Minicon 50 is over. These pages remain as a historical reference. Please see the main Minicon page for information about the current Minicon.

Minicon 50 Progress Reports

Occasional news and reports about the progress of Minicon

Progress Report 4

March 2015

This is the fourth of three (yep) progress reports from Minicon 50, to be held Easter weekend, April 2-5, 2015, at the DoubleTree in Bloomington, MN. Minicon 50 is looking to be huge. We now expect over 1000 members, as compared to last year's 561.

The con is drawing nigh, and we wanted to give you some more updates as to what's going on. This PR won't cover all departments, just those that needed to say something to you. See our website for the rest.

Registration

Pre-registration is now closed. If you didn't pre-register, you can still pay at the door (see below).

If you are pre-registered, you don't need to bring anything with you to be able to pick up your badge. Just come along to the reg desk, near the top of the escalator. Reg hours are:

Thursday: 10am-10pm
Friday: 9:30am-8pm
Saturday 9:30am-8pm
Sunday: 9:30am-4pm

Registering at the door: Good news! Due to an unexpectedly large number of pre-registrations, we have decided to decrease the at-the-door rate from $70 to $65. More members cost less per member, and this reduction is in keeping with our non-profit mission. The rates are now:

Full adult membership: $65
Thursday-only: $30
Friday-only: $40
Saturday+Sunday: $45
Sunday-only: $20

Convert supporting membership: Additional $40

Students (13-20): $25
Kids (6-12): $15
Children (0-5): No charge.

The reg desk accepts cash and checks. We do *not* take credit cards.

Hotel

We are in the DoubleTree Bloomington. There is still a little time left to book rooms. Both traditional and poolside cabana rooms are $92 if you book by March 15. See mnstf.org/minicon50/hotel.

If you tried to book before and were told the block was full (particularly if you tried to get a room Thursday night), please try again. We started with a block that was much too small (particularly on Thursday) and had the hotel expand it several times. If you are still having trouble, contact us at <hotel@minicon50.mnstf.org>.

Cabana and room parties: When you book, you will only be able to get a standard room. If you would like a poolside cabana room (possibly for a room party), go ahead with your standard reservation, then e-mail <hotel@minicon50.mnstf.org> with your confirmation number and ask to be switched to a cabana.

Signage Policy

This year the hotel will let us hang signs anywhere on the walls in the pool area, plus on their provided bulletin boards elsewhere.

Next Generation

The Next Generation is a place for teens to play board games, watch movies, and just hang out with other teens at Minicon! We have a lot of different games, movies, and fun events at night for everyone.

Consuite

Please volunteer to help in the consuite.

MidAmeriCon II is providing a smoked bbq pork sandwich & sides lunch in the consuite on Saturday.

Please volunteer to help in consuite.

The D.C. 2017 bid is providing a specialty dessert on either Friday or Saturday evening (TBD) in the consuite.

Please volunteer to help in consuite.

Rumpus Room / Craft Swap

Minicon is kid friendly! The Rumpus Room will provide a full schedule of children's programming for all four days.

We will be doing a craft swap again this year. This is for people to bring craft or art supplies to trade or donate. We also like children's books, toys and games. It is located in the Rumpus Room. Items donated will be sold to kids for the plastic coins they gain by participating in Rumpus Room programming and activities.

Advance Notice: Minicon 51 and Minicon 52

Mark your calendars! Minicon 51 will be March 25–27, 2016 and Minicon 52 will be April 14–16, 2017. (Both are Easter weekends.) More detail to follow.

Contacting Us

For general Minicon 50 inquiries, write to <info@minicon50.mnstf.org>, or see mnstf.org/minicon50/contact for specific departmental addresses. You can also write (or send flyers) to:

Minicon 50
Lake Street Station
PO Box 8297
Minneapolis, MN 55408-0297

Progress Report 3

January 2015

Table of Contents

  • Greetings!
  • Registration
  • Fan-Supported Fan Assistance Fund
  • Hotel
  • Programming
  • Rumpus Room
  • Consuite
  • Bar
  • Costuming
  • Volunteers
  • Gaming
  • Art Show
  • Concerts
  • Film Room
  • T-shirts
  • Advertising in the program book
  • Code of conduct
  • Ride share and car pooling
  • Minn-stf

Greetings!

This is the third of three progress reports from Minicon 50, to be held Easter weekend, April 2-5, 2015 (four days!), at the DoubleTree in Bloomington, MN. Minicon features panel discussions, readings, signings, costuming, the Medallion Hunt, films, gaming, an art show, dealers, kids’ programming, a science room, filk and folk music, a well-stocked consuite and bar, room parties, and various special events.

This progress report gives updates from some of our departments, building on what we have reported in PR1 and PR2. If you missed those, you can view them on our website. They are the best source for learning about what is going on at Minicon this year.

We send our progress reports by both e-mail and postal mail. If you would like to change the way you get your progress reports, please let us know at <registration@minicon50.mnstf.org>. We typically send PRs to people who have attended any of the last few Minicons. To ensure you stay on the mailing list, please at least buy a supporting membership.

Registration

Pre-registration is open until March 9. You can pre-register online at http://mnstf.org/minicon50/ or you can print a form off the website.

Our reg forms give you the opportunity to add a $10 donation. Please consider this if it is within your budget. We use this money to provide reduced registration rates to needy fans (see below) and also to help keep our base rates down. Thanks to everyone who has chosen to do this so far!

You don’t need to bring anything with you to the con to pick up your badge, just come along to the reg desk, near the top of the escalator. Reg hours are:

Thursday: 10am-10pm
Friday: 9:30am-8pm
Saturday 9:30am-8pm
Sunday: 9:30am-4pm

The registration desk doubles as the information desk, so come ask us if you need something and don’t know where else to go.

Fan-Supported Fan Assistance Fund

If your financial situation would prevent you from being able to come to Minicon, you can apply for a free or reduced membership. Email <fanfund@minicon50.mnstf.org> by Feb 1, letting us know how we can help you.

Hotel

We are in the same hotel as we have been for a number of years, the DoubleTree Bloomington (formerly the Sheraton, formerly the Radisson).

Both traditional and poolside cabana rooms are $92 if you book by March 15. To book, see http://mnstf.org/minicon50/hotel.

If you tried to book a room online last month, you may have seen the rate listed as $95. We have addressed this issue, and you should be charged the correct amount. If in doubt, contact us at <hotel@minicon50.mnstf.org>.

How to get a cabana and/or throw a room party: When you reserve your room you will only be able to reserve a standard double room. If you would like a poolside cabana room or a suite (possibly for a room party), please go ahead with your standard reservation, then e-mail <hotel@minicon50.mnstf.org> with your confirmation number and desired room type.

Programming

We have a great list of possible panels for Minicon 50! Thank you to everyone who has already volunteered for programming. We could still use some more volunteers, so we have extended the deadline for panelists to February 1st.

If you are interested in being on panel, please check out the partial list below. These will only happen if you volunteer to sit on them! To see a listing of all panels and descriptions, check out http://mnstf.org/minicon50/programming. Please send an email to <programming@minicon50.mnstf.org> to let us know what interests you -- include any time restrictions or special requests you may have, including letting us know of other people you either do or do not want to be on a panel with.

Want to give a reading at Minicon 50? Please contact us at <readings@minicon50.mnstf.org>. Note: this year, we will be organizing a mass autographing session, so you do not need to sign up for a separate signing slot.

Art, Crafts, & Costuming

Artistic Bravery
The Business of Art in Gaming
Costuming Skivvies
Crafting in Spaaaaace
Designing a Cover from Concept (and Contract) to Page
Make Your Own Historical Artifact/Aged Documents
The Origami of Pop-Up Books
Techniques in Science Fiction and Fantasy Art

Fandom and Zeitgeist

All About Coffee
Carleton SFA Reunion
Dude, Where’s My Worldcon?
Geeks Like Beer
Mpls2073 Open Concom Meeting and Q&A Session
Pushing Society’s Boundaries Without Losing Your Own
Why Are We Still Having This Panel?

Gaming

Gaming While Parenting
Is This the Golden Age of Board Games?
The Superhero Genre in RPGs

Literature/Writing

Adventures in Collaboration
Deviance in Fiction
The Evolving Business of Books
IAIN (m) BANKS
...and Magrathea Ground to a Halt
Making Your Pitch
Middle Grades Optimism vs YA Dystopia
The Zombie Connection

Media

Anime and Manga for Speculative Fiction Fans
Fool’s Gold: When Adaptations Go Bad
Miyazaki as a Gateway to Anime (& Manga)

Minicon/Mnstf History

Minicon 1
My First Time

Next Generation

Beginnings in SF
Kids/Teens Recommend SF to Adults

Science and Technology

Battle Armour of Tomorrow
Directed Energy Weapons: Fact and Fantasy
Megastructures - What to Build When There are No Limits

Rumpus Room

The Rumpus Room is our place for kids programming, craftiness and other fun stuff. There will be puzzles, games, toys and art materials always available to play with. There are a myriad of ideas in the works, waiting for confirmation from volunteers, or on finding appropriate supplies. So far we have confirmed:

  • Stuffed Animal Zoo
  • Games with Matt McMillan
  • Costume Workshop
  • Fun Noodle Light Sabers
  • Monsters & S’More Monsters
  • Sugar Cube Castles
  • Puppet Making
  • Puppet Show
  • Shrinky-Dink Badge Charms
  • Cardboard Box Castles

Consuite

The consuite will be open Thursday through Sunday. We plan to be open 24 hours for the entire convention. We’ll have hot food on and off throughout the event (including late at night) and will plan on always having soda, coffee, sandwiches and snack food available.

We welcome food donations from attendees and local businesses, especially donations that address dietary special needs (Vegan, vegetarian, gluten-free, kosher, etc.) Please include a legible ingredient list with all donations.

The consuite is a big job, but a rewarding one, and we will need as many volunteers as possible. Please email us at <consuite@minicon50.mnstf.org> if you would like to donate goods or services. If you would like to be part of our staff you can contact us through the same email or through volunteer services at <volunteer@minicon50.mnstf.org>.

Bar

The bar will open Thursday, Friday, Saturday & Sunday evenings and offer beer, cider, wine and blog.

There will also be the SF Pub Quiz Friday and Saturday. That’s TWO nights this year!

We are still looking for a Dead Dog Party Master to host the Dead Dog party on Sunday night. Please contact bar head Susan Philbrook <bar@minicon50.mnstf.org> if you would like to know what DDPM entails.

Costuming

We would like to invite everyone to join the Minicon Costume Revel this year. We will be gathering at 7:00 PM on Saturday (see the program book for the location). Forms will be available for entry at event or can be printed from the website. Trophies will be given to top scores in each experience level along with judges favorites. No performances required, just a fun chance to show off and talk about your costumes.

Volunteers

Minicon is run entirely by volunteers. Please join us. Volunteering can mean anything from rearranging some chairs for an event to heading a department. We appreciate help at any level. E-mail <volunteers@minicon50.mnstf.org> to participate. We’re all in this together!

Gaming

We are excited to offer exciting new additions to our lineup this year. Some exciting new games we have include Firefly the Board Game as well as Xbox One console gaming. We will have Magic the Gathering again of course as well as a diverse library of games.

Make sure to stop down and see us.

Art Show

Detailed information for artists wishing to display and/or sell art is on our web site. We are working to bring some of our guests of honor into the art show space for special programming items.

Concerts

There will be a Cats Laughing reunion concert at Minicon. It will be Friday evening, and if the room fills up, it will be shown on video in an overflow room. (Time not set yet, or of course we’d tell you.) This concert was made possible by many people’s generous support of a Kickstarter campaign, plus of course the good-will and cooperation of the band members. Also due to that support, an audio recording and a concert video will be made.

Film Room

CINEMA OBSCURA’s full slate of fascinating films for Minicon 50 starts with two documentaries of interest to SF fans (The Mechanical Bride and Sense of Scale). The high-quality fan films screened last year proved so popular that we’re bringing you more, based on franchises such as Captain America, Star Wars, Superman, and The Matrix! Plus, local filmmaker Christopher R. Mihm’s homages to low-budget, cheesy 1950s-era drive-in cinema are not to be missed!! And...AND... a few episodes of SF shows from The TV Room return with some new entries to punctuate the marquee, and time permitting, perhaps a classic or two!!!

T-shirts

We will, naturally, be selling Minicon 50 t-shirts, and possibly other sorts of shirts, as we have done in recent years. We hope to make the shirts available for order ahead of the con this year (as well as selling them at-con). Check out http://mnstf.org/minicon50/tshirts to see if this we’ve managed this.

Advertising in the Program Book

Our program book with be an 8.5x11" book. The rates for ads are:

$20 for a quarter page ad
$40 for a half page ad
$100 for a full page ad

You can send your ad to <pub.ads@minicon50.mnstf.org>. When you do so, we’ll let you know how to pay. We usually take payment from other conventions in the form of an ad in your next program book. (If we owe you from this sort of arrangement, please remind us and send us your latest ad!)

The book’s interior is black and white, and it has a color cover. If you’re interested in a color ad, space may be available. Let us know.

The deadline for submitting your ad is Feb 14, 2015.

Code of Conduct

The Minn-stf board has approved the Minicon 50 Code of Conduct. We are working to make Minicon a fun, enjoyable and safe place for as many people as possible. There are two things you can do that would help:

1. Read and follow the Code of Conduct policies, which will be in the program book and on the website at http://mnstf.org/minicon50/code_of_conduct

2. If you know that the Code of Conduct committee should watch out for someone who will be attending Minicon, please notify us at <ccc@minicon50.mnstf.org> and we will take appropriate action.

Ride Sharing and Car Pooling

For those interested in conserving energy through car pooling and ride sharing, Carpoolworld.com offers a free matching service for clubs. Our account is set up as a user group for members of all our local conventions to connect for rides and riders. User name: "twin_cities_fandom", password: "mnstfrides". Check it out!

Minn-stf

Minnstf, the Minnesota Science Fiction Society, is Minicon’s parent organization. If a few cons a year isn’t enough fandom for you, check out Mnstf’s bimonthly house parties (called "meetings"). Upcoming parties are listed at http://mnstf.org and http://mnstf.org/einblatt.

-- Minicon 50 Concom

For general Minicon 50 inquiries, write to <info@minicon50.mnstf.org>, or see http://mnstf.org/minicon50/contact for specific departmental addresses. You can also write (or send flyers) to:

Minicon 50
Lake Street Station
PO Box 8297
Minneapolis, MN 55408-0297

Progress report 2

December 2014

Minicon 50 - The Gold Edition

April 2-5, 2015

Progress Report 2

Welcome!

As Minicon 50 nears, we are planning all sorts of fun. With the wonderful guests we have coming, that should be a given. I’ve been coming to Minicon for 22 years and to be a part of this amazing group of volunteers that will put this convention together for you is truly a pleasure. I believe Minicon 50 will be a convention to truly remember. You and your friends and family do not want to miss it. I look forward to seeing everyone and creating more memories for the next fifty years.
— Minicon 50 chair Joel Phillips

Table of Contents

What’s Minicon

Minicon is Minneapolis’s premier Easter-weekend fan-run science fiction conven- tion with a name between 6 and 8 letters long! We hope you’ll join us this year. You’ll be in the company of about 600 other fans of not only science fiction, but fantasy, horror, anime, gaming, music, and many other pursuits. This is our anniversary year, and so we are calling it Minicon 50 — The Gold Edition.

Minicon features panel discussions, readings, signings, costuming, films, gaming, an art show, a dealers’ room, kids’ programming, a science room, music, a consuite and bar, room parties, our Medallion Hunt, and various other special events. For all that, most people say they don’t come for what we have scheduled, but because they want to hang out with others like them in a place that feels like home.

This year Minicon will be April 2–5, a day longer than usual. This will bring the average number of calendar days per Minicon up to 2.98, as I’m sure you were dying to know.

Table of contents

Author Guest of Honor: Jane Yolen

Jane Yolen headshot Jane Yolen has been called the Hans Christian Andersen of America and the Aesop of the twentieth century. She is the author of more than two hundred books for children and young adults and twenty-five for adults, as well as poetry, criticism, and books on the art of writing and the genre of fantasy. She is particularly well known for the Pit Dragon series of young adult fantasy novels and her Commander Toad series for beginning readers. Yolen’s books have received numerous awards: Owl Moon won the Caldecott Medal, while The Emperor and the Kite was named a Caldecott honor book. She also received Lewis Carroll Shelf Awards for The Emperor and the Kite and The Girl Who Loved the Wind and a Golden Kite Award for The Girl Who Cried Flowers and Other Tales. She has also edited and compiled a number of works for both younger and older readers and has contributed to several collections and anthologies.

A folksinger and storyteller, Yolen has created works that reflect her love of music and oral folklore, including compilations of international songs, rhymes, and stories. Several of her books are autobiographical or incorporate elements from her life or the lives of her family, and her three Children all contribute to her works. "I consider myself a poet and a storyteller," she once reflected. "I just want to go on writing and discovering my stories for the rest of my life because I know that in my tales I make public what is private, transforming my own joy and sadness into tales for the people."

Having also been the Minicon 25 GoH, Jane is one of four former guests returning to that role for our anniversary. For more on Jane, check out janeyolen.com.

Table of contents

Author Guest of Honor: Larry Niven

Larry Niven headshot Larry Niven is an American novelist who is a Robert A. Heinlein, Nebula and multiple Hugo Award winner. Much of the science fiction that Mr. Niven has written over his 50+ year career as an author has had an emphasis on hard science.

Of his hundreds of published works, Mr. Niven is perhaps best known for his 1970 novel Ringworld, which won numerous awards and spawned multiple sequels and prequels as well as a tabletop role playing game. His other award-winning novels include The Borderland of Sol and The Integral Trees. Mr. Niven has penned numerous award-winning short stories as well: "Neutron Star," "The Jigsaw Man," "All the Myriad Ways," "Not Long Before the End," "Inconstant Moon," "The Hole Man," and "The Return of William Proxmire." He also writes in collaboration with others, giving us books like The Mote in God’s Eye (with Jerry Pournelle) and Dream Park (with Steven Barnes).

Larry will be our guest of honor for the third time, returning after being pro guest of honor at Minicons 7 and 19. For more information on Larry and his works, visit larryniven.net.

Table of contents

Author Guest of Honor: Brandon Sanderson

Brandon Sanderson headshot "Dreadful" — What was Brandon’s own criticism of his first effort at writing a book in his teens. He had then recently discovered science fiction and fantasy novels, devouring them voraciously. His enthusiasm led him to try to create his own fantastic worlds outside his life in his hometown of Lincoln, Nebraska, but his imagination outran his skills and he settled for readership for a while.

However, during his tenure at Brigham Young University, the writing bug returned and he was diverted from the chemistry program to a BA in English in 2000, followed by a master’s in creative writing in 2005. Brandon lives in Provo, Utah with his wife and son and frequently returns to BYU to teach creative writing classes and seminars.

After college, it did take 13(!) more efforts at novel-writing before finally selling a book, but his wordsmithing has definitely caught up with his muse! Best known for his hugely popular Mistborn series, he was tapped to finish the prestigious Wheel of Time series for the late Robert Jordan. A 6-time New York Times Hardcover Fiction Best-Seller List author, he has received numerous nominations and awards from many prestigious fantasy and fiction bodies, including the 2013 Hugo for best novella for The Emperor’s Soul.

Brandon should be familiar to many Miniconers, having been our guest of honor also at Minicon 45. You can learn more about him at brandonsanderson.com.

Table of contents

Publisher Guest of Honor: Tom Doherty

Tom Doherty headshot As the publisher of Tor (science fiction/fantasy), Forge (other great fiction and nonfiction), Orb (reprints of classics), Starscape (middle grade SFF) and Tor Teen (young adult SFF) titles, Tom Doherty has always been on the cutting edge of speculative fiction publishing. He’s a genre publisher who offers eBook titles DRM-free, has created imprints for middle grade readers and young adults, and pays homage to genre classics by bringing them back into print. Locus Magazine, the professional journal for science fiction and fantasy authors, has awarded him Best Publisher 21 times. Mr. Doherty does not take the credit for all of Tor’s success, however. "It’s the sum of the talent of the people who work here… Publishing doesn’t need plants and equipment the way you do in some other industries. You need the right people."

Tom returns to us after having been our publisher guest of honor at Minicon 29. Check out Tor’s blog at tor.com to discover more about the state of the genre as well as Tor’s authors.

Table of contents

Artist Guest of Honor: Michael Whelan

Michael Whelan headshot Michael Whelan is one of the finest and most important science fiction and fantasy artists, and the only living artist inducted into the Science Fiction Hall of Fame. For over 30 years, his art has been on the covers of countless books and record albums, and his style is credited as the driving force that moved popular science fiction and fantasy art toward realism after the surrealist period of the 1950s and 1960s.

Among his many well-deserved accolades are fifteen Hugo Awards, three World Fantasy Awards, twelve Chesley Awards, and a Spectrum Lifetime Achievement Award. Few other science fiction and fantasy artists have been as prolific or influential.

Many authors have praised his dedication to capturing the essence of the characters and stories. His hyper-realist style incorporates bold primary colors, contrasting gradients and fractal patterns. He weaves foreground and background into dramatic and dynamic compositions that convey vast amounts of space while maintaining startling clarity and detail in their subjects.

His work is the face of many popular and well-loved books including Brandon Sanderson’s The Stormlight Archive series, Stephen King’s The Dark Tower series, Anne McCaffrey’s Dragonflight series, Isaac Asimov’s Foundation series, Michael Moorcock’s Elric books, and many others.

Table of contents

Musician Guest of Honor: Adam Stemple

Adam Stemple headshot Long-time Minnesotan Adam Stemple is a modern Renaissance man, arguably best known to Minicon alums as a musician and author.

As a musician, he has been a producer, songwriter and solo performer, along with work in well-known Minneapolis bands Cats Laughing, Boiled in Lead, and The Tim Malloys. As an author, Mr. Stemple has published novels, poems, short and mid-length fiction. His novels include Singer of Souls, Steward of Song, and several collaborative works with his mother, Jane Yolen.

When Adam is not busy with writing and music, he is expanding his horizons with drawing, photography, and web design.

Table of contents

Schedule Overview

We are planning a full 4-day weekend of events, and the adjacent days also have many Minicon-related activities. Most departments will be open on Thursday when they have ordinarily been open on Friday, although a few will still wait for Friday to ramp up.

  • Tuesday, March 31: Work party at Jonathan Adams & Carol Kennedy’s house, 3328 Colfax Ave S, Mpls, starting at 6pm. Open to anyone willing to help out.
  • Wednesday, April 1: Move-in (see Volunteering). Registration opens in the evening, when we’re set up, for preregistered members. There will be open gaming and open music.
  • Thursday, April 2: Registration open 10am–10pm. Consuite opens at 10am and tentatively stays open continuously through Sunday. The bar opens at 5pm and stays open until we fall down. Rumpus Room open, but probably will have no scheduled events until Friday. The art/dealers/science room is open 3–7pm. Programming will start in the afternoon. Opening Ceremonies are at 7pm. Scheduled gaming starts in the early afternoon. Gaming, music and parties continue into the night.
  • Friday, April 3: Registration open 9:30am–10pm. Consuite open all day. Bar open 5pm–late. Programming tentatively 10am–11pm. The art/dealers/science room is open 10–6pm. Cinema Obscura kicks it off with a film at 6pm. Gaming, music and parties continue into the night.
  • Saturday, April 4: Registration 9:30am–8pm. Programming 10am–11pm. Consuite open all day. Bar open 5pm–late. The art/science/dealers room is open 10am–6pm. The Costume Revel will be held in the evening. Gaming, music and parties continue into the night.
  • Sunday, April 5: Registration 9:30am–4pm. Programming 10am–5pm. The art/science/dealers room is open 11am–4pm. We move most of the con out after Closing Ceremonies, 4–5pm, then have the Dead Dog Party in the Minicon Bar.
  • Monday, April 6: Final move-out in the morning. We will likely have the traditional Dessicated Dodo Party Monday night. Check future publications.
  • Saturday, April 18: Post-mortem meeting & Devonian Ductina Party at Beth and Joel Phillips’, 6323 Excelsior Blvd, St Louis Park, starting at 4pm.

Table of contents

Hotel

Minicon 50 will be held at the DoubleTree by Hilton–Minneapolis South (affectionately dubbed the Radishtree due to our long association with this property — and the fact it changes owners every few years).

Room rates for traditional sleeping rooms and cabana rooms has remained the same at $92 if booked by March 15. Suites are $139. Afer that date, you will get whatever the best rate the hotel offers (typically quite a bit higher). To book your room, go to our hotel page, or call the DoubleTree at 800-222-8733. If calling, use the group name “Minicon” and group code “MCN”.

Special Note If You Want A Cabana Or Suite: When you reserve your room you will only be able to reserve a standard double room. If you would like a poolside cabana room or a suite (possibly for a room party), please go ahead with your standard reservation, then contact Matt Weiser at with your confirmation number and desired room type. As hotel coordinator, Matt will handle all suite requests.

Getting a room is the best way to experience Minicon! Filling our room block is how we pay the hotel for function space. If we fill enough, the space is free, which allows us to maintain our low registration rates.

Location

It’s at 7800 Normandale Boulevard, Bloomington, MN, 55439. This is near the northwest intersection of Highways 100 and I-494, seven miles due west of MSP International Airport. The hotel is the tallest building in the immediate area and can be easily reached via a frontage road that runs north/south, on the west side of Highway 100.

Driving Directions

From Duluth and the North: Take I-35 South to I-35W to Highway 62 West. Take Highway 100 South to Industrial Boulevard. The hotel is on your right.

From Des Moines and the South: Take I-35 North to I-35W to I-494 West, and then to Highway 100 North. Take the first exit at Industrial Blvd, go west to Normandale Blvd and turn south. The hotel is on your right.

From Eau Claire and the East: Take I-94 West to I-494 West and exit at Highway 100 North. Take the first exit at Industrial Boulevard, go west to Normandale Blvd, turn south. The hotel is on your right.

From St. Cloud and the West: Take I-94 East to I-494 South, to Highway 100 North. Take the first exit at Industrial Blvd, go west to Normandale Blvd, turn south. The hotel is on your right.

From the MSP Airport: Take I-494 West and merge onto Highway 100 North. Take the first exit, which will be Industrial Blvd. From there, turn left onto Normandale Blvd. The hotel is on the right.

Busing

The best options are the 6K and 540. A few other buses go nearby, but not at generally useful times. The Southdale Transit Center, 3 miles northeast of the hotel, is much better served by buses, for what that’s worth.

The 6K has one run on Saturday, and arrives near the DoubleTree by 6:43am; and one run on Sunday, arriving near the DoubleTree by 6:41am. Return trips eastbound are 7:02am on Saturday and 7:03am on Sunday.

The 540 arrives on Saturday at 78th St & Picture Drive from 7:24am to 10:54pm. On Sunday, it arrives at 78th St & Picture Drive from 8:24am to 9:25pm. Return trips eastbound on Saturday are between from 7:31am to 9:31pm, and from 7:31am to 8:31pm on Sunday.

Hotel Shuttle

The hotel runs a shuttle from/to the airport and the Mall of America. It runs about once an hour during the day and evening. Please call the hotel for the schedule.

Save the Earth on your way to the Con!

For those interested in conserving energy through car pooling and ride sharing, Carpoolworld.com offers a free matching service for clubs. Our account is set up as a user group for attendees of all our local conventions to connect for rides and riders. User name: “twin_cities_fandom”, password: “mnstfrides”. Check it out!

Con Layout

We are planning on the same arrangement as last year: Programming will be primarily in the 2nd floor Veranda rooms overlooking the Garden Court. The consuite and bar will be on the second floor overlooking the pool. The art show, science room, and dealers room will share the Grand Ballroom, with the Rumpus Room and Films adjacent. Large programming items and concerts will be down the hall towards the north tower in the Bloomington and Edina rooms. Gaming and some special events will be on the Garden Court.

See metrotransit.org for more details and to confirm the above times.

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Programming

Planning for Minicon 50 is well underway. We have great ideas for panels and events, which you can check out on the Minicon 50 Programming Brainstorm page.

Got another idea? Send it to us at as soon as possible.

Even with all these awesome plans, programming can’t happen without you! Interested in being on a panel? Email us at by December 31. Please let us know if you have restrictions such as "nothing before noon" or "I do not want to moderate."

Authors! Want to give a reading at Minicon 50? Please contact us at . Note: this year, we will be organizing a mass autographing session, so you do not need to sign up for a separate signing slot.

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Dealers

Minicon will once again have a dealer’s room, and it will again share the large ballroom with the art show and science room, along with some central tables for socializing. The dealers room hours are Thursday 3–7pm, Friday 10–6pm, Saturday 10am–6pm and Sunday 11am–4pm.

There is still room available for dealers. If interested, send your street address and phone number to , and we will send you a paper application. Tables are $35, and dealers are required to be members of the con.

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Rumpus Room

Check out the Rumpus Room! We always have lots of fun ongoing and scheduled events. This year we will have a puppet stage and a workshop on deconstructing t-shirts. Back by popular demand will be the Stuffed Animal Zoo, Sugar Cube Castles, Fun Tube Light Sabers and Monsters and S’more Monsters where we construct candy monstrosities and then set them on fire! Stay tuned, many more programming items will be added.

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Art Show

The Minicon 50 art show is a non-juried show open to all artists who’d like to submit artwork with a science fiction and/or fantasy theme. Regardless of what media you work in — traditional, digital, fiber, sculpture, etc. — you are welcome. Most art is for sale, although some may be just for show. Art can be bid upon or, if the artists chooses, immediately purchased at a set price.

  • Wednesday setup: 3–8pm, for artists and setup volunteers only. Artists may hang their art 5–10pm.
  • Thursday: 3–7pm. No direct sales until Saturday, only bidding.
  • Friday: 10am–6pm. Artist reception in the evening.
  • Saturday: 10am–6pm. Direct sales begin and continue through Sunday. Silent auction ends at 6pm. Pieces with 3 bids go to voice auction show at 6pm.
  • Sunday: 10am–4pm. Artists may begin to pick up unsold art at 10am. Direct sales end at 4pm.

Volunteers are needed for set-up, tear down, and lunch breaks. Besides the art show proper, we are thinking about again having art-based activities and programming in the art show area, but we haven’t yet finalized these plans. If you have ideas or want to run such a thing, please contact the art show head at .

Calling All Young Artists!

All artists under the age of 18 can hang up to 5 pieces of their art for free at the Minicon art show (no hanging fees). All other art show rules apply.

Further details for artists

Please see the complete rules on the artshow page. Below is a summary. Note that the rules have been revised since last year. Please contact Alec Phillips, art show head, at with questions.

  • Artists who actively help set up the art show on Wednesday may reserve their first choice of hanging space. Hanging space for artists not helping with set up on Wednesday cannot be reserved and is first come-first served afterwards.
  • 8×10 ft pegboard panels and 3×12 ft tables will be provided for art presentation. Pegboard hooks and clips will be provided free of carge. Vertical panel space will be lit with incandescent bulbs. You may use your own hanging hardware and lighting if you choose.
  • No artist registration or preregistration is required.
  • Art that is not for sale may be entered.
  • Walk-in artists are accepted and encouraged.
  • There is a $0.50 per piece hanging fee for each piece of art entered in the Art Show. Minicon collects a 10% commission on all artwork sold through the Art Show and Print Shop. We do not take a commission on the first $10 of sales for each artist.
  • There will be a Print Shop for prints and reproductions. No more than 5 copies of any one work of art may be submitted. Single reproductions or prints may be entered or displayed in the art show. Multiple reproductions or prints should be presented in the Print Shop.
  • Security will be provided by Minicon staff while the Art Show is open, and the Art Show will be locked at night by hotel staff.
  • Minicon and its staff will not be responsible for theft or accidental damage to artwork or artist’s property.
  • Artists with many pieces are encouraged to download control sheets and bid sheets from the artshow page and arrive with them printed and filled out. This will make your set up much quicker!

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Gaming

Hello and Welcome from Minicon Gaming! This is going to be the year to top them all in gaming! We will have even more games available for you to try out. As always, we will have plenty of space if you want to share games as well. Current plans are to have a blowout in celebration of our 50th year. We have three special big events planned:

  1. Giant Magic tournament (sponsored by Level Up Games).
  2. Video Game Triathlon (3 day tournament with a different event each day. Prizes each day for daily winner, with a Grand Prize at the end).
  3. RoboRally event (more to be announced later).

We love making new friends and hanging out with long time ones as well. We have added many new and interesting games to our library — make sure to stop by! See you there and stay tuned for more updates!

(PS: Make sure to bring your copies of Nevinyrral’s Disk as one of our guests is Larry Niven!)

–Matt “Cyber_Urza” McMillan, Gaming Dept Head

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Volunteering

Minicon is run entirely by volunteers, and we have a wide range of activities with different levels of sociability and mobility required. Volunteering is a great way to get to know new people and get more involved in our community, not to mention that we greatly appreciate the gift of your time. Please join us by emailing to participate. We’re all in this together!

Before the con:

Consider attending a concom meeting. Meetings are open and informal; we’d love to have you, even if you just want to watch. The next one is Saturday January 24 at 1:30pm at Clay Harris’s place, 3601 Towndale Dr, Bloomington. More meetings will be announced in the Einblatt (mnstf.org/einblatt), on the Minicon Facebook page, and on the Minicon LiveJournal. Another way to meet us is at the bimonthly Mnstf parties, announced in the Einblatt and at mnstf.org.

After the con:

Attend our post-mortem meeting and party (details on page 6) to give feedback on how things went and to find out how to get involved for next year’s Minicon. We’re always looking for people to be apprentice department heads!

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Bar

Beer and blog will be on offer in some capacity on Wednesday night — but probably in the consuite. The bar should officially be open on Thursday at 5pm. Also, we are looking for good, funny and interesting photos from past cons. If you have any you would like to submit, you can email us a high res copy of it to or if you only have physical photographs we can make a digital copy of that so you will not have to sacrifice your original. The chosen ones will be on display in the bar.

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Music

The long tradition of music will continue at Minion 50 with concerts, song circles and late night jamming. Expect to also see programming featuring our music guest of honor Adam Stemple.

A Long Time Gone — Cats Laughing Reunion Concert

Beyond Conventions LLC is promoting a reunion concert to reunite musician guest of honor Adam Stemple with Lojo Russo, Minicon 19 toastmaster Steven Brust, and Minicon 37 guest of honor Emma Bull in Cats Laughing — the band that brought Adam to Minneapolis. If we succeed, the concert will be at Minicon 50, and will be recorded and available to supporters. For more information, and to support the project, see beyondconventions.com/cats.

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The Medallion Hunt

This year’s Medallion Hunt is expected to be the last one — the Cluemeister is running out of hiding places! But that means he’ll have to use all the remaining ideas in his notebook in a big heap of messy creativity. So expect the tenth and final Minicon Medallion Hunt to be a fun one.

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Bozo Bus Tribune

Minicon’s at-con newsletter, the Bozo Bus Tribune, will continue to provide various kinds of news and entertainment. Since the current editor took over, there have been exactly four double-sided issues each year. For an extra-long Minicon 50, however, we cannot discount the real and present danger that there will be five.

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Registration

Preregistration for Minicon 50 is open through March 9th. The rates are:

Preregistered At the door
Adult (21+) $40 (+$10, optionally) $70
Student (13–20) $20 $25
Kid (6–12) $10 $15
Child (0–5) $0 $0
Supporting $15 †

† Supporting memberships can be upgraded to full memberships for an additional $40 (total of $55).

Parents: Children up to 5 do not need memberships at all, but if you want to give your little sprog a shiny badge, you may register them.

Are you already registered? If so, your mailing label has a ® symbol.

Day Rates

These rates are only available at the door. If you know that you will join us at least on Friday or Saturday, it’s cheaper to pre-register.

Thursday $30
Friday $45
Saturday+Sunday‡ $50
Sunday only $20

‡ We don’t offer Saturday-only because if we did, it would still have to be $50.

Registration Hours

The hours for both preregistered members and those paying at the door are:

Thursday 10am–10pm
Friday 9:30am–10pm
Saturday 9:30am–8pm
Sunday only 9:30am–4pm

The registration desk is in the hall outside the Grand Ballroom, easily visible from the top of the escalator. Memberships for Minicon 51 (2016) can be purchased at the reg desk or at the Dead Dog party Sunday evening in the bar (room 218).

We accept cash and checks for memberships. There is an ATM in the hotel, but it will charge you a fee.

Registration Survey

We are working to reconstruct older historical registration data. Can you help us by filling out a survey at mnstf.org/minicon50/regsurvey.php

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What’s the additional $10 thing?

We have very intentionally kept our membership rates low in order to allow fans of modest means to attend. Of course, this means we have given up the additional $5-$20 we could have charged you (and other cons do charge you). Here’s the idea: If you would have happily paid us $50 instead of $40 if that’s what we said the rate was, please check the +$10 box and pay us $50.

This does two things. First, it goes towards the Fan Assistance Fund (see below). If there is additional money over what is requested for the Fund, it goes towards the general Minicon fund. The general fund is also a good cause, and you don’t have to just take our word for it. Minicon is run by the Minnesota Science Fiction Society, a 501(c)3 non-profit, and we strive to be transparent about our finances. Please see write-ups of where your money goes published in our fanzine, Rune, issues 87–90, at mnstf.org/Rune/.

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Fan Assistance Fund

Thanks to the generosity of our con-goers, we can offer reduced or free memberships to those who would like to attend but face financial hardships. If you would like some help with the cost your membership fee, email by Feb 1 with a brief explanation.

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Code of Conduct

The Board and the Minicon 50 Code of Conduct Committee are working to revise and improve the Code of Conduct. More details will be available in PR3.

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Progress Reports

As in recent years, PR1 was primarily sent by e-mail to save money. This one (PR2) is primarily sent on paper because you probably actually read it then. This year we are adding a third progress report, to be sent in February. It will go out primarily by e-mail like PR1. But we send all of these both by e-mail or paper as necessary, so you should get them if we have either sort of address for you. If you would like to change the way you get your progress reports, please let us know at .

You will get Progress Report 3 if you are a member of Minicon 50 or were a member of Minicon 47, 48 or 49. To stay on the mailing list if you weren’t at any of those Minicons, you need to at least buy a supporting membership for $15.

If you expect to get PR3 by e-mail, please make sure it won’t get marked as spam by putting mnstf.org on your whitelist.

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Minn-stf

Minicon is run by the Minnesota Science Fiction Society, or Mn-stf. Besides Minicon, each year Mnstf usually holds a small convention in October. This year it was called METHOD Con 2. Next year’s is TBA. We also have a pool party in the winter (also TBA), and a picnic in the summer. The 2015 picnic will be Saturday, July 18 at Minnehaha Falls picnic area #2 (same as 2014), starting at noon.

Besides these larger events, we also have bimonthly “meetings”, where “meeting” means a party with a 5-minute announcement period. Popular activities at these parties include gaming, crafts, conversation and eating good food. You are invited! Find the schedule at mnstf.org.

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Progress report 1

Summer 2014

Minicon 50 - The Gold Edition

April 2-5, 2015 (4 days!)

Progress Report 1 —

Author Guest of Honor
Brandon Sanderson
Author Guest of Honor
Jane Yolen
Author Guest of Honor
Larry Niven
Musician Guest of Honor
Adam Stemple
Artist Guest of Honor
Michael Whelan
Publisher Guest of Honor
Tom Doherty

Greetings! This is the first of three progress reports from Minicon 50, to be held Easter weekend, April 2-5, 2015, at the DoubleTree in Bloomington, MN. Minicon features panel discussions, readings, signings, costuming, the Costume Revel, the Medallion Hunt, films, gaming, an art show, dealers, kids’ programming, a science room, filk and folk music, a well-stocked consuite and bar, room parties, teen-run teen programming, and various special events.

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Four days

For our anniversary year, we are bringing in an unusual six GoHs. To give you time to see all of them and to celebrate our anniversary in general, we made Minicon 50 four days. Panels, gaming, consuite/bar, Rumpus Room (with kids programming), art show, dealers room & science room will all run Thursday-Sunday. More details to follow in Progress Report 2.

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Registration

Pre-registration is open until March 9.

  • $40 for adults
  • $20 for students (13-20)
  • $10 for kids ages (6-12)

Children aged 5 and under are free and don’t need to be registered, but if they are, they get a nice pre-printed badge. Supporting memberships are $15 and are convertible to a full membership for an additional $40 at the door.

You can pre-register online or you can print a form off the website to mail in.

At the door rates will be:

  • $70 for adults
  • $25 for students (13-20)
  • $15 for kids (6-12)
  • Still $0 for children (0-5)

We’ll have Thursday-only memberships for $30, Friday-only for $45, Saturday+Sunday for $50 and Sunday-only for $20. If you plan to attend on Friday or Saturday, it’s cheaper to pre-register. We do that on purpose!

Memberships are transferable at no cost (but are not refundable). To transfer, e-mail .

We are working on a project to reconstruct older historical registration data. Can you help us by filling out a survey?

Donations

Our reg forms give you the opportunity to add a $10 donation to your normal registration fee. Please consider this if it is within your budget. We use this money to provide reduced registration rates to needy fans (see below) and also to help keep our base rates down.

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Fan-Supported Assistance Fund

If your financial situation would prevent you from being able to come to Minicon, you can apply for a free or reduced membership. Email by Feb 1, letting us know how we can help you.

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Hotel

We are in the same hotel as we have been for a number of years, the DoubleTree Bloomington (formerly the Sheraton, formerly the Radisson).

Both traditional and poolside cabana rooms have a guaranteed rate of $92 if you book by March 5. The room block is not yet open. See Progress Report 2 for more info, or watch http://mnstf.org/minicon50/hotel.

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Programming

We will continue to have excellent panel discussions, readings, demonstrations and other events. To suggest a topic or volunteer, see the programming page on the Minicon website. Panel idea submissions close Dec 1 and the deadline for panelist volunteers is Dec 31. Note that both of these dates are MUCH earlier than last year.

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Volunteers

Minicon is run entirely by volunteers. Please join us. Volunteering can mean anything from rearranging some chairs for an event to heading a department. We appreciate help at any level. E-mail to participate. We’re all in this together!

A few Minicon 50 positions are still open:

  • Dead Dog Party Master.

    This individual would host the Dead Dog party on Sunday night after the bar & consuite have packed up. It should probably be someone who isn’t completely worn out by Sunday and is planning to stick around until the party is done - or at least be there late. It isn’t much work, but we do need *someone* who would be willing to be up late to take care of this piece of the puzzle. Please contact Bar head Susan Philbrook at if you would like to know what DDPM entails.

  • At-con volunteers coordinator.

    This person is in charge of matching walk-up volunteers with departments that need them. It mostly entails sitting at the volunteers/registration/info desk waiting for volunteers and walking around to departments to see where they are needed. Coordinates with our pre-con volunteer head, Ann Totusek, who will have prepared a list of members who have already registered their intent to volunteer.

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Gaming

Hi! Matt McMillan and the Gaming Department here! You don’t think we would just LET the 50th Minicon happen and not have any COOL GAMING events did ya! Some tidbits to look forward to: Special Magic: the Gathering events, Life Sized Robo Rally, and an even BIGGER game library! We don’t want to spoil TOO much, but I would advise you to make sure to bring your favorite Magic decks and a laser gun/sonic screwdriver that lights up and makes noise! Stay tuned for more updates!

— Matt "Cyber_Urza" McMillan

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Art Show

As usual, the art show will feature science fiction and fantasy themed 2- and 3-dimensional art, with consideration for entries of audio-visual media. Most likely we will have art-related programming in the art show space, something that has worked well in the past.

We have plenty of space for artists and would like to encourage anyone who has a large number of pieces to hang to attend. Detailed information for artists wishing to display and/or sell art will be sent out with Progress Report 2 and will be posted to our web site when it is available.

Youth art space will be especially promoted, with no hanging fees (up to a limited number of pieces).

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Progress Reports

As in recent years, this progress report is primarily sent by e-mail to save money. The second progress report, planned for December, is primarily sent on paper because you probably actually read it then. This year we are adding a third progress report (February), again sent by e-mail. But we send all of these both by e-mail or paper as necessary, so you should get them if we have either sort of address for you. If you would like to change the way you get your progress reports, please let us know at .

You will get Progress Reports 2 and 3 if you are a member of Minicon 50 or were a member of Minicon 47, 48 or 49. To stay on the mailing list if you weren’t at any of those Minicons, you need to at least buy a supporting membership.

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Minn-stf

Minnstf, the Minnesota Science Fiction Society, is Minicon’s parent organization. If a few cons a year isn’t enough fandom for you, check out Minn-stf’s bimonthly house parties (called "meetings"). Upcoming parties are listed on the Minn-stf site and in Einblatt. We are also running a small convention called METHOD Con 2 on Oct 10-12. For more information, see here.

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