costs well over €200. Many of us run Discourse communities as volunteers or on open-source budgets, and I doubt most operators have that to spare, especially these days. The ticket shortage alone could keep people out.
So here is a counter-proposal: an open, informal meetup in a nice café or restaurant in Hamburg, ideally on 27 or 28 December. Anyone attending the Congress can drop by, and everyone else can join without a ticket. The cost would be just a coffee or a meal. If the group prefers, a date outside the holiday week would work too.
What do you all think?