[Soy Sauce]

Alight everyone, I want to start an unofficial event called SoyCon. It's going to be a 2-day event where one portion will be a picnic and the other will be a photoshoot. Chances are that the location will be in downtown Chicago around the same location as the ACen Aftermath Photoshoot for the past 2 years. For those who want to spend the night will get hotel rooms. (Sorry guys, this is not an official con so no discount rates.) Things are still to be planned out this event, but hopefully it will grow into something new. Hopefully become an official con in the future. I am open for suggestions and if anyone has any hookups, that would be great too. Networking is one of the keys to success. So let's do this for summer 2008.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
***Updated 6/26/2008***

SoyCon 2008
July 12-13

SoyCon's Website - www.soycon.com

SoyCon Forums
Cosplay.com Forums (Meetup & Gatherings Section)
ACen Forums (Meetup Section)
ACen Forums (Other Conventions Section)

Also...

Want To Know What Happened In 2007?
ACen Aftermath Photoshoot 2007 Videos - Video By SoulCrash
ACen Aftermath Photoshoot 2007 Pictures - Pictures By Y0sh1m1tsu

SoyCon is now accepting donations! To send donations, Log-on to Paypal and send money to

DgtlDrmStation@yahoo.com

or you can go onto the SoyCon Forums and click "Donate" at the top of the forums. (Just below the title)
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
On 12: Downtown Chicago Photoshoot
On 13: Picnic

Photoshoot Time: Meeting Time - 8am

Locations For Photoshoot:

Meeting Area - 9th St. and Wabash (Pay For Parking)

8:00am Meeting @ Parking Lot
9:00am The Statue Field

10:00am Museum Campus

11:00am Grant Park Gardens

12:00pm The Art Institute

1:00pm Lunch @ Panda Express

2:00pm The Mini Fountain

3:00pm Parking Lot - Discussion

3:30pm Driving To Navy Pier

*4:30pm Navy Pier

6:00pm Dinner @ Navy Pier

7:00pm End of Photoshoot

*We will be all walking there as a group together. This may be a lengthy walk, but its the best way to get there since we may not have enough cars to drive everyone there and back. For those who choose to drive, you will end up paying for parking once you leave the area. Make sure you have cash or credit card with you to pay for the parking.

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Picnic Time: Meeting Time - 11am

Location For Picnic:

Deer Grove East
E Dundee Rd & N Peppertree Dr.
Palatine, IL 60067

The Park - Above View

Events During Picnic:

The World of Con & Cosplay: Advice & Stories
- This will be a discussion about convention & cosplay stories as well as giving out advice. Feel free to share your stories or advice to everyone.

Cosplay Guess Who?
- Just like the hit board game Guess Who?, can you guess the cosplayer that you're oppenent is thinking about?

Learn The Haruhi Dance:
- Want to learn how to do the Haruhi dance? Here's your chance!

SoyCon Cosplay
- Awards will be given.
- Costumes Judged By Cosplay Who Won Major & Minor Awards from other conventions.
- 3 Cosplay Levels: Novice, Journeyman, & Master

Special Guest Panelist
- Joey aka Blondewolf2

A Roast With Soy Sauce
- Soy Sauce will be the one roasted, but that doesn't mean Soy will be the only one roasted.
- Anyone can voluntary come up and do their roasting. Anything Goes? O.o

The Soy Awards
- These are certificate awards for acknowledgement throughout SoyCon.
- Some of these awards will have some "interesting" honors.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
SoyCon Staff

Owner/Head
- Soy Sauce

Co-Vice-Captains
- Xenida
- TekoMuko

Picnic Organizers
- Jam-Kiske
- ai_no_kaku
- HotaruTenshi

Group Leaders
- Slouty Strawberry
- Sora-Sama
- Green Dragon
- Walladreyn
- HEDGESMFG

"The Roast" Host
- Sora-Sama

Timekeeper
- KnitChick

Cosplay Contest Judges
- Ononoke
- mens_pocky06
- R1KKu

Medical Nurse(s)
- Millions Knives
- Slouty Strawberry

Con & Cosplay Panelists
- Soy Sauce
- Millions Knives
- Kale/Sora-sama
- Ononoke
- This_Chick25

"Guess Who?" Hosts
- Slouty Strawberry
- Xenida

[shun]

Oh my Jesus...

[Millions_Knives]

well im no expert
but setting up a table of events would be a good way to attract people ~probably stuff we can do for free~
may be tors
going prominent Chicago locations
having fun with the locals
and photo ops
~cus you know we cosplayers are attention whores~

[KnitChick]

Weee SoyCon! I'm in!!

[Soy Sauce]

Well, if this is going to happen. I need alot of things. Hotel, insurance, security, reservations, and ballrooms to host events. Also a dealers room and entertainment rooms. So I guess the first plan of action is get the staff. I'm probably need people with experience. Someone who can take a leadership role and know what they're doing, even if it's a decision on the spot.

[VoicesOfChaos]

How much of a con do you want this to be? I thought this was going to be like a outdoor con where people just walk around, chill, meet new people. You know that kind of thing.

Do we really need dealer rooms and ballrooms (I do love dancing though lol). There are a lot of big cons out there but if you are going to start your own small con you should probably try to play to the strength of it being a small con and do stuff that big cons can't do. As I said I kind of pictured it all outside and hey we can still do events there. I know at the recent cosplay picnic they had a karaoke contests, cosplay contest, and triva contest (I won that!). The Aftermath is all about us walking around together taking cool pictures infront of things so I think that's pretty awesome in it self and doesn't really need much to make it better.

But do what you think is best. My point is just that I would prefer a more get-together and hang-out kind of con then some snooty offical con. But I wonder what everyone else thinks.

[mens_pocky06]

I'm sorta with chaos on that one...but whatever is decided....I'm SO there! (^^)

As for the whole "no con discount" thing for hotels etc....could do like a car-pool....only a "room-pool?" where people can bunch up in a room. (Obviously not for HUGE groups....that would be kind of cramped and yeah...)

Just an idea being thrown out there (^^)

[this_chick25]

Third on the "smaller con" thing. Maybe we should start with little events and build up as we gain experience.

Whatever the case though--I'm all for it and TOTALLY there!!

(hmmm... I wanna help a bit -- maybe I should start thinking up t-shirt designs... or a little flyer action... or something...)

[Millions_Knives]

i also agree with Chaos
if we jump the gun the con may fail due to lack of funds, support, and attendance
it may take some time to be able to do vending and such
the small con idea seems to be the bast bet
at least for now

[kitty359113]

this sounds like fun, i would love to see this happen, but when do u think u want to have this? i'm all for it there's only two really good con's in illinios that i know abput and have been to. Acen and Reactor, so lets do this!

[otakucomedian#1]

im in too! i can help advertise if youd like..im going to wizardworld 07 next week...and kind of info u need me to give them u can send me at funnyanime91@sbcglobal.net

[Green Dragon]

Hey Soy, if you need any help with organizing or anything, I'll try to help any way I can.

[Shadow Dragon]

I'm in! Sounds like great fun! But I also vote for starting out small and working your way up. To me small cons are more fun, they're more personal and homey!

[VoicesOfChaos]

Agree with the above, small cons are more personal and homey. Hence why I like Reactor but that's off-topic. Wanted to let you know that I'll gladly help you set it all up as well.

[Soy Sauce]

I'm sure of this. I don't want this con to be something like Reactor. I want to keep this as a normal convention and try to keep the rated R stuff to a reasonable level. No plans yet if I'll find a small hotel and everything, but hopefully we'll get a small hotel to start this con off. Feel free to look for small hotels in the IL area (mainly around Chicagoland) to see what good places would be for a con to be at.

[Kasemei]

I would totally wanna do this!!

[Soy Sauce]

After last night going to Geek.kon with my other friends. I will not be hosting SoyCon in a hotel due alot of things that I can't get access to, especially money. So I'm going back to the idea of the 2-Day Photoshoot & Picnic. Something also came up when I was having dinner with my friends and we have this idea of doing cosplay miniture golf adding to the mix. I believe we can go to the miniture golf course located on Golf Rd. and it's a glow in the dark golf course too. Maybe if I ask the people that work there and host an event for us for a few hours or so. I was thinking of putting this after the Cosplay Picnic. How does this idea sound to everyone?

[mens_pocky06]

Soy Sauce, on Oct 7 2007, 01:08 PM, said:

After last night going to Geek.kon with my other friends. I will not be hosting SoyCon in a hotel due alot of things that I can't get access to, especially money. So I'm going back to the idea of the 2-Day Photoshoot & Picnic. Something also came up when I was having dinner with my friends and we have this idea of doing cosplay miniture golf adding to the mix. I believe we can go to the miniture golf course located on Golf Rd. and it's a glow in the dark golf course too. Maybe if I ask the people that work there and host an event for us for a few hours or so. I was thinking of putting this after the Cosplay Picnic. How does this idea sound to everyone?

I'm down with whatever you come up with. Most of your ideas for meet-ups have been pretty wicked...well, the ones I've been to anywho. (^^)

[KnitChick]

Where on Golf Rd exactly? I'm not recalling seeing any in my travels....

There's an indoor glow-in-the-dark mini golf course right by my house that's pretty nice. I've been there once, and it was quite fun. There's also a few arcade games too, and a party area. Their prices are pretty reasonable and I think they have group rates. Right by Harlem-Irving Plaza if you've heard of the HIP and easy to get to driving or by public transit (three bus routes stop right at the HIP)

[RitsukasMemory]

Yeah, I agree with KnitChick, but I don't really know too much about Golf rd. I do love Putting Edge by the HIP. Acording to their site they hold parties and group events, I think we would need at least 20 people. There's also the laser tag across the parking lot, but I haven't been there in years, it might not even be there anymore. I'm pretty sure there's a Chinese buffet a few places down! I'm all for buffets, haha! Then there's the mall just across the street of course where it would be easy to find people to traumatize.

On the downside, there isn't anywhere else around there though to really take pictures that I can think of, but it's just an idea. It's probably easiest if the two days take place in the same area, I guess, and I'm probably biased because Putting Edge is just a bus ride away from home, I know a people are coming from much further, so you'll want to take that into account.

[KnitChick]

Well there's still a sign for the lazer tag...I really should check that out. As many years as I've lived here I have set foot in that lazer tag place ONCE and didn't play, just peeked in, went "huh...okay...." and left.

Hey wandering through the HIP would be full of win for me And I don't even care that I might run into a billion people I know! Plus I'm within walking distance of the HIP (though I'd probably drive, I always do now cuz I'm lazy).

Parking's a little dicey at busy times in the Commons parking lot (where Putting Edge is), because they're building new cool stuff (we're getting a Staples and a Circuit City and Pizza Hut is moving into a new building, and Walgreens is getting a new building), but ppl driving could easily park in the HIP lot, it's right across the street and thanks to Target's four levels of parking even the day after Christmas parking can be found!

[Demon Slayer]

I was going to to a Lazer Quest meetup once, but never did. I'm sure we can get some kind of group game reservation the day in advance. I've done it before, it's not too hard. Then there's the Putting Edge across the parking lot (with an arcade). And the HIP, that we can scare the normies (well, gangsters) in... xD

I know that there's a teeny-tiny little parkinglot by Lazer Quest @ the HIP... I've only seen 1, maybe 2, cars in their max.
Additionally, there's also the 4th level of the Target Parking Complex that hardly anyone ever goes up on (except my friends and I who played catch up their once). Both are more urban-looking areas if you were inclined to do a photoshoot there.

As I live right by the HIP (within walking distance at least) I'm pretty familiar with the area... There's also the forest which is a straight shot down Irving via the extended to Cumberland bus. And of course a few restaurants are in the area.

If you want banner/design help I'd be glad to do it casually if I can balance it with school.

[KnitChick]

I happened to be in Norridge Commons today for other stuff so I took a minute and ran into Lazer Quest and Putting Edge and grabbed info.

Cool thing, if anyone's interested -- Putting Edge has a special offer Oct 15 to 31st, groups of 12 or more can have a party, and this is what's included: 18 holes of golf, 2 slices pizza, unlimited soft drinks, 6 arcade tokens, Halloween treat bag, glow bracelet, 2 hours in the party room, just $8.50 per person OR only $7.50 per person if everyone's in costume!!! Anyone interested???

Putting Edge has a US version DDR console (not much music in it though), a Beatmania console, and and some console called X2 Exceed that looks like a DDR console.

Lazer Quest also had a DDR console, DDR Extreme (same one I played at GameWorks by the looks of it).

[RitsukasMemory]

That sounds super freaking cool! I'm totally up for it, but I have work or school every day. I think the only day I have off this entire month would be the 28th, and I'm sure that that day would be packed, fuu...

[Demon Slayer]

Sounds fun!!

I don't have school next week Teusday, and I only have a half day that Wednesday, if anyone can make it down there that day.

Weekends are always good for me, as well. And I have a costume that wouldn't be too hard to DDR/Lasertag/minigolf in. Sounds like fun, so keep me posted.

[Soy Sauce]

I found a very impressive place for cosplayers to have photoshoots and to have fun. I'm just not sure if we are to host an event or something there, but it's a beautiful place. The location is on Schaumburg Ct. and Summit Dr in Schaumburg, IL. If you want to see a preview of it, here's the link and tell me what you think of the location. SoyCon 2008 Location?

[KnitChick]

Looks nice on the video! I'm trying to place where that is, I'm not too familiar with Schaumburg (I'm a city gal, you realize What I know of Schaumburg is Woodfield, Borders, and Ikea ) Can you name a big nearby landmark? Or like where it is in relation to Woodfield?


Actually if we did something at Putting Edge or Lazer Quest here, there are some interesting photoshoot locations in the area. Wright College has some cool spots to shoot at (my friend and I had thought about using the library building at Wright for some filming), their library building looks SO cool Plus there's Robinson Woods which is lovely, and some nice scenery in Norridge Park (and cool playground equipment ) Plus soon we'll have the gorgeous new library building that would make a great backdrop (the windows are spectacular!)

[Green Dragon]

I like the idea. I think you should go through with this plan; I'd definitely go if it was a weekend thing.

[SSJ3500]

I'll go for sure if it's at the prairie arts center, that's about five minutes from my house. Right by Schaumburg Road too, so that'd be fun.

[Soy Sauce]

SSJ3500, on Oct 14 2007, 02:32 AM, said:

I'll go for sure if it's at the prairie arts center, that's about five minutes from my house. Right by Schaumburg Road too, so that'd be fun.

*Ding* You sir has won a cookie! That's the exact location that I filmed at.