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[HidoshiNobunaga]

I'm gonna put this up here as the official CB! 2013 thread.

What is ConBravo! and why should I go?
ConBravo! is the annual festival of all things geek, located in Hamilton, ON, and running on July 26-28th. It's now our fourth annual show and the previous year saw 2300 of you fine folks pour through the convention, filling up the concerts, guest sessions, panels, workshops, events, and more!

We're dedicated to bringing together the best in indie media, gaming, music, cosplay and more under one roof, and you guys are a huge part of making that happen.

Visit our website at http://conbravo.com for details, or read on!

What guests are coming to ConBravo! 2013?
Our confirmed lineup includes:
+Mark Meer, voice actor for Commander Shepard in Mass Effect 1-3.
+James Portnow, writer and co-creator of Extra Credits and game designer
+Brent "brentalfloss" Black, geek musician and songwriter
+Doug Walker the Nostalgia Critic, online film critic and comedian
+The World is Square, the entirely too-talented Square-Enix tribute band
+WordBurglar, comic-based geek rapper and local Toronto artist
+The Blast Processors, five-piece rock band with an awesome Sega Genesis remix angle
+Shaun Hatton aka DJ Finish Him, Toronto geek news journalist/reporter and chiptune DJ
+Leo "That SciFi Guy" Thompson, host of That SciFi Guy and the League of Inebriated Gentlemen
+Lewis "Linkara" Lovhaug, comic book critic and host of Atop the Fourth Wall
+3killabytes, 3-piece nerdy review crew of films and video games
+Justin "JewWario" Carmical, host of You Can Play This & the upcoming FamiKamen Rider series
+The Game Chasers, Billy and Jay, the geeky version of American Pickers
+Pat the NES Punk, creator of the Punk Effect and reviewer of classic games
+Joey "Roo" DeSena, co-creator of Clan of the Gray Wolf and host of 16-Bit Gems
+Norm the Gaming Historian, intellectual headliner for Retroware TV
+Leo "That SciFi Guy" Thompson, sci-fi reviewer for thatguywiththeglasses.com
+Lewis "Linkara" Lovhaug, comic book reviewer for Atop the Fourth Wall
+Chez Apocalypse, including the Nostalgia Chick, Nella!, Lisa, PawDugan, ToddintheShadows, Rantasmo, Oancitizen, FoldableHuman, and Phil-Buni
+Mike "Birdman" Dodd, co-host of This Week in Geek and a raft of other online shows
+Vitaly S. Alexius, creator and artist of Romantically Apocalyptic

Our guest roster is expanding, so expect this list to grow shortly!

What is there to see and do at ConBravo! 2013?
We play host to a lot of different events, both indoors and out. Our attractions include:
- Guest Q&A Sessions
- Panels & Workshops
- Guest Autographs
- Music Concerts
- Vendor Market & Artist Alley
- Electronic Gaming Hall (Console gaming, arcade cabs, Rock Band, indie games, etc)
- Tabletop Gaming Tournaments (Settlers of Catan, Magic, D&D, indie games, etc)
- The Cosplay Masquerade
- DanceBravo!
- Name That Tune (Anime, Gaming, and Cartoon editions)
- Geek Squares (Attendee and Celebrity editions)
- D20 Live - our signature celebrity roleplaying session
- Team Fortress Live - our brand spankin' new Nerf wargame
- Quidditch - the Harry Potter game brought to life by the International Quidditch Association
- Live Action Mario Party - the best in fun-filled life-sized boardgaming

Note: Events may be subject to change.

Where is it, and how much?
ConBravo! 2013 will be held at:
The Hamilton Convention Centre
1 Summers Lane
Hamilton, ON, L8P4Y2

Ticket Prices:
Earlybird Pre-Registration: $25 (Feb 15th-Mar 15th) - ENDED
Regular Pre-Registration: $30 (Mar 15th-Jul 1st) – OPEN NOW
At-Door Registration: $35

Tickets will also be available from July 1st to July 25th online for the at-door price so you can skip part of the registration process and just do badge pickup.

Where can I stay for the convention?
The Sheraton Hamilton Hotel is running a special rate for our attendees until July 12th. Hotel rate is available via online or call-in booking.

For more information, including registration, go to http://conbravo.com. We're also on Facebook (Group and Page) and Twitter.

* * *

See you all there! If you guys have questions about the show, please feel free to post them here or email info@conbravo.com. Thanks!

[KittyCanuck]

You know I'll be there!

[Kaijugal]

I like how in your banner pic, right in the foreground is someone waving a huge bottle of Jägermeister. XD LOL!

[AJ the Collector]

Holy shit JewWario YES.

So bringing something retro Pokemon related for him to sign.

[Rainbowgasm]

bringing my whole crew this time!

[MDA]

Uh... wasn't this con in Burlington last year? And Oakville in it's first year? Most con's don't move cities every year...

[MaiSheri]

Originally Posted by MDA

Uh... wasn't this con in Burlington last year? And Oakville in it's first year? Most con's don't move cities every year...

No, most don't. But some do. In this case, wouldn't you rather go to a convention which is in an appropriate size venue than be squished into a sold-out hotel or have an attendance cap just so it could stay in the same city?

[Rainbowgasm]

Originally Posted by MDA

Uh... wasn't this con in Burlington last year? And Oakville in it's first year? Most con's don't move cities every year...

it was in Burlington (in the same Holiday Inn) the last 2 years, as that's as long as I've been going... I'd much rather it moves to a big enough space (it was cramped last year) and a little more south then become another FanExpo but in a hotel... I don't think staff would appreciate that much... it really not that much farther anyways, its what, 4 interchanges on the highway? maybe 6? maybe I'm wrong, but google maps has it only about 15-20 minutes longer trip then the old hotel!

[MDA]

Originally Posted by MaiSheri

No, most don't. But some do. In this case, wouldn't you rather go to a convention which is in an appropriate size venue than be squished into a sold-out hotel or have an attendance cap just so it could stay in the same city?

Originally Posted by Rainbowgasm

it was in Burlington (in the same Holiday Inn) the last 2 years, as that's as long as I've been going... I'd much rather it moves to a big enough space (it was cramped last year) and a little more south then become another FanExpo but in a hotel... I don't think staff would appreciate that much... it really not that much farther anyways, its what, 4 interchanges on the highway? maybe 6? maybe I'm wrong, but google maps has it only about 15-20 minutes longer trip then the old hotel!

Ah ok that makes sense. Despite that I don't think I'll be able to return to it again due to some personal issues and that I can't afford to do ConBravo!, Otakuthon, and Fan Expo.

And I mostly did 2012 for the simple fact I already had a trip planned for out to Woodstock that same weekend and asked my friend I was visiting if she was interested in going. It certainly gave us something to do for Saturday and we were able to see some friends we only see a few times a year. And a second cosplay opportunity for her.

[HidoshiNobunaga]

Updated the guest list.

Re: Location
RainbowGasm nailed it. Our old space was way too small for last year. We managed to scrape by just barely and we knew by Saturday afternoon that a move was in our future. Two years at the Burlington location was good, but they just don't have the space for us. Consider that we went from 325 to 1200 to 2300 across our three years so far. Growth has been hard to project. ^^;

The HCC affords us not only enough space for attendees this year, but also gives us room to grow for quite a number of years. We can likely go up to 6-8,000 in this space, which should give us at least a few years of staying in one place.

It's also easier to get to the HCC since we're only a block or two from the Hamilton GO Station, much closer than the old Burlington one. And it's a direct route from the QEW. You just exit at Main St. and turn at Summer's Lane and you're there. Convenient transit for attendees has been a big issue for us, as has local food access, and the HCC serves both extremely well at this point.

[Liliana]

@HidoshiNobunaga: Wow! that's amazing! o.o I can't believe how fast Con Bravo is growing, that is awesome.

If I can't manage to make it to Otakuthon this year, this con I will def come to. It is so nice to be able to go to a con durning that time of year, and close enough to where I live.~

[Ani_BEE]

Originally Posted by Kaijugal

I like how in your banner pic, right in the foreground is someone waving a huge bottle of Jägermeister. XD LOL!

I looks like a Sayian cosplayer from Dragon Ball Z as well. I don't think it is those.

[DireKitty]

Originally Posted by HidoshiNobunaga

Updated the guest list.

Re: Location
RainbowGasm nailed it. Our old space was way too small for last year. We managed to scrape by just barely and we knew by Saturday afternoon that a move was in our future. Two years at the Burlington location was good, but they just don't have the space for us. Consider that we went from 325 to 1200 to 2300 across our three years so far. Growth has been hard to project. ^^;

The HCC affords us not only enough space for attendees this year, but also gives us room to grow for quite a number of years. We can likely go up to 6-8,000 in this space, which should give us at least a few years of staying in one place.

It's also easier to get to the HCC since we're only a block or two from the Hamilton GO Station, much closer than the old Burlington one. And it's a direct route from the QEW. You just exit at Main St. and turn at Summer's Lane and you're there. Convenient transit for attendees has been a big issue for us, as has local food access, and the HCC serves both extremely well at this point.

Impressive numbers! HCC is a great spot that gives you room to grow.

[HidoshiNobunaga]

Originally Posted by Kaijugal

I like how in your banner pic, right in the foreground is someone waving a huge bottle of Jägermeister. XD LOL!

What can I say? Our fans party hard. ^~

[jukebox]

Personally, I think the Jagermeister is a nice touch. :P

Given the kind of numbers that the con has been pulling in over time, I don't think the frequent moving is entirely an issue. But out of curiosity, are we gonna have bigger panel rooms this year? The Bad Fanfic Panel needs breathing room, after all! It was a little cramped last year.