Legion World Forums LEGION OUTPOST Mission Monitor Board The Next Gathering

Now that the wildly successful ComiCon '08 gathering is fading into a nostalgic haze, it's time to start bandying about ideas for our next get-together. The two general options available to us are Con or Not Con. So, to start, here is a list of the major US comic conventions in the next year or so:

Baltimore Comic-Con Baltimore Comic-Con Sept 27-28 (too soon, I know, but think of this as a placeholder for next year)

New York Comic Con Feb 6-8 (this one might coincide nicely with Kent's hope/plan to tour the DC offices)

WonderCon (San Francisco) Feb 27-Mar 1

Emerald City ComiCon (Seattle) Apr 4-5

HeroesCon (Charlotte NC) Jun 19-21 (this was the one Kent suggested in the 101 Things I learned at Comic-Con 08 thread)

Comic-Con International (San Diego) July 22-26 (I know lots of people said that this year was their last for this con, but I'm willing to give it a second go; despite the size, it worked out really well for us I thought)

And then there's the Wizard World bunch:
Texas Nov 7-9 '08
LA Mar 13-15
Philly Jun 19-21
Chicago Aug 6-9 (this year's Chicago con has already happened)

I've heard good things about all of the independent cons listed above; not so much for the Wizard World cons. Every one has advantages and disadvantages, so let's hear some pros and cons (no pun intended) people!

As for Non-Con options, here's a quick list of some of the thoughts I've heard already:

• New York (sans con, perhaps avec DC offices tour)
• Disney World/Orlando
• Las Vegas
• Virginia Beach (suggested by Kent)

Any other ideas? It's brainstorming time people!

You mention Disney World/Orlando but didn't mention the possibility of combining it with MegaCon in Orlando. Not sure of the dates but it's normally mid January.

East coast would be ideal for me ... (would hate to have to swim through the Panama Canal)

New York, New York ... a hell of a town ... though any chance to go to WDW sounds good to me ...

<splash>

Not sure when we'll be able to make another as this one pretty much wiped us financially for a bit. But I'm up for saving for Baltimore for next year. Close to home base for work and anything that gets me closer to visiting Poe's haunts sounds good to me.

Wow, I've never been farther east then New Orleans, so does that meant I can see Baltimore too??? I will try not to get cellulitis in my legs this time....

Hey, if we gather in Vegas, can we please make it during the winter? My high blood pressure just couldn't take walking in 108 degrees. I'd love to do as much walking around the strip, or even more, but not when it's so hot I feel like I'm going to melt. And, for anyone that hasn't gotten to see the performance of 'BITE' the vampire show at the Stratosphere, it was fabulous. Scott and I would see it again in a heartbeat!

I'd like New York, with or without the con.

Here's a decent listing or most major conventions:
http://www.comicbookconventions.com/

I can vouch for Wondercon, Emerald City, and Heroes being good shows. And Wizard World LA is...a con. I'd love to hit up New York Comic-Con some year, maybe when they start Spider-Man the musical?

Wondercon has the flavor of Comic-Con but isn't nearly as crazy. Lots of stuff to do and tour in SF - and I and be Tourguide Leader Lad again since I'm local to the area.

Emerald City is a great up and coming con that I had a good time at, and that I have heard nothing but good things about. Great guest list and great surrounding city activities.

Heroes is an awesome show, Charlotte is quaint and peaceful.

Wizard World LA is uh, meh but being is LA, there's lots to do and explore.

I liked the idea of Disney World without a con, but not next year. If I don't go somewhere nice with my hubby, I think he'll kill me.

In SD, I threw out the idea of Disney World the week after Thanksgiving 2010. It's the second least busy week of the year, so it will be a bit cheaper. I've been during that week and can vouch for the nicer weather and much smaller crowds.

Without a con, spouses are more likely to be interested and won't feel like con widows. We can also get a block of rooms in one of the cheaper on-site hotels. There are the parks during the day, and Downtown Disney has plenty of clubbing for nights.

The only thing I don't know about is visiting Universal for those interested. I'm sure, though, something can be arranged.

Just my two cents.

Chicago is an easy drive for me, so if a large enough group wants to attend next year, I could probably swing that, but nothing that'll take a big travel budget.

I like the idea of big blow-outs every five years (maybe at a con), a big gathering every two to three years in between (probably not at a con) and multiple smaller, regional gatherings every year.

Like maybe if the folks here in Texas wanted to meet at the con in Dallas most years, that would be cool.

Then, at least once in between the big five-year meetings, having something like what Seymour suggested at Disney World or another place where people can come with significant others who may not be con-type people. Washington, DC, or New Orleans would be other possibilities.

And, every five years, have a really big celebration like the one we just had.

I think that would be a nice balance of different things and would have enough variety (and geographic diversity) for most people.

Don't get me wrong. I'd love it if we could all get together all the time; unfortunately, this wonderful Web community that brings us all together, brings us together from all over the world, and I don't think we can all afford that kind of travel every year (I know I can't).

I did the MegaCon/Disney World combo the first time I met Vee. I stayed in a hotel on I-Drive that was only a 10 minute walk from the convention center where MegaCon was being held. There was shopping and food another 10 minutes' walk past the center in the other direction. I think the Bahama Breeze where we ate was only a short drive away as well. Disney World would be about a 20 minute drive without heavy traffic, I think.

Disney World right after Thanksgiving is one of the best times of year to go. It's not that crowded; the weather is nice; and all the holiday decorations are out. Also, if you're going to stay at a Disney hotel, their "low season" rates are in effect at that time as well.

I think Orlando/Disney either for MegaCon or post-Thanksgiving in 2010 would be a cool idea. (It's also good timing because Space Mountain should be back up from its long refurbishment.) Also, keep in mind that 2011 is Disney World's 40th anniversary, so some of the festivities might have started already if we go toward the end of 2010.

Unfortunately, all the Downtown Disney clubs (including the very cool Adventurers Club) are closing soon, so we'd have to go somewhere in Orlando or try the bar at one of the Disney resort hotels.

Here are some of my thoughts:
I like the idea of gathering somewhere where there's lots of activity, so I favor any of a con, a big city, or Disney. I'm leaning more toward cons or Disney, rather than just getting together somewhere like Vegas or NYC. Seems to me that just meeting somewhere to meet, without a background activity, will require a lot more day-to-day scheduling, instead of the spontaneity we had in SD. I feel like one of the things that made San Diego such a success (for me anyway) was that it offered easy opportunities for us, on the spur of the moment, to do things in big groups, small groups, trios, pairs, or alone. Having a "home base" helped a lot with that too and I think whatever we do or wherever we gather, we should try to replicate that somehow. That would probably be most easily accomplished in a con setting, but I'm open to suggestions for how to do it elsewhere.

I love Seymour's idea of booking a block of rooms at a hotel at WDW. Whatever we do, we should definitely look at staying, if not in a localized block of rooms, at least closer together. And I like the idea of going somewhere that includes members' spouses, boyfriends, girlfriends, or whatever. I think if we do gather at WDW, I'd rather do it not in conjuction with MegaCon (mostly because I'll spend all my time at Disney and miss the con anyway, so why split focus?).

One of my questions is, how far are people willing to travel? I know that some folks here are not keen flyers, which probably steers us in certain directions, but then, I don't want to assume anything.

Haven never been to WDW, I think that would be great to meet there. If the Hogwarts/Harry Potter theme park is open, even better!

Wow! I just Googled it. It looks amazing! Such good timing too! I usually have no interest in going to Universal, but this would definitely pull me over for a day.

I'll go anywhere! Obviously, the farther the travel, the more expensive the cost, but I think planning things this far in advance is a good idea because it gives us more time to save up.

I believe the "Wizarding World of Harry Potter" at Universal is set to open sometime in 2010. If we go for MegaCon in early 2010, it likely won't be open yet, but if we go after Thanksgiving, it probably will be.

Also, by next summer, Sea World will have debuted its new coaster, Manta, which looks cool.

Another time of year that's good for Disney World (if we don't necessarily want to coincide a meet-up with MegaCon) is late September. There's a very small window of time -- about a week -- in late September/early October where it's still low season for WDW hotel rates, plus there are several special events going on: the Halloween party at the Magic Kingdom (separate admission fee, but great for atmospherics, fireworks, short lines, and free candy), and the Food and Wine Festival at Epcot, which features lots of great edibles and potables from around the world.

I am in then if we can do that and go to Universal.
Now if we can get them to open a DC Theme Park...

Well, that's a huge bummer. I loved the Adventurer's Club.

As for the Harry Potter spot at Universal, wow. I'd forgotten that was in the works. It sounds pretty incredible. I hope it can live up to its ambitions.

Is Mid Ohio Con still in business? It used to be a con where you could hang out with the creators in a pretty informal environment. The bad news is that it's usually held over Thanksgiving weekend.

The worse news being it was the only convention John Byrne attended.

It's called Six Flags! A.k.a. Land of Teenage Delinquents and Line Cutters...

Mod's note on this topic being featured:

Some of the potential meet-ups discussed in this thread are still a ways away, and I don't anticipate that this thread will necessarily see daily traffic for the next two years solely for the purpose of planning a big meet-up in 2010 or later.

However, I thought this would be a good, central location for LWers to check in to arrange for all potential meet-ups, including those smaller, more local, and/or impromptu ones that might happen from time to time.

ABUSE OF POWER!!! ABUSE OF POWER!!!

Cool! It's sort of my hope that this thread will serve exactly that purpose.

It was about to fail but got bought at the last minute. It's moved from its hotel home near that cool shopping center to the Greater Columbus Convention Center Oct. 4-5. I don't know how any of that will affect the con.

"For 2008 we’ll once again be hosting MOC in the Greater Columbus Convention Center, located in the heart of Columbus’s vibrant downtown area."

vibrant


Their word, not mine (or most anyone elses).