We know you are excited to be part of CONvergence’s reboot, rebirth, and evolution this year at CONvergence 2019: The Next Celebration! Here is a list of things to keep in mind to ensure both you and everyone around you have a fantastic convention.
Getting to the Convention
In partnership with Metro Transit, CONvergence members can get free bus and train passes for Friday and Saturday of CONvergence 2019! Head over to the Bus and Train page to download your passes, plus get all the information you need to know about using public transportation to get to and from CONvergence.
Of course, the Metro Transit is not the only way to get to the con. You can also ride your bike and take advantage of one of the 6 bicycle racks surrounding the Hyatt, use ride sharing, or drive and park Downtown. Click here for a list of current and upcoming road construction projects in the Twin Cities Metro area that you should be aware of if you are driving, and head over to the Parking page for parking information.
If you utilize the e-scooters that are common in downtown Minneapolis, please be sure to park them in the designated area outside the Hyatt. This will help keep sidewalks clear and accessible for everyone, plus it will help people find scooters when they want to use them!
Picking Up Your Badge
Your first stop at CONvergence 2019 will probably be picking up your badge. Head over to the Badge Pick-Up page for Registration’s hours of operation, and everything else you need to know about picking up your CONvergence 2019 membership badge.
Be Aware of Changes for 2019
With the change of venue to the Hyatt Regency, there will be many new experiences and tweaks to CONvergence, and some of them are pretty exciting. Here is a quick overview of some things to be aware of:
- Poster hanging begins at 8:00am on Thursday morning.
- Starting Friday, CoF2E2 Free Coffee Shop is open in the morning again! Due to circumstances outside or control, espresso and drip-brew coffee will be available starting Friday afternoon, but cold press coffee and the entire selection of tea will be available starting Thursday!
- CONvergence 2019 will not have the Art of the Dress Runway show. Instead, anyone who wishes to show off their great costume without having to do a formal performance can participate in the CONvergence Masquerade by entering their costume as a new entry category called “Runway”.
- During CONvergence 2019 you can enter the Hall Costume Contest via your Instagram account.
- CVG-TV will be streaming events live as usual online, but not on a hotel TV channel. For information about watching CVG-TV on your hotel room’s TV, visit the CVG-TV page.
- MainStage is now twice as large as it’s ever been. There is now more than enough room for everyone who wants to watch MainStage events to come down to MainStage and be right there in the action!
- Cinema Rex, Theater Nippon, and the Teen Room have all their usual snacks again!
- Official Mobile Parties will be roaming throughout the hotel during the convention!
- CONvergence welcomes a new dedicated spoken word performance space, Wordslingers Way!
- Connie’s Quantum Sandbox now has two whole rooms, and a new space called the Backyard Playhouse, featuring drop-in activities available for you to have some fun with whenever you stop by!
- Per the CONvergence 2019 Costumes/Clothing policy, nipples and areolas of all members, regardless of gender presentation, must be completely covered by opaque material.
- The list of Safe Spaces has been updated for 2019.
Lastly, it is a very good idea to look over the CONvergence Member Conduct Policies before you arrive at the convention, as they are revised every year and have had some significant revisions due to the change of venue.
Official CONvergence Media
Keep a look out for official CONvergence media during the convention! They photograph, video, and report on the convention to share online, on CVG-TV, on social media, and to create an archive of the event. You can always identify them by their media badges.
By registering for CONvergence, you gave consent for the convention to record your image. Depending on the situation, official CONvergence media staff may not always ask before taking a photo or video. Please be understanding as they do their jobs for the convention. If you have any concerns about CONvergence media policy, please contact the Convergence Events Board of Directors.
Treat Everyone With Respect
CONvergence is serious about providing a safe environment for all members, and we enforce our Harassment Policy very seriously. Here are a few things to keep in mind to make sure you don’t harsh anyone’s squee.
Ask permission before you take a photo of another CONvergence member. (Not only is this polite, but it almost always results in a much better photo!)- Costumes are not consent to be hugged, touched, groped, grabbed, or sexually advanced upon. But this is also true for fancy dress, kilts, swimwear, or even just jeans and a t-shirt. It does not matter what gender a person is or what they are or aren’t wearing; harassment is harassment. If someone tells you they do not want to talk to you or do not want you to touch them, respect that and leave them alone.
- A good rule of thumb is to just explicitly ask for permission before touching any person in any way. Examples include:
- “May I put my arm around you for a photo?”
- “May I hug you?”
- “That fabric on your costume is so interesting. May I feel the texture?”
- Volunteers are doing a job and it is important to recognize that. If someone is volunteering, it is definitely not an appropriate time to make sexual advances or try to touch them. Just let them do their job. This goes double for elevator monitors, as they are on their own in confined spaces.
- If you’re not sure which pronouns to use for a new friend at CONvergence, check for a pronoun sticker on their membership badge. If they don’t have a sticker, it’s always OK to just ask. You do this by saying, “What pronouns do you use?” It really is just that simple! If you don’t have a good opportunity to find out a person’s preferred pronouns, you’re generally safe using the gender-neutral pronoun, “they”.
- Restroom policing is very uncool. People know which restroom they belong in. Trust them to do their business in the place most comfortable for them and leave it at that.
If You See Something, Say Something
Part of being a community is taking responsibility for protecting that community. We’ve all got to look out for each other, and it really is quite simple!
- If you spot someone who looks like they are in distress, ask them if they would like you to contact Operations or First Advisors for them.
- If you witness someone being harassed, do not stay silent. Speak up and defuse the situation. If that doesn’t help, please report the harassment.
- If you witness someone breaking the rules outlined in the CONvergence Policies, try to educate them. It’s possible they are just ignorant of the policy. If that doesn’t help, contact Operations via The Bridge.
- If you spot someone whose prop weapon has not yet been Peace Bonded, suggest that they head to The Bridge for “The Talk”. They get a badge ribbon for doing it!
And contacting Operations at The Bridge is easier than ever with their text number: 651.800.1.OPS (651-800-1677)
Getting From Floor to Floor
At the Hyatt, CONvergence takes over the first six floors of the hotel. To get from floor to floor, you have to know what goes where. Here is a quick overview!
There are two banks of elevators and one set of escalators. There will also be one set of stairs open to floors with convention spaces. If you are able, please use either escalators or stairs to access floors 1–6.
- The Conference Elevators (two elevators near the escalators) serve convention spaces on floors 1–6.
- The 6th floor can only be reached via the Conference Elevators or the Open Stairwell.
- The Guest Elevators (five elevators near the front desk, and in various locations on upper floors) serve guest rooms on all floors, with indirect access to convention spaces on floors 1–5
- The Escalators (centrally located) serve convention spaces on floors 1-5
- When boarding the escalators, please leave a gap of 1-2 steps between riders.
- Cosplayers or members with long articles of clothing should take care to avoid becoming entangled in the equipment.
- When exiting escalators, step off promptly, and immediately move clear of the escalator exit area. Do not stop to talk or look around. Other passengers may be behind you.
- The Open Stairwell (near the escalators and conference elevators, on the Nicollet Mall side of the hotel) provides access to all floors, but not the lobby; it exits onto the street.
- The 6th floor can only be reached via the Conference Elevators or the Open Stairwell.
Note that other stairwells will provide egress to the ground floor but will not allow access to intermediary floors.
If your wait time for an elevator ever exceeds 15 minutes, please text CONvergence Operations at 651.800.1.OPS (651-800-1677) and indicate your floor and elevator bank. An elevator operator will be contacted to get an elevator to you as soon as possible.
Remember the 6-2-1 Rule
The 6-2-1 Rule is:
- 6 hours of sleep per night
- 2 meals per day
- 1 shower per day
Practice self care while at CONvergence, and try to remind your friends to do the same. Also, remember to wash your hands often to prevent the spread of con crud! If you’d like regular reminders to self-care, try following Professor Max on Twitter. He’ll be tweeting self care tips all weekend.
Wait To Post Photos of Your Badge Online
When you get your CONvergence 2019 membership badge, please DO NOT post a close-up photo of it online or share a close-up photo of it with your friends until AFTER the convention is over. If you see your friends doing this, please ask them to take their badge photo(s) down until Sunday. Convention badge counterfeiting is real and this is something you can do to help prevent it at CONvergence!
Be aware of Members with Disabilities
There are many CONvergence members with both visible and invisible disabilities. Here are a few simple things you can do to help make their CONvergence 2019 as awesome as yours!
- Keep paths clear. Don’t stand in the middle of a hallway or doorway. Always ask yourself, is there room for a wheelchair to get through? If not, make some. If everyone does this, it makes a big difference!
- Never assume ability. Many, many disabilities are “invisible”. This means that you can’t tell a person has the disability just by looking at them. It’s a good idea to never assume a person you don’t know is able-bodied. Don’t criticize them for their elevator, escalator, or chair use; they know their limitations much better than you do!
- Bathroom policing is never ok! You cannot determine a person’s disability or gender just by looking at them.
- Treat mobility aids as extensions of a person’s body. Never touch a person’s wheelchair, scooter, walker, crutches, or cane without their permission.
- Keep your mouth visible while you are talking. This is especially important if you are on a panel. Many hard of hearing people lip read in order to understand what is being said, and more people are hard of hearing than you might think. Keeping your mouth visible while you are talking is a huge help!
If you want more information about accessibility at CONvergence, check out the Accessibility & Inclusion page.
Sign up for the Blood Drive
In the great tradition of blood drives at science fiction conventions throughout the country, the crew of the USS Nokomis is proud to host this year’s blood drive. Please make your appointment to save up to three lives with your donation at www.redcrossblood.org or call 651-283-6736 to choose your time. You can also sign up at the bar in the USS Nokomis party room (5121) on Thursday or Friday night, or Find the USS Nokomis at a table near the escalator on the 1st floor on Thursday or Friday afternoons, or all day on Saturday.
Visit the Blood Drive page for more information.
Don’t Forget Your Fuel
Remember that 6-2-1 rule? A very important part of that is eating. ConSuite is great for snacks throughout the day, but it isn’t a replacement for a real meal.
You may want to check out the Food and Shopping page for your full selection of dining options during the convention. Some are even offering discounts!
Have Props? Make sure to have “The Talk”
If you have a prop of any kind—even a fictional weapon—please bring it to The Bridge to be peace bound. An Operations volunteer will have “The Talk” with you, and you’ll walk out with a snazzy badge ribbon! Even if your prop weapon is just plastic and foam, getting it peace bound is a great signal to everyone around you that your weapon is safe. Your prop will not be damaged in the peace binding process!
Check out the CONvergence Props policies by clicking here.
Check the CVG-TV Schedule
CVG-TV, CONvergence’s television channel streaming live online during the convention, has posted their broadcast schedule. Head over to check it out so you can plan to catch rebroadcasts of MainStage events!
Member Advocates Have Your Back
Do you need ear to listen at CONvergence? Have you found yourself overwhelmed while at the con? Or do you need to connect to a department but don’t know where to go? CONvergence Member Advocates want to help!
Member Advocates are here for CONvergence Members and Convention Committee. They can guide you in the right direction to make sure that issues, ideas, and problems are addressed by the right department or be an ear to listen and connect you to the right resources for support. If you would like to utilize Member Advocates, simply stop by the Member Advocates table next to the Accessibility & Inclusion table in the DoubleTree by Hilton Lobby or email
memberadvocates@convergence-con.org. You can also request a Member Advocate any time by visiting The Bridge.
Lost & Found
Did you know CONvergence has an at-con Lost and Found? If you find something or if you lose something during CONvergence 2019, head over to The Bridge!
Have Fun!
Whatever epic destiny brought you to CONvergence 2019, be it overthrowing an oppressive galactic tyrant or simply a quest through the stars to rescue a space prince or princess, make sure that you have fun while you are here! Volunteer, get your geek on, and don’t forget to party to the max!
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