Phoenix Rising: Myths, Facts and Legends
Was NBC really there?
Yes! NBC sent a crew down for the entire weekend to cover Phoenix Rising for both Dateline NBC and The Today Show. They interviewed many of our attendees, and during the weekend, called our attendees, collectively, the most intelligent and articulate group of interviews they’ve ever done.
They, ahem, also ran out of tape filming on Thursday night, so color yourselves fascinating. ;)
MTV and Borders also filmed during the weekend, and several print media outlets were on site as well, including the New York Times and Salon.com.
I heard MTV sponsored the open bar at Storyville to get pictures of drunk HP fen!
Ah, this one is pure myth. Venues almost always come with food and beverage minimums, or you have to pay rental on the venue, and after reconfiguring our contract this past April, we were below the minimum. We could either pay the difference in venue rental or have an open bar, and we chose to have all beverages, both alcoholic and non-alcoholic, provided complimentary to our attendees. (It was much more fun when you thought MTV was being salacious, wasn’t it? :P)
Also, rumors of debauchery are, we think, greatly exaggerated. Both venue and conference security were present all night long, and someone on our staff sat at the door all evening to ensure that no one left alone (and to snag an escort if someone was planning to). Of course, we can’t police what happens outside our events, but we believe that everyone had a safe and enjoyable evening, especially since we had to quite forcefully send nearly all of the ticket holders home at midnight!
Was there really an engagement?
Yes! Lupin, the champion Seeker from the Knight 62442 Werewolves, asked a girl with lovely Tonksian pink hair to marry him on the dance floor during the Masquerade Ball. We’re thrilled to report that she accepted! Now, if only we could convince them to tie the knot at Terminus. ;)
Didn’t someone have to go to the hospital during Quidditch?
Nope, we’re happy to say that there were no hospital visits. While we happily acknowledge that Quidditch is a brutal sport, we even more happily deny this particular rumor. Scrapes, bruises and cuts were common, and one player left the pitch with bruised ribs, but no hospital visits were required. (She’s fine. She’s pretty resilient!)
I heard tales of chicanery by Lumien in the Pirate Gold competition! How did the standings flip so drastically from Sunday night to Monday morning?
True piracy, of course. In an impressively sneaky maneuver, Professor Bolton of Lumien had been pocketing his Points all weekend instead of turning them in, as the other Heads of House were doing. Late Sunday night, the Pirate King advanced upon the Information Desk, wads of House Points in his hands, after it was mentioned that he actually had to turn in the Points to have them counted. It also didn’t hurt that Lumien kicked all sorts of booty in the Firewalking, Dueling and Horcrux Hunt competitions, which were also counted late Sunday night -- perhaps due to their collective belief that they were truly falling behind in Points.
We’d like to assure everyone that all Points were reviewed and tallied by Amy Wilson, our Information Desk Coordinator, and she’s beyond bribe or reproach. We’ve also given her permission to hex anyone who implies otherwise. ;)
I heard the roundtable rooms were not big enough!
Actually, we planned these rooms to be small, so that all of the audience members would have a chance to speak, and so that the moderator wouldn’t be overwhelmed by trying to include hundreds of folks in the discussion. These are meant to be intimate, lively discussions, and if hundreds of people could go, most people wouldn’t get to participate. We know that roundtables are a really popular option, and unfortunately, we had limited space and time (and proposals!) for roundtables - a couple of roundtables led by experienced moderators were even scheduled in larger rooms in an attempt to give attendees more opportunities to discuss.
That said, if you’re particularly interested in roundtables, please start considering proposing a roundtable discussion for Terminus. We will actually have a lot more room available for this type of programming, and hope that many of you will design small group discussions for the conference in 2008. Keep an eye on terminus2008 in the coming weeks for tips and tricks for making a successful proposal.
What’s this thing about flamingos?
Yes, this one is true! There was a flamingo on the second floor of the hotel at one point, and it was fascinated by the pink pants of an attendee. Sadly, a planned visit by a pack of penguins was cancelled; it turns out that penguins are even smellier than they are cute.
Did we really give money to the New Orleans library?
Yes, we did, in fact. Professor Conrad, Head of Bellereve House, spearheaded fundraising among attendees for the New Orleans Public Library, and we’re proud to say that she raised over a thousand dollars, which was presented to the Library during the Coda Breakfast. Phoenix Rising also threw in any audiobooks that were left as of Monday afternoon.
Bob Barker was an attendee!
Nah, but we find this rumor to be pretty funny anyway.
Yes! NBC sent a crew down for the entire weekend to cover Phoenix Rising for both Dateline NBC and The Today Show. They interviewed many of our attendees, and during the weekend, called our attendees, collectively, the most intelligent and articulate group of interviews they’ve ever done.
They, ahem, also ran out of tape filming on Thursday night, so color yourselves fascinating. ;)
MTV and Borders also filmed during the weekend, and several print media outlets were on site as well, including the New York Times and Salon.com.
I heard MTV sponsored the open bar at Storyville to get pictures of drunk HP fen!
Ah, this one is pure myth. Venues almost always come with food and beverage minimums, or you have to pay rental on the venue, and after reconfiguring our contract this past April, we were below the minimum. We could either pay the difference in venue rental or have an open bar, and we chose to have all beverages, both alcoholic and non-alcoholic, provided complimentary to our attendees. (It was much more fun when you thought MTV was being salacious, wasn’t it? :P)
Also, rumors of debauchery are, we think, greatly exaggerated. Both venue and conference security were present all night long, and someone on our staff sat at the door all evening to ensure that no one left alone (and to snag an escort if someone was planning to). Of course, we can’t police what happens outside our events, but we believe that everyone had a safe and enjoyable evening, especially since we had to quite forcefully send nearly all of the ticket holders home at midnight!
Was there really an engagement?
Yes! Lupin, the champion Seeker from the Knight 62442 Werewolves, asked a girl with lovely Tonksian pink hair to marry him on the dance floor during the Masquerade Ball. We’re thrilled to report that she accepted! Now, if only we could convince them to tie the knot at Terminus. ;)
Didn’t someone have to go to the hospital during Quidditch?
Nope, we’re happy to say that there were no hospital visits. While we happily acknowledge that Quidditch is a brutal sport, we even more happily deny this particular rumor. Scrapes, bruises and cuts were common, and one player left the pitch with bruised ribs, but no hospital visits were required. (She’s fine. She’s pretty resilient!)
I heard tales of chicanery by Lumien in the Pirate Gold competition! How did the standings flip so drastically from Sunday night to Monday morning?
True piracy, of course. In an impressively sneaky maneuver, Professor Bolton of Lumien had been pocketing his Points all weekend instead of turning them in, as the other Heads of House were doing. Late Sunday night, the Pirate King advanced upon the Information Desk, wads of House Points in his hands, after it was mentioned that he actually had to turn in the Points to have them counted. It also didn’t hurt that Lumien kicked all sorts of booty in the Firewalking, Dueling and Horcrux Hunt competitions, which were also counted late Sunday night -- perhaps due to their collective belief that they were truly falling behind in Points.
We’d like to assure everyone that all Points were reviewed and tallied by Amy Wilson, our Information Desk Coordinator, and she’s beyond bribe or reproach. We’ve also given her permission to hex anyone who implies otherwise. ;)
I heard the roundtable rooms were not big enough!
Actually, we planned these rooms to be small, so that all of the audience members would have a chance to speak, and so that the moderator wouldn’t be overwhelmed by trying to include hundreds of folks in the discussion. These are meant to be intimate, lively discussions, and if hundreds of people could go, most people wouldn’t get to participate. We know that roundtables are a really popular option, and unfortunately, we had limited space and time (and proposals!) for roundtables - a couple of roundtables led by experienced moderators were even scheduled in larger rooms in an attempt to give attendees more opportunities to discuss.
That said, if you’re particularly interested in roundtables, please start considering proposing a roundtable discussion for Terminus. We will actually have a lot more room available for this type of programming, and hope that many of you will design small group discussions for the conference in 2008. Keep an eye on terminus2008 in the coming weeks for tips and tricks for making a successful proposal.
What’s this thing about flamingos?
Yes, this one is true! There was a flamingo on the second floor of the hotel at one point, and it was fascinated by the pink pants of an attendee. Sadly, a planned visit by a pack of penguins was cancelled; it turns out that penguins are even smellier than they are cute.
Did we really give money to the New Orleans library?
Yes, we did, in fact. Professor Conrad, Head of Bellereve House, spearheaded fundraising among attendees for the New Orleans Public Library, and we’re proud to say that she raised over a thousand dollars, which was presented to the Library during the Coda Breakfast. Phoenix Rising also threw in any audiobooks that were left as of Monday afternoon.
Bob Barker was an attendee!
Nah, but we find this rumor to be pretty funny anyway.