Here's what I know for event-wide information:
- We will have an additional 30,000 square feet of space. This does not mean the same space we used before is expanded. It means there is an additional hall directly adjoining the main one which will be used by BrickFair. It will be accessed through interior doors. I'll let you know as soon as I can what will be placed in that area.
- In part because of the cost of that additional space, and in part due to other costs/inflation, membership has risen by ten dollars per person.
- There is some thought at the moment to limiting the Adult Swim activities to the smaller hall, letting under-21s still hang out in the main area. This is still up in the air, though. No promises, no threats.
- The "World of Lights" event is cancelled indefinitely at the Virginia location (it's still a go in the other three BrickFair locations), as the new lighting system makes it too difficult in the exhibit hall. By all means, continue to light your MOCs; just know that the lights are going to be on everywhere.
- Large MOCs will no longer be pre-drawn on the map. We'll just say that someone proved we can't have nice things. As such, if you have a large MOC with special requirements, make sure you let me know as soon as possible. Castle builders have been very good about that the last two years, but I just want to make sure people know.
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Now, for Castle-specific stuff:
- Castle will likely have no more than twenty tables unless significant pre-registration happens. Castle has been a shrinking theme at BrickFair due in part to the growth of the Pop Culture section (siphoning away all LotR and most other "fantasy" displays) as well as the lack of a solid Castle theme from TLG. However, the 2016 theme is "Monsters and Legends," which might bring some attention back on to us. Either way, I'm looking to encourage as many people as possible to come display in our favorite and objectively best theme.
- Many of us are still working on MOCs by Friday night, preparing for the public the next day. Others have finished, and are just hanging out and possibly exploring the rest of the hall. I'm looking into the possibility of a "pizza draft" for dinner in the Castle section on Friday night, to give still-building members a chance for dinner without taking time away from their work, and to let the rest of the Castle section socialize with each other. This would be a small buy-in for the pizza, or possibly pizza plus soda as well. Since most people don't eat more than three slices at a time, the math winds up pretty fair. (The likelihood is that it will be limited to vegetarian, pepperoni, and sausage, unless enough people chime in that they want unusual toppings.)
- I may provide chips and salsa at other times (including ghost pepper salsa, for the adventurous). This might be limited in scope, but if I have donations I can provide more. It's easy to get peckish, and as I write this someone just sent me a care/bribery package containing no less than six jars of salsa so it's kind of on my mind.
- For the adults: I didn't think of it this last BrickFair until it was too late, but I'm planning ahead. I will provide mead during adult swim. This will involve a selection of different brands and recipes, whatever I can get my hands on before the con starts. Mead is a famous medieval drink but not often consumed today, so I want to have a Castle party. I'm thinking we should play Castle Panic! at the same time. And while I will accept donations, the mead will be free of charge. In part because I'm just that nice, but I have to admit the fact that I don't have a liquor license plays into it quite a bit.
Just remember, mead is very sweet, so if you don't like sweet alcohol you probably won't like this stuff. - Yes, I'm planning on more of those FAQ and "No Touching" signs. If I have the time, I might do more than just make printouts; I might get them laminated and put a little graphic design work into them.
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That's all I've got at the moment, but we're still ten months out. Plenty of time to plan!
