Norwescon March ConCon Meeting Announcement

[Michael Hanscom]

Join us to help plan for Norwescon 44!

The March ConCom Meeting is coming soon!

# Meeting Details

DATE: Saturday, March 19, 2022

NEW TIME: 10:00 a.m. - 1:00 p.m.

PLACE: Zoom

Join the meeting: https://us02web.zoom.us/j/83385584755?pwd=KzNjK01rekJXNW9ZM1ZCamJXQ3J2dz09

Meeting ID: 833 8558 4755

Passcode: 035355

## Agenda

We will start by going directly into department breakouts at 10 a.m. The main meeting with announcements and department reports will start at noon. If you don't need to attend one of the breakout meetings, feel free to just join us at noon to find out what we've all discussed!

## Conduct

If you need to activate your camera or microphone during the meeting, we ask that you respect all of your fellow staff members and refrain from broadcasting inappropriate imagery, symbols, or language. If you need a neutral virtual background, a Norwescon background image is available [on our website](https://www.norwescon.org/media/promo-web-banners/).

# JANUARY MEETING RECAP

## VOTES

The Execs voted on two matters related to the 1,000 person cap:

Motion 1: Kathy Bond moved that virtual memberships (non-attending, gives access to the AirMeet virtual convention platform) be free ($0) with an optional suggested donation of $15.

Seconded by Jeanine Swanson.

Unanimous "aye", motion passed.

Motion 2: Kathy Bond moved that we allow full refunds for any members requesting to switch from in-person to virtual memberships (in addition to the existing approved refunds for those canceling due to COVID concerns).

Seconded by Alan Bond

Unanimous "aye", motion passed.

## WAYPOINT

Our December Waypoint virtual mini-con went well. We will be hosting another Waypoint in October of 2022, with a mix of live and pre-recorded content.

## AIRMEET

As we are using Airmeet for the virtual side of Norwescon 44 and plan to use it for the next Waypoint, we will continue to keep our subscription active year-round. This will allow us to host other virtual events throughout the year, and we will be open to working with other cons and organizations to host their events.

## ELECTIONS

Nominations for our four elected positions for Norwescon 45 (Chair, Vice-Chair, and two Guest of Honor Selection Committee spots) will open at the March ConCom meeting and close after the April ConCom meeting. Bylaw changes may also be on the ballot. Voting will be done electronically.

## BUSINESS

### SFWA GRANT

We received a $2,760 grant from the Science Fiction & Fantasy Writers of America (SFWA)! The money is being used for accessibility improvements, diversity training, and the Philip K. Dick Awards.

### STORAGE SPACE SEARCH

We are still looking for a new storage facility. If you have leads, please contact our Business department. We are in the process of cleaning out our current storage and are planning a garage sale in the near future to help us downsize and offload unneeded material.

## CONVENTION SERVICES

### COVID PROTOCOL UPDATE

Norwescon will continue to require proof of vaccination and masks for all attendees. If any member or staff show any symptoms before the convention, please don't attend! We encourage installing the [WA Notify COVID tracking app](https://doh.wa.gov/emergencies/covid-19/wa-notify) on your phone. Anyone who tests positive within two weeks following the convention is asked to contact us so we can assist with contact tracing; we will have a reporting form available.

## MEMBER SERVICES

Looking for someone interested in helping with on-site accessibility issues. Please email a...@norwescon.org. 

We need volunteers for help in registration!

Club tables are set; Art Show is almost full; the Dealers Room applications are closed and we will have a full room plus a waiting list.

## PERSONNEL

Still have lots of open volunteer positions in registration, teen runners, stage management, and more. There are lots of ways you can help volunteer at Norwescon!

## PUBLICATIONS

### TEEN VOLUNTEER OPPORTUNITIES

We have some great ways that teens can help volunteer at con! We're looking for Daily Zine reporters to collect and submit neat, interesting, and funny things seen and heard around the con. We're also looking for social media savvy people to do video mini-interviews with people around the con that we can post to our social media sites. Contact us at public...@norwescon.org if you're interested!

### PROGRAM BOOKS

In the interests of saving money, we will likely be printing a very limited number of physical program books this year for the collectors, and distributing a .pdf version to everyone else. Pocket Programs will also be skipped in favor of the Guidebook app; a limited number of printed grids and panel descriptions will be available at the Info Desk.

## PROGRAMMING

Very happy to report that over 80% of our planned panelists are still planning to attend! We love that our pros are so committed to Norwescon, and they have expressed how much they appreciate everything we are doing to keep the convention as COVID-safe as possible.

The program is in the process of being finalized.

## SPECIAL EVENTS

The Speculative Film Fest has been scheduled; we will be showing 43 short and micro-short films over two nights. Two directors are planning to attend (so far). Due to licensing issues, we will not be streaming the films; this is an in-person only event.

The Philip K. Dick awards nominees are being contacted to see if any will want to attend in person. As most nominees this year reside outside of the United States, there may not be many nominees in person.

# MEETING DOCUMENTATION:

Meeting agendas and minutes, the policies and procedures manual, Norwescon bylaws, and more information can be found on the [Staff Updates page of our website](http://www.norwescon.org/get-involved/concom/). The agenda should be posted a few days before the meeting.

 

# FUTURE EVENTS:

* ConCom: March 19, 2022

* ConCom: April 2, 2022

* Norwescon 44: April 14-17, 2022

* ConCom: May 21, 2022

Want to join us outside of ConCom meetings? Wonderful! Until we can safely host in-person gatherings again, you're welcome to join us on our [Norwescon Discord server](https://discord.gg/nwMvMA7) for geektastic socializing in the online world!

-- 
Michael Hanscom (he/him)
Norwescon 44 Secretary
http://www.norwescon.org/ | http://twitter.com/norwescon | http://facebook.com/norwescon