Being that Renderosity is online's largest graphic artist community wouldn't it be great to have a convention? Why not provide a way for the community to meet face to face. I don't know if it's ever been brought up or discussed here but I thought it would be a great way to bring this community even closer together. What do y'all think? How many of you would attend? Wouldn't it be fun?

There are a number of people here that I'd love to meet. Of course, the location of the convention would be critical to generating attendance. So would the ability to demonstrate products and attend classes. We could have a 'nekkid Vicky' costume ball. Everyone could wear NVIATWAS styled outfits while wearing a Vicky or Mike face (printed on a paper bag to ensure anonymity for those who might be a bit shy) in a big ballroom set to look like a temple. I suppose the truly shy people could come dressed as Dork or Possette.

A "nekkid Vicky" custome ball is a great idea! I think Possette is kinda sexy in her own way...she's real and not high maintenance at all. I'm gonna dress up as her!

You're right the location would have to be somewhat centralized. I think it'll be cool to have printers available so you have high quality prints of your own creations or purchase other artists prints.

Message edited on: 04/21/2005 12:56

San Antonio is a nice centralized city with plenty to do for those who need to take a break from the convention. I love Chicago as well, but San Antonio is closer. Dallas is a great hub and easy to get to from anywhere. We could take a field trip to the Apple Computer Store.

Dear NothingNess,

The Renderosity convention idea has been mentioned before and I think it is a good one. I would really like to meet more R'Osity folks in person.

I would also be curious to know how many us of would be interested in attending.

Definitely the location, timing and content of such a gathering would factor into the mix.

I think I'll put together a poll of some different possible options. Then we can see what might possibly work the best for the most members.

Thanks for mentioning it!

Best wishes,
LillianH
Renderosity Marketing and Promotions

P.S. Love the party idea ;-)

Message edited on: 04/21/2005 13:06

Better save up money for that new Apple laptop I've been wainting to buy.hehe. I volunteer to make everyone's name tags.

Thanks Lillian for your response. You can count me on the attendee list. Yes, a poll of some kind for the community to fill out would prove intersting. How about a volunteer committee of community members to help with some of the planning and organization of activities so that the staff wouldn't have to do everything? From the way most everyone gets along in here it'll be nothing but a big o fun party! :)

I'd love to share a non-virtual brew with kbennett & pearce. I'd love to meet naysayguy in person - as well as his doctor. What was his name? Gap or Geep or something like that. It would be wonderful to share full screen animations with the other animators. Maybe even project 'em up on a wall and watch 'em en masse. Who knows, maybe we could even feature Dan Farr and Larry Weinberg in an arm wrestling match... Refereed by Spike. Of course, we'd probably stand a better chance of seeing the Olsen Twins mudwrestling with Aiko3. Either way, such bliss!

Dear NothingNess, Thank you so much for your kind offer of assistance. I will be happy to take you up on that. I think it would be a lot more fun to get as many of us as possible involved in the party...I mean planning process ;-) Let's start with the poll. We'll need to look at the following areas: Where: Aruba sounds good to me. Not likely. Just really good! Chicago, San Antonio, and Dallas were mentioned. Nashville is where we are located and there are some really cool spots around here (And it's not all country music either ;-) Are there any other suggestions? When: Winter, spring, summer, or fall? (I'll have to consult a calendar to pick some actual date ranges) What: Software demos, classes, panel/roundtable discussions, art contests, art prints, and parties...definitely parties! Please post your ideas in here and I'll add them to the poll. Let's see what this thing might look like. I would like to try and get the poll put up by next week. So, share your thoughts! Thanks, Lillian

Why not my home town of San Francisco? There are plenty of convention spaces, plenty to do in general, excellent inexpensive places to eat, good public transportation, plenty of interest to 3D artists. Oh, and there's a terrific Apple Store downtown. :-)

San Francisco would be awesome! My only concern would be that it might be prohibitively expensive for some to get to. I don't know - maybe there are cheap fares from all the major cities even on the East coast. Of course if any of our European members, or Japanese members wanted to come, everywhere would be expensive. I would love to be able to meet Kozaburo, shake his hand, and say thanks (!!!!) for all he's given to the community. And you too, of course! [grin] @Lillian One question that might be worth asking is, "how much notice would you need to be able to plan on (and save up money for) attending?" That could easily affect the timing and the number of attendees.

In a way, the forums are kind of like hearing someone's voice on the radio or over the telephone. You tend to develop a mental image of what that person "should" look like.

And then when you meet them in real life -- you are put-off/disappointed by the fact that they don't look a thing like you imagined that they would.......

A convention is an interesting idea. But for many people with busy lives, it's difficult to take the time off to attend one.

Nashville, Tennessee. That's Rendo's headquarters, and I might (maybe) even be able to make it there. Not too bad of a drive for me.

However -- I've got my doubts that we'd get an opportunity to see many of our European/Aussie/South American friends.

It's a rather long drive from Sydney or London to the 48.

@Bobasaur
I would love to be able to meet Kozaburo, shake his hand, and say thanks (!!!!) for all he's given to the community.

I would love to meet him too. He sounds like such a nice guy. Hey I have an idea. I know it'd be expensive for any overseas member to travel here but for someone like Kozaburo, what if the community take up a collection (contribution is not mandatory) and offer to pay for his flight and/or lodging if there is enough money. For all that he's done for this community I would love to see us give something back to him and show him just how much we appreciate his efforts.

@Lillian

I guess won't be dusting off my bikini anytime soon...doesn't seem like Aruba is very realistic. Overall
the location doesn't really matter to me. But since it'll be the first one. I wouldn't mind having it in Nashville. Personally, I'd love to take a tour of the "renderosity" office(is there one?) and stand next to the servers and fully appreciate how fast and hard they work all day long to keep us all connected. (oh I see lots of photo ops)

Message edited on: 04/21/2005 15:30

Go ahead and dust off your bikini. You might need it for the Ball. [grin]

It's a rather long drive from Sydney or London to the 48. Very true. No matter where it's held it's going to be far for a lot of people. Maybe if the idea takes off someday there can be simultaneous parties/conventions on different continents....and then each party can be televised to all the other locations...sorta like the new years celebrations or whatever. Or how about a live webcast from the convention. Attendees can if they want to go infront of the camera and say hi to everyone watching. Just a wishful thinking idea. And then when you meet them in real life -- you are put-off/disappointed by the fact that they don't look a thing like you imagined that they would....... Well that's a tough one. At some point we all have to decide if we want to live out lives out in virtual reality or take a chance with it in real life. Personally, I'd chose the latter. The sayings "how deep is your love" and "beauty is in the eye of the beholder" also come to mind. There are more to people than just looks. Life is short......sometimes you just gotta take a chance.

I'm not worried about it. My mom say's I've very handsome. She wouldn't lie to me. ;-)

Nashville works form me. I've had the good fortune to have met many Rosity,DAZ,3DCommune,Buzz3d,Pandromeda,Eovia,/Newtek,and many more folks at Siggraph over the years but it would be great to have a visit again. It would be cool to have a developer or two to sponsor it and have guests do some workshops on techniques,etc. Tom

At some point we all have to decide if we want to live out lives out in virtual reality or take a chance with it in real life. Personally, I'd chose the latter. The sayings "how deep is your love" and "beauty is in the eye of the beholder" also come to mind. There are more to people than just looks. Life is short......sometimes you just gotta take a chance.

Oh, I'd never argue with that.

I was merely making an observation on an interesting phenomenon. One that I've seen in action a few times.

If this idea should catch on, take a hint from WorldCon (the World Science Fiction Convention). Rotate the host city every year or every two years. WorldCon does one year in the United States and the next year in another country. Of course the real trick to this is that SF clubs bid on the honor of hosting WorldCon in their cities. For those of you who have never been involved in putting on a con, it's a lot of work, frustration, blood sweat and tears (like Churchhill said), but when it goes off, it's more than worth it! For what it's worth, I'd vote Nashville for the first one. I've attened many a SF con in Nashville over the years and there are indeed a lot of really cool spots in the city. It's also where Rendo is based and..(sheepishly) only a couple of hours away from where I now live. Okay, so I'm selfish....

Nashville would be good.

Is there any demographic data on where Rendo members live? Not that I'd expect it to be posted if you had it, but if you do (or get it as part of the survey) that might be a good consideration.

if you look at a map of the US, St Louis is pretty near center, and fairly easy to get to. Someone told me they had an airport...plus an interstate runs right through the middle of it. You can drive there !!! Plus, if you're a beer drinker, Budweiser is there...you can go and see the Clydesdales.... And half of the arches are there...where is the other half ???

forgot... a convention would be a great idea.

A few years ago, KateTheShrew and then Carolly Hauksdottir hosted afternoon parties in the San Francisco Bay Area. My reaction was that, no, no one looked as I had imagined. And, yes, they were even more interesting and fun in person than I had imagined. Extrapolating my experience at these parties, I think a convention would be a great idea. I'm sure that it would be successful enough that it would be repeated a year or two later. Maybe it could be near Curious Labs one time, and near Renderosity another time-- or something like that to at least cover North America. - Jim

How about a meeting at Siggraph?

Please no California trip. Most of us are on the East Coast.

Small conventions can usually be held at hotels where the meeting rooms are free if there are enough paid room nights. Sometimes they'll throw in a buffet breakfast or other amenities. A good liason with some experience in running small conventions is essential! There will be questions about insurance, electricity, tables and easels, whether banners can be hung from the walls, whether stuff is being sold (and the local tax laws), etc., and being professional is more important than being enthusiastic when dealing with the fire marshall and other officials. I'd strongly recommend piggy-backing onto a large art-minded convention until critical mass is attained and it can be spun off on its own. Critical mass is at least 100 regular attendees: counting both attrition and newcomers. If the larger convention rotates locations it may be better for rounding up people, but a stable convention has many advantages. The larger convention can deal with the regulations, all you'd need to do is reserve an assigned area for meeting. Note: having a designated space is essential! If there are 10,000 attendees, you can't read everyone's name badge hoping to find the 2 dozen folks you've never seen before. If you don't piggyback, you will need an attraction which will get people away from their home computers. Simply meeting other members isn't quite enough, even with friendly out-going people. Guest speakers or an exhibit space (such as the digital show at Dragon*Con) where folks get bragging rights and a chance to show off are good drawing points. Having workshops is also good (professionals can deduct expenses if it is continuing education... and everyone feels good about going home with something new and inspiring). As to the area? If you hope to bring in people from more than 100 miles, you'll need a decent airport or transportation hub. I'd look for active participatory members and see where the nucleoli are... not just the lurkers. A second factor is weather. Brooklyn in February is as bad as Dallas in July. If an area has regular tornadoes, blizzards, or heat, that needs to be considered. What is more important? Having the gathering in a particular place each year, or having it over a particular weekend? If a weekend, try tieing it to something artistic: returning butterflies, fall foliage, cherry trees in blossom, cultural events.... I have thrown 3 Poser User's Parties here in the SF area, but there are also lots of photographers and other Renderosity members in this area. We also have great weather most of the year. San Francisco is expensive, but there are lots of hotels in San Jose and Oakland which are used to holding small conventions. Carolly invitation to the recent one, with links to the earlier parties (and some pictures): http://www.renderosity.com/messages.ez?Form.ShowMessage=2169440 pics from the recent one: http://www.renderosity.com/messages.ez?ForumID=12356&Form.ShowMessage=2218720

Nashville is perfect for me :)....California no way...never.

Hi Carolly, Thanks for the insight. Good stuff to keep in mind. I'm sure this will be a lengthy planning process. There are a lot of details that have to be addressed for sure. Thank you also for sharing the pics of the Poser Parties! Great fun ;-) Best wishes, Lillian

I've been to the West Coast -- even lived there for a while (Washington State).

But to travel 2,500 miles or so to attend a weekend convention? Not likely. I'd read about it online.

Atlanta would work for me. In fact, I've got a lot of relatives that live in that town. So I wouldn't even need a hotel room.

Some more points to think about.......

Atlanta should meet all of the criteria for airports (Hartsfield Airport is the busiest airport in the world at certain times of the day). And Atlanta certainly has all of the convention space that anyone could desire.

But Nashville is fine.

Also, there is this to consider -- all of the Renderosity staff would probably be able to put in an appearance if the convention were held in the home city. Whereas I would suspect that not all of them could make it to some other town.

If the convention were held in California, then you'd probably lose about 90% of potential East coast attendees. Which would most likely be the majority of your crowd.

It's merely a matter of logistics.

Message edited on: 04/21/2005 22:33

Be great to meet people from here. Lots of folks I'd be honored to meet and glad to possibly hang out with. But if we meet, we might be friends and closer associates than just discussing art and art programs and gallery postings, and we may even all want to talk here about anything and everything as we probably would be doing in a convention? It's normal to converse. It's normal to have a good time, even when your greeting, meeting, learning, teaching, buying, selling, or whatever, and it brings more people when you have people karma around. But that be OT.

Went to Siggraph a few years ago when it was in San Antonio... SA would work for me! :D

Nashville is about 9 hours from me, so of course I'd go for Nashville. Lots of cool things to do there, convention facilities, hotels, etc. Just make sure it's not held around Fan Fair time. :) Linda

Hmm wouldn't this be interesting, How does a nice Canadian location sound???? lol I'm not sure how or where one could do this so many could attend, but as for time to save money, that also would depend on where it was, the farther away from me the longer I'd need to save ;) Would be a fun idea though, Carolly really sounds like she knows what she's talking about, might be some good tips to consider! *******************************P>S Lol I didn't even think Marque was a female lol omgosh talk about people not looking like you think, and she just rocks, I absolutley love Harleys! Used to own an 89 Wide Glide myself ;) Thanks for the link to the pics Carolly I missed those the first time around, love your hair by the way!

I've done dealer's rooms, art shows, and been a guest speaker at many many cons, usually all at once, ribbons on ribbons, but I've never worked "concom" (Convention Committee). My friends have, though, and it is a lot of effort and planning behind the scenes to make a smooth event in front. I've shepherded my small CompuServe group for a decade at Origins, planning events, reserving dinners and such, and that is a lot more manageable than being responsible for an entire convention. My best advice would be to determine what you want to do (say... meeting room, art show, demo area) that way you'll know what sort of space and equipment you'll need (tables, comfy chairs, digital projectors, etc.), and then get the relevant advice from people who have worked various positions as concom. Somebody who has run a hospitality suite will know about the cost of food per person, somebody who has run an art show will know about protecting assets, someone will know about setting up registration, security, communications. You know from planning a party that a certain percentage of invitees won't be able to make it. If there is an empty place at the table, no big deal. If you are having catered lunches or renting a ballroom for the art show, there is more of a need to get a firm estimate of attendees. It is usually easier to expand if something turns out to be wildly popular. (And that makes great advertising, too!) :) Carolly

Glad that you enjoyed the pictures. Although Genny's hair is the incredible one. :sigh: Most of the people who type a lot online are social critters and I've enjoyed meeting them ftf. It is also fun to discover all the other interests we have in common. I knew that Claudia was a forensic neurosurgeon in Germany, delicate and precise, but not that she was voracious when it came to eating wild berries off the bushes... we could have been twin bear cubs the way we went through the patch. Or that Brian was a statistician... who played with Legos. Same with the group here. We know that most of the other members are artists... but then we get to find out who fishes and who has grandkids and who likes doing research and who talks to their computers. When we think of Kozaburo, would we think of race cars? It is these surprises which are so wonderful. And of course afterwards, we get to hear their voices when we read the typing. :) Carolly

Don't worry, despite inveigling grins and promises of sunshine and scenery, I think it will be held back East. Why? Logistics on the part of the folks who would be setting it up and running it. Making arrangements is a lot easier if it is local. Also it is necessary to have at least one person walk through the potential sites checking for issues and shaking hands with the right people. Carolly

Awesome Idea. I think that perhaps following suit, and doing it like other noteworthy convention holders do it, Have one for the East Coast, and one for the West Coast. Rotate it every other year between huge metropolitan cities. Surely, Theres enough fans and merchants on board that could help support such a function or (2) :). And to top it off, we could have huge drawings for people that are able to show up. And advertise it all over the place. And make fun of all the folks who didnt get to come hehe. Id even be willing to Hit the Local Universities and colleges out here. BTW~ Lilian, I mean to send you an instant message on my last reception. It went fantastik, and have been asked to come back again for a larger class. Chris~

Er . . . London? (I'm selfish too).

the USA would have to be included in that definition. Rendo is a an international community so 'centralised' to me would mean a country that is central to the planet as a whole, and after a quick look at my trusty high school atlas that makes it roughly Vietnam-ish on my map. Sorry - it's just a deeply seated beef of mine over the ethno-centric attitude of US-ians on the net. There are more places in the world than the 50 US States ya know! (and don't even get me started on US-ians using their State abbreviations on the net or my laptop might suffer a serious 'technical failure' from being hurled out my 2nd floor window...) Overall the convention is a good idea though

Hi Carolly, Thanks for sharing the great pictures. All of you look like you had a fun time. I do so wish I live closer...well I suppose I should take up Poser first :)

I'm really excited to see the positive responses in this thread...I do hope it will materialize into something great. @SeanE As a person who loves to travel to new places and experience new sites and sounds having the convention in different places around the world would give me an excuse to travel more. I have always wanted to visit Australia! So if it was ever held there....I'd be there in a heartbeat. :)

It sounds like a great idea. Advice: 1) Choose an airline hub city, where a major airline routes traffic through to cut down on air fares. Midwest USA would be best, since it's the cheapest trip for most of us. St. Louis or Chicago aren't bad ideas. I'd lean towards St. Louis in the late summer before the kids start school, since the weather will be nice then, and it can be planned as a family vacation. I'd prefer Chicago personally though, it has more art museums. 2) Give yourself at least 6 months to organize. I'd think that for the first convention, you'd want longer to get things organized. 3) Encourage different cities to have their own hospitality rooms. This could also encourage Poser local organizations to develope. Also have presentations on different things. Poser and Bryce, Fairies for everyone, How to deal with the TOS, etc. 4) Get the corporate sponsors signed on first. Daz and Poser Pro's, Zygote, CL itself, should all be contributing. The 'sity and rDNA would of course be participating. Encourage them to announce a major product at special presentation. 5) Take a page from the Sci-Fi and Fantasy cons, and have events organized. The Ball is a great idea. So would be a live NVIAT and NDINT wet t-shirt contest (always my favorite). 6) Have a lecture series. Poser Figure Creation, modeling in MAX, Lightwave, etc, Postwork, texture making, animation. 7) Have people in the know in the host city prepare suggestions and maybe organized trips to local clubs, art galleries, and museums. It's always more fun with a group. 8) Finally, do it right the first time. Go to good 3D and Sci-Fi cons and get ideas. Find an organizer to spearpoint the whole thing. Someone who's helped organize a convention before, perferably in the choice of host city. Announce early and sell tickets to help pay for it. It'd be nice to go to Australia or London, but most people here are in the U.S. and not made of money. Choose the city based on what's cheapest for the most people, while still providing the most to do.

"I don't know if it's ever been brought up or discussed here but I thought it would be a great way to bring this community even closer together." There's a "Community" here? When did that happen? I thought this was a Poser store.

There's a "Community" here? When did that happen? I thought this was a Poser store. I can't argue with you there on the "POSER STORE" comment but that doesn't mean that I should have to be content with the status quo. I'm not a poser user and I shouldn't have to be one to feel inclusive. I haven't bought anything from the marketplace and I prolly never will....if that means that my presence here is not wanted or welcomed than tell me now and I won't waste my time here.

Sean, not Vietnam. A lot have us have been there, done that (and them), and still have the T-shirts - "Undershirt, Mens, shade OG-107"

"if that means that my presence here is not wanted or welcomed than tell me now and I won't waste my time here." Nothingness, I was being sarcastic :) Nothing against you, just a general dig at the site that promotes "Community" when it suits their business model, and bans any off topic community building topics when it doesn't. Sorry if you took my post personally, it wasn't intended as such. If you knw me you'd know I AM a smart ass :)

@Spiritbro77 I understand where you're coming from. No offense taken. Sorry if I was being a bit touchy there. Have a great weekend!

Where? A city with an international airport, a major hub. So that non-US members also have a chance to go. When? For me, summer. End of July, first week of August maybe. Simple reason: those are the summer holidays for my work. I'd have a chance to attend. What? pdxjims has presented some very good ideas. Lecture sessions during the day (gods, I'd love to attend a Vue lecture by czarnyrobert or Phoul! Or some Python lessons by ockham) An NVIATWAS party sounds like major fun (but I guess I won't be allowed to bring my sword and armor into the States! Boohoo!) For me, money is not the problem. Time is.

I'm willing to do the "naked in a temple with a sword"... but not in high heels! :very wide very evil grin: However, we need to be sure that all Rendo members feel welcome, even the fractal artists and photographers and 2D folks, so programming which helps cross-fertilize would be good. As an example: "taking panoramic photographs for image-based lighting" should attract photographers interested in stitching scenes together, techies interested in the mechanics of setting things up, and 3d artists eager to use realistic environments. Anything we can do to get the groups talking to each other and helping each other will help us grow as artists. Carolly

Hey there, Thanks everybody for the good suggestions and ideas. I really appreciate your input and brainstorming. For SeanE, I would really LOVE to have one in Australia, too. Feel like hosting an Aussie party perhaps? (hint, hint, nudge, nudge) It does seem most likely for it to be in the Nashville area. Now, we must have a look at all the cool locations we could possibly have it around here. This will take careful planning and lots of input. But, something worth investigating. Hope you all have a great weekend, Lillian