Show Posts

This section allows you to view all posts made by this member. Note that you can only see posts made in areas you currently have access to.


Topics - Matt the Lion

Pages: [1] 2
1
Announcements / Forum Closure
« on: February 09, 2017, 09:47:38 »
Due to dwindling usage over the past few years and an unmanageable increase in the workload required by our volunteer staff in order to moderate and evict spammers (despite implementation of many technical measures) we have made the tough decision to close the ConFuzzled forum.

Creation of new forum users and posting of new threads or replies will no longer be possible, however the existing content will be preserved as an online archive for the foreseeable future.

There is an active forum community over at UKFur (https://forum.ukfur.org/forum/93-confuzzled/) where you can find lots of ongoing discussion about the convention, find potential roomshare partners or find a travelling buddy.

You can also keep up to date on all ConFuzzled news by following us on Twitter (@cfconvention), checking out our website (www.confuzzled.org.uk) or by subscribing to our newsletter.

We will soon also be carrying out a survey about the ways through which you would prefer to receive information about the convention - keep watch on the locations above for when this comes out and let us know!

Best Regards,
The ConFuzzled Management Team

2
Announcements / Website Security Update
« on: October 16, 2014, 22:28:59 »
You may have seen in the media recently that a weakness has been discovered in one of the older technologies (SSL version 3) used to protect data in transit between web browsers and web servers. We will be following in the footsteps of major internet entities such as Twitter, CloudFlare and Akamai and will disable SSLv3 connections to our secure websites overnight tonight. This means that some very old web browsers which do not support more recent encryption technology may fail to connect to our servers using addresses starting with HTTPS. Our research suggest that this will only affect people using Windows XP and Internet Explorer 6 and this makes up an extremely small proportion of the internet population, so we hope this does not affect any of you, however ensuring the integrity and confidentiality of our attendees' personal data when being transmitted to our servers is of the utmost importance.

We apologise if this should cause you any inconvenience.

3
Announcements / ConFuzzled 2013 Registration Coming Soon
« on: August 29, 2012, 23:02:18 »
Are you feeling your life lacks that cookie induced madness that is ConFuzzled? Envious of those people enjoying themselves away at EuroFurence? Are you one of those people enjoying yourself at EF and you want more? In that case, read on as we have some great news for you!

We are delighted to announce that we will be opening registration for ConFuzzled 2013 in just one short week from today – at 8pm on Wednesday the 5th of September! For details of all our ticket and pricing options, please head over to the pricing section of our website

In addition to the listed room options, we have also managed to arrange with the Hotel that we can again put a limited number of temporary single beds into both Double and Twin rooms to enable an extra person to stay in the room. This will allow a Double room to sleep three people or a Twin room to sleep up to five! Due to a technical limitation of our registration system, these options can’t currently be selected directly when registering, so please register as normal and then each person should email the registration team [registration@confuzzled.org.uk] to request your room type to be changed.

Whilst we would love to see as many people as possible registering for the convention, we must remind you that your payment becomes due as soon as your registration has been approved by the registration team. Some payment methods also incur a small surcharge to cover the fees we are charged in order to process the payments. The payment methods we accept along with repsective surchages and payment windows are as follows:

Payment over the counter at a UK HSBC branch – Free – 5 Days
Bank transfer from a UK bank account – Free – 5 Days
Credit/Debit card via Google Wallet – 3.4% of transaction plus 20p – 2 days
International bank transfer via IBAN – £7.00 – 7 days

Due to the limited availability of the Deluxe Double rooms in the hotel, we are not making them immediately available on the registration system in order to avoid the issues we saw previously, where one attendee booked a Deluxe room but we sold out before their roommate was able to register. This year, Deluxe rooms will only be available on request to our registration helpdesk – you and your prospective roommate will need to email in and request the upgrade once you are both registered. Please note rooms will be reserved on a first-come, first-served basis.

Our rentable Party Suites were extrememly popular last year and will be making a return again this year! With the addition of an extra night to our schedule, this gives you six nights to choose from to host your party and therefore 24 bookable nights in total. For more details see http://2013.confuzzled.org.uk/venue/bedrooms/#suites. Please note that these will have their own separate registration process which will be announced later this year.

If you have any queries about registering for the convention, aren’t sure about what options you should select, or if anything should go wrong – email our registration helpdesk on registration@confuzzled.org.uk who will be more than happy to assist you.

All the best,

The ConFuzzled Team

4
Announcements / ConFuzzled 2012 Events Schedule - Sneak Preview!
« on: February 20, 2012, 19:29:34 »
The ConFuzzled events team are pleased to release a sneak preview of our keynote evening events for 2012, which can be found at http://events.confuzzled.org.uk/2012/. Please note however this schedule is subject to change at any time as events planning will continue in the run up to the convention. Keep checking back over the next couple of months to see what's new or changed.

If you'd like an idea of what the final timetable might look like, you can check out our 2011 timetable here: http://events.confuzzled.org.uk/2011/. If you attended the convention in 2011 then you can also leave us feedback for individual events from here.

Should you have any queries or suggestions for the timetable, please send these to the events team at events@confuzzled.org.uk

5
Announcements / An Update on Registration and Hotel Capacity.
« on: September 18, 2011, 22:03:20 »
We have had an unprecedented start to registration for ConFuzzled 2012, with over 200 of you registering in the first four days! We cannot thank you enough for your support, and it is exciting to see many new names alongside a large number of regular attendees.  However, as the registrations continue to pour in, we have had many people asking questions concerned that we will not have enough space for you all.

We would like to take this opportunity to clarify for you some numbers regarding hotel capacity and room availability to try and relieve some confusion.

  • In total, the hotel has 358 rooms (excluding four party suites), all of which can accommodate at least two people.
  • We have 50 rooms allocated for single occupancy.
  • If the convention sells all the rooms in the hotel, with these 50 as single occupancy and two people sharing every other room, this will allow for 666 residential attendees - around 200 more than the Britannia.
  • It is possible, however, for those attendees staying in twin rooms to choose to share with up to three other people, based on two people sharing each double bed. (If you wish to take advantage of this option, you and your intended room mates will need to e-mail our registration team at registration@confuzzled.org.uk).
  • If all attendees booking a twin room choose to have four people sharing, the hotel capacity will become 936 residential attendees.

Therefore, to clarify, this year ConFuzzled can accommodate between 666 and 936 residential attendees, depending on room sharing options chosen. 

At this time, unfortunately, all Deluxe Doubles have been booked.  However, when registering you can still opt for this room choice and join the waiting list.  If any registrations are removed from the system, this may free up rooms and spaces will be allocated to those on the waiting list in order.  In addition, we would like to let you know that 50% of the single occupancy rooms have been booked.  Therefore, if you want one of these, please act fast before they are all gone.

Please note that in order to maintain our waiting lists, if you do not pay for your registration within the payment deadline notified to you by email then it is liable to be cancelled at any time. You will receive an email to warn you if your payment has become overdue.

We would also like to remind you that when you register for a double or twin room, unless you choose your room mate and pair yourselves up in the registration system, you WILL be allocated a random room mate.  This is unavoidable due to contractual obligations with the hotel, so please make sure that you sort out your room mate(s) early. 

In order to allocate your room mate, you will need to log into the registration system with your details (received via email after successfully registering), and invite your desired room-mate to share using the "Send room share invitation" link. Your room mate will receive the invitation by email and once they have accepted it you will be confirmed as sharing a room.  This option is only available after both of you have paid in full.

As per the above, if you opt to stay in a twin room and wish to share with 2 or 3 other people, you and all your intended room mates will need to contact our registration team. Unfortunately we are unable to offer a price reduction for three or four people in a twin room due to pricing constraints of our contract with the hotel - each person will need to pay for a space in a standard twin room.

We apologise for any confusion that this may have caused, however, we strive to offer the options that allow the best level of flexibility in keeping with demand.

We would like to thank you for you continued support of ConFuzzled and look forward to seeing you all at the Barceló Hinckley Island hotel in 2012!

6
Announcements / Registration is Open!
« on: September 15, 2011, 20:04:58 »
Ladies and Gentlemen, it is with great pleasure that we can finally declare ConFuzzled 2012 registration... OPEN!

That's right, you can now register for this amazing UK furry convention taking place on 25-28 May 2012 in the fabulous four-star Barceló Hinckley Island hotel.

We'll be rolling out the red carpet and warming up the flashbulbs in anticipation of this star-studded event. But what do you need to do to be there? All you need to do is register with us and pay for your ticket to this star-studded world of glitz and glamour!

"How can I register?" we hear you cry. Well, just head on to the Box Office here: https://reg.confuzzled.org.uk/ - don't forget to read the Code of Conduct and Conditions of Sale!

We look forward to seeing you there!

-All at ConFuzzled

7
Announcements / Registration opens on Thursday 15th September
« on: September 10, 2011, 09:23:43 »
It's time to dust off that tuxedo, time to get that Marilyn Monroe costume freshened up, find that golden statue behind the sofa. Get ready for glitz and glamour - because ConFuzzled 2012 will be opening its doors to you very soon!

We are delighted to announce that we're rolling the red carpet out and opening registration at 2000 BST on Thursday 15th September!

As this time approaches, keep a close eye on our Twitter account (@cfconvention), website ( http://www.confuzzled.org.uk/premiere/attending/registering/ ) and the ConFuzzled forum where we will post the link to our registration system once registration opens.

Please take some time before registration opens to review the pricing and options available for ConFuzzled 2012 on our website.

Dealers - registration for the Dealers' Den will open at the same time as main registration. So if you would like to be in our Dealers' Den, remember to register early because when we run out of space, we won't be able to accept any more Dealers!
To register just click on the 'Dealers Den' box under 'options and extras' and fill out the form.

Should you have any questions about registering, please contact the Registration Team by emailing registration@confuzzled.org.uk. For Dealers' Den questions, please contact the Commerce team by emailing dealersden@confuzzled.org.uk

But that's not all...

It is also our pleasure to inform you that, thanks to a very kind donation made by DH Winterwolf, the grand total raised by ConFuzzled attendees for the International Otter Survival Fund has reached £10,000! We can't even imagine how many feesh that'll buy those lucky otters. It's thanks to you that we've managed to raise so much money for our charity, and the fact we've hit the five-digit mark speaks volumes about your generosity. You've set yourselves a very high bar in 2011 - what will you achieve in 2012?

It's not too late to donate to the otters though! Should you also wish to make a donation, please head to their website at http://www.ottershop.co.uk/acatalog/Donations.html where you can make a donation directly to the IOSF. If you'd like to, mention that you were a ConFuzzled 2011 attendee!

8
Hi all!

We've been working hard since the end of the last convention and we're now ready to tell you all about what we've got in store for you. However, there is one massive change: We're moving!

With 499 attendees in 2011, we reached maximum attendance at the Britannia Country House Hotel and we sadly must say goodbye to it and to Manchester. But fear not, our love of stars has made us seek out a larger, better, stronger, faster venue with four whole stars and brought to you live in high definition.

Our glorious new venue is the Barceló Hinckley Island Hotel in Leicestershire, and we're so chuffed with it, we've put together a little video to show you what's been making all the staff at ConFuzzled so excited for the past two months.

Go take a peek at our new home here: http://www.confuzzled.org.uk

9
Announcements / New Forum Design and Layout
« on: August 06, 2011, 22:35:16 »
Welcome to our refreshed, tidied and streamlined forum! In full Hollywood tradition we've given the whole thing a facelift, tummytuck and over six hours of makeup.

Here's a quick summary of the changes we've made:
  • Firstly, and perhaps most obviously, we've updated the forum theme - we hope you find these graphical changes pleasing to the eye.
  • We've cut down the number of boards to try and keep things easier to use and browse.
  • Most of the old posts have been shuffled away into an archive which can be found at the bottom of the main forum page. So, don't worry if you can't see your old posts - they're still there in archive.

We really hope that you like what you see, and we look forward to talking to you here and seeing you at ConFuzzled 2012.

Please let us know what you think of the changes or if you have any suggestions for further improvements to the forum.

10
In our previous announcement regarding the hotel takeover we said that residential registration would close on 31st March 2011. We would like to remind all potential attendees that this date is rapidly approaching. Any registrations which are still unpaid on April 7th will be cancelled.

For those of you already registered, please note that we will also not be able to take any further bookings for early arrival or late departure after this time. We are required to confirm room allocations to the hotel at this time, therefore we cannot accept any changes to your room type or the duration of your stay after 31st March. Any changes which require payment must be paid for before April 7th, or they will be removed from your registration.

March 31st is also the final date for arranging room shares, after this time it will not be possible to make any changes to your room sharing arrangements.  Please remember that if you are in a room that can accommodate multiple people and you do not select someone to share your room with, then we will allocate someone at random to take the remaining space(s). For example, if you have selected a triple room but only have one other room mate selected, you will have a third person assigned to take the remaining space. You can invite people to share your room by logging into your registration and looking at the Room Share section.

We must also remind you that anyone who wishes to stay in the hotel overnight must have either a residential or sponsor ticket. Ghosting of rooms (i.e. staying with a friend in their booked hotel room without having a residential ticket) is not permitted, and anyone caught doing so may be removed from the premises.

In summary, the last date when you will be able to book a room in the hotel or arrange your room sharing is March 31st and you must have paid before April 7th. After this date we will only be able to accept bookings for Attending Only tickets, until April 29th when we will close registration completely (all unpaid registrations by the 29th of April will be cancelled).

If you have any queries, please contact registration@confuzzled.org.uk as soon as possible.

11
Announcements (CF2008-CF2011) / The ConFuzzled Hotel Takeover
« on: February 26, 2011, 20:54:07 »
It's been a long time coming, but we've finally done it! We are delighted to announce that we've sold enough tickets to be able to secure the entire venue solely for the use of our attendees! This means that, amongst other things, we can make much better use of the public spaces of the hotel as well as getting them to tailor things to suit our attendees. We'll share more about this soon.

We'd also like to take this opportunity to remind everyone that we're running very low on some types of bedrooms in the hotel; we're sold out of standard Triple and Single rooms, and we're soon likely to be sold out of Twin rooms.   Although we are also operating a Waiting List for room types which are sold out as we did last year, it is very unlikely that a space in these room types will become available.  There are a limited number of Superior Twin and Standard Double rooms remaining. Availability of Superior Double rooms remains very good.

We also have a very limited number of Double rooms with a Sofabed in them if you wish to add a third person to your room. If you wish to make use of one of these, please contact registration support via registration@confuzzled.org.uk as soon as possible.

Pending further negotiations with the hotel, residential registration will currently be closing on March 31st, so unless we announce otherwise that will be your last chance to secure a room to stay in the hotel for the convention weekend. After this date, it will still be possible to register for ConFuzzled up until a week before the convention - however, only the "Attending Only" ticket type will be available for purchase and you will need to seek alternative accommodation.

If you are planning to share your room with someone who has not yet registered, then you need to encourage them to register very soon, as they will need to book a space in the same type of room as you have. If you do not select a roommate to take up extra space(s) in your room, we will select one for you.

We would like to remind you that the ability to set roomsharing is available in the registration system. To set a roommate (or two if you're in a triple room), please log in to your registration and at the bottom of the main screen, you will find the roomsharing option. Simply add the IDs of your roommates and they will be invited to your room. Remember, your roommates must be registered for the same roomtype as yourself to be able to share a room together!

12
Announcements (CF2008-CF2011) / Schedules and Volunteers
« on: February 18, 2011, 18:42:56 »
We've got a double annoucement for you today, so read on for some exciting news about ConFuzzled 2011!

Preliminary Events Timetable

We are proud to present the first draft of our events timetable, which is now available to view at http://www.confuzzled.org.uk/schedule/index.en.html Please keep in mind that this is a draft, and there will probably be changes, cancellations or additions - keep checking back regularly.

We apologise for the need to scroll left and right on the schedule pages, but we have so many events we couldn't squash them all on the screen at once!

ConFuzzled Needs You!

Do you feel an overwhemling urge to help out? Then we have a job for you! We are looking for volunteers to help out during the convention; we need people who can heft equipment around and lay out rooms for events. If you're interested, head over to http://goo.gl/oJqYO to register your interest and our Logistics team will be in touch soon.

We also need some additional security volunteers, if you're interested in this then please contact security@confuzzled.org.uk

13
Announcements (CF2008-CF2011) / ConFuzzled 2011 Charity
« on: February 12, 2011, 11:05:43 »
ConFuzzled are proud to annouce that our charity for this year will be the International Otter Survival Fund!

The International Otter Survival Fund (IOSF) is one of the world's leading otter charities. In the UK, IOSF is the only charity solely dedicated to the conservation, protection and care of otters based on 20 years of scientific research in the UK and around the world. The following excerpts from their website give a good explanation of their motivation and the work they do.

"Otter numbers in the UK have increased slightly in recent years but the Eurasian otter is still classed as “Vulnerable” in the Red Data List. Through education, research, influencing policy and partner-working the IOSF is making progress but there is still much to be done here in the UK and in other countries where otters are at risk."

"The IOSF aims to work with local communities throughout the world to educate, inform and encourage the protection and conservation of otters. We want people throughout the world to be as appalled by otter hunting as we are towards tiger and rhino hunting. We would like to educate people on the benefits of otters, what healthy populations mean for the environment, and dispel myths that are causing otters to be intentionally disturbed, persecuted and hunted."

"By helping to raise funds for the IOSF, you are helping to pay for research into increasing otter populations world-wide, educating those in areas where otters are still hunted, helping rear otter cubs that have been lost or abandoned and much more. For example, otter cubs cost about £1,000 to rear in terms of food, vet bills, etc. They stay with their mothers for 12-15 months so we have to release them at about the same age – if we release them too early they will not survive. This is why the food bills are so high."

"The IOSF wants to protect otters so that future generations to come can enjoy one of the world’s most charming, elusive and enjoyable mammals."


Through donations, charity sales and our art auction, ConFuzzled hopes to continue our history of great donations to the chosen charities. So dig deep - the otters need you! We're confident that we can beat the total given to charity last year!

14
Hey, you over there propping up the bar...

As you are probably aware, ConFuzzled is aiming to have enough attendees to be able to take over the entire hotel this year so we don't have to share the space with anyone else -  and we are now drawing incredibly close to reaching that target. We originally needed to reach the number of registrations by the start of this year. But by the time we had to decide, we did not have the required number of attendees to take over the entire venue.

The good news is that the hotel management has been very impressed with the number of attendees so far, and has very graciously extended the deadline for us to reach the requried numbers until the end of February.

So, if you want the entire ConFuzzled 2011 venue to be reserved for the attendees of the convention (which will also enable us to do some more awesome things we wouldn't otherwise get away with), then encourage your friends to register and pay as soon as possible!

We will need approximately 50 additional residential registrations before the end of February in order to make this work, so please continue to spread the word about ConFuzzled on any other furry forums or websites that you visit - you've been doing a fantastic job so far!

15
Announcements (CF2008-CF2011) / ConFuzzled 2011 Registration OPEN!
« on: August 30, 2010, 11:01:45 »
Hey! Hey you! Yes, it's me again, got another message from the Boss. Registration for ConFuzzled 2011 has now opened! To get onto the exclusive List of Attendees, all you've gotta do is head on over to http://bit.ly/RegForCFz2011 and sign up. Remember to read the front page in full before diving in to register. The Boss knows you're keen, but there's some important stuff on there to bear in mind whilst registering.

 
So what are you waiting for? You know you don't want to keep the Boss waiting...

Pages: [1] 2