Wincon 2015!
Wincon 2015!
Wincon 2015!
Wincon 2015!
Wincon 2015!
Wincon: October 15-18, 2015
Wincon: October 15-18, 2015
Wincon: October 15-18, 2015
Wincon: October 15-18, 2015
This campaign is closed
Wincon 2015!
Wincon: October 15-18, 2015
Wincon: October 15-18, 2015
Wincon: October 15-18, 2015
Wincon: October 15-18, 2015
Wincon: October 15-18, 2015
Since 2006, Wincon has defined itself as a 'by-the-fans, for-the-fans operation.' The entire event is free of any official personnel or celebrities of any kind. Wincon strives to be a safer space for fans of all races, gender identities, orientations, and abilities.
Wincon’s ongoing mission is to bring together a diverse group of internet-based media fans in an inclusive environment to engage in fannish activities and foster meaningful connections. We provide programming created and led by attendees, on topics drawn from a variety of sources and involving everything from detailed meta to wildly creative fanworks, encompassing all aspects of fandom culture.
As that fandom culture grows and evolves, so must Wincon. This campaign will allow us to expand our programming and activities and to increase our attendee cap to 300 people in 2015 (and beyond)!
Your support means that an event that has been a fandom cornerstone for hundreds of fans since 2006 gets to live on. It means new fans will get the chance to attend Wincon and experience the irreplaceable feeling of being in a room where everyone understands and embraces fan culture; where we can talk about every aspect of fannishness without fear of judgement; and where we get to celebrate our community, its rich history, and its ever evolving future surrounded by people who genuinely love fandom!
All of Wincon's multi-fandom programming is designed and staffed by volunteers, both attendees and members of our con committee. All our programming is suggested, voted on, and led by con attendees. This ensures that the content at Wincon is what the fans want to talk about, see, and do. We have large panels, small round table discussions, workshops, and several special events.
Our programming includes both fandom-specific fare (horror TV! comics! Elementary!) and multi-fandom topics (podfic! kink! diversity in fandom! femslash!) We cover a vast array of fandoms each year, and even if your fandom isn't represented with a panel of its own, you'll probably find someone else who loves it just as much as you do. You can also sign up for our Pimp Your Fandom panel and convince everyone to join you! Workshops give our attendees a chance to learn something new or improve your skills. Past workshops have included live beta reading, art tips and tricks, knitting 101, and making fannish plushies.
In addition to panels and workshops, we have amazing group events. Our Meet & Greet on Thursday allows everyone to mingle, hang out, play games, and get to know some new people before the weekend begins. Friday night brings our yearly Vid Show, highlighting premiering vids and old favorites to the fans in attendance. Our Bad Fic Idol competition is an exercise in just how ridiculous you can be in 400 words or less. Don’t forget to close out your Saturday at Winprom, where you’re free to come in your finest duds, your t-shirt and jeans, or your spiffiest costume.
Although not an official part of con proceedings, our committee also organizes activities in our host cities, including ghost tours and trips to popular local attractions for those who want to include some sightseeing in their con weekend.
At 300 attendees, the event itself will cost, at minimum, $18,000. We are setting our campaign goal at $15,000 to guarantee that we can meet this minimum and hold a successful event in October 2015. We are offering several registration and non-registration perks that will enable us to raise the needed amount in order to move forward with the event while still allowing us to keep registration open after the close of the Indiegogo Campaign. Registrations we sell after the close of the campaign will meet the remaining need (about 50-75 more registrations).
What does that $18,000 cover? Based off of the projection of 300 attendees:
What will we do with any extra money we take in? Well keep in mind, the above costs are the MINIMUM. As we take in more money, we'll be able to offer more to our attendees in terms of activities, food and beverage, etc. without raising the cost of attendance. We'll also be able to make some longterm investments in Wincon's future by purchasing Audio/Visual equipment (therefore avoiding rental fees in the future), as well as a laser printer for registration, cutting down on printing costs.
We have some awesome perks to thank you for helping to keep Wincon alive. Of course, we are offering weekend registrations. You can purchase your weekend ticket for $55 or choose from several add-on options.
Five amazing artists have contributed their talent and created custom Wincon Heroes art, inspired by the awesomeness of Wincon itself. You can get the Heroes on buttons, post cards, a poster, or all three!
We also have some one of a kind perks from fan artists and creators. These include artist commissions, never before seen photos, jewelry, and more. Indiegogo limits the number of perks we can list at one time, so we will be rolling out some of these later in the campaign. Keep checking back!
Additionally, Indiegogo only gives us 500 characters for perk descriptions. Please leave a comment or send us a message if you have questions or need more details about any of our perks.
Please note: If you purchase a perk that includes registration, we will send you an email after the close of the campaign with details on how to complete the registration process.
If you would like to register, but can't pay the full amount, you can pay what you are able. Just select no perk and we will email you after the close of the campaign to verify that you want that amount put towards a registration.
If you love Wincon as much as we do and want to see it continue, please purchase your registration now or choose one of our other awesome perks!
Wincon is run by a 100% volunteer con committee. Not even our registrations are free. We believe that every penny of the money we take in from supporters and attendees should always be returned to the attendees via their Wincon experience.
Wincon has always strived to be a safer space for fans of diverse backgrounds, and year after year, the con committee hears stories from attendees about how much this con means to them. It is a yearly event that so many look forward to, something that keeps them going throughout the year, and we want to see it become that for hundreds more.
As fan cons move more and more toward celebrity-driven, academic, and/or niche events, Wincon is something special in the fandom landscape. It is a con driven solely by fandom itself, welcoming and incorporating every aspect of fannish pursuit. We believe with our whole hearts that is something worth supporting and preserving for many years to come.
We are minimizing the risk to supporters and ourselves by running a fixed campaign. If we do not reach our $15,000 goal, everyone will be refunded by Indiegogo and we will cancel the event. We cannot in good conscience accept less than we know we will need to put on this conference.
In the event that we reach our $15,000 Indiegogo goal but do not hit our 300 attendee goal, we will be able to reduce costs in several areas to match the actual number of attendees, thereby still allowing the con to continue without any additional assistance.
Our con committee has over 50 years of combined experience, and we have taken every step to ensure that we will never put unnecessary burden on ourselves or the fan community at large. We believe in transparency and responsibility, and honoring the trust put in us by our supporters and attendees.
Can't afford to contribute monetarily? That is a-okay! We would really appreciate any help you could give us getting the word out there. If you believe in fandom as a community, that we deserve our own space to flourish and share, then reblog, retweet, post... do whatever you can to get the word out!
If you want to stay updated on the campaign and Wincon happenings, join our mailing list!