It's about that time again...
Time for MINIMERLIN 2011!!!
We're still in the early planning stages, so please fill out the poll below so we have an idea of how many people are planning to attend and to maximize the fun of this year's MiniMerlin!
For those of you who are interested, we are very laid back con, more of a fannish gathering without too many scheduled "events." There are no panels or anything like that, though there is a vid show and the inevitable drunken porn reading. We spend Friday evening, all day Saturday, and Sunday morning basking in fandom squee and taking time out to breathe and explore the wonderful city of bromance brotherly love, Philadelphia. It is a great way to meet fellow Merlin fans and we always have a fantastic time!
To give you an idea of costs, last year the registration cost was $25 and the cost per individual for staying at the hotel Friday and Saturday nights was around $100 total. Fangirls are grouped four to a room, and you are welcome to request roommates. As always, attendees can make other arrangements besides staying at the hotel, but the registration fee is not optional. The registration fee covers pizza dinner Saturday and snacks and non-alcoholic drinks the other nights, as this is a strictly BYOB event.
This year, we are thinking about making a few changes. In the past, we have had enough attendees to afford a separate, unoccupied "Con Suite" for both nights which served as a general meeting place for fangirls to watch episodes/play games/read fic late into the night. I think we will have enough people to afford a Con Suite this year, but if not, we have other options. One such option is that instead of a separate, unoccupied room, one group's room could become the "Party Room" that would serve to host fangirl shenanigans late into the night. (Obviously, we would not want to bestow this honor to just anyone, so when registration is opened in the future we would select one lucky room full of people who have generously granted permission for a gaggle of fangirls to chill in their room until the wee hours of the morn'.) Another option is slightly raising the registration fee to accommodate the charge for an extra room. I won't have any information about the exact price increase until I know roughly how many people are coming and how much the hotel is charging, but I promise it won't be anything drastic, so just use your best judgment when answering that poll question. Judging by the amount of interest I've seen so far, I doubt this will even be necessary, but I just want to cover all the bases.
Another possible change is a change of venue. While we had a great time last year at Penn's Landing, there are other hotels less centrally located to downtown Philly. The benefits would be a cheaper priced hotel, but we also might not find a hotel within walking distance of the fun shops and activities downtown. I'm curious how many people would find this trade-off favorable vs. unfavorable.
We will be opening registration in a few months, so the poll below is ONLY TO GAUGE INTEREST and to help us select dates and start shopping for hotel group rates. I understand that people's plans change, but please try to only select "definitely coming" if you are seriously invested in attending what promises to be THE SOCIAL EVENT OF THE YEAR. ♥
Poll
♥ Thanks to everyone for participating in the poll and helping us get the ball rolling on planning the fun! ♥
We're still in the early planning stages, so please fill out the poll below so we have an idea of how many people are planning to attend and to maximize the fun of this year's MiniMerlin!
For those of you who are interested, we are very laid back con, more of a fannish gathering without too many scheduled "events." There are no panels or anything like that, though there is a vid show and the inevitable drunken porn reading. We spend Friday evening, all day Saturday, and Sunday morning basking in fandom squee and taking time out to breathe and explore the wonderful city of bromance brotherly love, Philadelphia. It is a great way to meet fellow Merlin fans and we always have a fantastic time!
To give you an idea of costs, last year the registration cost was $25 and the cost per individual for staying at the hotel Friday and Saturday nights was around $100 total. Fangirls are grouped four to a room, and you are welcome to request roommates. As always, attendees can make other arrangements besides staying at the hotel, but the registration fee is not optional. The registration fee covers pizza dinner Saturday and snacks and non-alcoholic drinks the other nights, as this is a strictly BYOB event.
This year, we are thinking about making a few changes. In the past, we have had enough attendees to afford a separate, unoccupied "Con Suite" for both nights which served as a general meeting place for fangirls to watch episodes/play games/read fic late into the night. I think we will have enough people to afford a Con Suite this year, but if not, we have other options. One such option is that instead of a separate, unoccupied room, one group's room could become the "Party Room" that would serve to host fangirl shenanigans late into the night. (Obviously, we would not want to bestow this honor to just anyone, so when registration is opened in the future we would select one lucky room full of people who have generously granted permission for a gaggle of fangirls to chill in their room until the wee hours of the morn'.) Another option is slightly raising the registration fee to accommodate the charge for an extra room. I won't have any information about the exact price increase until I know roughly how many people are coming and how much the hotel is charging, but I promise it won't be anything drastic, so just use your best judgment when answering that poll question. Judging by the amount of interest I've seen so far, I doubt this will even be necessary, but I just want to cover all the bases.
Another possible change is a change of venue. While we had a great time last year at Penn's Landing, there are other hotels less centrally located to downtown Philly. The benefits would be a cheaper priced hotel, but we also might not find a hotel within walking distance of the fun shops and activities downtown. I'm curious how many people would find this trade-off favorable vs. unfavorable.
We will be opening registration in a few months, so the poll below is ONLY TO GAUGE INTEREST and to help us select dates and start shopping for hotel group rates. I understand that people's plans change, but please try to only select "definitely coming" if you are seriously invested in attending what promises to be THE SOCIAL EVENT OF THE YEAR. ♥
Poll
♥ Thanks to everyone for participating in the poll and helping us get the ball rolling on planning the fun! ♥