Volume 1, Issue 2 {SYMBOL 183 \f "Symbol"} July 1996

Congratulations

If you're receiving this newsletter, you are pre-registered for a weekend of fun at Minicon 32 on March 28-30, 1997. The monthly mailing is intended to keep pre-registered members informed of progress as we move toward the next convention. Please note the e-mail and regular mail addresses listed at the end of this newsletter. If you have comments or suggestions for the monthly missive, do drop us a line.

Corrections

The first order of business is to clarify a few items from the first newsletter. For one thing, the web page address listed in the newsletter was incomplete. The URL listed in the last issue (http://www.mnstf.org) will take you to the root server for MNStf, and Minicon information can be found by using the menu there. However, the full URL for the Minicon homepage will provide easier access. The correct URL is http://www.mnstf.org/minicon 32. Also, please note that the other homepage listed last month (http://www.waste.org/~nawick) is not officially sanctioned by Minicon or MNStf. It is an independent web page that has been set up to facilitate general comments and suggestions for Minicon. Finally, the pre-registration form did not indicate a cutoff date for supporting memberships. No supporting memberships will be sold after 2/14/97 (the same cutoff date as regular pre-registration). The at-the-door registration fee is $60.

July Happenings

The July general meeting featured the vote on a theme for Minicon 32. After starting the process with 49 possibilities, the field was narrowed down by a vote of those present at the meeting. Some of the early casualties included M32: It's Not Just For Breakfast Anymore; M32: That's No Moon, It's a Science Fiction Convention; M32: SciFi A Go-Go; M32: Accidents Happen; M32: Bathing is Optional; and M32: Not Just a Bra Size. After a second runoff vote narrowed the field to the final three choices, the stage was set for the final poll. The second runner-up was M32: Not Just a Tiny Globular Cluster. The first runner up was M32: Not What Darwin Expected. And the winner is [insert drum roll here] . . . M32: Even Chaos Has a Pattern. The remainder of the July meeting was dedicated to a report from the Tech Support coordinator, Jeff Berry. See the summary that follows for more information.

Due to the amount of time taken up by voting on the convention theme and reviewing Tech Support, the discussion regarding Programming topics was postponed until the August general meeting. If you have issues to be discussed or questions concerning the content of Minicon programming, please plan to attend the meeting on August 11 at 2:00 pm at the Radisson South. If you cannot attend the meeting, but you have suggestions or questions that you'd like brought up, please send them to Minicon at the regular or e-mail addresses listed below. (Note: Discussion of "adult issues" at Minicon will be held separately at a later meeting.)

Tech Support

The following is a summary of the report presented by Jeff Berry, the Minicon 32 Tech Support coordinator, at the July meeting. Jeff, Janet Moe, and the rest of the tech crew will provide all the audio/visual equipment and technical expertise to bring the convention to life.

A Short Summary of the Function Space Changes for 1997

The challenge facing the Minicon committee is to develop an effective compromise that establishes a workable, manageable, and cost-effective convention -- one that is able to accommodate a wide and diverse variety of fannish interests, and provide Mn-stf with a stable and relatively secure financial base for its activities. The purpose of this change in function space allocation is to address these concerns.

Changes in Function Space Allotments [by order of square footage used]

Dealers' Room: Currently, the Dealers' Room occupies the Grand Ballroom East, and Verandas Three through Eight. The total square footage of these areas amounts to some 10,000 square feet. However, this is broken into two distinct areas, with attendant problems of an inefficient layout that cannot maximize the total number of tables available and circulation problems for the dealers' customers, as well as a security and liability problem caused by the number of doors that open into the space. For 1997, the Committee will move the Dealers' Room into the Grand Ballroom Center and West. These two rooms together provide the same amount of square footage, 10,000 sq. ft., but in a totally clear space that would enable the staff of this department to develop an efficient room plan free of the present constraints. In addition, the concentrated arrangement of the doors that lead into this space are much easier to secure, while allowing unimpeded access by the convention membership to the room. Access to the space for arriving and departing dealers would be through the existing service corridor, with a clear run for carts and two-wheelers. It may be noted that since most (if not) all dealers drive to the convention, large and bulky objects are generally not a part of their transportation problem.

Mainstage Space: Currently, the Mainstage function space occupies Grand Ballrooms Center and West, with 10,000 square feet of space. Current plans call for a nominal seating of 1400 chairs. In practice this amounts to only 1000 to 1100, due to the requirements of the stage layout and other technical considerations. From a strictly technical standpoint, the largest single problem with the space is the equipment and labor (and therefore the expense) of producing quality programming in a room of this size and layout. All of the various areas of the technical support have to use specialized equipment to account for the long distances from the stage to the various lighting and video positions, and the distances from the audio equipment to the audience. All of this increases the drain on the limited financial resources of the convention, as well as requiring a high degree of organizational and technical expertise to produce a high quality show. Operational problems, and more expense, come from: