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Submissions for programming for in-person CONfabulation 2024 are officially open! They will stay open from May 6th until July 7th. Submit your ideas for the programming you want to see at the con, we can't wait to hear them! If you need help fleshing out ideas or want to find other fans to be part of your panel or group discussion, or help run your workshop, head on over to our brainstorming post! You don't need a Dreamwidth account to comment.

Our submission form can be found here. You can submit a maximum of 4 topics in total. You and up to 3 other attendees can be on a panel together (this includes a moderator, as panels cap out at 4 panelists), and if you would like CONfab to help you find a moderator, let us know on the form! We'd be happy to help.

If you're wondering if you have to be registered to submit programming, the answer is no. If you haven't had time to purchase your ticket, don't worry, you can still fill out the submission form. You’ll just need to register before the con.

You can find a list of all the programming that has been submitted here. We will try to keep this list updated daily. If your submission has not appeared on this list and you haven't received a confirmation email within 48 hours of submitting, please contact us.

If you have any questions, feel free to leave a comment on this post, or email the Programming team at programming@confabcon.com.

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Hello everyone, your Programming Team here with some announcements!

Programming submission time is almost here! Submissions will open on Monday, May 6, 2024 and close on Sunday, July 7, 2024. We are accepting submissions for any of our three types of programming: panels, group discussions, and workshops, all of which will be hosted in two tracks on the Friday, Saturday, and Sunday of the convention. Sessions are held in 50-minute blocks with a 10-minute break in between. After the submission period ends, we’ll send out the submission so attendees can vote on what programming they want to see.

To get you started, here's a handy guide to the types of programming we have (note: both panels and group discussions can include single fandom topics or more general/multi-fandom topics):

Panels: Presentation by 1-4 panelists, including a moderator to guide the panelists, ensure the panel runs on time, and lead the audience Q&A (this can be the same as the presenter if only one person wants to run the panel). Choose this format if you'd like to have a more structured presentation with specific times for taking audience questions. Previous panels have included RPF, diversity in genre TV, C-Dramas, ways to participate in fandom, and vidding.

Group Discussions: Roundtable conversation led by 1-2 facilitators. More loosely formatted than a panel. Choose this format if you don't want to do a formal presentation, and instead want the entire program to be a conversation between the facilitator(s) and attendees. Previous group discussions have included Ultimate Trope Showdown, OT3s, found families, femslash, and incest.

Workshops: A hands-on experience! If you want to teach attendees a skill or game, this is the format you want! If you think you'll need more than fifty minutes for your workshop, you may request a second time slot, either as one double-sized workshop or two separate sessions. Previous workshops have included fannish cocktail making, art tips and tricks, making fannish plushies, and tabletop RPGs 101.

We look forward to hearing your amazing ideas for programming! We will be accepting submissions for all types of programming from everyone, whether or not you have already registered for the con. This is your chance to get the programming you want by submitting your ideas. What are you excited about? Share it with the group!

Comment on this post with your programming ideas and questions. Find friends and strangers to help you flesh out your ideas, or offer assistance in planning your presentation, and get ready to submit your proposals starting on May 6! A new post will go up here with submission instructions and a link to the submission form on Monday, May 6.

The comments on this post will be open throughout the submission period, so feel free to use it as a resource and a sounding board for new ideas that you want a second opinion on before submitting. We can't wait to see what you come up with.

We also have a dedicated channel on our Discord to talk about programming ideas, so come join us there if you'd like!

If you have any questions, please leave a comment on this post, or email the Programming team at programming@confabcon.com. We're happy to be a sounding board!

Current Mood: excited

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Doesn’t it feel like 2024 just started? Well for us, it just did! Because it’s that time you’ve all been waiting for, CONfab 2024!

Yes, friends, we are doing it AGAIN! October 24-27, in Chicago at the Springhill Suites Chicago O’Hare, and we can’t wait for you to join us. Registration opens today, for our lowest price of $135. That’s the Early Bird price, right there, and it only lasts until May 31st, so lock it in while you can! Register at: https://shorturl.at/aeuL8

Brainstorming for programming will begin in early April, so you should also start thinking now about what kind of programming you want to see. We’re so excited to be putting this together for you again, and for the chance to see you all there, in Chicago.

So whether you’re a con virgin or a repeat offender, come join us! See old friends, make new ones, bask in being with your people!

Hope to see you there!

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CONfab Chicago will be happening October 25-27, 2024 at our same home, the Springhill Suites Chicago O’Hare. We are so excited to be back there, and to see you all again.

What about virtual con, you may ask? Don’t worry, we haven’t forgotten the worldwide virtual community we’ve been growing since taking the con online in 2020. We won’t be able to produce two events in one year again; our capacity is limited, and having both a virtual con and an in-person con in 2023 was a struggle. Going forward we’ll be alternating years between CONfab being in person and virtual. Therefore our next Virtual CONfab will be in October of 2025.

Alternating in this way means our all-volunteer con comm can put 100% of their focus and attention into each event, and really produce the best possible convention for you. We’ll be able to match the Virtual CONfab experience even more closely to the in-person one, providing more panels, activities, and fandom hangtime for you to enjoy.

And in between each con, we’ll be able to chat in Discord, and plan games and watchalongs there to keep us in touch!

We hope to see you there, and in Chicago next October!

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Hello everyone! CONfab 2023 is just one week away!! Today we're bringing you some information about this year's Charity Raffle. Each con, we raffle donated prizes like books, clothing, art, jewelry, fandom items, and more! All donated items come from our generous con attendees and friends who support the charity.

This year, 100% of the proceeds from our annual charity raffle will go to Brave Space Alliance. Brave Space Alliance is a Black-led, trans-led LGBTQ+ center on the South side of Chicago, and it provides resources such as a pantry, housing assistance, and health and wellness services.

On Saturday evening during the Dance, we will give away donated prizes, which can be a variety of things (homemade crafts, fandom goodies, gift cards, books, etc.) and are all provided through the generosity of fandom.

Your registration comes with one raffle ticket! More tickets are available at registration and throughout the Con from our Raffle Coordinator, She!Sam. Each ticket is $1.00 USD. Simply write your username on the back of your ticket(s) and place in the cup located by the prize(s) of your choice. You can also earn ten free tickets for referring new CONfabulation attendee. Winners will be announced during the Dance Party on Saturday evening. You do not have to be present to win, but if you are not, your name must be on your ticket.

To donate a prize, simply bring it with you to the con; we'd love to have it! If you have any raffle related questions, contact info@confabcon.com with "RAFFLE" in the subject line of your email.

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For our Thursday Outing this year, on October 19th, we will be going to The Catcade.

The Catcade is a non-profit, arcade-themed cat rescue, lounge, and cat café in Chicago. Visits last one hour, and appointments are required. We will not have enough people to book a private hour, up to six people in a group able to secure a one-hour time slot for $17 each. All attendees would be required to make their own separate reservations. We are making reservations for noon (12 p.m.) on Thursday, October 19. Sign-ups are first come, first serve.

~~Two spots are currently available!~~ All spots for 12pm are taken, but if you are still interested, please reach out. We can set up a second group for 1pm if there is enough interest.

Reservations are non-refundable and all guests will need to sign a waiver from the Catcade. Please do NOT make a reservation on your own without letting us know you are coming on the outing. Email programming@confabcon.com, with "Catcade" in the subject line if you wish to take one of these two open slots.

We will leave the hotel at about 10 a.m. Thursday, October 19 in order to get there at noon. Anyone wishing to go into Chicago, but not go to the Catcade, is welcome to join us in traveling, and can also join us for lunch after the Catcade. Lunch will be at a location, to be determined, that is accessible via the Blue Line.

Any questions, leave a comment on this post or email us at the address above! Let's pet some cats and play some arcade games together. :D

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You've been waiting for it, and it's finally here! The schedule for CONfab 2023 in Chicago is up on our website! More activities may be added to the schedule as we get closer to the convention, but all of the panels, workshops, and group discussions are up there for your perusing pleasure.

The con itself is just four weeks away, and we're so looking forward to seeing all of your beautiful faces. Registration is open until the convention itself, but you only have until October 4th (two more weeks) to guarantee our hotel room rate at the Springhill Suites Chicago O'Hare, so don't delay! More information about the hotel and the room cost is available here. If you're looking for someone to room with (or just want some folks to chat about the con and other fannish things with), head over to our discord!

More announcements will be happening in the upcoming weeks, including our Thursday Outing and info about the Charity Raffle, so stay tuned!

Current Mood: excited

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Thank you so much to everyone who submitted programming for our in-person CONfab 2023! Voting is over, and while the schedule won't be released until next month, here's a sneak peek of what we have coming up for this year's con. Below the cut you will find a list of everything that was voted on by attendees to be included in the schedule this year. Please note that this is subject to change, but this is the list of what you most wanted to see.

( Your 2023 Programming! )

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Voting for programming for CONfabulation 2023 is open from Saturday, July 22nd through Saturday, August 5th at midnight EDT. We are doing things a little differently this time; titles and descriptions for all panels, group discussions, and workshops are on the voting form itself. You will be given the information about each submission and then asked to vote whether you would definitely attend, might attend, or definitely would not attend if it were on the schedule.

We also have some programming that needs moderators or leaders. For submissions that need moderators, the person who submitted that idea just needs a mod to assist in making sure the program runs on time, the discussion moves along smoothly, and help with anything else needed. Submissions that need leaders need someone to take that idea and create a panel or group discussion from it. Please note that if no one volunteers for these submissions, they may not make it to the schedule.

You can cast your vote for submissions you’d like to see, at this link.

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Hello, CONfab 2023 attendees! We're looking to gauge interest on a potential Thursday Outing for October 19th. However, as it requires a specific amount of people in order to make it feasible, we'd like to see how many people are willing to commit to attending the outing before making any firm decisions.

We're proposing a visit to The Catcade, a cat café, rescue, and arcade. Due to limited space, reservations are highly recommended. Up to six people can attend individually for $17 a person, with each person needing to make their own reservation. The Catcade offers hour-long blocks and is open from noon to 8 p.m. on Thursdays. Reservations include free arcade games and one soft drink. We would likely have a noon reservation.

For more than six people (up to 15 total), a group reservation is required. This costs $250 for one hour. In order for this to be cost effective, we would need a minimum of 12 people (so between 12 to 15 total). This $250 reservation is non-refundable.

Other costs for this outing would be about $5 for transportation. We will take the free hotel shuttle to the closest L Blue Line station, then take the L into Chicago and transfer to a bus that runs from the L station to a bus stop about a minute walk from The Catcade. The address of The Catcade is available on its website if you want to look at the area on Google Maps. We would leave the hotel about 10:30 a.m. to arrive on time.

We're asking attendees to fill out this Google Form if you would attend this outing and if you can commit to paying for part of a group reservation if we have enough people. If you're not interested in this particular outing but would be interested in a different outing, please respond as well, so we can gauge overall interest.

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Programming submissions have been extended for one week, until Saturday, July 15th at midnight CDT! Got an idea you weren't quite ready to submit? We need you! CONfab programming is driven by fandom! In other words, it's driven by you. If you have an idea that you'd like to see but don't want to run, you can also submit that and if we can find a moderator for it, it might make the schedule. So, head on over to our programming page and get those ideas in!

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Submissions for programming for in-person CONfabulation 2023 are officially open! They will stay open from June 17th until July 8th. Submit your ideas for the programming you want to see at the con, we can't wait to hear them! If you need help fleshing out ideas or want to find other fans to be part of your panel or group discussion, or help run your workshop, head on over to our brainstorming post! You don't need a Dreamwidth account to comment.

Our submission form can be found here. You can submit a maximum of 4 topics in total. You and up to 3 other attendees can be on a panel together (this includes a moderator, as panels cap out at 4 panelists), and if you would like CONfab to help you find a moderator, let us know on the form! We'd be happy to help.

If you're wondering if you have to be registered to submit programming, the answer is no. If you haven't had time to purchase your ticket, don't worry, you can still fill out the submission form. You’ll just need to register before the con.

You can find a list of all the programming that has been submitted here. We will try to keep this list updated daily. If your submission has not appeared on this list and you haven't received a confirmation email within 48 hours of submitting, please contact us.

If you have any questions, feel free to leave a comment on this post, or email the Programming team at programming@confabcon.com.

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Love writing and social media? Want to be part of the CONfab Con Comm? We're looking for a Social Media Coordinator and you might just be who we need. This is a volunteer position, but looks great on a resume!

We're looking for someone who's enthusiastic. Got the writing skills down, but are shaky on social media? We'll train you! All skill levels are welcome to apply!

For more information, take a look at our website!

confabcon.com/concommittee/available-positions/

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We are now accepting submissions for the 2023 vid show!

Working on a new vid? We love premieres! Finished up something this year that made you proud? Send it in!

Even if you're unable to attend, we'd love to feature your work.

For the non-vidders out there, if you have friends who vid, please encourage them to consider submitting something.

And, if there's a vid or two that really gave you feels, send us a link and/or ask the vidder to get in touch with us about submitting it for the show! For information on how to submit, visit our website:

http://confabcon.com/programming/vid-show/

The submission period runs through September 4th at midnight Eastern. If you have any questions, please feel free to reach out to us at vidshow@confabcon.com!

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Hello everyone, your Programming Team here with some announcements!

Programming submission time is almost here! We will be running submissions starting on Saturday, June 17, 2023 and closing on Saturday, July 8, 2023. We will be accepting submissions for any of our three types of programming: panels, group discussions, and workshops, all of which will be hosted in two tracks on the Friday, Saturday, and Sunday of the convention, in 50-minute blocks with a 10-minute break in between. After the submission period ends, programming will be voted on and chosen by you, the attendees.

Here's a handy guide to the types of programming we have to get you started (note: both panels and group discussions can include single fandom topics or more general/multi-fandom topics):

Panels: Presentation by 1-4 panelists, including a moderator to guide the panelists, ensure the panel runs on time, and lead the audience Q&A (this can be the same as the presenter if only one person wants to run the panel). Choose this format if you'd like to have a more structured presentation with specific times for taking audience questions. Previous panels have included fandom history, boy bands, diversity in genre TV, ways to participate in fandom, and vidding.

Group Discussions:Roundtable conversation led by 1-2 facilitators. More loosely formatted than a panel. Choose this format if you don't want to do a formal presentation, and instead want the entire program to be a conversation between the facilitator(s) and attendees. Previous group discussions have included soulmate AUs, OT3s, found families, femslash, and incest.

Workshops: A hands-on experience! If you want to teach attendees a skill or game, this is the format you want! If you think you'll need more than fifty minutes for your workshop, you may request a second time slot, either as one double-sized workshop or two separate sessions. Previous workshops have included live beta reading, art tips and tricks, making fannish plushies, and tabletop RPGs 101.

We look forward to hearing your amazing ideas for programming! Help make CONfab an awesome experience! We will be accepting submissions for all types of programming from everyone, whether you have registered for the con yet or not. This is your chance to get the programming you want by submitting your ideas. What are you excited about? Share it with the group!

Comment on this post with your programming ideas and questions. Find friends and strangers to help you flesh out your ideas, or offer assistance in planning your presentation, and get ready to submit your proposals starting on June 17th! A new post will go up with submission instructions and a link to the submission form on Saturday, June 17th.

The comments on this post will be open throughout the submission period, so feel free to use it as a resource and a sounding board for new ideas that you want a second opinion on before submitting. We can't wait to see what you come up with.

We also have a dedicated channel on our Discord discord.gg/Jzs4sqZ to talk about programming ideas, so come join us there if you'd like!

If you have any questions, please leave a comment on this post, or email the Programming team at programming@confabcon.com. We're happy to be a sounding board!

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Hello everyone! Get excited because CONfab is coming back to Chicago this fall! We will be hosting our first in-person convention since 2019 from October 19-22, 2023 at the Springhill Suites Chicago O'Hare. Registration is open now! Head over to our website for more details, including pricing and a link to register.

http://confabcon.com/registration/

Our COVID-19 policy for the convention is available on the website, and we will be updating the hotel page as soon as possible with information on the hotel rate and links to book your room. We are working with the hotel to provide you as much information as possible about their added safety measures since the start of the pandemic, and that information will also be available on our website soon.

Finally, here are some important dates for this year's in-person event:

June 17th–July 8th: Programming Submissions
July 15th–August 5th: Programming Voting
June 1st–September 4th: Vid Show Submissions
September 16th: Schedule Goes Live
October 19th–October 22nd: Con Weekend!

Stay tuned to our social media for updates in the coming weeks; we can't wait to see your faces in Chicago!

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Hello CONfab friends!

We’re so excited to see you soon for our Virtual Con, which takes place April 29-30 and on multiple different platforms like Zoom, Discord and Conline. Registration is open at confabcon.com/registration and is $20 for the full weekend. If you’re someone who might leave this sort of thing for the last minute, we’ll let you know that registration closes on April 27th at midnight CDT.

If you still haven’t made up your mind about attending, we have released the schedule at confabulation.conline.club/schedule for your perusal! It is a bit different than our previous cons (both virtual and not!) so double check to make sure you’re not missing anything. One of those changes is that Sunday will be a day full of activities instead of traditional panels. We are still accepting submissions to add to Sunday! So if you’d like to host an online party game, a TTRPG, a tutorial, a watchalong or movie viewing, a curated vid show, or anything else you think could fall under the activity umbrella, please send Chaneen a message on Discord, or email us at programming at confabcon.com.

Con is coming up quickly, and we’re looking for volunteers to help the show run as smoothly as possible. These volunteers will help with the technical side of running the con, especially on Zoom and Discord. If you’re not fully fluent in both these platforms, that’s okay! Everyone will get training for their duties. Volunteer signups are located at docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSepKohXGNYHXHfhDW0YtgcUyrGIHYUdcBOUoFbpdsJjpeofhw/viewform, and will be open until April 15th at midnight. As a special thank you, volunteers will also receive a $5 credit to any future CONfabulation convention.

We hope to see you virtually on April 29-30, but if not, remember that we’re also putting on IRL CONfab this October in Chicago! Details and registration to come soon.

See you soon!

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This year we’re trying something a bit different! Sunday (April 30th) of our Virtual Con is full of activities instead of programming, but we need your help with submissions! If you’re interested in hosting an event or a watchalong, email programming at confabcon.com

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Voting for Virtual CONfab 2023 programming is now open! It will run from Saturday, March 4th at 10AM Eastern, through Saturday, March 11th at 10PM Eastern. You can find all of our programming submissions in alphabetical order, separated by type, here on our website. They are also available in this spreadsheet, in the order they were submitted.

When you're ready to vote, simply fill out this form. We can't wait to see what you choose!

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Submissions for programming for Virtual CONfabulation 2023 are officially open! They will stay open for two weeks (<strong>February 4th through February 18th</strong>). Submit your ideas for the programming you want to see at the con; we can't wait to hear them! If you need help fleshing out ideas or want to find other fans to be part of your panel or group discussion, or help run your workshop, head on over to <a href="https://confabcon.dreamwidth.org/16229.html">our brainstorming post</a>! You don't need a Dreamwidth account to comment.

Our submission form can be found <a href="http://confabcon.com/programming">here</a>. You can submit a maximum of four topics/activities in total (multi-session or multi-hour workshops on the same topic count as one submission)! You and up to 3 other fans can be on a panel together (this includes a moderator, as panels cap out at 4 panelists), and if you would like CONfab to help you find a moderator, let us know on the form! We'd be happy to help. Please keep in mind that activities must be run by the person submitting it.

If you're wondering if you have to be registered to submit programming, the answer is no. If you haven't had time to purchase your ticket, don't worry, you can still fill out the submission form.

You can find a list of all the programming that has been submitted <a href="https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1LEIZGvoEF7ern71Qi7wOnPWSP29TLtyGOTAgqfmpbFI/edit?usp=sharing">here</a>. We will try to keep this list updated daily. If your submission has not appeared on this list and you haven't received a confirmation email within 48 hours of submitting, please contact us.

If you have any questions, feel free to leave a comment on this post, or email the Programming team at programming@confabcon.com.