Dragon Con Membership Newsletter, Vol 3 Iss 1

Dragon Con Membership Newsletter August 29–September 1, 2014

Volume 3, Issue 1 Atlanta, Georgia

Thanks We would like to thank all of our members, professionals, exhibitors, and amazing volunteers for making the 27th annual Dragon Con the best ever! We had a great turnout, with over 57,000 in attendance! The costumes this year were over the top amazing; ranging from Muppet storm troopers to a family of ironmen, and the parade was the biggest and best yet with over 3,300 participants.

There was just too much going on at this year’s show to point out everything, but let’s recap a few:

The puppets, the parties, the gaming, and panels; Art, concerts, contests, and the Dragon Con Channel; The Blood Drive flowed smoothly and Registration even faster; If the App was a Jedi, it would surely be your master; The Vendors were awesome and our Charity Auctions too; We just wish we didn’t have to wait; Another year to see you!

Thank you for your imagination, your loyalty, and your heart. You make Dragon Con the most amazing Con in the Universe and will continue to help shape us as we move into the future.

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You Made a Difference: The Results of Our 2013 Charity Fundraising Thanks to you and your enthusiastic support of our charity efforts, we were able to raise a total of $87,356, for our three official charities!

This year you selected our annual charity recipients in a poll promoted on Facebook and other social media channels. The winners, Noah’s Ark Animal Sanctuary, Georgia Conservancy, and Marcus Autism Center, each received a portion of the money raised.

Noah’s Ark Animal Sanctuary, the overwhelming favorite of poll voters, received $43,612, which was 50 percent of the money raised throughout the four-day convention.

Georgia Conservancy, which placed second in the poll, received $26,207—or 30 percent—while Marcus Autism Center received $17,471.

Fundraising went on day and night throughout the convention. Events included: the Revenge of the Nerds Homecoming, the StarGate Charity Night Event, the Art Show Charity Artwork Project, and our four Charity Auctions. Money was raised at Dragon Con Night at Turner Field, as well as through sales of Dragon Con pins and other merchandise from HardRock Café. This year Dragon Con also contributed over $40,000 by matching the funds raised at the show.

In addition to the official charity fundraising that took place during the convention, Dragon Con also donated nearly $60,000 this year to The Lupus Foundation Georgia Chapter, Center for Puppetry Arts, Atlanta Center for Self Sufficiency, as well as other charitable organizations.

Since 2005, we have been able to raise more than $311,000 for our official charities, and provide assistance to others, thanks to YOU, our very generous members. Your support of Dragon Con allows us to improve the lives of so many.

Robert A. Heinlein “Pay It Forward Blood Drive” Dragon Con members and volunteers continue to blow the doors off our annual blood drive. Nearly 3,000 of you took the time to donate more than 6,000 units of blood and blood products. Did you know a unit of blood can save the lives of up to three people? Your donations through LifeSouth will help make a difference in the lives of people in more than 40 hospitals in the Atlanta area, as well as 110 hospitals in the Southeast. We thank you again for being there for people in need.

Check out a clip of our members and the LifeSouth team during the 2013 blood drive. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=S4Fu7j_7MzE DRAGON TALK Membership Newsletter

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News You Can Use Our First Year at the AmericasMart We made a big change for 2013, which was to move the Vendor Halls to the AmericasMart. We thought long and hard before we made a change of this nature; realizing that major changes affect a lot of people, and we don’t take these decisions lightly. However, as the convention has grown, there’s become a real need to have more space, and to be able to expand the number of vendors we have.

So we put in a lot of work, made the move, and then hoped that you would come.

And guess what, you found us! It was much more successful than we imagined for it being the first year moving to a completely different building. In fact, it was so successful that a large majority of our beloved vendors have already signed up and will be returning in 2014!

However, you can’t do something as big as move close to 300 vendors to a completely different facility and not hit some bumps. And we’re sure the folks at the Mart couldn’t fully appreciate what the 57,000 strong Dragon Con experience would be like until it actually happened. We learned a lot this year and we have listened to the feedback we received from you. Here are just some of the areas we are working on for 2014:

Make the vendor room layout more intuitive and clear; Address spacing and flow issues; Increase the number and visibility of signs; Provide maps sooner, with more detail on the maps; Make it easier for the vendors to get in and get set up.

Thank you for visiting our Vendor Halls this year, and for providing the feedback needed to make them even better in the future. If the AmericasMart can host renowned trade shows year round that draw buyers from around the globe, we can certainly find a way to make it work for us. So we will be back in the Mart for 2014, as well as exploring what spaces they or others may have that could be an even better fit for our Vendor Halls in the future.

We are intrepid. We are Dragon Con. We will figure it out!

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You Came, We Saw, You Blew Us Away: 2013 Contest Results Fandom Music Awards

Friday Night Costume Contest

Hall Costume Contest

Best in Show Live Action: Fandoms Shine Brighter

Best Overall: Tawnya Hicks-Letts as Skeksil, of the Skesis

Best in Show: Brad Lundgren as Wolf-Link, from Zelda

Masquerade Costume Contest

Independent Film Festival

Page to Stage Costume Contest

Best in Show Anime: Shinji Did (Not) Have Sex

Best Short Film: Death of a Shadow

Best in Show: Danika Massey as Robocop DRAGON TALK Membership Newsletter

Best Animated Film: The Gold Sparrow

Best in Show: Michelle Peck as Dawnstar, from Legion of Superheroes

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Dragon Con Membership Benefits What can you do if you don’t purchase a membership? Roam through the hotels during some daylight hours to people watch and see the parade. But you won’t be able to attend panels, parties, or events. You can’t enjoy any gaming, LARPing, or sing-a-longs.

No watching contests, getting autographs, or buying cool gear and artwork. Hmmm, sounds okay but you sure are missing a lot.

We suggest you get a Dragon Con Membership and enjoy everything that comes with being a member. Four days of programming that runs 24 hours a day, from 10:00 am Friday, to at 5:00 pm Monday. Already a member? Woo hoo! Here are some additional benefits:

Membership Badge It’s not a wristband, a stamp on your hand, a ticket, or a paper name badge. It’s a beautiful piece of artwork on a laminated badge created for Dragon Con each year.

Our 2013 badge featured the art of Peter Steigerwald of Aspen Comics.

The membership badge is your access to the wonderful happenings at Dragon Con. And after the show it becomes a keepsake souvenir. Just ask some of our Eternals, we bet they have all of theirs!

Souvenir Program Book

The Souvenir Program Book is filled with bios and info on guests, artists, writers, performers, filmmakers, and vendors; all the people you’ve come to see at Dragon Con. The gorgeous cover art is the work of our annual Dragon Con Artist Guest of Honor. Our 2013 Program Book featured “Hatchlings,” by Hugo award winning artist and illustrator, Jim Burns.

Member Prices on Workshops

Special Events for Members

We are always working on fun events for you to enjoy. Since 2009, we’ve held Dragon Con Night at the Aquarium. The 2013 event was extra special, with the creative team of Aspen Comics joining us to celebrate their 10th anniversary.

There was music from DJ Spider, an Aspen themed costume contest, and in keeping with the theme of “Fathom,” the Aspen team dove with awe-inspiring whale sharks of the Aquarium.

We also held Dragon Con Night at Turner Field this year. Members took part in a pre-game parade around the field led by Lou Ferrigno, Liam McIntyre threw out the first pitch, and Lucy Lawless called out an enthusiastic “Play Ball.”

And in September, Dragon Con you could visit the Center for Puppetry Arts for free, just by showing your 2013 Membership Badge.

Membership Newsletter Find out more about Dragon Con through our quarterly email newsletter. Dragon Talk provides articles such as “Get to Know a Track,” “Where’s Dragon Con?,” and the “Dragon Con Survival Guide.”

It alerts you to events, membership perks, and critical info to help you enjoy the show to the max. Shiny!

Dragon Con Store Discounts Members receive 25% off their Dragon Con Store merchandise purchases. At the show, we have stores in the Sheraton, the Marriott, and beginning 2014, the AmericasMart as well. But your discount is also good in our online store all year long.

Come check out all our great Dragon Con gear and souvenirs.

Partnership Deals

Did you know that as a member of Dragon Con, you can receive discounted rental car rates with Enterprise and National Rental Car? This discount applies no matter the date or location of the rental. Click here to book directly at the Dragon Con rate. Not using the link?

Use Enterprise code: XZ03A67, pin: DRA or National code: XZ03A67.

Planning a special occasion? Dragon Con is happy to announce that our members can now receive 15% off limo services in the Atlanta area, with Cooper Global.

Call 866-723-5466, and mention the discount code “Dragon Con” to take advantage of this offer.

Dragon Con wants you to know that we appreciate our Members. You make Dragon Con the unique and wonderful experience that it is. We will continue to bring you new member discounts, create special events, and provide exclusive perks to make your Dragon Con Membership something that’s a value to you, not just during the four days of the show, but year round as well.

How would you like to receive specialized instruction from recognized professionals in their field? And at a great member rate as well! Our popular workshops have included: The Writer’s Hourly Workshop with Michael A. Stackpole and Aaron Allston; Writer’s Workshops directed by Jody Lynn Nye; a hands on special effects workshop by RJ Haddy; and Erin Gray’s Tai Chi Workshop.

You know it’s Dragon Con time when your Progress Report arrives in your mailbox in July! This little tome manages to pack info from all over our website, plus more, into one easy to use, portable booklet—making it a breeze to prepare for your upcoming trip.

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The Progress Report

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Featured Short Story: Pat the Magic Dragon the beginning we intended this to be the biggest and the best convention anywhere in the country.”

Britton Knowles Publishing has graciously offered to provide short stories for our membership newsletters. This issue, we are happy to bring you a story by Jody Lynn Nye, a Dragon Con favorite who leads a popular writing workshop at the show. The story, “Pat the Magic Dragon”, is from the anthology “Here Be Dragons”.

MOMMY, why do they call it Dragon Con?” a little girl asked as they followed the long, snaking line through registration. Pat Henry smiled to himself.

The mother, somewhere in her middle thirties and fan-shaped, caught a glimpse of both the expression and the convention committee badge.

“Well, why do you call it “Dragon Con?” the woman asked him point blank. Pat nodded to her deferentially, but his only choice was to lie through his teeth.

“We’re pretty fond of dragons down here,” he said. “They’re the biggest of the fantastic beasts, and even from

He glanced around. He didn’t see any fire ants yet, but that didn’t mean they weren’t there somewhere. Better check with Security and see if there had been any sightings. He scanned the long lines. Security and operations personnel, many from central Georgia, but many who came all the way from North Carolina and Virginia, browsed the room, checking for those telltale signs of trouble. This was their first contact with attendees, and hence, their first line of defense. Pat knew the signs well: eyes that were just a little too shiny, fingers that made a clicking noise when they moved, and that odd smell that human beings usually couldn’t detect. Each of his people carried a Black Box. To the uninitiated, the Box looked like a walkie-talkie, and Pat was content to let them think so. Modern electronics had reduced reliable communication devices to the size of a matchbook. The real phone set was hidden inside a shirt collar or under long hair and attached by cord to the earpiece worn by each patroller.

The Black Box contained a stun gun that could bring down a charging buffalo and a hypo loaded with formatoxin. Neither of those would do more than slow down a fire ant, but it would be enough to keep it immobile long enough for help to arrive. Pat hated to use the Boxes; there was a risk of collateral damage to human beings. Fire ants never went quietly.

The earpiece blatted out a burst of static.

“Looking for me, Bill?” he asked.

“We’ve got an arrival,” his ops chief, Bill Mann, Jr., said in a calm voice, knowing that the walkie-talkie system was overheard by non-committee members. “You might want to get to the primary location.”

Pat started moving, dodging among the rows of people waiting to register.

“Excuse me,” he said, absently, his mind racing. None of the special attendees was due until the evening. What on earth were they thinking, coming in broad daylight?

Keep Reading! Click on a link below: PDF Version EPUB Version For most devices that read e-books, with the exception of the Kindle.

Lost and Found: Where Did I Leave My…?

If you haven’t noticed, things get a little crazy at Dragon Con. You and some of the other 57,000 people are wandering around hungry, lost, happy, discombobulated, sleepy, and excited. It would be perfectly understandable if you lost some things in a situation like that, such as: loneliness, boredom, drudgery, worry, and inhibition.

However, we all know that there are some DRAGON TALK Membership Newsletter

things you never want to lose — like your favorite towel. At the convention, Security (room M102 at the Marriott), is where lost stuff goes to live. Security, Daily Dragon, volunteers, and members throughout the convention do their best to reunite owners with their lost items. And we want to thank everyone who turned in someone else’s stuff.

Fortunately, a lot of people do recover their possessions But some stuff doesn’t get picked up, which we bring back to the Dragon Con office.

Lost something at the show? Email us at dragoncon@dragoncon.org, or call the office at 404-669-0773. Tell us what it is, and try your best to describe it in some detail. Include any photos that show you wearing, holding, or using your stuff. It will help us identify your specific item.

After six months, we will donate any lost stuff* in good condition, that does not contain personal data. *Feel free to invoke our beloved patron Saint of Stuff, George Carlin, in your quest to recover the rest of your stuff.

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The Tee Shirts are Here!

Did you miss out on picking up an event shirt, parade shirt, or lanyard at this year’s show? They’re back! We’ve reprinted the 2013 Event shirt, the 2013 Parade shirt, the Black and Purple Lanyard, and a limited number of the 2013 Steampunk Lanyard.

And with your membership discount, adult tees are only $16.99. They’re available for purchase in our online store.

But we also have lots of other popular items from the show, such as Christmas ornaments, collectible pins, cinch sacks, shot glasses, zip pouches, and Steampunk key chains.

Oh, and dragons. Lots of dragons.

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Membership Price Break Schedule $75 through $85 through $100 through $115 through $130 through

11/15/2013 02/14/2014 05/16/2014 07/18/2014 08/15/2014

Purchases at the door: $130

DRAGON TALK Membership Newsletter

We Wants It, We Needs It. Must Have the Precious (Where is Our Postcard?)

As you may know, when you pre-purchase your membership, we mail you a postcard that you will use to pick up your membership badge at the show.

Our crack team of cyborgs at the office have been furiously entering all of the memberships that were purchased at the show and afterwards.

Because there are so many this time of year, we do a bulk run of postcards and postage instead of processing the postcards one at a time.

Good news, they’re almost done, and you should receive your blue postcard in the second half of November.

Should you not receive your postcard by December 15, or if you have any questions about your membership, please email us at office@dragoncon.org. Or you can call 404-669-0773, and ask for Chip, head cyborg over membership data, or Tony, head cyborg apprentice and antagonist of the head cyborg. They will be happy to answer your questions, provide solutions, and assimilate you into the collective.

App Facts Wow, seems like the Dragon Con app got a bit of a workout during the convention.

Total Downloads

66,198

Apple Android Web Blackberry

26,180 23,733 16,183 102

Solution to puzzle in our previous issue, Dragon Con Pop Quiz

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