We’ve compiled a list of Frequently Asked Questions, but in case you have a query that is not included in the list… here’s where you can ask us! Be warned, however… we are not the all-seeing eye, and at times we may not have a ready answer for you. But we’ll do the best with our less than stellar Divination abilities!

I know that this is mentioned in the FAQ, but I was wondering if I could get some more explanation. When you say that you have a "Unique Youth Programming Track" for those 14-17 years old, does that mean/imply that the other parts of the conference are only for those over the age of 18? Basically, are minors supposed to/allowed to attend programming outside of the Youth track? I assume that this is the case, but I just wanted to clarify.

I know that pricing has not yet been determined for this con... but it will be the first one I have ever attended and I am not sure what the average cost of attendance for these events is generally. Would anyone care to share what some of the other conferences have cost for registration and extra event fees (balls, etc.)?

Thanks!

Beth

Oh gosh no! We'll have plenty of things open to those under and over 18... we just wanted to have a track of programming that was geared toward the younger fan as that has been something that age group has always mentioned in relationship to the cons. The Youth Programming Track will just be some "extra" little tidbits for those in that age category. Seems fair, considering we older HP folks get to partake of all the special alcoholic drink selections and the like at conferences, eh? (I'm still pushing for the official Questini for the event... pommagranite martini with a lemon sugar rim... yeah....)

Anyway... just because we are having youth events doesn't mean this is a youth-only conference. Trust me, there will be plenty for everyone of all ages!



Most of the cons have a structure where if you purchase a ticket a year out, it's the cheapest cost, then it ladders up to the most expensive cost right before the con. This encourages people to register early and all that. As for costs... honestly, I can't remember what I spent for Prophecy. I think Terminus for me this year was about $160 and then extras for the wrock concert, key notes and all that.

As Questauthor said, all the other Cons had a price structure to encourage people to register early. Generally the ticket prices are $120-$200 (I think both Prophecy and Terminus are/were $200 at the door). Keynotes are around $40, but there's usually a meal included. Other things other Cons have charged for are things like the Balls (I think Prophecy's was $5/10, Terminus's is free); Quidditch Tournament (not sure if Prophecy charged, but Terminus are charging $30 cos you get your own team shirt). Terminus are also doing Wrock Chicago, which is $20 for over 12 hours of Wrock! If you book early, then you should be able to register for everything for around $200-$250 (but, obviously, that depends on how many Keynotes and extra events there will be - and, of course, LeakyCon hasn't worked out their Conference only ticket prices as yet).

For a general guideline on costs, take a look at Terminus's Registration page here (but, remember, this is only a guideline, as costs vary between different Cons).

@ Questauthor

I think you are the only one who has permission to start new threads in the LeakyCon section here? If so, would it be possible to start a thread about things to do while you are in Boston? I've noticed a good chunk of us have lived in the area, while there is also a good chunk coming from Great Britain who have never seen the area but who are planning on staying for more than just the duration of LeakyCon. I don't know if that thread would be considered to off topic or not, but to me it seems related...

Sounds good to me! After all, Boston was chosen for a reason.

Questauthor,

May we also start a roomie request thread, or are we waiting till the hotel opens for registration? I know a lot of cons start those threads prior so that people can sort out the room situation prior to putting in their reservation.

Zarathustra/Tarsie

Hey there! We're currently talking about what threads we want to add, and I'll add this to this list for discussion (it's a great idea, btw!) We do have listings of things to do in Boston on the LeakyCon Website to tide you over in the meantime. Linkage is...
here!



We probably won't do this until the hotel room blocks are opened for reservations, but I've also added this to the (ever growing) list!

Thanks guys!!!

Has it been more than a day? *checks the last post* Whew. Yep, it has. So I'm not double posting.

Ok... So as you may have seen, we now have a thread for the Boston area... go forth and post! We will be waiting until the hotel rooms open to post a room mate thread... gotta have rooms before you can share, right?

Thanks for your suggestions, guys, we really do appreciate it, and want you to be a part of the process for the big event next year.

I have 2 questions. First, can you go to the youth programming if you're over 18? I'm 19, so I'll be in the age group where you can't partake of the alcoholic bits or the youth programming. My sister is 14, so is there anyway I could go to the youth stuff with her? Will there be other stuff going on during that same time? I guess that was more than 1 question.

And my other question is, is there any way that someone who's 13 could go to this? Like if their parents gave them permission or something? My youngest sister is going to feel really left out of this, because she'll be 13 during it.

I'll have to run your first question by our Youth Programming Chair... If you are your sister's guardian on record, I have a feeling you could go. But I'll get a firm answer for you from our BoD...

There is no way for someone under 13 to attend, I am afraid. There are legal issues involved and it just simply isn't possible. This isn't just a LeakyCon issue; all conferences have this kind of age limit.

Well... future cons could be something your sister could look forward to, although that is small consolation for the 2009 session. We don't plan on this being the one and only Leaky sponsored event.

I'm off to Cyprus on holiday for 2 weeks on Sunday. Is there any word yet when Registration will be open, or when we can start booking our hotel rooms?

I really don't want to miss out and I'm wandering if I'm gonna need to take my laptop on holiday, which I'm not really wanting to do.

Even if you can't say exactly when Registration's gonna start, is it possible to rule out the next 2 1/2 weeks?

Oh, Neil...we are trying to get it open within the next 2 1/2 weeks...and we are very, very close to being able to open it up. It's strange how things work out...sometimes it looks like it's miles away, and turns out to be right around the corner. Sometimes you think you're right on top of it, and it turns out to be a ways away.

The bottom line. Yes, we are trying to have registration up within the next 2.5 weeks...but I can almost (ALMOST) say that I doubt you will have an issue attempting to register a *little* late. Though I would LOVE for us to sell out within a week of our opening the registration process, it almost a categorical impossibility. And, if it DOES happen, well, you can PM me and I'll see what I can do for you.

Fair?

Neil, if it comes to it, I'll buy a ticket for you at the same time I buy mine. Don't worry, you won't miss out!

Thanks MJ!!



Em, I love you!!!!!!!! Lol!!!

Please forgive the silly question as this will be my first HP Conference.

When you open up registration, do we register under our screen names or our real names?

That's not a silly question at all!

Register under your "real name". There will be a spot for "nicknames", and if you choose to put your screen name there, it's entirely up to you!

Good question!

Thanks for clearing that up. Not quite sure sometimes when screennames are appropriate and real names are required -- and vice versa.

I, for one, am glad we're going to have room for our screen names on the registration form/identification badges... I wouldn't know half of you without seeing them!!

I remember how helpful it was at Lumos to have my screen name on my name badge. I wouldn't have met half the cool people I met without them being able to connect me with my screen name.

I would be too! I've always joked (to myself) that it would be so much easier if everyone put their avatar from LL on their badge so you'd know! I usually look at avatars, rather than screen-names, when identifying a poster. But if there weren't user-names on the badges, I'd be completely lost!

Ok, thanks Jeff! My youngest sister will just have to live vicariously through me. I'll take lots of pics and vids for her and hopefully she'll get to go to the next one.

Now I've got a question about being a guardian. I'll be 20 during the con and my other sister will be 15. Will I be able to be her guardian? I've heard rumors that you have to be 21, I really hope those aren't true. My parents don't plan on attending.

Hey Magicducks (love that name!) I checked with our youth programming people and they've informed me that yes, you do have to be 21 to be someone's guardian. Again, lots of legalize reasons for it, but that's the rule.

Hehe, thanks. It's a spin-off of my name on another HP forum (DucksRMagical).

Dang legalities! Oh, well, my mom decided that she would go with us! So my Poufsouffle can still come.

Woo-hoo! TO Boston I go! (Only this time pretending to be a witch).

Hey MagicDucks! I'm Lizzie, the Youth Programming Director for LeakyCon2009. You are more than welcome to join your sister in the youth programming activities! We are happy to have the older family members, parents and/or guardians participate.

Hope that answers your question!

See you in Boston!
-Lizzie

What about other LeakyCon participants who are neither parents, guardians, or family members? As a LeakyCon registrant I would want to check out all sectors of the Conference. Could it be possible for "non-youths" (18 +) to check out such activities? What I'm getting at is, will people be checked for ID at the door to each individual Youth Program to be sure that they are truly 17 or under to be accepted into the room / event? Will people be nicely escorted away if they are 18 or older and not Parent, guardian, or family?

That's a good question, dumbleydore18. The answer is, yes, those who are 18+ will only be admitted into "youth programming" if they are a guardian of someone who is of age to attend the event. The idea behind youth programming is for the youth to feel safe and secure, and able to express themselves without feeling self-conscious about who's around. It's also an opportunity for the youth to meet the presenters without having to fight through the "adults" who normally attend the events.

So, yes...in short, if you aren't under 17 and trying to get into a "Youth Programming" event, you will be asked (nicely) to attend a different event. But, I'm sure our 18+ crowd will be respectful of our request and let the youth have their minute in the sun.

Thanks for the question!

--MJ
LeakyCon 2009 Co-Director

Okay. Then my question will be the opposite of dumbleydore18's. If I am under 17 years old, yet I would like to attend some other events outside of the youth programming area, am I able to?

i know i asked this in the travelling section by mistake, but what happened to the leakycon chat topic?

Urm, I have no idea. I hadn't noticed it was missing! Let's see if we can recover it. I'll keep you posted.

Sorry about that!

Since my question was on the previous page and it wasn't answered, I just want to make sure I can get an answer. It may very well be that you're just waiting to hear from someone else but I really want to know:

Sorry, Jeff...yes. Unless there is an age "disclaimer" on a particular event, you will be able to attend. The only time I would anticipate there being an age requirement would be on an evening event...in which case, we will have something planned for those who can't or don't want to attend as an alternative.

Ok. So I want to go to LeakyCon, and by the that time I'll be 14. But my sister will only be 12. If both of my parents are planning on coming, is she allowed to come? But she isn't really planning on attending events. Is she still allowed to stay at the hotel if I'm attending events?

Your sister could not be registered with the conference due to her age... but of course she could stay in the hotel! She just won't be able to attend any of the events (we'll have badges that have to be worn by conference participants to get into the different programming). A lot of people bring their spouses and families to the cons and the family members don't register for the conference or go to the events. I know I'm trying to convince my Spousal Unit to come and bring the kids, and they can go around Boston and see the sites while I attend the conference.

On second thought... maybe I'll just keep this a solo event... we tend to stay up very very late at the conferences!

Any news on when registration will open? It was mentioned a few weeks ago that registration would be opening very soon, and then it went quiet!

OK, it was "soon" before...now it's really, really soon! We are waiting for a couple of things to fall into place, so watch this space and LeakyNews.com for the up to the minute updates.

Sorry I don't have an exact date, it's a little out of our control.

Oh, hey, I understand, I'm on a convention committee myself, and the last few weeks were a pain - everything was set up and ready to go, we were just waiting for our non-profit and tax exempt status to come through, and that seemed to take forever!

Thank you to everyone involved for all the hard work behind the scenes.

Okay so I have a question
So if someone suddenly discovered they have to go to Boston next year for a completely unrelated erm, thing (oy the hardship lol) but not knowing the exact dates yet but siriusly hoping it coincides with LeakyCon, obviously at this early stage it would be foolish to register & jinx the whole thing but, if it turned out the dates coincide *pleaseplease* what is the latest date to register?

And, if said person didnt register & found that the dates do coincide, is it okay to just happen to stay in the same hotel & attend events and stuff & hang out with you guys?

Oh, Moose...how I love thee.

If said person registered and couldn't make the event, said person could them put their registration up for sale (there won't be any refunds, that's pretty typical of conferences like this). But, I'm sure we could find *someone* that would pay said person and get the registration transferred. Said person would be refunded, less a 15% service fee.

And, if said person didn't register, but was in Boston during the event, they could surely hang out at the hotel. They would not, however, be able to attend the LeakyCon events (programming, parties, events, etc.) unless we get to a point where we can open particular events up to the "public".

My suggestion, buy a registration...buy it early. If said person finds they can't attend, we will have a section in this forum where they can put their registration up for sale. That's not to guarantee that it will get purchased, but we'll do everything we can to make sure it's bought.

Thanks!

--MJ

What she ^ said.

The work involved with getting the registration up and going is just... astronomical.

But keep a watch out on the forum and the online communities (Facebook, LJ, twitter, myspace) for news and information. When registration opens, we'll also have a posting on Leaky's main site.

Yeah!!!!

I keep trying to sign up for the 'intending to attend' thing under the Registration button. I put in my name, age, email, and a comment, but it tells me there's something wrong with my information. I've tried numerous times.

MagicDucks, please PM me with your e-mail address and name, and I'll be sure to make sure it's gone through. Sorry for the hassle!

Ooh I didnt know there's an *intending to attend* thing, I guess this is what happens when I'm late to the party (& I didnt read all the posts so I probably missed a lot of important information)
Question: where is the *intending to attend* thing and, does filling that out commit me to attending because I'm still not sure about when I'll be in Boston, even though with the anvil-size hints I'm dropping, I should get a Hint-Dropper of the Year Award.
Please and thank you.

*goes off to read more posts*

Moose_Starr, the form is right here on LeakyCon's main site. It says you get five dollars off your registration once that's up if you do the form, so I guess it's worth it! (And it's not binding, I believe it was just a way to see how many people are planning or wanting to attend)

As Jeff said, you get $5 off registration, but it also puts you on LeakyCon's Official Newsletter List. The Leaky Quill will be making its debut very shortly!

In short, no, you're not "committed" to the anything. We want to keep you in the loop, as well as get a rough count as to how many people are interested in attending!

Thanks for the question!

Thank you for the link Jeff. Alas I seem to have gotten the same problem as Magic Ducks, maybe because my Comment is just *squee*


MJ I'll PM you with my name and email address, too?

Oops I posted at the same time as MJ

Hey there, I'm fairly new to all this posting and forum stuff etc. But I think I have the same problem as a previous poster, i.e that my info won't be accepted by the intending to attend part of Leaky con. Only thing is, I;m not sure If its not accepting it, or if i already did the thing months ago and i just forgot!
Is there any way to check this?

Thanks

Kate

Hi Kate/Tabitha_potter!

If you PM me your e-mail address, I'll be happy to check! To PM, click on my name "MJLeakyCon" to the left of the screen. When the dropdown menu comes up, choose the "send a message" option, and you are good to go! Thanks!

--MJ