A Special Notice From KiScon 2015
KISCON 2015
October 30 - November 1, 2015 in Seattle, Washington
kiscon2015.org
Progress Report #6 - August, 2015
We have some important info for K/S fans who also love Sherlock, and a plea on behalf of the KiScon committee.
First, a reminder: If you want to catch the discounted membership rate of $125.00, the deadline is August 9. After that it jumps to $140.00.
(See below for details)
First, A Plea from KiScon co-chairs, Judy & Amanda:
Membership Numbers Are Low-If You Can Come, Please Register Before the Price Goes Up, or Consider Helping the Con with a Supporting Membership!
Due to the dedication and hard work of the various KiScon committees over the years, the tradition continues of offering a high-quality, memorable KiScon event every couple of years to our loyal K/S fans. But every year it seems to get harder and harder to recruit the numbers that will allow us to break even on running these events.
Because the KiScon organizers are always committed to making these weekends quality events, we always hold these conventions at professionally catered hotel or business retreat venues. These make for a great con experience, but the only way to book these venues is to guarantee a certain number of attendees for both hotel sleeping rooms and food and are charged this cost up front. If we cannot make our numbers for the guaranteed hotel room block or for the banquet, the con committee must go out of pocket to make up the shortfall.
At Boston's KiScon in 2013, we took a poll of how many folks thought they would come to a Seattle KiScon if it were held in the Fall of 2015. By hand count we had comfortably over the number needed to cover our hotel/food commitment. So far, those attendees have not materialized.
This year, for KiScon 2015, even if we incur a loss, KiScon co-chairs, Judy and Amanda absolutely guarantee we will fulfill our commitment and go forward with the convention - there’s no question about that. But as it stands now, three months out, we have only two thirds of the attendees we need to meet our hotel room/food threshold. For overall projected costs, this translates into us being over $1500 short, which Judy and Amanda will be responsible for paying out of their own pocket.
We are speaking plainly about this matter because we hope if some of you are on the fence about attending, you will find this information may sway you to register-ideally before August 9th to get the early-bird rate of $125. If you are unable to attend, we ask you to consider a Supporting Membership. For $40, we will send you all the items in the KiScon Membership Packet, which includes the KiScon 2015 Zine and the Vid show, both of which will be on DVD. Buying a Supporting Membership will be a tremendous help to us, and if you do decide you can make it after all, your supporting membership will go towards the cost of a Full Membership.
Raffle and Art Auction
As a contingency, we also wish to announce that if we do not cover our expenses for the convention, we hope to make up our shortfall at least partially by any profit the convention may make with our raffle, and at our art auction. Normally other than a small seller’s fee for artwork, the proceeds would all go to a charity, but given our membership challenges this year, we hope that you will all be agreeable in making sure the convention costs are covered before donating auction funds to charity. However, should you wish to donate an item to the auction and would prefer the proceeds of the sale to go to charity, we will, of course, honor your wish.
We are hoping a whole lot of you are out there waiting until the last minute and this potential shortfall never materializes. We will think positively and anticipate seeing the lion's share of our previous KiScon attendees again this year in the beautiful Pacific Northwest!
Sherlock Panels
We know you come to KiScon for Kirk and Spock specifically, and the Star Trek Universe in general and we promise we have LOTS of great Star Trek discussion topics planned in our panel programming! In fact, you’ll be hearing more about that in the next few weeks. But a funny thing has happened at the last three KiScons-discussions of a distinctly "Sherlock" nature kept popping up like subversive tribbles in common area and room party discussions. During the London KiScon we even had a troop of attendees make a pilgrimage to all the major Sherlock locations in London after the con was over. There just seem to be a whole lot of K/S fans who are also Sherlock fans.
So we thought, "Well, why not explore this?" What is it about "Sherlock" and "John" that seem to draw so many of us that love Kirk and Spock? Are there common characteristics or themes? (And many of the old guard K/S fans will admit they were ACD Sherlock Holmes fans going back to their childhood-it is, after all, the oldest "slash" fandom!) So we have decided to throw our JohnLock-K/S fans a bone and will be offering a several Sherlock panels that will run in the second stream of panel programming, one comparing and contrasting the two fandoms, and two specifically aimed at Sherlock. The first stream of programming will run pure K/S content, so those not interested in this won’t miss out.
Help Spread the Word!
If you are planning to attend a con between now and October, you too could help out KiScon 2015 by putting a few of our flyers out on the flyer tables of the con you are attending. If you are interested, contact us at kiscon2015@aol.com and we will send you a PDF of the flyer for you to print. There are sizes ranging from 2, 3, 4, 6, 10 and 12 per page.
Social Media
If you are connected to a social media site that has Star Trek - Fanzine/Art - K/S topic discussions, please feel free to post info about KiScon to that site if it is not already there. Progress Reports and Update and the KiScon website can all be shared.
What’s included in your membership?
- Membership pack, which includes the con zine, with brand new K/S stories and art by some of the best in the fandom!
- A brand new shinny DVD of Vids premiering at the con from some of best K/S vidders
- Access to all the panels and talks and to the Hospitality room where beverages and snacks will be available
- Meeting our Guest of Honor, Syn Ferguson
- The KiScon opening ceremony, with games and a vid sing-a-long
- And Saturday, being Halloween, we have the “Catspaw” Cosplay Gala and Buffet
- Also on Saturday night will be the wonderful vid show, including a number of New Vids created especially for the con
- Access to the Art Show and Auction, with your chance to bid for beautiful artwork
- Sharing the weekend with lots of other enthusiastic K/S fans with the chance to make new friends
Further details about the con and how to register, below
Guest of Honor
KiScon is proud to have Syn Ferguson as our Guest of Honor. Fan Artist, Fanzine Publisher, and Fan Writer. She is probably best known for her 1981 story “The Price”, which was originally printed in “The Price and The Prize”, and its sequel, the classic 1985 novel “Courts of Honor”.
Syn has arranged a few special surprises for our KiScon 2015 members!
She is looking forward to spending the weekend with her fellow K/S fans. Come join us and welcome her to KiScon and spend the weekend getting to know Syn better.
KiScon Website
The KiScon 2015 website is ready for you to register for the con. Thanks to our webmaster, Killa for all her hard work. If you have not already done so - come and explore the site. www.kiscon2015.org.
You can also email any department from the email list on the site or you can always write to KiSCon2015@aol.com with your questions.
Updates, announcements and chats about the con and K/S can be found on the following sites:
The official KiSCon Tumblr
The Kirk/Spock community on Livejournal
The KiSCon group on Livejournal
KirkSpockCentral - Yahoo Groups
KiSCon 2015 - Yahoo Groups
Registration
Linda is our Head of Registration and will be taking care of you after you purchase your membership for KiScon. If you have any questions about signing up, you can email her via registration@kiscon.org and KiScon2015@aol.com.
******The membership rates for KiScon 2015 will be going up August 10. You can register via the website, by snail mail or in person at Shoreleave.
Memberships
Saturday Night “Catspaw” Cosplay Gala and Buffet is included with your membership!
The membership for KiSCon 2015 is $125.00 until August 9, 2015 (Yes - that is Shore Leave weekend). From August 10th - October 1, 2015, membership is $140.00. From October 1 - October 20, 2015, and at the door, membership is $165.00. (Note: Please do not send memberships after October 20th. We will do our best but cannot guarantee a buffet ticket after October 20, 2015)
Hotel
Special Note: The Hilton let us increase the block for Thursday by a few more back in March. Currently, we still have rooms in our room block at the KiScon convention rate for Thursday through Sunday. However this may change the closer we get to the convention. If you are planning to stay at the hotel, you should get your reservation soon.
About the Seattle Airport Hilton
The hotel is next to SeaTac Airport and there is a hotel shuttle that will take only about 5 minutes to get you from the airport to the hotel. The hotel has a wonderful restaurant, Spencer’s, and it serves breakfast, lunch and dinner. There are also several restaurants and fast food places within a mile of the Hilton.
For those who want to explore the city, the light rail station is right on the corner next to the hotel. It is about a 30 minute ride to Westlake Mall (in the heart of downtown Seattle - about 4 blocks from Pike Place Market. From there you can transfer to the Monorail which takes you right to the Seattle Center. Later Progress Reports will have more details on getting around the city
Hotel Reservations - The Hilton is now taking reservations for KiScon 2015 online.
Hilton Seattle Airport and Conference Center
17620 International Blvd
Seattle, Washington, 98188-4001, USA
TEL: +1-206-244-4800 FAX: 1-206-248-4499
To make your hotel reservations online - go to this address
Room Rate
The Hilton is offering our members a KiScon 2015 flat rate of $114.00 per night. This is for one to four people - one queen or two double beds. When you call the hotel to make your reservation, make sure you tell them you are with KiScon 2015. Make your reservations early. We have a limited room block at this rate.
The block of rooms has been reserved for October 29, 2015 - November 2, 2015. The special room rate will be available until October 9th or until the group block is sold-out, whichever comes first.
Parking
For those of you driving to the con, the hotel is offering a special discount to KiScon hotel guests of $8.00 per day.
Room Sharing
Need to share the cost of a room at KiSCon 2015? We have a place for you to connect with others that want to room-share.
kiscon.livejournal.com
(This is an open to the public site)
kirkspockslash.grou.ps
(This a closed site. You must be signed in to reach the forum. If you are not already registered on KirkSpockSlash, just click JOIN when the link above opens to a website.)
Please note: While the KiScon committee can provide this forum to help you get in touch with other fans looking for a roommate, we do not organize the room or admin the sharing options for you. You are responsible for making the reservation, arranging the cost splitting and deciding with whom you want to share.
Programming: Where No Fan Has Gone Before
Amanda, Co-Chair and Program Director will soon be filling out the KiScon program.
Special Notice:
Now is the time… We want to run a program tailored to your wishes. We would love to hear your panel ideas. Amanda will be sending out an email asking for your suggestions and we’ll then put the list you come up with to a vote to see which ones are the most popular. Also, if you would like to give a talk or run a game or event, you can email Amanda at: KiSCon2015@aol.com
In addition to our “Catspaw Cosplay Gala and Buffet” on Halloween night, and our vid Sing-Along and Dance, we’re very excited to announce that Rhaegal will be continuing what has become a KiSCon tradition, giving one of her fascinating talks on astronomy as it relates to Star Trek.
We will be interviewing our Guest of Honor, Syn Ferguson, about how she discovered Kirk/Spock fandom, and came to write one of its most influential works, Courts of Honor.
Thursday Special Event: Return to Tomorrow
If you plan on coming early you can join us for an outing to the EMP/Science Fiction Museum. It is the home of all things SF including Captain Kirk’s original captain’s chair. EMP is located at the Seattle Center (home of the 1962 Century 21 World’s Fair) and is right next to the Space Needle. This will be an extra fee over the cost of your membership. You will have to cover the cost of the admittance to EMP and the Light Rail/Monorail round trip - about $30.00 total.
Tentative plans are to leave the hotel around 1:00 PM to head to the EMP/Science Fiction Museum. You will have plenty of time to explore the museum. Afterward, we’ll head back to the hotel in time for dinner.
Learn more about EMP/Science Fiction Museum at empmuseum.org
Thursday Dinner:
One of the favorite events to start off the KiScon weekend is getting together with the other members for dinner and visiting on Thursday evening. About 7:00 PM, all of you who can join us for dinner are welcome, venue TBA. Everyone is responsible for their own dinner cost. After dinner the Mess Hall (Hospitality) will be open for snacks, beverages and to continue the conversation.
Video Shows
Special Deadline Note:
The deadline for vid submissions is coming up soon (see the information below).
KiScon 2015 is expanding the world of vidding at this year’s con to give this beautiful art form a more prominent place. Larissa as the head of our video department has a lot of exciting events planned.
There will be three video shows at KiScon 2015 to celebrate 30 years of K/S vids. We will have a variety of vids including new and classics.
- Premieres of all genres: these are vids that have not been published on the Internet or distributed on DVDs/tapes yet (we are lenient if the vid has been shown at a con in the past, as long as it is not available anywhere)
- Classics of all genres: vids that showcase the history and rich variety of K/S and Star Trek vidding from the late 1970s to the 2010s
- Fun & danceable song vids for our K/S Vid Disco Night & Sing-a-Long: exactly what it says on the tin - vids suitable for singing along and dancing the night away!
TOS, TAS, movies, and Reboot will all be represented. However, we strive to keep the balance between TOS and reboot - we withhold the right to shift around vids between classics and disco tribs, if necessary. The focus should be on Kirk/Spock; we will accept a limited number of gen vids, though (but no other pairings).
We will prepare subtitles for the Sing-a-long.
For more details and technical instructions, please get in touch with Lari: laribernstein+vidshow@gmail.com
Time for submitting your already registered vids: Between May 1 and August 31, 2015
Deadline for vid submission (preferably by Dropbox or similar download link): 31 Aug 2015. Please register your vids as soon as possible on our website or send a message to Lari at the above email!
KiScon Dedicated to Stacy Doyle
The con com has dedicated KiScon 2015 to Stacy Doyle. We will be having an event at the convention to honor her memory.
Leonard Nimoy
As all of you know, on February 27th we lost a beloved friend, actor, writer, director, photographer and for many, their adopted grandpa. The character he was most associated with, Mr. Spock, was also one half of the team which has brought us together for many years with stories, poetry, art and vids. Leonard will live in our hearts always and his memory will be honored at KiScon 2015. Mr. Spock will live on forever through the fans and the works that they produce and the love we have for all the crew of the USS Enterprise.
Remembering Leonard
At the end of PR 4 (April, 2015), I posted a column by a local Seattle reporter and a link to a Chris Mathews piece. There are also some photos I took at the EMP / Science Fiction Museum in Seattle last weekend of part of the tribute they had to honor Leonard Nimoy. They are all very nice tributes. If you have not seen them, please take a couple of minutes to go to PR 4. You can find it here.
Don’t wait - register for KiScon now!!!
Hope to see you at Shoreleave! Hope you’re having a great summer (or winter, down-under)!
Judy and Amanda
Co Chairs, KiSCon 2015