2003 Archive

CONvergence 2003
July 4, 5, 6, 2003
Radisson Hotel South
Bloomington, Minnesota

Registration Totals

Hotel

We again had a successful occupancy of the hotel in 2003. And once again we and the hotel are pleased with the relationship with each other. Here is the room occupancy by night:

• Wednesday 22 rooms (7 fewer than 2002)
• Thursday 143 rooms (24 more than 2002)
• Friday 447 rooms (37 more than 2002)
• Saturday 437 rooms (10 more than 2002)
• Sunday 72 rooms (2 fewer than 2002)

Overall, our net occupancy was up, and we exceeded our 425 room night goals for Friday and Saturday quite well. The CONvergence Hotel Team, the CONvergence Parties team, and the Radisson extend our gratitude to all attendees for the swift and smooth checkout procedure. We preceded the Shriners into the Radisson South, and many of them actually checked in well before our convention was done. They were scheduled to begin occupying many rooms, and most cabanas, early on Sunday, and our attendees accommodated this turn-around with a minimum of fuss and virtually no challenges. Kudos go out to all who were affected and complied. Once again, our thanks to everyone who elected to take a room in the hotel, and who helped make CONvergence in 2003 a success.

Budget

2003 Monies In:
Registration:	$68,100
Advertisement:	$1,235
Art Show:	$1,200
Dealers Room:	$5,700
Concessions:	$8,100
Other income:	$420
Total Income:	$84,755
2003 Monies Out:
Hotel, Operations, Insurance & Security:	$20,500
Guests:	$4,500
Publications, Postage & Misc. Communications:	13,300
Mainstage & Music:	$4,000
Consuite, COF2E2:	$12,850
Cinema Rex & Theater Nippon:	$2,200
Masquerade:	$200
Purchases:	$1,500
Other Expenses:	$8,800
Total:	$67,850

Thank Yous

CONvergence and the Minnesota Society for Interest in Science Fiction and Fantasy (MISFITS) would like to thank everyone who helped make CONvergence 2003 happen. That includes our CONvention Committee, the MISFITS Officers and Staff, our volunteers, and everyone who threw a room party, sat a panel, entered the Masquerade, or otherwise participated in the weekendıs events. Thank you to the staff of the Radisson Hotel South for all their help and assistance, and for making this hotel feel like home.

We would like to thank our wonderful guests: Eric Flint, Katherine Kurtz, John Kovalic, Andrew Probert, and Michael Sheard. Thank you to Little Tin Box, Savage Aural Hotbed, LukeSki, Soylent Theater, Moggnauf / Folk Underground / Black & Green, and all the Harmonic CONvergence performers. Thank yous go out to Fantasy Flight Games, to all the Mark Time participants who travelled to take part in the awards ceremony, to everyone who helped with the "emergency evacuation" of Connieıs Space Lounge on Sunday, and to all the people who hung around Monday to help with move out for the rest of the convention.

Special thank yous to Karla and Mark Priester for their invaluable assistance with Parties this past year, and to Melissa Kaercher, who stepped up to the plate to deliver the Parties Guide. And thank you to Rob Withoff, Barb Pemberton, Roadkill, and Peter Verrant for their help with the Mainstage Façade.

To read more about what CONvergence 2003 had to offer, visit the following pages:

• Convention Survey Results
• Programming and Events
• Guests of Honor