Update: this event has been cancelled (CivCon '09: Make Your Reservation Today)

[joebreeves]

I am currently issuing PayPal refunds.

Edit: All PayPal payments have been refunded.

Edit 2: Edited the word edit.

[DanQ]

I am currently issuing PayPal refunds.

Edi[t]: All PayPal payments have been refunded.

Thanks, Joe.

[eluttre]

I am very saddened by this news.

[Straybow]

Very disappointing that Apolyton and CFC together couldn't muster enough reservations.

[DanQ]

Finalizing the itinerary and registration cost took considerably longer than expected which no doubt limited many people's means for scheduling and monetary planning accordingly.

[Ming]

Most conventions are planned a year or more in advance... If you wait until the last minute (even your early bird discount was the last minute) it's almost impossible to pull an event like this off. It's no surprise that registration was low. People need TIME to plan this kind of event into their budget and schedule. The whole concept was doomed before it even began due to the lack of proper planning and lead time.

If you plan on doing one in the future, it would help to have things in order much farther in advance...
Good luck with future events

[DanQ]

I have already acknowledged on the Committee's behalf that pertinent details were not finalized until last minute, and why this greatly led to low registration numbers. This was never the intent, but yes was the end result. This was not "doomed even before it began", however. Hotel reservations were available as of mid-December last year. Unfortunately, nothing else was able to be finalized by then and that negatively impacted the momentum.

One could not reserve hotel space for ApolyCon '06 until four months beforehand, but one could also register and less than two weeks later its itinerary was finalized. A'06 was able to go ahead, but I have no doubt that more even would have been able to attend had there been more lead-time.

[Ming]

If you are going to put the effort into doing another one of these... you might as well do it right.
The conventions I worked on started planning 16 to 18 months in advance... So that a year in advance, people could start making plans. While 06 actually happened, the attendence was pretty small, for mostly the same reasons.

[Maniac]

Ming's just looking for a fight. Ignore the guy!

[DanQ]

Ming's just looking for a fight. Ignore the guy!

The argument is going in circles now, so yes, I've said my piece.

[Ming]

Not looking for a fight, or an argument. Simply stating a fact so that same problem doesn't happen again in the future

[SlowwHand]

Most conventions are planned a year or more in advance... If you wait until the last minute (even your early bird discount was the last minute) it's almost impossible to pull an event like this off. It's no surprise that registration was low. People need TIME to plan this kind of event into their budget and schedule. The whole concept was doomed before it even began due to the lack of proper planning and lead time.

If you plan on doing one in the future, it would help to have things in order much farther in advance...
Good luck with future events

I would like to point out that although by career background is in manufacturing production planning, the same skill sets are needed for an effort such as this. I'm currently available for discussion with anyone that has a requirement for planning, of any kind.

Thank you.