Upcoming JOFCon Organizational Meeting - January 13, 2015 7:00 PM

JOFCon MSP is going to have an organizational meeting on Tuesday, January 13th 2015 at 7:00 PM. It will take place in the Geek Partnership Society offices at 1121 Jackson St NE, Minneapolis, Minnesota 55413 in room 106A. Parking lot is on the east side of the Waterbury Building, enter door 1121C.  At this meeting we'll discuss our current plans and look for additional volunteers to help us as 2015 goes forward. We have also posted this event to Facebook

Hotel Reservations Available

JOFCon's hotel reservation site is now available.

Rooms will run for $105 a night and suites will be available for $145. If you are interested in a suite (for a room party, or perhaps for small group meetings) please contact Michael Lee.

Full hotel information is available at http://jofconmsp2015.blogspot.com/p/hotel.html.

Hotel Announced

JOFCon Minneapolis 2015 will take place at the DoubleTree by Hilton Hotel Minneapolis - Park Place at 1500 Park Place Blvd, Minneapolis, Minnesota, 55416. This hotel has held a number of Twin Cities genre conventions over the years, including this year's BritCon and this year's Fourth Street Fantasy Convention. Within walking distance are several restaurants, a movie theater, a Costco, and a grocery store. We'll have information about how to make your reservation in the coming weeks. Rooms will run for $105 a night and suites will be available for $145. For the most up-to-date information about our hotel, check our hotel page.

Really Early Registrations available!

We've started to collect memberships for next year's JOFCon.

You can register at http://jofconmsp2015.eventbrite.com.  There are a limited supply of Really Early Registrations available (at the time of writing only twelve left!), and that rate will last until either those twelve are gone or we announce a hotel (which will be soon!)

An Introduction

I am planning the second JOFCon to take place in suburban Minneapolis on October 9-11 2015.

JOFs are Journeymen of Fandom, including Journeywomen, Journeypersons, Journeybots, Journeyfolk, Journeyfen, Journeyworkers, & Journeyplatypi. 

All are welcome, so long as they’re interested in learning more about fanac (“fannish activities”). We believe everyone has something to learn, and something to teach.

More generally about JOFs:

We have an active Facebook Group for JOFs, which anyone can join.

The general tone we like to take as a group is as follows.

Please try to remember that your way is not the only way. There are a vast number of solutions to just about any problem a con needs to solve, and it’s likely been done many ways in the past. Do not mistake your experiences for the One True Fannish Way.

Please treat each other like adults. Don’t talk down to others, badger them, or personally attack them.

We have a facebook event set up, and I'm using that for some initial planning around room blocks & the like.

Here are some basic FAQs so far:

What are your dates?

October 9, 2015 - October 11, 2015

Do you have a hotel?

We are almost ready to sign with a hotel in the Twin Cities metro area.  We will have more information about the hotel after the contract is confirmed. Room rates are yet to be announced, but should be in the $100-$110 range. 

What will programming be like?

JOFCon will have a single track of programming.  We will have a hospitality suite as well for breakout discussion. There may be other activities going on at the convention as well. We expect a mix of pre-planned items as well as items chosen by the membership in an open programming plan format.  

What types of conventions will be covered?

Any type of "geeky" convention will be welcome: Science Fiction and Fantasy conventions of any range of literary and media, Anime conventions, comic conventions, furry convention, horror conventions, and if you feel like you fit at all in that area, you are welcome.  We will discuss issues related both to locally fixed conventions and travelling conventions.

Why did you pick that date?

We wanted to minimize conflicts, especially locally.  We wanted to avoid the spring or summer because Marscon, Minicon, Anime Detour, and CONvergence all take place and are organizationally busy during that time. The first weekend of October is traditionally the MCBA Fall Comics Convention, and the third weekend is Anime Fusion. At the time of date selection, there is no MNSTF Fallcon in place, and I intend to work with MNSTF to avoid any conflict.

When can I register?

It is my intention to have registration set up VERY VERY soon. We're still finalizing budgeting, but we are aiming for memberships in the $40-$60 range.

I work with another convention or fannish organization.  Can we sponsor something at JOFCon?
Absolutely yes! Please contact Michael!

Do you need more help?

Absolutely!!!!!!  We will be having organizational meetings in the coming weeks to build out the committee for the convention. Please contact Michael for that info.