All posts by Renee Wilson

Con Reports, Updates

Farpoint 2017 Progress Update

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Farpoint 2017 Autograph Information

Here is the information on obtaining guest autographs for your reference as you prepare to join us at Farpoint 2017! Email us at contact@FarpointCon.com if you have any additional questions.

Celebrity Autographs – Sam Witwer, Enver Gjokaj, Nicholas Meyer

Weekend, Saturday and Sunday attendees will receive ONE signature at no additional charge from the celebrity of their choice on an item they bring to be signed from their personal collection OR the convention program book. Weekend attendees can get one signature on Saturday and one on Sunday for a total of two no charge signatures for the weekend. Saturday and Sunday attendees will receive one signature on the day they attend the convention.

Costs for additional signatures/items from the guest’s table are as follows:

Sam Witwer

$40 – signed photo purchase from the table/additional items to be signed from personal collection

$30 – at the table picture with Sam

$60 – signed photo and at the table picture combination

Enver Gjokaj

$40 – signed photo purchase from the table/additional items to be signed from personal collection

$30 – at the table picture with Enver

$60 – signed photo and at the table picture combination

Nicholas Meyer

Items from attendee’s personal collection will be signed at no charge.

At the table photos with Nicholas will be at no charge.

Signed books, videos and items for sale at the table will be at the prices set by the guest.

 

Authors, Performers, Scientists and Other Guests

Our author, performer, scientist and other guests will sign items from attendee’s personal collection or the convention program book at no charge. Guests may also have books, videos and items for sale at prices they set. They will take photos with the attendee at no charge.

Our celebrity guests for 2017 will be Sam Witwer from the Star Wars universe, Once Upon A Time and Being Human; Academy Award-nominated director Nicholas Meyer (Star Trek Discovery, Star Trek II, Star Trek IV and Star Trek VI, Seven-Per-Cent Solution and Time After Time); and Enver Gjokaj from Marvel’s Agent Carter and Dollhouse. All 3 will be arriving in time to attend our Friday evening Opening Ceremony and we hope to see you there too! The Opening Ceremony starts with a Cocktail Hour at 7:00 pm, with cash bar and food buffet available if you wish to eat and drink with us. Food buffet tickets can be added on to your ticket for $25; the buffet is all you can eat.

Other new additions to our guest list include authors Pip Ballantine, Tee Morris, Michael Ventrella, artist Heidi Hooper and geek comedian/musician Mikey Mason. Unfortunately authors Danielle Ackley-McPhail, Mike McPhail and Mary Fan and musician Insane Ian have had to cancel their appearances at Farpoint Convention 2017 due to schedule conflicts.

You can purchase your tickets for Farpoint in advance at www.FarpointCon.com/register from now until January 31, 2017. Ticket prices will be higher at the door. You can also print out the registration form online at www.FarpointCon.com/flier and mail it in with your payment.

Our hotel room block at the Radisson Hotel North Baltimore is selling quickly as well. Book your room online at https://www.radisson.com/timonium-hotel-md-21093/usatmmd using code FARPOI, or call the hotel directly at 410-252-7373. Thank you in advance for booking your room under our block. The more rooms we sell, the more our hotel likes us and gives us excellent pricing for our use of the meeting rooms. We’ve been able to keep our ticket price the same for the last SIX YEARS because of your loyalty to us and our hotel.

Our 2017 charities are the Julien Fleming Memorial Fund (www.jfmf.org) and Art Way Alliance (www.artwayalliance.org). We will be having two live auctions (Friday and Saturday evening) and a silent auction from Friday through Sunday morning to benefit our charities. Art Way Alliance, which provides instruction in drawing and animation techniques to young fans, will be participating in programs throughout the weekend as well.

We’re excited to announce a new showcase for this year: Fandom Central! Located in Dulaney Valley 1, Fandom Central is where you will find the displays and information tables for our fandom partners – other local conventions, fan clubs, charities and independent film production companies. Please make sure to visit Fandom Central and thank our friends for their support.

Congratulations to John Norton, winner of the 2017 Volker/McChesney Award for Service to Fandom. John was nominated in recognition of his hands on support of our continuing charity activities. You may recognize John as “that guy” who aced you out of that prime collectible during one of our live auctions. He has participated in the Washington/Baltimore convention scene for many years and can always be counted on to lend a helping hand or a smile whenever needed.

Schedule development is well underway! If you are interested in participating on any panels, please send us an email at Programs@FarpointCon.com to request a copy of the list of proposed panels for the convention. We are also bringing back several of our most popular live events, including the Wizard Dueling League and Cosmic Game Show. A new live event is the Button Down Pinback Party, which is an all age event looking at the history of using buttons in advertising and political campaigns and providing all participants the chance to create their own button during the party. More information on all our panels, shows and activities will be forthcoming as plans continue to develop. Make sure you follow us on Facebook (Farpoint Convention) and Twitter (@FarpointCon) and check our website www.FarpointCon.com to keep up with the latest news. The convention schedule is scheduled to be finalized February 2, 2017 and will be published online at that time.

We look forward to seeing you in February at Farpoint Convention 24!

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Farpoint 24

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Farpoint 24 will be held on February 17-19, 2017 (President’s Day weekend)! Our convention is returning to the Radisson Hotel North Baltimore in Timonium, MD. The Radisson has extended the $121 per night before taxes room rate, which they lowered for us in 2016, for our 2017 convention too!

This loyalty to us and our attendees is one of the reasons we decided to return to the Radisson for 2017. As promised, we received proposals from multiple hotels after our 2016 Radisson contract was completed. The Hunt Valley Inn and Hilton BWI Airport Hotel sent us 2017 proposals along with the Radisson. The Hilton pricing would have caused us to pass on a large ticket price increase to our fans, which was not acceptable. The Hunt Valley Inn bid was also higher, though closer in price to the Radisson, but they could not give us our preferred President’s Day weekend dates.

The Radisson did not raise room rate prices from the 2016 rate. The increase to us for meeting space is small enough that we do not have to raise convention ticket prices or table prices for the FIFTH year in a row, which is coupled with lower service charges than both the Hunt Valley Inn and the Hilton. Everyone attending the Open Committee Meeting at the end of the convention last month agreed that the hotel’s services were markedly improved over 2015. Many of the remaining issues we have with the Radisson will be addressed by the conference floor remodel that is commencing in April 2016. All of this, coupled with the Radisson being able to give us our preferred President’s Day weekend dates, led us to the conclusion that the Radisson will again offer us the best option in hotel size and pricing for 2017.

We look forward to your joining us again at Farpoint 24!

 

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Star Wars Guest, John Morton, Just Added!

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dak_boba_1We are happy to announce that fan favorite John Morton, “Dak” from Star Wars: The Empire Strikes Back, will be joining us at Farpoint 2016! He also appeared in the film as Boba Fett on Bespin when Boba utters his famous line to Darth Vader, “He’s no good to me dead” substituting for an unavailable Jeremy Bulloch. John is a regular contributor to the Official Star Wars Blog and the U.K.’s Jedi News. John will be at Farpoint talking all things Star Wars; he should have a unique perspective having played both a hero and a villain in the saga!

Updates

Captain Kyle’s Cosplay Spotlight to shoot episode at Farpoint 2016

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Captain Kyle’s Cosplay Spotlight is honored to shoot a special episode at Farpoint! This show interviews cosplayers twice… first as the character the cosplayer is portraying, then again as the cosplayer behind the costume. Who will be interviewed? It could be you! Captain Kyle will be auditioning cosplayers who really know and portray their characters well and will choose one cosplayer to interview on camera. The taping will be held on stage in front of a live audience of convention attendees. Plus the episode will be released as part of Season Two of this unique talk show!

Captain Kyle and his co-host, Constance, have been cosplayers and performers for many years. The goal of the show is to show the fun of cosplay in a positive manner and to introduce those who might not be familiar with cosplay to the culture. The only requirements to be part of this fun experience are a strong knowledge of the character, a costume, and the ability to take on the role for less than 10 minutes. Plus during the weekend there will be other opportunities to be part of the show, with cosplayers featured in trivia games, impromptu performances and even young cosplayer interviews (parental/guardian consent required). Get ready to be part of the fun!

For more information about the show, visit www.cosplayspotlight.com

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Farpoint Convention Partners with Yelp

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Yelp_Logo_Outline (1)Yelp Baltimore is now an official Farpoint Convention sponsor! Representatives from Yelp Baltimore will be at Farpoint Convention this February with great Yelp swag and to help you learn more about the services they offer. Yelp will be the official internet check-in site during Farpoint Convention so that you can let your friends find you and join you at the convention.

Yelp is a free internet based service which you can access on your computer or smartphone to find local businesses wherever you are. Yelpers share reviews and photos of businesses and events to help fellow members find the best events (like Farpoint Convention), restaurants, stores and services in their local area. You will find our Farpoint Convention Yelp page at http://bit.ly/1RNZ9Ov.

Uncategorized, Updates

Farpoint 2016 Volker/McChesney Award Winner

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ToddCongratulations to Todd Brugmans, winner of the 2016 Volker/McChesney Award for Service to Fandom. Todd is a talented artist and his talent is exceeded only by his generosity in sharing his talents and his friendliness to all. He has created original art for Firebringer Press, many Starfleet and Colonial Defense Force chapters, and Farpoint Convention as the creator of our beloved FARP. Todd not only donated all rights to the FARP character to the convention, he is our volunteer “FARP Artist In Residence”, creating whimsical covers depicting FARP’s continuing adventures in fandom.

Todd’s support of local conventions and fan groups through his art is an example of the sharing spirit of fandom. He will be presented with the Volker/McChesney award on Friday, February 12, 2016 at the Farpoint Convention Opening Ceremonies beginning at 8:00 pm. Everyone is invited to attend and shout “Huzzah” in his honor.

Updates

Farpoint 2016 Progress Update

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We are officially “in the chute” in our preparations for Farpoint 2016! Here is the latest news on plans for our next fun weekend convention event, February 12-14, 2016.

  1. Registration is open! You can register online at https://www.farpointcon.com/register/, or print out our convention flier (https://www.farpointcon.com/flier/) and mail in the registration form to us. Hotel reservations can be made by calling 410-252-7373 or by clicking the link from our website to the hotel’s online reservation page (https://www.farpointcon.com/hotel-information/). Use reservation code FAR to get our hotel room rate of $121 per night (excluding taxes).
  2. Your weekend or daily (Saturday and Sunday) convention membership ticket includes an autograph from Sean Maher. Every attendee will receive one signature at no additional charge on an item you bring to the convention each day (one on Saturday and one on Sunday). Sean will have items for purchase at his table that will can be signed and he will sign additional items at a fee. We will be posting his price list when it is available.
  3. Our other guests, including David Gerrold, will sign items you bring to the convention from your personal collection at no charge. They will have copies of their works available for purchase at the convention as well.
  4. The Author’s Showcase will return in 2016. We will be turning the hotel’s Dulaney Valley 1 room into our FARPBucks Café, where you can find David Gerrold, Crazy 8 Press, Firebringer Press and the Authors’ Signing Tables during the weekend. This room will also host Novel Places, our bookseller, and our author guests reading from their latest works. More details on the reading and signing schedules will be coming as we continue convention planning, but make sure you include a visit to FARPBucks during the weekend.
  5. We are thrilled to be hosting test drives for Tesla Motors and their Model S car! Times for the test drives will be coming later as we build the convention schedule. All licensed drivers 25 years old and over are welcome to sign up to give this beauty a spin.
  6. The Wizard Dueling League is returning, so polish your wand and be ready for action! The creators of this live action role playing game will be bringing their updated version to Farpoint for a beta test on Saturday February 13th. This activity is for all ages and we will be putting a link to the updated spell list information when it is ready so that you can practice in advance and be ready for action!
  7. Farpoint 2016 will include a celebration of Star Trek’s 50th anniversary! Break out your gold command shirt, tricorder and phaser to join in. Details will be coming as plans are finalized.
  8. The theme for our Science program track will be “Preparing for Space Colonization”. Planned discussions and presentations will look at the challenges and tools available for colonizing other planets and/or space installations. Potential topics include communications between Earth and the colony, use of robotics in colonization, and the care and feeding of a space colony. We are looking forward to welcoming several NASA and space scientists to Farpoint as we explore the fascinating possibilities.
  9. Are you a Farpoint dealer member? If you are, hello and welcome! Are you planning to be one? If yes, please register ASAP. Spaces in our Dealers Room are almost sold out – act now to make sure you don’t miss out!
  10. Farpoint 2016 will be hosting showings of several new independent film projects! Farragut Films will be showing a new episode of their continuing “Starship Farragut” series, set in the Star Trek universe. They have also partnered with Whitehurst Films to produce “The Legend of Zelda: Oblivion Rising”, depicting the future adventures of Link after he has married his beloved Zelda, which will be seen on the East Coast for the first time at Farpoint Convention!

Continue to follow us online for the latest news and to communicate with Farpoint Convention:

Website – www.FarpointCon.com

Facebook –Farpoint Convention (https://www.facebook.com/FarpointCon)

Twitter – @FarpointCon (https://twitter.com/FarpointCon)

Kickstarter, Uncategorized

Announcing the first-ever Farpoint crowdfunding event – Farpoint Convention Turbo!

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FARP_MAGNETFarpoint Convention is proud to announce that we have initiated a special crowdfunding project on Kickstarter.com https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/svanbl/farpoint-convention-turbo. This project was started in response to convention members’ feedback from recent events on what they wanted to see at future Farpoints.

Why Kickstarter and crowdfunding? One of the biggest pieces of feedback we’ve received in recent years was multiple requests to bring more prominent celebrity guests to Farpoint and we decided that our 2016 convention will be the year to give this a try. We investigated the costs of bringing in some of these guests and found that on average guests at this level cost $25,000 at a minimum and many are in the range of $30,000 and up. Right now, we have funding in place to stage Farpoint Convention 2016 at our regular level of activity. And that’s okay, but to reach out for more prominent guests means a need for additional incoming funds. Our two main options for funding are (a) raise membership prices or (b) fundraising. Our weekend membership price has stayed the same for the last 4 years. We appreciate our members are spending their hard-earned money at Farpoint each year and the 2016 prices have already been announced. This brought us to raising money through a crowdfunding project, our #FARPStarter!

We have designed reward levels at multiple price points. The rewards will provide attending convention members the opportunity to “turbo charge” their Farpoint experience through special rewards and activities or allow long-distance members the chance to participate as never before via live-streaming some of our main events. We appreciate your help and interest; every contribution is important, whether you can donate or simply share our project page link with your social network. Thank you for supporting Farpoint Convention!