Unless something absolutely random happens, I'd be comfortable setting up in a bar, like I did last year in the O'neills with a bucketload of folks I've known from previous years.
You don't need anythign fancy to have a good time, just friends. (Booze helps though, then you get people singing We Can in the pub
)
I do agree, you don't NEED bells and whistles to have a good time. But sometimes it can be fun to have them!
Personally I got a kick out of having a party where we could customise stuff, open bar and the multiplayer sessions. We didn't need them at all, but we wanted to do something a little special, and wouldn't mind doing it again. People on the night were quite happy to sit and chat, mostly I did it so fans could mingle a little more. As, while pubs and all are nice - they tend to be more intimate gatherings, and when it's like that...people don't really venture far out of the people they know.
Of course everyone has different tastes, and I respect that - I went to an impromptu meet up on the sunday after SoS and did enjoy that too. We just wanted to do something that might encourage people to mingle, make new friends and generally have a good time.