ApolloCon News and Discussion Forum

Have your hotel room for ApolloCon yet?

The con rates are good through to the con, but our room block closes after today. After that rooms are in the general pool and are "as available." Book online through the link on our website.

ApolloCon 2012
June 22-24, 2012
Houston DoubleTree Intercontinental
Houston, Texas

GoH Tanya Huff
Art GoH Jael
Fan GoH Candace Pulleine

More information about ApolloCon 2012 at our website.

We are nearly at the end of April, and that means we're coming up to the next increase in the pre-reg rate for ApolloCon 2012.

Current rate for adult three-day is $30 until May 1st. $35 after. $40 at the door.

See our registration page for information about other rates.

Guests of Honor this year:

Tanya Huff, Guest of Honor
Jael, Artist Guest of Honor
Candace Pulleine, Fan Guest of Honor

ApolloCon is pleased to announce that Tanya Huff will be our 2012 Guest of Honor.

Tanya Huff is a Canadian author whose twenty-seven books range from heroic fantasy (the Quarters books) through humour (the Keeper Chronicles) to military SF (the Torin Kerr Confederation series). Her books have been translated into nine languages and her five book Blood series, an urban fantasy/vampire/mystery mix which predated the current vampire craze by about fifteen years, was adapted into the 22 episode television series Blood Ties.

We look forward to welcoming Tanya Huff to Texas in June!

For more information about our 2012 GoH, please see our website.

Every year, ApolloCon strives to put on a program that is thought-provoking, inspiring, ground-breaking, and most of all FUN! We also want our program to be a reflection of our members, what they're passionate about, and the things that tickle their fancy. So if you have a fabulous idea and would love to see it come to life at ApolloCon, here is your chance to let us know. Be it a panel, a demo, a tasting, or an idea for ApolloKids, we want to hear what you want to see at ApolloCon 2012!

The first brainstorm session will occur on Sunday, October 16 from noon to 3pm in the Central Market community room. There will be snacks, prizes, and lots of fun. So come and hang out with us and let your voice be heard!"

As always, if you cannot make the session, submit ideas at our online brainstorm form.

For more information, contact programming.2012@apollocon.org

Team ApolloCon will be at FenCon this weekend, running parties on Friday and Saturday evenings.

Festivities start at 9pm each night.

Check party posters for location!

Hope to see you there!

ApolloCon 2012 is pleased to make the following announcements:

The ApolloCon 2012 website is live! Visit us at www.apollocon.org.

ApolloCon 2012 will be held at the Doubletree Houston/Intercontinental Airport June 22-24, 2012.

The first pre-registration rate increase is coming up. The special early $20 rate is good until September 1, 2011. Pre-registration rate will be $25 after September 1. Register online or by USPS with a postmark of September 1, 2011.

The ApolloCon 2012 Promotional T-Shirt was unveiled at the combined ApolloCon/FenCon/ConDFW room party at ArmadilloCon. The art for the shirt, called "Cow Dancer," was created by Cat Osborne and was the winning entry in the t-shirt art contest announced at ApolloCon 2011. Intended to meld this year's theme of the 2012 end-of-the-Mayan calendar with the iconic ApolloCon cow, the artwork has been described as a "Mooyan Cowlendar". As the contest winner, Cat will receive breakfast for two at the convention hotel.

ApolloCon 2012 information is not only on LJ. You can follow ApolloCon on a variety of social media, including Twitter (@apollocon), Facebook, Dreamwidth, and MySpace.

Watch this space for more information on the promotional t-shirts and other ApolloCon 2012 news!

The following message is a general announcement from ApolloCon 2012 Conchair Jonathan Guthrie:

The ApolloCon 2012 committee is just now getting off the ground and if you're interested in participating in the planning part, there are plenty of things you can do to help. I have already spoken to a number of people about the committee roles that they want to take for the next ApolloCon, but nothing is carved in stone about who's doing what yet. Some long-standing committee members are leaving us or dramatically scaling back their participation, so there are a lot of roles up in the air.

If you're interested in being on the committee, you're not sure what roles there are, would like to find out what you might be getting yourself into, or have any other questions, comments, or concerns, please email me at conchair.2012@apollocon.org

I have already spoken with a number of people about roles in the upcoming committee. Even if I've spoken with you, it's pretty important that you send me an email expressing your interest in joining the 2012 committee and letting me know what roles most appeal to you. I've been pretty preoccupied these last couple of weeks so there's no guarantee I remember the conversation. I'm sorry about that. Life happens.

Thank you for your attention, and I hope to see you all at ApolloCon next June.

Jonathan Guthrie, chair of ApolloCon 2012, has announced a contest to select the ApolloCon 2012 promotional T-Shirt.

The winner of the contest will receive breakfast for two at the restaurant in the hotel hosting ApolloCon 2012.

Designs must be two-color. Submit your design as a PDF emailed to conchair.2012@apollocon.org.

Designs must be submitted by July 15, 2011. 

The designs will be judged by our panel of experts on creativity, originality, suitability for reproduction on a promotional T-Shirt, and essential ApolloConishness.

Okay, as some folks know, we've had some circumstances beyond our control, and it's affected our ability to get the programming grid posted to the website.

(At least it's not as bad as the year our web host blew up & burned --literally-- shortly before the con... nowhere near that exciting.)

We have a work-around in place for now, and have a TENTATIVE and still changing grid on the website at www.apollocon.org/pgm_grid.html and descriptions at www.apollocon.org/pgm_blurbs.html

There will still be some movement on this grid, but you can see that we have plenty of activities and a lot of great people involved.

If you are on programming or would like to be on programming, and you have a question or suggestion, PLEASE email it to programming.2011@apollocon.org. They are very busy right now and might miss questions posted on LiveJournal.

The nominations for ApolloCon 2012 Guests of Honor are as follows:

Guest of Honor:
Iain Banks
Carol Berg
Jim Butcher
Larry Correla
Eric Flint
Nalo Hopkinson
Tanya Huff
Mary Robinette Kowal
Cherie Priest
Christopher Stasheff

Artist Guest of Honor:
Phil & Kaja Foglio
James Gurney
B. E. Johnson
Kinuko Y. Kraft
Rowena Morrill
John Jude Palencar

Editor Guest of Honor:
Bill Fawcett
Selina Rosen

Music Guest of Honor:
Leslie Fish
Tom Smith
Urban Tapestry
S. J. Tucker

Special Categories:
Dr. Jane Chance (Tolkien Scholar)
Shaenon K. Garrity (Webcomic Author/Artist: Narbonic, Skin Horse)
Adam Smith (Artist, Steampunk artist, Leatherworker, prop maker)
Howard Tayler (Webcomic Author/Artist, Schlock Mercenary)
Paul Taylor (Webcomic Author/Artist, Wapsi Square)

Again, we'll discuss these and have a vote tomorrow, Sunday June 12, at the Central Market on Westheimer, Second Floor Meeting Room.

Regards,

Mark