This time we're running an Indiegogo campaign to help raise the last funds we need to finish this off. We've spent 16 months so far planning and building it, and if we didn't have to pay so many things up front because we're a first year event, we wouldn't need near so much money.
But we are a first year event and we really need this final gasp of funds to get us through the convention.
For those of you who are interested in steampunk and what we're trying to do with OctopodiCon and the Junior Sprockets, let's get detailed.
Octopodicon is a steampunk convention that's not like other steampunk conventions. Of course, they're all different and they all have their specialties.
OctopodiCon is for the novice. And for those who want to enhance and increase their skills. It's a weekend of panels, makeshops, classes, discussions, and demonstrations mixed with entertainments, socializing, and shopping. Some people have described what we're doing as a compressed college of steampunk, and they'd be right. That's exactly what we are trying to do.
We've set it up as similar to a college experience as we can make it, steampunked. The student union is the Tea Parlour and the South Oval (or other gathering place for sitting around and whiling away the time) is the Promenade. There will be a remote controlled Airship Race in the Promenade - so we even have sports! Everyone will get to cheer on their favorite airship team as they airships race above and make a loop around the Registration desk to race back to the finish line. It should be pretty exciting!
The Spectacularium is the main programming room where the entertainment and other auditorium type activities take place. There will be a SteamMaker's Ball in here Saturday night and dance lessons Friday night. The Convocation and Commencement Ceremonies will be in here as well as the ever popular Masquerade and the Charity Auction.
The Mysterium is the gaming room - there will be board games and card games for children and adults, and tabletop RPG games for those who like that. All the games will have a steampunk theme or will have originated in the Victorian era.
The Laboratorium is where the Makeshops and the more involved demonstrations and classes will be held. There are makeshops where those who pre-enrolled can make autograph books, tiny top hats, a cute little octopus softie wearing a top hat, and modding out a steampunk weapon and making a leather holster for it. Two of the contests will be held in the Laboratorium - the Jr/Sr High Automaton Contest and the All Ages Mad Engineers Contest. There will be demonstrations on lighting up your accesories with LEDs and other types of lights, and how to vacuum form costume pieces and accessories, and other interesting things as well.
The Scriptorium will be filled with authors reading samples of their works, doing book signings, selling their books, and meeting and talking with their fans and selling their books. No really, they will be selling their books. I've read most of them and I can tell you they are fine reads indeed. And the people are so charming. They'll also be in panels about literature and writing and cross-genres. They are eager to share their experiences, sell their books, and help you get published, too.
The Junior Club Room will be where the Junior Sprocket engage in interesting activities, everything from creating quicksand to making a simple decoder, learning about dinosaurs and spies and children's games. They may even get to engage in a bubble battle with steampunked bubble guns outside if the weather is nice. We'll also hold the Captain's training sessions for the Junior Sprocket adult leaders in this room.
We have the Art Gallery (not yet named) displaying art from steampunk artists as well as the auction items for the charity auction. Our auction this year is split between benefiting the Tesla Museum in NY and raising funds for a Visiting Professor who died last weekend. Her family says they would like the funds donated to a scholarship at the university where she taught.
We have the Mercantile - where attendees can shop for steampunk items, accessories, and supplies.
Then, we have an additional 4 classrooms filled with panels, workshops, and demonstrations. There will be some panels on Ball Jointed Dolls, Steampunk Lolitas, Manga and steampunk, Anime and steampunk, costuming ideas, making steampunk accessible for everyone, science panels, and more.
All the attendees (and the Remote Students) will earn "credit hours" towards their novelty Steampunk Degrees, this first year, they get to complete or work on completing, their freshman year - we've already had one student CLEP out of the Makeshop requirements! They earn these credit hours by attending the panels, makeshops, discussions, contests, and demonstrations. At Commencement (or, if our organizational skills fail us, shortly thereafter), those who earned enough hours will receive their Rising Sophomore Certificates. If the certificates aren't ready in time, they will still be announced and will get their certificates (designed by Huga-award winning artist Brad Foster) mailed to them.
To encourage a collegiate atmosphere, everyone will be assigned a Pod - a "greek" organization with a meet and greet time, and the ability to name their Calamari Kid mascot, to choose their rallying chant, and to build a group mythology together. They will get access to an online group just for their Pod so they can continue to interact all year, plan meet-ups at other conventions, take Makeshops together, and more.
We've already raised and spent $68,000 to create this event, between advertising, printing, postage, webhosting fees, business licenses and fees, rentals, deposits, and appearance fees.
We're down to the final $6,000.
We can get it in several ways, and the Indiegogo campaign isn't the only method we're pursuing.
Our best methods are by selling hotel room nights (we only need to sell another 230 room nights before we have to ask a 3rd hotel to give us space), and by selling enrollments.
We have four types of enrollments:
a Day Pass where people can pre-register to come for one day (usually Saturday) - that's $20 (at the door is $25),
a 3 Day Enrollment to attend all three days (pre-registering is $40 unless you also reserve a hotel room, in which case you can get up to 4 enrollments for $35 each - at the door is $50, if you're active military, you can get a $10 discount, and retired military gets a $5 discount),
A Remote Scholar for those who want to join a Pod and start earning credit hours but can't make it to OctopodiCon ($20),
and then we have the Visiting Scholar - it's $120, but you get a T-shirt, canvas bookbag, and 1 makeshop of your choice with it. We aren't selling T-shirts this year to the general attendees so only Con Staff and Visiting Scholars get T-shirts.
And then, of course, we have the Indiegogo to hedge our bets and make sure we have plenty of operating capitol to pay for the Distinguished Visiting Professors (the only people for whom we are paying transportation and hotel) and the printing of signs, banners, and Course Schedules.
If we raise enough money, we might even offer T-shirts for sale.