We have made progress in looking for a venue but want to check out all possible venues to be sure we pick the best place. We had identified about 50 venues at least to look at. Hopefully we will have a confirmation by the end of the month. There is also some negotiation taking place.
We found a trendy upscale loft which looked cool

but not so much of a conference venue, more for private parties for celebrities.
We want to get a place for 500, but it's difficult finding for that range. Most venues are 200, then a few 300, a huge gap and then places for 2000+ (big warehouses). Still gotta keeps searching and find somewhere nice.