It was only mentioned in passing in this post by Michael de Raadt, but it appears that the next Moodle Research Conference (the 2013 edition just wrapped in Sousse, Tunisia) will happen on the West Coast of the United States.
Sounds like a plan.
Admittedly “in your area” from an international perspective could mean somewhere in North America. Stay tuned for the official location update at http://research.moodle.net/course/view.php?id=4