EACON Information

[XenLár]

EACON 2013

When?: 6th-8th September 2013*

Where?: University of East Anglia (UEA), Norfolk, UK

Age?: The con will be 16+, while certain panels may be 18+. *

Who is Running it?:
Co-Runners: >faye-san< & GemChan;
Head Staff: tony.b, renbutterfly, wandercrest
Voluntary Staff: to come...

The way EACON is to be run is very simple. Faye-san and myself are running the event. We'll be the ones running around like nutters all weekend with little microphones in our ears. Our Head Staff will be a collection of 5-10 people that we trust explicitly and can delegate to. These 5-10 Head Staff members will have up to 10 voluntary staff under their command who will help them run their section of the convention. When staff members have been chosen and arranged this flow-chart hierarchy shall be placed on the forum for people to see.



What will be happening there?:

• Anime panels and talks.
  
• Special guests.
  
• Interactive workshops.
  
• Anime and Asian Drama screenings.
  
• Manga library.
  
• Open mic nights and bar entertainment.
  
• Cosplay events.
  
• Japanese culture talks.
  
• Video Gaming/Consoles room.
  
• Card Gaming room.
  
• Dealer's room.
  
• Independent Artist's Alley.

What kind of Talks/Panels?:
- - Anime/Costume Talks:

• Cosplay for Beginners. *
  
• Gijinka workshop. *
  
• Fursuit Creation. *
  
• Cosplay Props. *
  
• Cosplay Make-Up and Detailed Effects. *
  
• Cosplay Wigs. *
  
• Cross-play Guide. *
  
• Yuri panel. [Wandercrest/Stripe]
  
• Yaoi panel. [Wandercrest/Stripe]
  
• Hentai panel. [Wandercrest/Stripe]
  
• The Bishounen/Bishoujo Debates. *

- - Industry Talks:

• Introduction to Manga and Anime. *
  
• Manga workshops. *
  
• Make Your Own Anime. *
  
• Make Your Own Web-Comic. [TonyB]
  
• AMV Creation. *
  
• AMV Competition.
  
• GFX Design panel. *
  
• Photography workshop. *

- - J-Culture Talks:

• Japanese Fashion. *
  
• Japanese Life-style. *
  
• J-Rock and Visuel Kei talk. *
  
• J-Pop panel. *
  
• Visual Kei fashion. *
  
• Steam Punk panel. *
  
• Origami demonstrations. *
  
• Onigiri and Japanese Cooking. *

If you recognise some of these panels it is because we have scowered many a conbook in order to find the longest list of panels fans want. They are all unconfirmed as yet until someone steps forward wishing to run them. The names following some of the panels are those that have expressed an interest in running them.

We also hope that special guests that later confirm their attendance will provide further panels to the list.



Bar Entertainment ideas:

• Cosplay Masquerade. *
  
• Cosplay Auction. [TonyB]
  
• Anime Karaoke. (including an English v. Japanese round) *
  
• Dub that Anime. *
  
• Name that Anime. *

We also aim to invite several live J-Rock/Pop bands to perform in the LCR of the UEA each evening of the convention.



Confirmed Guests:

• CosplayPortrait Photographers.
  
• James Hunter: writer from TheJitty.com.
  
• Akemi Solloway, Japanese lecturer and culturalist.

More information about the guests shall be posted when all are confirmed and there will definitely be no more additions to the guest list.



Will there be clans?:
No. There will be Guilds.
The three EACON Guilds are:

Samurai
Sorcerers
Shinigami

More information will be given about these closer to the time.

WHAT HAPPENS NOW?
We're continuing to make contact with guests we would love to attend the convention. We shall also soon be speaking to the UEA to confirm both the venue and the dates.

What we need from you guys are your comments and suggestions. Please post in the convention review board and let us know what you've thought of other conventions across the country.

Also please post in this board any suggestions you have for the convention, be they guests you want to see, panels you want to attend, or just basic organisation comments. Every comment is appreciated and we'd really love to hear what you think. It's you who makes this convention.

We're also looking for people who would like to run the above panels or be a staff member. If you're interested then please see the below post.

[XenLár]

GETTING INVOLVED!

Want to run a panel, be a staff member, or be a guild leader? Then follow the below information...


RUNNING A PANEL

If you're interested in running one of the above panels or want to suggest a panel that you could run then please PM either myself or faye-san. There is a proceedure through which we wish to organise these panels of which you will be told when you apply.

For those wanting to apply. Any panel that still has a star by it is open whether someone has applied to run it or not. The proceedure through which you apply to run a panel involves telling us exactly how you will do it, therefore it will be the person with the best plan that we choose.

If you wish to run a panel you must be a) dedicated, b) serious and c) interested and knowledgeable about your topic. If something you want to see clashes with your panel then tough- you still must run that panel. If you are chosen to run a talk then we are counting on you to run it. You must also have someone in mind to be an assistant organiser to you. If you are stuck in traffic and cannot make it to the con in time for your slot your assistant must be prepped and able to take over and we must have been sent all of your materials and provisions so that they can use them.

Copy the code below into a PM to either myself or faye-san if you wish to run a panel.

[b]Username:[/b] Your forum username here.
[b]Badge-Name:[/b] There will be badges at the con- please choose yours now and place it here. It can be the same as your username.
[b]Panel I'd like to run:[/b] Name of panel here.
[b]Why I should run this panel:[/b] Sell it to us- we need to know that you are capable of running this panel. "Because it'll be fun" or "because I'll be wicked" are not valid reasons.

I'd also like to ask those that have already expressed an interest in certain panels to also fill this in and PM me as it would be good to have it on record please. ^^



BEING A STAFF MEMBER

Head Staff:
- - Responsibilities

• To be on duty for the majority of the convention. We will be working to allow Head Staff members to see a certain number of events/panels so you will not miss out entirely but you are going to be working for the majority of the convention.
  
• You must be in constant contact with either myself or faye-san via a provided communication (such as a headset radio).
  
• You must be identifiable as staff at all times. T-shirts will be provided for this and you will have a different coloured badge. Please bear in mind that this t-shirt will make cosplaying difficult, unless you request a different kind of staff identification. Eg. I cosplayed Rikku X-2 at a recent convention and were I to do so again I may create a different bandana that clearly reads staff on it.
  
• You will probably get little sleep. Be warned. We're going to do our very best to organise the con in such a way that everyone will get a decent nights sleep- this means round about 6 hours each night. However, problems do arise and intentions are only as good as the people who make them so please don't offer to be Head Staff if you need a full 12 hours of sleep to function properly.
  
• You will need money. Obviously, the convention is not going to be taking money from it's staff, however, situations do arise where a mad dash to a nearby store is needed or something similar. This costs money and it may need the staff member doing the mad dash to fork out some money that the con will later reimburse.
  
• You will not be allowed to lead a guild. You can join one by not be it's leader. This is due to you most likely running events and guild battles and there is to be no bias on the mic or in competitions. This has happened at conventions I have attended and it is very annoying for a lot of people. Therefore Head Staff are to stay unbiased about their guild.

- - Rewards

• We will do our utmost to get your accommodation for the event completely free. This would be the majority of your con expenses taken care of.
  
• Should everything go smoothly you shall not be as highly strung as you may think. We aim for the convention to be a pressured but fun environment for the staff.
  
• You will be befriended by a heck of a lot of people if they need help or are looking for assistance.
  
• You get to help run a convention that is going to rock the anime society's internet world! (*woohooo!*)

Voluntary Staff:
- - Responsibilities

• You will be expected to work a certain number of hours per day. This is likely to be in the same room for a certain stint of time.
  
• You are to be in contact with your direct member of Head Staff. This will unfortunately be through your own means of communication so you will need credit on your phones.
  
• You will need to be identified as voluntary staff through your badges but you will be allowed a guild also. This means that you shall have two badge tags- one staff and one for your guild.
  
• You shall be expected to be where you should during the times you are on duty but you can otherwise act as you want. So long as you obey the rules of the con you shall not be held to the staff rules unless you are actually on duty.

- - Rewards

• We will make every effort to half the cost of your accommodation. This would more than cover your credit bill on your phone and offer you more money saved for things such as the dealers room.
  
• Anyone who is voluntary staff in 2012 will be offered tickets for 2013 before they go on sale to the general public. So even if you can't see everything in 2012 because you were on duty, you get the definite chance to attend in 2013 and see what you missed.

Those who volunteer to be staff members, both Voluntary and Head staff, will be far more likely to get staff positions in the following years. If you're good at your job and we know that we're not going to turn you away unless we have someone really spectacular fighting for the role.

Both sets of staff members will also be expected to arrive in Norwich on the Thursday. The 27th is a Friday and the first day of the convention. The Thursday is a Staff day, from 9am-5pm. It is during this day that you can decide which panels you want to attend and how you want to work with your Voluntary Staff members. Registration for EACON will begin at 9pm on the Thursday.

Staff request code:

[b]STAFF POSITION APPLICATION[/b]
[b]Username:[/b] Your username here.
[b]Badge-name:[/b] There will be badgenames are the event. Please choose yours now and place it here. It can be the same as your username.
[b]Position:[/b] Head or Voluntary Staff?
[b]Why I should be Staff:[/b] We need very reliable people. You need to convince us that you are that person.

Please be aware that we are unlikely to accept Head Staff positions currently. As it is we are more likely to approach Head Staff members ourselves and request them. We'll be choosing people who stand out on the forum so if you wish to be Head Staff you had best get typing ^^.



BEING A GUILD LEADER

Head Staff members cannot be Guild Leaders.

Guild Leaders shall be voted on and chosen far closer to the EACON event. If you wish to be a guild leader then your best bet is to get on the forums and let people know who you are. Get to know people, make friends, and make yourself noticed, so that when you put yourself forward to be a Guild leader, people don't look at your name and think "who's that?"