Frequently Asked Questions


	What is steampunk? What made you decide to hold Steamcon III? I've registered for Steamcon III, but I never received anything in the mail. I had a problem registering for the convention. Why are there no one day memberships offered on the website? When will the schedule of events be posted? Is there a separate charge for the Airship Awards, Tea Party and Saturday Night Concert, and when can I buy my tickets? Where can I get Steamcon merchandise to show my support? How do I apply to be a Merchant in the Grand Mercantile? How do I apply to display my art in the Art Exhibition? How do I participate in Artists’ Alley? I think I’d make a good speaker/or I have an idea for a talk or presentation at Steamcon. What do I do? My band wants to play Steamcon. How can I volunteer to help with Steamcon? Why did you move the convention to a new hotel? How do I make reservations at the Hyatt? How much is parking during the convention? What is your policy on weapons? Should I dress up for the convention? What if I don't have period Victorian clothing? What is the physical mailing address for Steamcon? What is a patron level membership? What is steampunk? Steampunk is Victorian science fiction in a nutshell. It is airships, submersibles and mad scientists with fantastical inventions in the era of steam technology. It is the romance and excitement of a period in history when people still believed in optimism, ornamentation and manners. It is our focus and raison d’etre. What made you decide to hold Steamcon III? The first two Steamcons were quite successful. Not satisfied with that, we wanted to try and do something bigger and better this year. Our theme for this year; 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea is proving to be wonderfully inspirational, so we expect to see a lot of great participation. We hope to see you all in October. I've registered for Steamcon III, but I never received anything in the mail. Steamcon III memberships are on a "will call basis." When you arrive at the convention, go to the registration table in the lobby of the Hyatt and show them your ID to pick up your badge. You will need official ID that matches the name you registered with in order to pick up your badge, so it is important that you use your legal name to register. Also, when you register, use an email that you regularly use and remember which one it is. We will use this to find you. I had a problem registering for the convention. You will want to send the full details of your difficulty to registration@steamcon.org , and our helpful minions will assist you. Why are there no one day memberships offered on the website? One day memberships will only be available at the door of the convention on the day they are good for as long as we have space available. We won’t know that we have available space until that day. Full weekend memberships are a bargain for less than the price of a one day pass in the first few months or online sales, so buying early is a good idea. When will the schedule of events be posted? Creating an event of this magnitude is a very complicated process. We will give you schedule information as soon as we possibly can, but we want it to be as accurate as possible. It should be up about a week or two before the convention. Is there a separate charge for the Airship Awards, Tea Party and Saturday Night Concert, and when can I buy my tickets? Yes, there is a separate charge for those events to ensure that those with tickets can be accommodated. The tickets will be at the will call table at the convention. Due to the need to know how many people we are feeding, catered events like the awards banquet and tea party tickets will not be sold at the door. Where can I get Steamcon merchandise to show my support? You may purchase Steamcon I, II, & III merchandise in our online Zazzle shop: http://www.zazzle.com/steamcon* This merchandise is special pre-convention promotional material and will not be available at the convention itself. At the convention, there will be an official t-shirt, pin and other memorabilia available at merchandise booth. How do I apply to be a Merchant in the Grand Mercantile? Applications and instructions are now up. You can go here to find out more. How do I apply to display my art in the Art Exhibition? Applications and instructions are now up. You can go here to find out more. How do I participate in Artists’ Alley? Applications and instructions are now up. You can go here to find out more. I think I’d make a good speaker/or I have an idea for a talk or presentation at Steamcon. What do I do? You can contact programming at programming@steamcon.org. Please give full details as to your history and credentials. Please submit fully written out ideas for talks, panels or demonstrations. My band wants to play Steamcon. You should write to music@steamcon.org to be considered. How can I volunteer to help with Steamcon? Kindly email our volunteer coordinator at volunteers@steamcon.org . Alternatively, you can always let us know your desire to help out at the convention itself and we will happily put you to work. Why did you move the convention to a new hotel? Frankly, we out grew the Marriott in our first year. We added the Hilton for the second year, but when we began planning the third year, back in 2009, we realized that we would want to consolidate into one large hotel that would give us room for growth. The Hyatt is huge and very lovely. It is also in the middle of a great area, for food, shopping and entertainment. We think that we will be very happy there for years to come. How do I make reservations at the Hyatt? The convention rate is $109.00 (plus tax) a night for double occupancy. You can use this link to make your reservations. How much is parking during the convention? The rate for self parking is $16.00 a day at the Hyatt, but from Friday at 8:00 P.M. through Sunday at 8:00 P.M. parking is free. What is your policy on weapons? Being that we are all reasonable adults, the policy is that common sense should reign. No weapons that would be easily mistaken for a real and dangerous weapon. No live steel. No brandishing a weapon, about in a threatening manner. Please be polite. If following these simple rules is an issue, we will ask you to please leave the weapons in your hotel room or vehicle. If that is an issue, you will be asked to depart the convention. We do suggest that you refrain from carrying your weaponry out of the convention space to avoid any misunderstandings. Should I dress up for the convention? While it is entirely up to you whether you dress for the occasion, it is my belief that one should always take an opportunity to be stylish in good company. Last year's event was resplendent with folks in all manners of steampunk attire. I believe it was the highest ratio of well dressed people I have ever seen at a convention. So, you may want to join in the fun. Of course there's always our Grand Mercantile if you still need something to wear. What if I don't have period Victorian clothing? As I always say, "steampunk needs historical accuracy like a dirigible needs a goldfish." One can get away with some amount anachronism in steampunk, after all it is altered history. And some of us have time machines. ;) You might go read this article for inspiration: http://www.squidoo.com/dressingsteampunk What is the physical mailing address for Steamcon? The mailing address for Steamcon is : Steamcon 1111 East Madison St. #420 Seattle, WA 98122 What is a patron level membership? The patron level membership is intended as a way for you to help Steamcon by providing much needed capital in the initial stages of our convention process. A portion of your contribution is tax deductible, and will set you apart from the general membership. Rank has its privileges of course, so you will receive a special exclusive gift as our thanks, as well as an opportunity to purchase special event tickets early, early seating for those events and any other perks we can bestow throughout the Steamcon III weekend. There will be a special reception on Friday evening for patrons with our participants in the Art Exhibition. For further information you might want to check out our Forum or join any one of our Steamcon communities. You may also email us at info@steamcon.org.