CONfabulation

We can't believe the con is in less than two months! What even is time?? We have a few programming-related announcements for you today.

Thanks again to everyone who submitted programming for CONfab 2024, as well as to those of you who voted on what you want to see this year. The schedule will be released in early October, but for now we have a list of everything that you'll see at this year's CONfab below the cut, organized by programming type and alphabetical by current title. If the title doesn't make it clear what the programming is, we've provided a little context in [brackets]. Onto the list!
( 2024 Programming List )

Next up, our Saturday Night Dance Party! This year's theme is Star Studded. You don't have get dressed up, but you are welcome to use the theme as a jumping off point to plan a fun outfit or a costume. Or, just come in your pajamas; we don't mind. :D

You can register for CONfab 2024 and find details about the hotel on our website. We're looking forward to seeing you there.

CONfab 2024 will be held in person at the Springhill Suites Chicago O'Hare. Here are the important dates to remember:

March 4 – Early bird registration ($135) opens
May 6 – Programming submissions open
June 1 – Registration price goes up to $150
June 1 – Vid Show submissions open
July 7 – Programming submissions close
July 10 – Activity submissions open
July 15 – Programming voting opens
August 18 – Programming voting closes
September 2 – Vid show submissions close
October 1 – Registration price goes up to $160
October 24-27 – CONfab weekend!!!!!

Please check out our other posts in the community for links to registration, hotel group rate, programming submissions/voting, and other things as those dates arrive. You can also find this information on our website! Any questions about the convention, please feel free to contact us at info@confabcon.com.

We hope to see you in October in Chicago!

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!