CONvergence Convention Committee/Open Meeting Agenda
(Details to be communicated during the Divisional Meetings)
Sunday, January 22nd, 2017

Future meeting dates (subject to change)

Confirmed with the DoubleTree Bloomington Hotel
Sunday 1/22/17 Board Election
Sunday 2/12/17
Sunday 3/19/17
Sunday 4/2/17 Member Advocate Election
Sunday 5/7/17
Sunday 6/4/17
Sunday 6/18/17
Friday 7/7/17 Open meeting
Saturday 7/29/17 Post Mortem and Volunteer Party

Board Announcements

Sheraton Hotel announcement

If you would like to have a room at the Sheraton Hotel please contact Allocations at [email protected] ASAP These are personal hotel rooms for Convergence Convention Committee members only, not department needs. For Department room requirements contact your resume guru and/or the Director of Facilities.

Election announcement

We will be breaking at 3:00 PM for Convergence Events Inc. Board of Directors Election.

Divisions up for Election are
Activities, departments included in this division are Book Swap, Cinema Rex, Connie’s Quantum Sandbox, Exhibits, Gaming, Invited Participants, Programming, Gaming, Theater Nippon, Youth Programming Advisory Council Liaison
Term to run August 2017 to August 2020
Candidates: Margaret Eastman

Communications & External Relations, departments included in this division are Artist Alley, Creative Services, Dealers Room, Photography, Publications, Social Media, WebTeam, Partner Search Committee Liaison
Term to run August 2017 to August 2020
Candidates: Jonathan Palmer

Department Announcements

Activities

Gaming
We are looking for a Gaming co-head. Current head is Elliott James. For more information, contact [email protected].

Connie’s Quantum Sandbox:
Connie’s Quantum Sandbox is looking for donations of old toys (dolls, trucks, things with wheels, legs, faces, tentacles, etc.). Please do not donate anything that is near and dear to you, or will upset you if it is altered, because it will be.

Administration

Registration
Numbers

Communications & External Relations

Facilities

Resume
Introducing the Gurus for this year:
Camille McDermott(New!), Kathy Peck, Theresa Hesse and Amy (also Resume Head).

Gurus and their Departments are as follows:
Camille: Cinema Rex, Art Show (and Auction), Connie’s Space Lounge, Connie’s Quantum Sandbox, (All Things) GPS, Theatre Nippon, Teen Room, Photography.

Kathy: COF2E2, Nerf-Herders, Operations, First Advisors, Registration, Volunteers Den & Cabana 132 (and any Table NOT in CVG Central), Parties.

Theresa: CONsuite, Gaming (22nd Floor & Consuite), GOH Reception, Logistics, Merchandise, Programming, Smoker’s Paradise, Accessibility & Inclusivity, Member Advocates, Allocations.

Amy: Artist Alley, Dealers, Dock, Harmonic CONvergence, GOH Signing Table (in CVG Central), Hotel, All Things Main Stage, Volunteer’s Table (if in CVG Central), Merchandise, BookSwap, and any Department that are in the Satellite Hotels.

The Resume timeline for 2017 (the same as previous years):
By November Con-Com: All Departments should have electronic copies of last year’s Resume documents emailed to them.
The Resume Deadline remains the April(2017) Con-com and the May Con-Com(2017) continues to be the Final Sign-off date.

Logistics

The Logistics team will be hosting a work day on Saturday Jan 28, 2017.
This will be a great time to check your inventory.
We will be at the lock up:

Address: 221 American Blvd Bloomington
Time: 10 AM to 2 PM

If you plan on stopping by, please send a note to Logistics – so we can plan for your arrival.
When you do arrive call my cell phone so we can let you into the building
Phone: 651-231-6068

Thanks, please take advantage if you need to.

Hospitality

Operations
As most of the ConCom is aware, during the 2016 convention season a new Harassment policy for the convention was introduced and the procedures around Safe Spaces were heavily revised. Operations will be holding a brief information session for any interested members of the ConCom at 4pm after the main ConCom meeting in April to discuss the general procedures related to harassment and to provide information and answer any questions surrounding the Safe Space initiative. As we did last year, we are also willing to meet with any department to discuss these topics with specific reference to the individual department and will be actively attempting to schedule meetings with representatives of all of the departments that are hosting an officially designated CONvergence Safe Space.

Guest of Honor
Jai Nitz: Jai is the creator of El Diablo. (For those of you who have seen Suicide Squad, he’s the one who controls fire.) He’s a comic book writer of Latino descent has worked for DC, Marvel, Disney, Dark Horse, Image, and other publishers. He also has a degree in film studies from the University of Kansas.

Tracee Cocco: Tracee is best known for her recurring background character, Lt. Jae in Star Trek: The Next Generation, which she performed in 4 seasons of TNG and 3 of the TNG movies.
Tracee is a professional stuntwoman. She has also played various aliens and was the stand-in for the Borg Queen in First Contact.
We are looking for one, possibly 2 volunteers to join the Guests of Honor department as liaisons.
Volunteers need to have past experience with CONvergence, either as a volunteer or a member of ConCom. Interested people should email [email protected].
You can reach the Guests of Honor department at [email protected]
If you have a question about the Guests of Honor, Tanya Brody will respond. If you have a question regarding inter-departmental concerns and/or Programming, Mark Tempel will respond
If you have a question about Guest Liaisons, or you are a Guest Liaison, Paula Merns will respond

Allocations
Only e-mails about the hotel itself are to be directed towards Hotel Relations at [email protected]. Issues about personal hotel room needs or parking are to be directed to Hotel Allocations [email protected] and questions about your department’s space or facilities-related needs go to Resume at [email protected].

Another important note, the previous HoME e-mail address is defunct, as the HoME division no longer exists. Please direct your emails to either [email protected] or [email protected]

Parties

Productions

Harmonic CONvergence

Systems

Member Advocates

Future Visioning Committee

Partners

JOFShop

JoF Shop is a monthly workshops series that allows participants to engage in collaboration and to share ideas and learn from each other, discussing issues related to the running of geeky conventions. The philosophy behind JOF is that, regardless of level and length of con running experience, everyone has something to learn and everyone has something to share.

The next meeting of Jof Shop is Sunday, February 26 from 1-4pm. We have invited several guests to share their experiences around Convention Guests; how they are chosen, how contracts are negotiated, how they are handled during conventions and other associated topics. The meetings will be held in room 106A of the Geek Partnership Society Event Horizon Space, 1121 Jackson St. NE Minneapolis.

GPS

January 2017 GPS announcements for CVG concom

Reminder that GPS is a drop off point for donations of toys to Connie’s Quantum Sandbox.​ Bring your stuff in any time the center is open, or email [email protected] if you need to arrange another time.

Newsletter announcements for CVG Departments:​ Donation requests and other such items announced at the concom will go in the February GPS Newsletter. Normally submissions for publications should be emailed to [email protected] by the deadline (the 15th of every month), but if you have anything else you’d like include please email by this Friday and we’ll try to get them in.

Partner volunteers needed!
We are looking to expand existing committees for Project Lighthouse and the Space Camp Scholarship, staff the Arts Initiative, and create committees for running the Classroom Series and running/coordinating geek community volunteerism (Geeks Doing Good, Geeks Give Back, name TBD), and we want our partners to have a presence in the community work. If you are interested please email [email protected].

Thanks again to CVG Nerf Herders for acting as point of contact for the Geeks@Pride booth!

Program News

  • Space Camp Scholarship – Submission window closed at 11:59pm on Thursday, December 15, 2016. The winner will be announce at the 2017 Opening Ceremony.
  • GPS Annual Writing Contest – Reminder writers and graphic artists, and to anyone helping to promote this: The GPS Writing Contest submission window opened January 1, 2017 and goes through . Keep this in mind for planning your work.
  • Art-A-Whirl @ GPS ​will be the third weekend of May. Volunteers will be needed to organize ahead of time and during the event. We’d also like to get folks to possibly represent us at a fan table at MSP Comicon 2017​ (the comic con formerlly know as Springcon), which is the same weekend. Let us know if you’d like to help

Fundraising News

  • Pirate Cruise Fundraiser​ – St. Croix Boat & Packet Co. Stillwater, MN. Date is Sunday, August 13, but when we have it set online ticket sales will go live and we’ll be selling in person at concom meetings and GPS events/spaces.
  • Auction Donations Accepted​ Year Round – Have stuff you want to give to auction for 2017 CVG? Donate any time. We’ve also got an upcoming auction at CONsole Room in May, so Doctor Who themed donations are appreciated for that. We accept donations at concoms, and can make arrangements to take them at the center. Please complete our Donation Online Submission Form to make arrangements.

Fri Jan 13 | 7pm – 11pm |​ ​GPS Movie Night – February 2017​ ​Note it’s on Friday, not Saturday
This is Not a Game.
Young Ender Wiggin is recruited by the International Military to lead the fight against the Formics, a genocidal alien race which nearly annihilated the human race in a previous invasion.
He didn’t find his dreams… his dreams found him.
A video game expert finds himself transported to another planet after conquering the game only to find out it was a test.

Expand Your Universe​.
A young woman discovers her destiny as an heiress of intergalactic nobility and must fight to protect the inhabitants of Earth from an ancient and destructive industry. Join your tribe for an evening of film and fun in the big room at GPS Event Horizon. As always, feel free to bring your own snacks (or dinner!), beverages, and a comfy chair. We will have some snacks and soda available for sale.

Still not sure what we’re watching? RSVP for the event and we will send you the info in your confirmation email.