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Messages - Rallicat

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16
Announcements / BBQ Tickets now on sale!!
« on: April 22, 2014, 10:04:49 »
We’re pleased to announce that BBQ tickets are on sale now! want to jump right to the ticket purchase link? Click here!

This year -as with previous years- we’re throwing a BBQ!  The BBQ will be on the Friday (23rd) after the opening ceremony!  You can pay on the day, but you’ll save money by purchasing your BBQ ticket in advance (£15 in advance, £18 on the day).

Ticket numbers are limited, and the last advance purchased date is 16th May.  You can download our menu online, and vegetarian options are available.

Want to read more? Follow the link to the BBQ section of our dining page HERE!

17
Announcements / CF Food menu & prices now live!
« on: March 28, 2014, 22:11:20 »
We are today pleased to announce the ConFuzzled 2014 catering options!
From snacking to full meals, you'll find lots of great choices, all at good prices secured just for attendees!

As a top-rated hotel, the Hilton of course has a variety of dining choices. To jump right to the main dining page, click here, but below are a few notable highlights!

First off, be sure to check out the ConFuzzled Menu! This is an exclusive range of food choices for snacks, lunch and dinner! This great menu is available just for ConFuzzled attendees, and the prices offer excellent value! View the details here including the full menu for download! You'll also find details of the Lounge Pizza promotion in the menu too!

You can also pick up food throughout the day at "The Lounge" central bar! ConFuzzled attendees can get a 20% discount (display your conbadge with pride!)! Head over to the main food page where you can download a sample menu!

For those of you residential at the hotel, don't forget Breakfast is included! If not, you can still buy Breakfast at the hotel - just be sure to arrive early enough! Full English and Continental options are available (and don't forget, Executive residents can also get continental breakfast in the executive lounge too!).

Finally there are plenty of other choices for food and drink including Millers (drinks only, but with a 20% discount), the onsite Costa Coffee, Executive Lounge food (for Executive residents only) and Room Service! So, head over to the main dining page to see all the details - you need never go hungry in our new venue!

There's one more thing ... the BBQ! Yes, it's happening, and you'll find the pricing on the end of the dining page. We'll let everyone know when BBQ tickets go on sale!

18
Announcements / Art show & Auction Pre-Reg
« on: March 17, 2014, 17:25:22 »
Important – if you plan to submit an item to our art show and auction this year, please read on!

As with last year, we’ll be opening pre-registration of art-show and auction submissions.  There are a couple of changes this year, so please read on for the full details.

We prefer pre-registration because we have a huge number of submissions each year, and cataloguing all of these takes a long time.  We have to do this so we can keep track of sales, and prepare all the information for the auction.  Pre-registration speeds up the process dramatically and ensures things run smoothly for you, and auction buyers.

This year, in addition to taking details, you’ll also be able to upload pictures of your items.  Digital scans are preferred, but photos of the items are also accepted

The form for pre-registration is here: http://bit.ly/1fJQeLx

In addition, if you want to have your items delivered to the hotel, you can!  You may send your items to arrive up to 48-hours prior to the convention (no sooner!)

To send your items, download the shipping label here and attach it to your parcel(s).  The address of the hotel is on the label.  Please also fill in your sender details.  You MUST ensure you add the event name of ConFuzzled, the date of the first full convention day (23/5/2014) and enter the room name and stand name as ‘Art Show’.

You should send your items using your preferred parcel service,  ConFuzzled recommends you use a service that will track your parcel, and provide insurance.  Neither ConFuzzled nor the Birmingham Hilton Metropole can be held liable for any losses.

You can also leave items with the hotel to be returned to you via a courier service if required.  You should affix a returns label available here  and attach it to your parcels.  You can arrange courier services directly through the hotel, or make your own arrangements.  If you make your own arrangements please ensure items are collected quickly – the hotel cannot hold onto items for you and may dispose of items if not collected.

We know that some of you may not fully know exactly what items you’ll be submitting until closer to the convention, and last minute, unregistered items will be accepted at the very end of the Art Submission event before the Art show opens, and any extra space will be allocated on a first-come, first-serve basis.  Even if you don’t know every item you’ll be submitting, please pre-register as many items as you can.

 More details are available on the pre-reg form itself http://bit.ly/1fJQeLx . If you have questions, please contact our auction team: auction@confuzzled.org.uk

19
Announcements / Important news on our T-Shirts
« on: March 15, 2014, 18:00:19 »
At ConFuzzled, we want to make sure you receive top quality items in your conpack.

As part of this, we will be changing the material that the t-shirt is made of for this year. This means that you may wish to choose a different sized t-shirt to what you have already chosen on your registration.

The new t-shirt material is available for sizes S to 2XL, and will be of a Gildan Soft Style material. This t-shirt feels much softer! Unfortunately it isn’t available for sizes above 2XL, so for sizes above 2XL the material will be the same as in previous years.

However, the Gildan Soft Style t-shirts are a little tighter around the arms and shoulders than previous sizes. If you have particularly big arms, or find the previous years’ t-shirts were a little tight around your arms and shoulders, you may wish to change the t-shirt size on your registration. In short, the past years’ t-shirts could be considered “Standard US” fit and the Gildan Soft Style t-shirt is of “European” fit.

You should be able to log in to your registration to change the t-shirt size – alternatively you can contact the registration team by emailing registration@confuzzled.org.uk and we can make the change for you.

Remember that only our Plus and Sponsor attendees receive the t-shirt at registration time. Although should we have any spare t-shirts left over, they will be sold at the ConFuzzled table in the Dealers’ Den. If you do not have Plus or Sponsor membership, you can upgrade by emailing our registration team, at registration@confuzzled.org.uk – and if you aren’t interested in upgrading, we’d still like to know your t-shirt size so that we have an idea what sizes we may wish to overstock on, in order to sell in the Den.

If you’re changing your membership or changing your t-shirt size, please let us know by the 1st of April so that we can order the t-shirts in time for the convention.

20
Announcements / Important dates & Day-ticket news!
« on: March 13, 2014, 22:37:40 »
Here are some important dates that you should be aware of:

  • Mon 21 April 10pm BST - Residential Registration will close. At this point, it will no longer be possible to register for ConFuzzled for a residential ticket. It will also not be possible to change your room type.

    Wed 30 April 10pm BST - Roomsharing will be locked down. After this point in time, it will not be able to create new roomshares, cancel existing roomshares, or make any changes to them.

    Fri 16 May 10pm BST - Registration closes completely. After this point, it will not be able to register for the convention. All types of ticket will be unavailable. It will also not be possible to make ANY changes to your registration. Remember that you cannot buy a ticket on the day - you must register in advance!

Also, we’re pleased to announce that day tickets will become available to purchase at the start of April! This ticket costs £30 per day and you can purchase this by registering for the convention for a non-residential membership, and emailing registration@confuzzled.org.uk to ask us to change it to the day ticket for the appropriate days you wish to attend. We will then update your registration.

Remember that day tickets will only be available until Friday the 16th of May as above, and you cannot buy day tickets or any other tickets at the convention itself!

We are also running out of some room types, so here’s an update!

  • We are operating a waiting list for Standard Double rooms. The list is getting quite long, so if you haven’t requested one yet, you’ll be unlikely to receive one.

    We have been allocated more Standard Twin rooms for the early arrival night. This means we have lots of Standard Twin rooms available for the whole period!

    We are still able to request Executive rooms and suites from the hotel! So if you’d like to upgrade, please email registration@confuzzled.org.uk and we’ll be happy to request this from the hotel.

    We still have lots of single rooms left, after our single room allocation was increased recently thanks to the strong negotiating position we were in.

Remember that if you do want to change rooms, you must do so before the 21st of April as that’s when residential registration closes!

21
Announcements / Announcing our Second Guest of Honour
« on: February 24, 2014, 17:04:33 »
We’ve received a recent transmission that a second citizen of the United Systems Alliance has been granted passage to be with us this year. Lex Rudd is the creator of Primal Visions, one of the most prestigious costume and puppet studios within our community, and wider extranet.

Lex manages to find the time in her busy schedule to bump shoulders with some of the most recognised faces on our screens to date. Having mingled with Big Bird from Sesame Street and discussed in depth the many applications of Jean Claude Jaquettie’s unicorn tears with The Mighty Boosh’s Vince Noir and Howard Moon, we are very proud to have secured her for the duration of Confuzzled 2014.

When not gracing the cosmos with her presence, Lex enjoys exploring the local nebulae with her trusted canine companion and boating upon the solar currents near her home-base. And in the evenings, lucky listeners can be regaled by her fair melodies whilst she searches the outer reaches for the finest brews native shiners can concoct.

Joining us from the far shore of the United States, Lex Rudd joining us for ConFuzzled 2014. Lex is the creator of Primal Visions, one of the most prestigious costume and puppet studios within our community and the wider world.

Original from our fair borders, Lex studied Interactive Arts and Special effects before departing our shores for the USA. After working on a pilot for “Monster Smash,” she’s worked alongside the like of Walter “Chekov” Koenig and creating synthetic like forms for films like Life of Leopold.

22
Announcements / security openings, apply now!
« on: February 17, 2014, 21:25:28 »
Hello dear attendee!

The ConFuzzled security team has vacant positions for new members.
Our teams main responsibilities are:
   * Enforcing convention and venue policies
   * Establishing and operating checkpoints at key areas
   * Crowd control and risk assessment
   * Enforcing fire and safety regulations
   * Assisting the paramedic teams
   * Evacuation procedures
   
At the convention we have a certain amount of fixed 1-hour guard duty slots at checkpoints or for events. These shifts are shared equally among the team. The resulting duty-schedule will be created with respect to the personal wishes and interests of our members. This means we are usually capable of scheduling their shifts without any colliding events that they want to see or take part in themselves. The average workload of scheduled shifts for each security member is between 5 and 7 hours over the course of the entire convention.

Outside of scheduled guard-shifts our members are on-duty 24/7, but they can sign off temporarily whenever they want to drink alcohol, have private time or just go to sleep. "On-duty" means that our members take part in the convention/walk around and do whatever they want, except drinking alcohol. We expect every security member on-duty to answer attendee questions, assist our guests in every way possible and to keep an eye open for potential problems. Also on-duty members can be summoned via radio to deal with incidents or emergencies at any time.

We understand our duty is to help and protect our guests and therefore we consider security to be an essential service to our attendees. We expect friendly and polite behaviour in any situation. Security is there to make our guests feel safe, not to intimidate them.

Due to the immense responsibility of our department, the ConFuzzled security team is organised in a professional manner and has a higher demand on its members than other departments. The basic requirements for every applicant are:

  • Sufficient fluency in English to communicate with attendees. Actual fluency in English and/or other languages is a plus.
  • Ability and willingness to cover at least five fixed 1-hour slots during the convention.
  • At least one advocate trusted by the Head of Security to vouch for one's suitability.
  • No time-consuming tasks in other teams during the convention.
  • Punctuality, reliability, and ability to work independently within given rules.
  • A generally calm, level-headed and polite demeanour, with a ”drama-free" reputation.
  • Responsible and respectable behaviour, even in light of a personal conflict of interests.
   
Every applicant will be contacted via an instant messenger of their choice for a quick formless interview, to give them the chance to ask questions and to give us and the applicant the chance to get to know each other. This is necessary, since trust and a relaxed atmosphere among the team is crucial to us.

Please do not be worried by this application-process. We are a really friendly bunch of people and we only do all this hassle, because we need to make sure that our team works as one big family. As a result, you can have loads of fun and get to know new people by the hour.

Worried that you won't fit the team? Don't be shy and just write us an e-mail. We'll gladly help you decide if our team would be the right choice for you. :3

If you have any questions or if you would like to apply, please send us an e-mail to  security@confuzzled.org.uk

23
ConFuzzled is proud to announce our charity for 2014: The Cat Survival Trust!

The Cat Survival Trust is a small charity, with a big reach.  In Hertfordshire, the charity runs a twelve acre site, with a group of volunteers looking after a range of wild cats that have come to them from zoos and private collectors.  However the trust goes much further, and has purchased land in Argentina to act as a reserve for the benefit of big cats and other wildlife that forms part of their ecosystem.

This year -together- your contributions will have a global impact on improving the survival chances of endangered species.  Join us at ConFuzzled in supporting this wonderful cause, and whether you give big or small, you’ll be helping to make a real difference in the trusts important work!

If you’d like to know more, please check out our full charity page.

We’ll have more information to share in the coming weeks and months on charity events at the convention – stay tuned!

24
Announcements / Single rooms are BACK!
« on: January 31, 2014, 15:55:29 »
Yeah that's right - we've got a delivery of new rooms!

Following our general explosion in numbers and rapid uptake in rooms, we've negotiated some more single rooms, with immediate availability! (Note, currently our reg stats page may show limited availability of these rooms, but just ignore that - we've got lots now and the stats page should update soon!!).

REGISTER NOW!

We know some of you may have previously tried and failed to get a single room, and registered for a different roomtype instead.  If you'd like to inquire about converting to a single room, please email registration@confuzzled.org.uk with your request, including your registration number, and our friendly team of futuristic number-crunchers will assist you!

It's not just single rooms we have in spades again though - check out our twin rooms! Still truckloads of them, including a few executive versions (executive lounge access ... mmm luxury!).  Speaking of executive, we've got a few Executive Queen rooms left too - so if you fancy a space in a double bed, register now!!

Remember, for any other inquiries related to rooms and registration, please contact registration@confuzzled.org.uk.  This address operates a ticketing system, so you should almost immediately receive an auto-response, followed by a human-response as soon as possible.  If you don't receive your ticket ID, please check your junk mail and make sure you can receive emails from us!

25
Announcements / Registration Open Now!
« on: October 29, 2013, 16:45:01 »
Important Registration News!


Registration Now Open!
Registration is now open! Please go to https://reg.confuzzled.org.uk to start a new registration for ConFuzzled 2014! It's also the place to go to make changes to your registration later!


Rooms sold out?
Some of you may be noticing certain room types sold out already! Fear not! The beauty of our bigger new venue is that we can now simply expand our room block with the hotel! So, the absolute best thing to do is to go ahead and register for your preferred room type, and once we've done the expansion (soon!) you'll be allocated a space! You won't need to pay until your room space allocation happens!


Answering your questions!

A few questions that are cropping up:
  • "How do I setup my room share?" Easy. Once you've both paid up, log back into the registration system - you can then set up your room share![/*]
  • "Can I add early arrival or late departure later?" Yes - subject to availability[/*]
  • "Can I upgrade to Plus or Sponsor later?" Yes! Just log in to the registration system and add those options![/*]
  • "I'm having trouble with the credit or debit card payment". So are we! We're in touch with the provider and should get this sorted soon![/*]
  • "I'm 17 now, but will be 18 in time for CF - but the registration system is not accepting my date of birth!" - Please email registration@confuzzled.org.uk if you have problems with the registration system.[/*]
  • "Do I need to reserve parking?" - No, The Hilton alone has 600 parking spaces, and the surrounding NEC area has thousands more![/*]
  • "I've changed my name by Deed Poll, what ID do I need to show?" - If possible, bring updated ID showing your new name. If not, please present old ID in conjunction with the Deed Poll document.[/*]
  • "I don't have any ID, what should I do?" Whilst you don't need ID to register, you MUST present ID when you turn up at the convention! If you are in the UK, and you don't have a passport, drivers license etc, you can instead apply for a PASS card, click here for the list of providers. Outside the UK? Please contact registration@confuzzled.org.uk to check what ID we can accept from your country.[/*]
  • "I have another question related to my registration not answered here". Please email registration@confuzzled.org.uk - the reg team will help you out as quickly as they can.[/*]

26
Announcements / Registration lift off coming soon!
« on: October 18, 2013, 21:46:07 »
Registration will lift off 28th October at 2030 UK time!

We want to thank you all for being so patient whilst we were preparing registration, but we hope it's all worth the wait!

In the last few days before registration opens, take the opportunity to have another look through the pages of our site, and familiarise yourself with the room and registration options, including of course our executive and suite options!

Reminder: the day registration opens is a day after the clocks go back in the UK, so if you're outside the UK, keep a close eye on the UK time!

27
Announcements / ConFuzzled 2014 - Our new website is live!
« on: September 27, 2013, 21:14:19 »
Just a short post to let you know our new full website is LIVE! Welcome to the world of tomorrow!

www.confuzzled.org.uk
--
Rallicat

28
Announcements / ConFuzzled needs you!
« on: August 08, 2013, 10:18:13 »
Fancy joining the ConFuzzled crew for 2014? Read on! (or to skip right to the signup form click here!)

Every year the convention gets bigger and bigger and we need more and more keen staff to help continue to give all our attendees a great experience. In return we offer you the admiration and respect of our attendees, as well as a free upgrade to our ‘Plus’ membership (in 2013 this gave a T-Shirt and exclusive print item). Staff and Crew of the convention also receive priority access to registration later this year.

Below are the roles we need people to sign up for, but if you have an idea for something you’d like to do for the convention, please complete the application form and detail your idea.

Web Application Developers

Working with either our Events or Registration teams, we need skilled web application developers to help improve and maintain our in-house web applications. Knowledge of either PHP (including CodeIgniter and JQuery) or Ruby on Rails required. This role is a pre-con role and would not require you to give up time at the convention.

First Aid

We need applicants with valid first aid certification (which you must present at the convention) to provide first aid response and care when required. You would be working in an on-call rota throughout the convention at agreed times.

Setup & Teardown Staff

We need to grow our team of staff who take responsibility for assisting with setup and teardown, this will include lifting and carrying sometimes heavy items and will include loading/unloading vehicles.  Busy periods are primarily during the initial setup prior to opening ceremonies, and again after the closing ceremonies.

Events Team

We require enthusiastic people to help plan and operate our busy Events schedule for the convention. There are a mixture of roles available which can be either prior to or during the convention itself, or a combination of both. Prior to the convention the team liaise with panellists to prepare our event schedule and collate requirements. Work during the convention involves ensuring that events are starting on time and correct equipment is available. Some specialist roles are also available in the Fursuit team, maintaining the Fursuit Lounge and running the Fursuit Fiasco.

Stage Crew

Staff required heping in the stage, including looking after the stage equipment and assisting with setup and teardown.  This would also include assisting on the stage lighting and sound desk.

Dealers Den & Artshow

Staff required for both the Den, and the ArtShow.  Staff in the den look after the convention store and charity desk selling direct to attendees, and help with den setup and teardown including safety testing of electrical items.
Artshow staff handle setup and tear down of the artshow, and submission of items from artists, as well as preparing for the voice auction and processing the bids and payments.

Guest of Honour Assistants

We are looking for someone who would be able to help look after our Guests of Honour at the convention, making sure that their needs are catered for and delivering them to their events one time. Ability to stand up and speak in front of a group of people would be beneficial.

Security Service

Our security service teams have vacant positions for the upcoming convention. If you have comprehensive social skills and you're a level headed attendee you are most welcome to apply to join our security teams. You don't need any formal training to apply as we provide our own training, however a valid SIA license is a big plus.

If you would like to sign up for these positions, or want to in general put yourself forward for consideration for staff / crew roles, then please click here! for our signup form!

29
Announcements / Calling all writers & musicians!
« on: April 27, 2013, 14:36:25 »
Read on for news of our music jam event, and a new writers event!

Music Jam

This year our Music Jam event will be run in a slightly different way.  If you have a request for a specific song then please send it by email to our host; Damian Tanuki lizard-guy@hotmail.com . He’ll do his best to make copies of the chords available for everyone to be able to join in at the event!

Writers Event

Our Guests of Honor Gab & Kyell Gold have offered to help critique the works of some budding writers in two small group sessions (session one is currently planned to be hosted by Kyell Gold, session two is Gab)..  If you wish to participate, then please submit works of up to 2500 words to events@confuzzled.org.uk . Hurry though, we have to get the work in by early May in good time for the convention, and we’ll let you know if your work is to be included!

30
Discussion / Re: Pet Passports???
« on: April 25, 2013, 15:23:52 »
As promised, we are keeping you up to date on how many pet passports have been sold.

We have so far sold two.

Hope this information is useful
--
Rallicat

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