MerCon type of gathering for 201?? what do you think?? [Archive]

New York Mermaid

11-12-2011, 03:31 PM

It’s funny I see that some people were talking about WMA's/MerCon.

Malinghi and I talked recently about maybe an East Coast MerCon type of gathering in the future, I’m sure there are many people on here who would like to possibly put something together in the near future. Maybe get ideas and a Group of people who would like to be apart of making this happen. I can see MerNetwork pulling off an awesome bash in 2012-13 or later. I’m sure it will take at least a minimum of a year or 2 to put something together. (Think wedding planning)

What do you guys think?

Here are 2 links which i think would begin to help out on maybe planning for Mernetwork's MerCon 201?http://www.trhonline.com/viewcat.pl?howtostartacon
http://www.upcomingcons.com/how-to-start-an-anime-convention (http://www.upcomingcons.com/how-to-start-an-anime-convention)

Mermaid Saphira

11-12-2011, 05:00 PM

OMG! This is such a great idea! I would love to meet my pod members! If everyone agrees, I would love to help with the planning...I want to be a wedding planner :)
We could make t-shirts, and pins and...o listen to me when I get excited! LOL

AniaR

11-12-2011, 05:56 PM

I think anything that is being planned needs to be planned a year in advanced honestly, and I also think it requires a certain amount of fund-raising or at least someone who's willing to put down payments. Otherwise you run into a lot of the problems we saw at mercon this year,.

Mermaid Saphira

11-12-2011, 06:35 PM

Someone could design and sell fund-raising t's on cafepress or something...

Spindrift

11-12-2011, 07:23 PM

What someone needs to do is make a coherent business plan -and- business pitch* detailing exactly what the Con will entail, how much it would cost, and how much volunteers would be needed. This includes detailed notes like a cost-benefit analysis and a contact list for who's who (venues, food suppliers, transportation, lodging etc) to make such an event happen. This needs to happen -before- anything goes into motion though.

*if you can't sell it to your peers, there's no way you could get away with it for the public. The first con worked because it was new - but didn't meet expectations. Anyone who steps up now has to be sure they can deliver - and has to prove they can back that claim up.

Spindrift

11-12-2011, 07:27 PM

... and all that stuff comes before factoring trivial costs like pins and t-shirts. Also someone would need to be in charge of a kickass marketing plan that doesn't consist of just spamming Facebook walls.

New York Mermaid

11-12-2011, 07:56 PM

^lol yes, i remember a group i worked with had a "street team" which would advertise vias posters and other things. It worked out very well. Lol if we only had the money for a billboard and some press, which would be pretty important. im sure it can be done.

Spindrift

11-12-2011, 08:17 PM

Advertising comes after a working product. :x Good thinking ahead though :)

Mermaid Photine

11-12-2011, 08:58 PM

I help a friend with an ice skating charity show, and it is most certainly a TON of work. They secure the ice rink, find skater willing to donate their time to perform, advertise (both online and with posters, flyers, etc.), and set up an auction for skating gear- they need to get donations for that, also. There's back and forth planning and communication pretty much all year, once they have recovered from the last one. I couldn't imagine running the actual show (I set up and run the souvenir stand with a team of whoever is available to help out.) Once the day of the show is upon us, we have to arrive early to the rink, and set up for several hours- this includes some heavy lifting to keep hooligans out and make the on-ice seats safe for skaters and those watching alike. The enitre thing is organised chaos, and we never seem to have enough volunteers. I absolutely love the idea of a mermaid convention on the east coast, but there are many things that would first need to be thought out.

How is it going to be paid for? You need the payments in advance to secure everything you want.
How is admission going to be paid? How is it going to be enforced? Breaking even is really important. I have had people come up to me asking if they can go to the ice show for free, and even caught rink rats stealing the ham and cake that was in a sectioned off area for the volunteers.
How/will would performers and vendors be found?
Do you have the proper liability and insuances? I know nothing about these, so I think they are extra important to read up upon.
Do you have a reliable venue with enough parking and room for eveyone?
How will volunteers and other people be organised?
There so many things that would need to be juggled to get it to work.

To whoever(s) would be in charge: Everyone in this community has brilliant ideas, lots of them, but there would be no way that they could all get done in one convention. How will you handle choosing the ones to go with? Can you (or ya'll) be diplomatic when deciding upon activities and such, and also choose ones that would please the community as a whole, not just the ones you personally find superduper awesome?
Can you deal with the inevitable difficult people who want THAT vendor space (THAT one right THERE! or else!), want free admission for themselves and exended family of 15 toddlers and their aunts and uncles to go to the after hours mermaid bash of awesomeness, or just want to be difficult because they got stuck in traffic driving there from Alaska?
Are you willing to contribute more than all of your available time into making it work? The day of the show, I got up super duper early, traveled two hours to VA, set up, ran the stand during the influx of patrons (they filled the entire upstairs floor packed tight), then helped take the enitre show setup back down and loaded back into the vans. Then was invited to join the skaters (gulp! talk about starstruck!) at the after-eating-festival. I did not get back until very late, even after excusing early so that I could get back home. And that's just my part, the planning would have been an entire 'nother odeal. It was a blast, and I was so tired afterwards.

I am really not trying to be a debbie downer, but I do want to bring attention to important points and things to consider before putting together the super-most mermaid con in the east coast- the things that are less fun to think about than buttons or posters or colour schemes. The tough, annoying stuff should also be taken into consideration before other things so that this might work out wonderfully!

Hopefully this comes out as more of a thoughtful postthan a shoot-down-ideas one, but in case it was read badly, no idea-shooting or anything was intended. I wanted to share my experience of how much work everthing can be.

Spindrift

11-12-2011, 09:03 PM

Yeah I get what you mean. My friend and I just organized a campus-wide luau by ourselves. It worked out great, but it was a lot of work and we had to start an hour late because of issues with food not being ready.

melbel1023

11-12-2011, 09:19 PM

Ooh! I likie!
What if we tried asking the Georgia Aquarium to host? It might be expensive, but they might be interested in at least hosting some events (Not swimming, I'm sure)

Mermaid Saphira

11-12-2011, 09:37 PM

melbel- That would be a great idea!
What about the baltimore aquarium?
Haven't been there much but it might be cool

New York Mermaid

11-12-2011, 09:42 PM

though GA sounds like fun however, I was thinking more like a hotel or even a place like the the vetitian pool in coral gables as one choice of possibility for a swim session or something of the sort. I wish we could rent the weeki wachee pool for a day, but of course theres so much issue on that behalf especially for non swimmers.

scroll down to Kanti's Post # 6 : http://mernetwork.com/index/showthread.php?63-Amazing-Pools

heres some information on it: http://www.coralgables.com/CGWeb/parks_rec_files/vp_home.aspx

Mermaid Saphira

11-12-2011, 09:46 PM

Now THAT is perfect! Just look at the place! It's mermaid heaven! A HUGE pool is perfect...

Spindrift

11-12-2011, 09:55 PM

Was the draining water thing an issue for anyone? Or is it not really an environmental issue? I don't think we ever came to a conclusion on that.

... Not that the venue has to be environmentally-friendly. It'd be nice to be able to give back or do something to the ocean, but we could also just not. :x

Mermaid Saphira

11-12-2011, 10:27 PM

hmmm good question spindrift

New York Mermaid

11-13-2011, 01:02 AM

i suppose thats why we choose multiple locations and find out which might be better suited for a convention. I hope soon we do find one that convenient for all of us.

Mermaid Saphira

11-13-2011, 10:04 AM

The place we have in mind sounds beautiful, but 820,00 gallons of water drained everyday!!!???
Maybe we will be able to find something just as beautiful, but more eco friendly. Like spindrift
said "it would be nice to give back to the ocean.."

Mermaid Saphira

11-13-2011, 10:13 AM

This message was originally written by moonflower--
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

"So, in doing my research on The Venetian Pool, I found out a few things:

http://www.coralgablesvenetianpool.com/ (http://www.coralgablesvenetianpool.com/) <-- Mermaid!

The pool ranges from 4 to 8 feet deep and there's a grotto as well as natural waterfall!

It is the largest freshwater pool in the US.

The water is drained DAILY, however, as it's filled from a natural aquifer, the water is drained back into the aquifer to use the 'natural filtration' it offers. (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Venetian_Pool (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Venetian_Pool))

For non-Coral Gables residents it costs 11.00 per day (adult) to use the pool. What I didn't manage to find out is if they allow swim fins (which is usually the only reason they wouldn't allow tails), but after reading some in-depth reviews, I didn't see anyone mentioning that they didn't. I just wouldn't want to drive all the way out and not be able to wear my tail... "

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

just thought this information was useful :)

malinghi

11-13-2011, 11:11 AM

Its awesome seeing how much interest there is in this! Thanks for making this thread Lanai. Here are a couple things I'd like to say on this matter:

Everyone that pointed out that this would be really hard and take tons of time and money, you're right. That's the biggest issue right now.

I think one way to try to put together a convention would be for each pod to start trying to organize small gatherings in their region. Everyone gets experience at the whole thing and learns from everyone else's mistakes. Eventually whoever is having the most success organizing regular get togethers would simply declare that one of their gatherings will be a convention. All the other pods would then work together to try to increase the turnout by getting all of their members to come, and by spreading the word to people outside the community. Since lots of people would already know other people in their region, people could carpool and share driving duty to avoid paying for airfare. Instead of paying $300 to $500 for travel, three or four people could share the cost of gas and take turns driving. Now if you live 14 hours away from the convention, you can get there for $40, instead of $500. This could definitely improve the turnout. And the venue would already be used to hosting groups of merpeople, so that would simplify a major part of it.

Can you guys give me feedback on this? What do you think?

Spindrift

11-13-2011, 12:46 PM

malinghi

11-13-2011, 01:13 PM

The only forseeable problem that I can come up with is that some regions may have less mers than others. Would you then combine them? Fundraising for all of them might also be another issue since some mers may be able to contribute more than others. I would also not want this to turn into a competition.

I think you're imagining it being a lot more structured than I am. I wasn't thinking of it being a competition, and I think its understood that some pods are unlikely to be the one to arrange a convention. I think the Pod of Cali, the Pod of Texas, and the Pod of the South would be the ones most likely to get ready first to host a big gathering for everyone. The Pod of Hawaii or the Pod of Oceana don't need to feel bad that they probably wont be the one to pull this off. Also, I wasn't implying that everyone be responsible for fundraising for it. The fundraising would possibly depend on a lot of people buying tickets way in advance, possibly before a lot of the major decision are made. That would give them more flexibility and capital for planning. It would only be possible if everyone had a lot of faith that the convention was definitely going to happen.

I picture the beginning of the process to be very informal. If people start trying to go for group swims with their pod once every month or every other month then I think eventually one of them would be big enough to feel confident inviting everyone to come. For example, would anyone in the Pod of the South be interested in meeting up to go swimming at an indoor pool sometime in December or January? Maybe in Orlando or Atlanta or Savannah?

Mermaid Saphira

11-13-2011, 02:25 PM

I don't really have a "pod" I live near Baltimore, i don't believe anyone is really a mermaid out here and we don't have any public pools that allow mono-fins :(

Spindrift

11-13-2011, 07:01 PM

I travel nearby to Baltimore pretty often. And it's not that bad of a trip to/from NY. Maybe a northeastern pod could do something... although there aren't very nice places to swim in the winter. I'd probably be down for going to Florida, maybe, provided that it fits into my schedule.

MermanMatty

11-13-2011, 07:22 PM

I think I might have a very nice place in St. Pete FL that would be a good location for it, It is called the Flamingo. A bar/club is attached but during the day it is a regular hang out with a HUGE pool. They love mermaids and mermen! I've swam there in my tail a few times in the past few months. They LOVE it! It is also a Hotel so you can get a room so you don't have to travel too far with a heavy tail and waste gas :))) You can find it online if you look it up, it is fairly well known. I think it would be a good place because it would be very cheap and most importantly you won't get weird looks from people, because they're seen it all! Trust me! At night the club there is WEIRD! lol so think on it, I have a lot of friends there who would LOVE to help see this happen!

MermanMatty

11-13-2011, 07:28 PM

I don't know how everyone feels about gay people so I don't recommend booking it on a Sunday if there are people who don't agree with it. I don't want to bombard people with things that make them uncomfortable.

New York Mermaid

11-13-2011, 11:19 PM

^thanks for the info,

I was actually looking at this hotel the marriot world center in orlando: http://www.marriottworldcenter.com/activities-and-amenities/pools.aspx

AniaR

11-14-2011, 11:30 AM

I am all by myself. lol but I am hoping to organize a gathering in Tampa Bay when I head that way in March. Not just for mer stuff but for disney as well. Jesse and I are also trying to scheme away to get a boat to the springs and I'll personally be offering photo shoots for all the mers that can make it because really this is like a once in a life time trip for me :D I think we're also trying to car pool and get up to weeki wachi they told me they'd be open. But once I get all the details nailed down I'll be starting a thread of it's own. I love that everyone wants to do stuff and organize but I have such a small budget the only reason I can do this trip is because we have a place to stay for free and our visa points are covering our tickets. Even if there was another mercon officially organized and prepped to go this summer I just dont have the budget for 2 trips!

New York Mermaid

11-15-2011, 12:40 AM

Believe me i would go if there was one, but I usually hit Orlando in May around there, cause that is one only free 2 weeks i get. they rest are random days off.

Mermaid Saphira

11-15-2011, 03:56 PM

Maybe we could try and meet up in may sometime? Hope the marriot is avalible...it look lovely. Two concerns however, are they enviornmental friendly and do they allow swim fins?

New York Mermaid

11-15-2011, 06:08 PM

lol that will take time to do trut me, I wish aquatica was the type of place to go hang out in mermaid tails, though i think one of our members went over there and swam in tail without issue.

MermanMatty

11-15-2011, 07:59 PM

And even if there is no possibility of it happening this year we can always just have everyone come together to meet in a local place, just because it's not an actual con doesn't mean we can't have a gathering of a community. Florida is a BIG place surrounded by water, I'm sure everyone can find somewhere to crash, you can even roommate with someone you know :) Save some money doing that! :)

Mermaid Saphira

11-15-2011, 08:32 PM

It would be nice just to have a little get together...somewhere in florida with a big pool and everyone in their tails. Maybe we can do a couple of those and build a con on our meet ups. Feedback?

AniaR

11-15-2011, 09:33 PM

And even if there is no possibility of it happening this year we can always just have everyone come together to meet in a local place, just because it's not an actual con doesn't mean we can't have a gathering of a community.

Exactly, we dont have to do anything official mercon style.

I think organizing our own mercon is a fantastic idea but it literally needs at LEAST a years worth of planning to go into it if it's to meet all our expectations. For now, let's all just meet up when we can where we can! :)

MermanMatty

11-15-2011, 10:22 PM

Three Sisters Spring in Citrus County Florida is more than accommodating for a mer get together! it has a beautiful environment and it's nice and refreshing so no one is gonna get tired! :))) Go google it! It's so beautiful!

New York Mermaid

11-16-2011, 12:50 AM

^ that looks like a wonderful place, so beautifdul I want to go :)

Mermaid Saphira

11-16-2011, 07:17 AM

totally agree with Lanai! That place couldn't be more beautiful! It's perfect!

Mermaid Saphira

11-16-2011, 07:17 AM

and quite frankly we ALL know it's natural and no one can stop us from wearing fins LOL

AniaR

11-16-2011, 09:58 AM

Jesse has some great videos of him swimming in it :) we're hoping to get a boat and hit it when I come up in March. If people still wanna go then, I'll post a thread and we can carpool etc. :)

New York Mermaid

11-16-2011, 01:45 PM

Kings Spring in march has manatees, OMG man i wish i could so go: http://underwaterflorida.homestead.com/crystal1.html

Mermaid Saphira

11-16-2011, 03:58 PM

Just curious..as of now, when do we think we are having this get together?

New York Mermaid

11-16-2011, 10:31 PM

lol no idea..

Mermaid Photine

11-16-2011, 10:47 PM

What time of year do the Mers in general have off school/work/flying to the moon?

Those in-school have Spring Break (around Easter) and summers off, but I think that the employed mers might have varying schedgules. (I know there's a spelling error somewhere there xD)

Spindrift

11-16-2011, 10:50 PM

If we're going to be thinking of it that way, the more obvious months would be December, January, April, May/June, and August/September.

Mermaid Photine

11-16-2011, 11:16 PM

It would be more crowded when more people could come, but ther would be more Mers. Just food for thought. :- )

If there was a good middle ground of when the most people can come and when it is best to go (swimmable weather), that would be awesome.

malinghi

11-17-2011, 08:56 PM

I'd want to have a gathering in mid to late summer. According to NOAA, the water temperatures on the gulf coast has an average temperature in the mid 80s! How amazing would it be to swim in the ocean in a place where the water is warm and clear? It'd be amazing.

Stats: http://www.nodc.noaa.gov/dsdt/cwtg/egof.html

Mermaid Saphira

11-19-2011, 02:26 PM

Summer would be best for me anyway :)

Joy&RaptorsUnrestrained!

12-02-2011, 03:27 AM

Maybe try to find a city that has both a noteworthy aquarium and a decent hotel with impressive pools for the actual conference? I know Faeriecon goes all weekend and has its Good Faeries Ball and Bad Faeries Ball, so maybe the East Coast mer convention could work out a deal with the aquarium for admission in costume or something (and therefore maybe also gain the Aquarium's aid in publicizing the event(s))? I don't know the Georgia Aquarium, and Camden's Adventure Aquarium (while having a huge open ocean tank and numerous other exhibits) is unfortunately in Camden (if it was in Philadelphia proper, a convention might be do-able, but Camden NJ across the river has a bad rep and lots of corruption), but the Baltimore Aquarium is impressive. The only other ones I've been to on the East Coast are the Living Seas in Disneyworld and Sea World in Florida (and Weeki Wachee, which I agree wouldn't work), and the Boston Aquarium (which, depending on when we did it, might be too cold). Or maybe a place where mermaids were sighted (thought the only such location that comes immediately to my mind is Long Beach Island, where one was sighted with the Jersey Devil in 1870). It would be great to meet everyone and show off our tails, though... is Mercon a yearly thing? I hadn't even heard of it until just now.

Mermaid Sirena

12-02-2011, 09:40 AM

Mercon will be a yearly occurrence to my understanding it just happened for the first time this year. I think it would be amazing to have one in a giant aquarium so we could swim around with our cousins of the wild.

Mermaid Marla

12-02-2011, 10:28 AM

There is a kind of mermaid gathering in Tampa, FL this February if anyone is interested:
GASPARILLA GALA 2012! Tampa Bay's Official Pirate & Mermaid Party!

Events, Nightlife | Singles

ENCHANTMENT UNDER THE SEA!GASPARILLA GALA 2012!Pirate & Mermaid Bash!
Febuary 3rd, 2012 at 6-11:30 p.m.
Hosted by Gasparilla.com inside the Florida Aquarium - Both Levels!
This event features a FABULOUS, FUN COSTUME BALL, VENDORS and SPONSORS with all of their treasures, PIRATES and MERMAIDS parading in costume, ROCKING MUSIC, FASHION SHOWS, the OFFICIAL MISS GASPARILLA PAGEANT and more!Special appearances and autograph signing by the Gasparilla Calendar Girls.
Featuring multiple events, Pirate and Mermaid Pageant, Costume Contest, Raffles, Live Music and DJ's performing throughout the entire Florida Aquarium! Dine and Dance with the Fishes!
Gourmet appetizers included. (Must be 21 for cash bar area.)
Featuring the amazing
International Mermaid Pageant Royalty
Sponsored byInternational Mermaid
Early Registration Ticket Sale, ends Nov 15th!. Buy today and save! 2012 Gasparilla Pre-Party "Gasparilla Gala" Pirate & Mermaid Party and Costume Ball. Includes full access to the Florida Aquarium, Gourmet Appetizers, Live Music, Pageants, and Mermaid Shows. Costume attire highly recommended! $85 at the Door. Non refundable ticket. 21 and over for cash bar access. "Gasparilla Gala" Early Discount Ticket Sale! 61.47
VIP access to Gasparilla Gala, includes Mahi Mahi, Salmon seafood entrees with salad and dessert buffet. Open bar. Non refundable and must be 21 and over. VIP Gasparilla Gala-Seafood Buffet and Open Bar 175.00
"Gasparilla Gala" Childrens Ticket 18 and under 36.87

Mermaid Saphira

12-02-2011, 03:44 PM

^ how old do you have to be to go to this, Marla? ^

Spindrift

12-02-2011, 03:54 PM

... another pageant? :x

@Mermaid Aqua: I don't think there is an age prerequisite. Her post says you can buy a child's ticket if you are under 18.

Mermaid Saphira

12-02-2011, 03:59 PM

ahhh...okay! I still can't go..got alot going on then, I still like the idea of a get toghter @ three sister springs

Mermaid Hamant

12-02-2011, 10:08 PM

I LOVE the Venitian Pool idea!!!

Mermaid Marla

12-09-2011, 12:46 PM

Sorry Mermaid Aqua that I didn't get back to you directly... But yah, it seems that the bar part is only for 21 and up but the event is for everybody :-) I just think it will be cool that it's at the aquarium but I do wonder if they will be having loud music or anything going on. It worries me that this type of thing may be very irritating for the aquarium fish, etc. I'm hoping that the aquarium curator's will have a solid handle on this and wouldn't let any harm come to the inhabitants there...

Mermaid Saphira

12-09-2011, 04:09 PM

^ I don't really like large crowds of people...I think it would be best if we had just us from the network

Mermaid Photine

12-10-2011, 01:05 PM

I disagree. I have a few friends who'd be really interested to go see mermaid stuff, they just aren't members here. I know that I want to make a tail for one friend in particular. She really likes borrowing my fin :)

I think that it should be open to anyone, but with a limited ammount of admission due to legal capacity of building (most places have a little sign about the max number of people that can eb there at once), and how when there are too many people, everyone suffers.

Mermaid Saphira

12-10-2011, 03:15 PM

^ Well I didn't mean specificly members only...I just ment people we know not just some random people at a fair

Mermaid Photine

12-12-2011, 10:20 PM

I still feel like that is too exclusive. To me, mer(maid)ing is all about anyone in the world being magical when they go in the water and use a bit of imagination. I would never want to limit that to the "forum elite and their pals." Plus, it's the random people who will hear of it, show up and say, "You know, here's a great idea I have. I am very inspired by this gathering and will become a huge contributor to the community." Perhaps not in so many words, but you get the point. Fresh blood is a vital thing for the community, and were I on the other side of this issue, I wouldn't want to be barred from a con just because I haven't heard of a website.

thelocalmermaid

12-13-2011, 04:32 AM

Mermaid Hamant

12-13-2011, 12:05 PM

I agree with MermaidPandorah. I think it should be open, though not in a place that is TOO crowded with random people.

Mermaid Momo

12-14-2011, 06:59 PM

Mermaid Shelly

12-15-2011, 03:35 PM

Have you guys heard about this event taking place in Florida in February? http://gasparilla2012.eventbrite.com/?ref=elink I wonder if the organizers could help out with a convention too?

I was talking to a manager of a hotel here in San Diego that is on the beach about a possible meeting location and they didn't seem too scared off by the idea... I think if we had a proposal together, I bet a lot of venues would welcome the extra business, especially in this economy!

Mermaid Marla

12-15-2011, 04:19 PM

Odette

12-16-2011, 03:45 AM

SO GLAD THIS WAS POSTED. im a panelist for conventions in arizona. i can talk to the staff and ask them how its done. next con im attending is in jan6-8 so hopefully by then i can get you guys some answers.

Mermaid Shelly

12-16-2011, 03:07 PM

Shelly - did you know Sita is part of the Gasparilla event? Well she was at one point and said whe was going to be here for it... I'm going to try my best to go since it's practically in my backyard :-)

I heard that also, but wasn't sure if she was the official organizer or just helping out. I'm so glad you are going! I am really curious about it and it is cool then I want to go to the next one :)

New York Mermaid

12-16-2011, 05:12 PM

Odette

12-16-2011, 06:57 PM

your very welcome, lanai =)

Odette

01-09-2012, 02:57 PM

just got back from the convention. my friends are staff and i went looking for head hauncho, but he wasnt even there! they say if i want this info, i should go on staff. so i will do so to help make this happen! i heard from the staff room that it takes alot of money and hotels dont care for conventions because alot of bad stuf happens. this current con, we had the elevator break because kids were jumping in it, cops had to stop a party on the top floor, and some panels were not run correctly and moms were SOOO mad that there were curse words in a PG-13 panel. the worst actually happens at hiltons for some reason

the other con before this one, the dance floor of the rave actually gave in some!!

and also, con- goers always leave huge messes for the maids to clean up.

so we need to:
be courteous to the hotel
prohibit all bad behaviour
promise a good number of attendees for this(wanna go? go and dont back out please)
sponsorships (will give us a good amount of money(ive done that before. its crazy)

i will get us more info by march. this is gonna happen!

Mermaid Hamant

01-09-2012, 03:36 PM

What would the dates be?

Odette

01-09-2012, 03:46 PM

I agree with MermaidPandorah. I think it should be open, though not in a place that is TOO crowded with random people.

when attending, you wear a badge. only attendees get to be where the event is( we need security volunteers checking badges. when you volunteer so many hours, you can get in for free)
when we advertise it, it will only be in places like this and other mermaid websites, pages, ect. all up to you guys where we post about this event once its created.

Odette

01-09-2012, 03:53 PM

i've been to tons of conventions and they usually are at hotels. so if anyone can find a hotel with a really big pool and a lot of business meeting rooms that might be a place to start because then there's room for a vendors hall, artist alley, and panels to be going on all at once and ppl still can be swimming. but the most problematic thing would be the cost. i have no idea how much it would cost to rent a hotel floor for an event.
just about every hotel has at least 4 conference rooms and at least one ballroom with names so they are easy to find on the little event list thing you get at the front desk.
the back of a good badge has a map of the hotel. and has plastic for putting your hotel key in.

usually panels only run for a max of 2 hours unless there is a dance or karaoke or activities like craft making.

Odette

01-09-2012, 04:01 PM

What would the dates be?

plan a year ahead
this gives the hotel,us making this happen, and attendess time for preparations (plane tickets,hotel room discounts,getting events at con together,media releases,all that jazz)
meetings will occur every 2 months at the least.
i hope to get more vital info by march. we should try this event maybe for may but when is the vegas convention? we dont want to have it around the same time and its best for this to happen when everyone is on summer or spring break ( i found that most mer enthusiasts are in their early teens to mid 20's.so to get the most ppl we need it during a break in school)

mermanjr

03-13-2012, 11:10 PM

well sorry there guys i already got it covered this summer im hosting the biggest mermaid event ever In Orlando Florida
also this will be the biggest ever me and my east coast mermaid crew took over the world gate hotel over for weekend and its right outside the disney world main gate for all the details checkout
www.Mer-Palooza.com (http://www.Mer-Palooza.com) for tickets,merchandise,and all the up to date info on the biggest mermaid talent ever and major specail guests and the list is still growing

Stephanie Sims

03-25-2012, 02:54 PM

Vegas is planned for the Spring this year.

Stephanie Sims

03-25-2012, 02:56 PM

We have it covered! I am helping with the tradeshow and Pageant, costume contest for the Florida event in August! It's gping to be awesome. The inside conference room stuff is already booked and secured. Check it out! email directly at info@aimdirectmedia.com

mermanjr

03-28-2012, 12:15 AM

already done Mer-Palooza will have the Mermaid convention atmosphere and its also located on the east coast

mermanjr

03-28-2012, 02:53 PM

nate you got no idea , i can tell from exsperance its very hard , because you have to have the right team to pull it off , because you have to consider all costs and also cutr alot of red tape unless you know high end people
i can tell you the cost of one event i did was about 15,000 just to get it off the ground and thats not including the extras so conventions of any type do cost a pretty penny

Stephanie Sims

03-28-2012, 07:19 PM

Hi Shelly, New member just seeing the older post. yes, I am the owner of Gasparilla, the event at gasparilla2012.eventbrite.com

Stephanie Sims

03-28-2012, 07:26 PM

Hi Shelly, New member just seeing the older post. yes, I am the owner of Gasparilla, the event at gasparilla2012.eventbrite.. Awesome that you were looking at that and this all clicked... I am helping with the event in August.

Stephanie Sims

03-28-2012, 07:30 PM

I just wanted to add something here... I am the owner/producer of Gasparilla..Sita did come down here at Gasparilla time and I invited her to the parade, etc....but the party they planned was one that I sponsored with time (not money, yo be clear.). We were attempting to do my annual Gasparilla Pageant event at the event, but it was not feasible to do so. With all due respect, I do want to tell Shelly and marla...Gasparilla is my event (Gasparilla.com) and I think it's neat that back in December you guys were referring to it and hoping the organizer would help. *I am excited about the August event.

Rain Hauger

03-28-2012, 11:33 PM

here everyone some of you all my not know this but Mer-Palooza is the answer to another mercon, it's being held at world gate resort in floridia, right outside of disney land! the tickets to the pool party with buffet and acts are only 25 dollars. there are also package deals where you can get a three night stay and tickets to all the mermaid events.
and there are disney packages too! we have sponsors and acts galore! there will also be the first ever mermaid tradeshow where you can purchase products from vendor that make mermaid themes items, plus the international Mermaid Awards and the mermaid pagent is being held here this year. I am helping out the geniuses behind this who are working really hard. so this is like Mer-con 2 but under different management and is going to be bigger and better this year!
if your interested or need more info here's the website. promo videos and behind the scenes look at the making of Mer-Palooza (Mer-Con 2) will be up shortly, so plan you trip to florida this august cause all the hottest merfolks will be there. and I am sure that the creator mr. merman Jr can help with any ideas for ya'lls event lol
http://www.mer-palooza.com/

Spindrift

03-29-2012, 05:16 PM

I don't think Mer-palooza is what this thread was ideally aiming for since it's not really organized by the people who participated in this thread. Also, not to be disrespectful, but I rather not have this thread be turned into advertisement for the event, since mer-palooza is already being advertised on so many other forum posts.

Rain Hauger

04-03-2012, 11:56 AM

well this is free forum and to let you know the title is a mer-con type of gather and on the east coast which by the way Mer-palooza is. it's a mer con type of gathering. I think if anyone has a problem with what we post then let the author of the thread say it. I'm just ,and i'm sure the others are to, letting the world know about the er-con type of gathering known as mer-palooza. i am sure when mer-con last year happened everyone was posting talking about.
I'd be interested in any mer-con type a of gathering whether it's mer-palooza or something else!

Spindrift

04-03-2012, 12:45 PM

... did you read the thread at all? Or even the first post?

Eh. Whatever. It's fine. I'm not here to police.

Rain Hauger

04-03-2012, 02:17 PM

i did read the first post that mermaid lanai did, she was asking what people thought about a mertype gathering on the east coast and how that could be done and so on. I have no idea what i did to offend you or make you criticize my post but i am sorry I have uspet you or something.

Spindrift

04-09-2012, 12:23 PM

Uh... no. I'm not offended. It's fine.

babsannee

04-11-2012, 02:26 PM

If it was done mid-coast, then it would be a pretty even distance from everyone. That suggestion is a WEE bit selfish (pod of the chesapeake! haha).
That Venetian pool looks SO COOL

Spindrift

04-11-2012, 03:08 PM

I think having it in NYC might be cheaper since it's a major travel destination and a lot of conventions are held there. In terms of flight/hotels/space rentals, it might be a stronger choice than other locations. DC/Baltimore is also another good location because of the aquarium and the convention center there. And FL for the obvious, although it is harder to get to.

Mermaid Photine

04-11-2012, 09:22 PM

'Nother Chesapeake podder (podling (http://i5.photobucket.com/albums/y196/Tobi-Sean/kram/Podling.jpg)?) here, saying Baltimore/Washington area!

Other than that, somewhere that is relatively easy to get to from the train would work.

mermaidcatherine

04-12-2012, 01:52 PM

I say Baltimore, because of the aquarium (it is called THE National aquarium, after all!), but also because there is a hotel that has a large convention area walking distance from Inner Harbor where the Aquarium is. And an airport nearby to make traveling easy...

Also I'm from baltimore so maybe I'm biased...

Spindrift

04-12-2012, 02:25 PM

Haha all the Marylanders/DCers are speaking up. I don't mind traveling out to DC/Baltimore since I visit often enough, but are there any good places to swim/take pictures at near those locations? Maybe a fancy or awesome pool to swim in?

Mermaid Photine

04-12-2012, 06:31 PM

Off the top of my head, there's Beaver Dam Swim Club (http://www.beaverdamswimmingclub.com/). A friend likes to go there and says it's rather beautiful. Adults are $14-$17 and children are $10-$11 for admission and there's a group discount. They have multiple pools and a deep water-filled quarry, but I can't find any info about swim aides or if people can just swim in the quarry instead of playing on the rope swing. It would be wise to email and ask first if the location looks'good to you all.

I'll look for some other options and ask around, too.

Ayla of Duluth

04-15-2012, 09:45 PM

Wisconsin dells? It's got a ton of water parks if we ever wanna kick back without our tails and go play around.
We could always do this mer-con type of gathering in las Vegas. It's not the same as mer-con and a lot of mers seem able to get to it, and I'm sure there's a decent place with a pool for us all.
Or we could do it in dc. xD

malinghi

04-16-2012, 10:14 PM

If it was done mid-coast, then it would be a pretty even distance from everyone. That suggestion is a WEE bit selfish (pod of the chesapeake! haha).
That Venetian pool looks SO COOL

I think having it in NYC might be cheaper since it's a major travel destination and a lot of conventions are held there. In terms of flight/hotels/space rentals, it might be a stronger choice than other locations. DC/Baltimore is also another good location because of the aquarium and the convention center there. And FL for the obvious, although it is harder to get to.

I really think the solution to the fact that most people can't travel very far is for people to begin hosting local meet-ups in their area that can grow bigger over time and possibly turn into conventions.

I know I keep saying this, but I'm totally jealous that New York has the Coney Island Mermaid Parade, and you guys should totally have a meet up there. Also, everyone in Chesapeake, there's an anime convention in Chesapeake from June 15th to the 17th. (link: http://www.animemidatlantic.com (http://www.animemidatlantic.com/)) You guys in Cheaspeake could also try to team up with the Chesapeake Bay Diving Center (http://www.cbdcscuba.com/) since Mermaid Sharkey works there. Or you could just arrange a big trip to the beach. Both NY and Chesapeake have accessible beaches.