Current Minecraft Con 2011 Plans

I wanted to go ahead and post a bit about what we are currently planning, which of course could change once we get under way and continue discussions with everyone involved.

Currently, we are talking with a bunch of the folks you know from the Minecraft community and gauging interest and the extent of participation at the convention. We have nothing confirmed yet.

Cons are a catch 22 situation. To book the areas, you need to let the venues know the amount of people you are going to bring in. To invite guests, you need to know if you can pay their travel/hotel/food. To get people to buy tickets to show up you have to let them know who is going to be there. For example, if we could guarantee that Notch was going to come to the convention and speak, a lot of people would come just to see him. If we could guarantee that a lot of people were going to come to the convention then there would be a more likely chance that Notch would be there.

So, how do you start the ball rolling? First, We believe it is a field of dreams scenario. You build it, and they will come. If you are passionate about the growing of the community then the community can trust that you will will make the event a memorable event and worth the time and money.

That is why we have decided to just move forward with planning the convention, and work towards getting all the names from minecraft there in the process. We wanted to have some confirmations before we started announcing everything, but we can honestly expect VIP guests to agree to come, when we haven't even announced it yet.

The main issue I have heard so far is, "Why Huntsville, AL"? The main reason is that we are from here. We have contacts here and we can host this the cheapest here in dollars and man hours planning and working with the local venues. And even though the perception of Alabama to some is of some backwards redneck state, that opinion is baseless. Read some of the articles here: http://www.huntsvillealabamausa.com/news/nat_recog.html and you might find that Huntsville might actually sound like the perfect fit for a convention with a bunch of tech enthusiasts. And also, growing up here my whole life, I can't tell you how many conventions I wish were closer to here so I might have a chance to attend.

Ok, so Location is taken care of. Let's talk pricing. Currently we are thinking about $60 at the door. With a reduced price for buying tickets early. Keeping in mind that the first venue has a limited capacity, though if that filled quickly, we have other alternatives that we could move to.

$60? What does that go towards? First off Venue. We need to have internet available for streaming events. Portions of that will be going towards getting famous Minecraft folks down here. Entertainment. If there is money available after that then Freebies and food/drinks (Con Suite). The cons we have run in the past have never made us any money. We've always used it to make the con the best it can be. That's the goal here.

So, why should you just throw up a meetup and head down to your local bar? Here are just a few of the tentative ideas we are discussing:

- Largest Minecraft Let's Play stream EVER Live with the most people in one place playing together.
- Spleef Tournament with Prizes
- Machinima Contest (Go ahead and start making your creations!)
- Costume Contest / Cosplay
- Panels with your favorite Minecraft personalities
- Live build with real physical blocks! (thanks for the idea MadMommy!)
- Flash build contests
- Live Entertainment (Music, Comedy)

And of course, we are going to be talking with Mojang and see who we can get to come to the convention. That is also where a portion of the tickets will be going. I personally would love a few panels with Notch and other developers from Mojang.

I'm so excited about the convention, and Minecraft in general. The community is truly on of the best I have been a part of, and this will be a truly special event. I promise you we will put everything we can into it to insure it's great and that whoever comes to it has a great time.

These are by no means the final plans. Just the beginning, and we look forward to ideas from the community as well. I'll post more as soon as there is more information, and as the VIP guests start confirming their participation.

Thanks!
Minecraft Con 2011