GottaCon 2010 is a Canadian gaming convention to be held in Victoria British Columbia on February 5, 6 and 7, 2010 with over 20,000 square feet of gaming space. The convention doors open at 5:00pm Friday and do not close until 7:00pm Sunday. That is 50 hrs of non-stop gaming. GottaCon will have all you need to make the experience great: contests, tournaments, vendors, demonstrations, panels, and all types of games.

GottaCon 2009 saw over 600 people – an amazing turnout considering it was its inception year. GottaCon intends to deliver another successful year and is projecting attendance levels to be between 750 and 1000.

We will be running a large selection of boardgame events, which will of course include a number of Fantasy Flight's wonderful games.

For more information visit www.gottacon.com . I will also be posting more information about GottaCon and exciting announcements in this thread, so check back. Also follow us on twitter at http://twitter.com/GottaCon .

GottaCon 2010 Ticket Prices and New Family Pass Announced

GottaCon is pleased to announce the weekend and daily ticket prices for GottaCon 2010 as well as our new family pass option which will be available for purchase this fall. Please find below the list of prices. Special package prices are still being developed and will be announced in the fall.

Here is the ticket pricing (all pricing in Canadian dollars):
• *Full weekend pass purchased before January 22, 2009: $30.00
• *Full weekend registration at the door: $40.00
• *Friday admission only: $15.00
• *Saturday admission only: $20.00
• *Sunday admission only: $15.00
• **Family Day Pass: $50
Maximum 4 People per Family, Maximum 2 Adults 18+
• **Family Weekend Pass: $100
Maximum 4 People per Family, Maximum 2 Adults 18+
• Children 8 and under get in free (must be accompanied by an adult, provide proof of age if asked, maximum two free child admissions per adult)

GottaCon 2010 Family Pass Details

We all know that you’d like to take your family out to GottaCon 2010, but sometimes it’s just not in the budget to do so. This year, we’re introducing the GottaCon Family Pass as a way to make it more affordable for families to explore all the exciting events at our convention!

The Family Day Pass**
A regular day pass costs up to $20 per person at the door; so a family of four could cost $80. With our family pass, we’re offering a way to save up to $30 off of that cost!

We are offering a one day family pass for $50. The pass covers the entry fee for up to four people (a maximum of two adults, 18 years of age and over, and up to 2 others 17 and under). This also works for one adult and three non-adults.

The Family Weekend Pass**
A regular full weekend pass costs $40 per person at the door; so a family of four would cost $160. With our family pass, we’re offering a way to save $60 off of that cost!

We are offering a full weekend family pass for $100. The pass covers the entry fee for up to four people (a maximum of 2 adults, 18 years of age and over, and up to two others 17 and under). This also works for one adult and three non-adults.

Remember that our family pass options are intended for families only. We hope that this option makes it easier on the budget for families to attend our convention. If you have questions, please contact Evan Hatch at [email protected] for more details.

*These prices include entry to GottaCon 2010 the "Event". Some designated activities require preregistration and/or payment of a separate, additional fee.
**Offer for families only, ID may be requested

Howard Johnson Hotel Victoria Exclusive Hotel Sponsor of GottaCon 2010

GottaCon Conventions is pleased to announce that Howard Johnson Hotel Victoria ( http://www.hojovictoria.com ) is our official accommodations sponsor for GottaCon 2010. The Howard Johnson has provided our convention goers with special rates on their rooms as well as at their restaurant and pub. The GottaCon 2010 room rates are as follows:

Standard Room - $55/Night (plus taxes)
• Two Double Beds or One King/Queen
• TV
• Voice Mail
• Hairdryer
• Iron & Ironing Board
• In room complimentary coffee
• Work Desk
• High Speed Internet (Wi-Fi)
• Complimentary Newspaper
• Air Conditioning

Mini Suite with Kitchen - $65/Night (plus taxes)
• Two Double Beds or One King/Queen
• TV
• Voice Mail
• Hairdryer
• Iron & Ironing Board
• In room complimentary coffee
• Work Desk
• High Speed Internet (Wi-Fi)
• Complimentary Newspaper
• Air Conditioning
• Full Kitchen with Dining Area

Executive Suite - $85/Night (plus taxes)
• Separate Bedroom with TV
• Living Room with Two Double Beds or One King/Queen
• TV
• Voice Mail
• Hairdryer
• Iron & Ironing Board
• In room complimentary coffee
• Work Desk
• High Speed Internet (Wi-Fi)
• Complimentary Newspaper
• Air Conditioning
• Full Kitchen with Dining Area

In addition the hotel offers the following amenities:
• Heated Indoor Pool
• Restaurant
• Sports Lounge
• Fitness Room & Sauna
• Free Wireless Internet
• Complimentary Parking
• Free Lobby Internet Use
• Guest Laundry
• Mini-Fridges, Microwaves available

The Howard Johnson Hotel Victoria is located at 310 Gorge Road East along the Galloping Goose Trail and across from the Gorge Waterway, only minutes from the GottaCon 2010 convention, Victoria’s Inner Harbour, major attractions, shopping, dining and sports arena. Howard Johnson Hotel Victoria offers clean comfortable rooms with a modern décor.

The Howard Johnson Hotel Victoria is the winner of the Howard Johnson franchise 2006/07/08 GOLD AWARD for service & quality and community involvement. They take pride in their hotel, their services and provide excellent service to all their guests. To contact the Howard Johnson Victoria to book your room call 250-382-2151 or 1-800-952-2151. Remember to mention you are attending the GottaCon convention to benefit from our special room rates.

Once again, we are pleased to have Howard Johnson Hotel Victoria sponsoring our convention on the weekend of February 5th to 7th, 2010.

If you have questions regarding sponsorship or would like to sponsor GottaCon 2010 please contact Michael Lum at [email protected] with the subject GottaCon 2010 – Sponsorship.

Follow us on Twitter: http://twitter.com/GottaCon

Off Island Incentive Packages for GottaCon 2010

It is no secret that travel to and from Vancouver Island can be expensive and GottaCon Conventions recognizes that. In an effort to aid off island gamers in attending our convention GottaCon is offering the following incentives to those that must bare the expense of traveling to and from Vancouver Island to attend our convention on February 5th to 7th 2010.

1) *One complimentary Howard Johnson Hotel Victoria (310 Gorge Road East, 1-800-952-2151) hotel room for one night for anyone who brings a car load of five or more people from off island. Please note that rooms are booking up fast so reserve your room ASAP.
• Each participant in the car must purchase a full weekend pass to GottaCon 2010.
• Participants must all be from off island.
• Participants must provide proof of ferry travel for the car and five or more people.
• All five or more individuals must be present and show their full weekend badges to GottaCon 2010 staff.
• All participants must be over the age of eight (8)
• GottaCon Conventions will reimburse the participants the cost of one standard hotel room rate of $55.00 + taxes upon presentation of proof that the participants are staying at the Howard Johnson Hotel Victoria the weekend of our convention (February 5–7, 2010).
• If all Howard Johnson Hotel Victoria rooms are booked, GottaCon will reimburse the participants the value of $55.00 or less upon presentation of proof that the participants are staying at a hotel on the island.

2) *One free weekend pass to GottaCon 2010 with the purchase of three or more weekend passes to GottaCon 2010.
• Each participant must purchase a full weekend pass to GottaCon 2010.
• Participants must all be from off island
• Participants must provide proof of ferry travel for 4 or more people
• All four or more participants must be present and show their full weekend badges to GottaCon 2010 at the time of redemption.

Not to forget about the intrepid gamers from far up island (Nanaimo or further north) GottaCon Conventions would like to help you out as well. Contact us via email at [email protected] if you put together a group of five or more people to come to our convention.

*Only one package available per proof of travel. Only one offer available to each person/group. Proof of ferry, helijet, airline, float plane or Pacific Coach Lines travel required. Participants may be asked to produce proof of residence off island. All travel to Vancouver Island must have occurred within seven days of the opening of GottaCon 2010 to be eligible for this promotion. All dollar values are in Canadian dollars. GottaCon Conventions reserves the right to refuse any request.

GottaCon 2010 Tickets and New Membership Package Now On Sale

As of today, GottaCon tickets are now available for purchase from our http://www.gottacon.com website as well as our http://warhorn.net/gottacon2010 website. There are different prices for each day as well as a full weekend pass price, family package prices, special packages which include entry into some of the major events as well as our new membership package (more on this later). There are a number of reasons why you should get your tickets in advance of the big show.

- If you purchase your ticket in advance you receive a 25% discount on your full weekend cost (you pay $30 instead of $40).

- Once you have purchased a ticket you will be able to sign up to our http://warhorn.net/gottacon2010 site where, once approved by us, you can start to preregister for events in advance. You will also be able to change your events at anytime up until preregistration is closed. Preregistration helps to ensure your seat at the events you want as seating at most events is limited. It also avoids you having to stand in the event registration lines the days of the convention to sign up for the events you want.

- Pre-paying for your ticket also gets you past the lines at the door as we will have an advance tickets line especially for you. Once you arrive just look for this line to get your convention pass, swag bag, program and get directly into the action of the vendors and events.

Here is the ticket pricing and special packages available (all pricing in Canadian dollars):

*Full weekend preregistration: $30.00
*Full weekend registration at the door: $40.00
*Friday admission only: $15.00
*Saturday admission only: $20.00
*Sunday admission only: $15.00
**Single Day Family Pass: $50
**Full Weekend Family Pass: $100
*Special Package 1 - Full Weekend Pass + VIMC MTG Open Tournament: $55
*Special Package 2 - Full Weekend Pass + World of Warcraft TCG Realm Qualifier + WoW TCG GottaCon Champs: $60
*Special Package 3 - Full Weekend Pass + Warhammer 40K Invitational to North American Championship: $40
*Special Package 4 - Full Weekend Pass + Warhammer Fantasy Invitational to North American Championship: $40
*Special Package 5 - Pokémon Pre-Release: $10

Children 8 and under get in free (must be accompanied by an adult, provide proof of age if asked, maximum two free child admissions per adult)

There are multiple ways to get the hottest gaming ticket to hit Vancouver Island! Methods of payment that will be accepted will include:

1) Paypal – Pay from the comfort of your own home
2) Certified cheque – Send in your payment via post to address below
3) Money Order – Send in your payment via post to the address below
4) Purchase a ticket at a local participating retail location (see below)

Local participating retail locations where tickets can be purchased:

- Skyhaven Games: 3458 Tillicum Road, Victoria BC - 250-477-1519
Payment methods available include cash, credit and debit
Hours of Operation: Tues to Fri 11am to 10pm, Sat to Sun 9am to 10pm

- Evo Games: 754a Goldstream avenue, Langford BC - 250-590-3869
Payment methods available include cash only. Please speak to Dwayne
Hours of Operation: Tues to Fri 11am to 9pm, Fri/Sat 11am to 11pm Sun 11am to 5pm

- Dragon Impact: 764-B Yates Street, Victoria BC - 250-590-8880
Payment methods available include cash, credit and debit. Please speak to Alex
Hours of Operation: Tues to Sat 11am to 5:30pm, Closed Sun/Mon

- Dice Bag Games: #1-60 Queens Road, Duncan BC - 250-597-1992
Payment methods available include cash, credit and debit, please speak to Jon, Colin or Paul

It is very important to remember that when you purchase your ticket that you include your first and last name and the full name of the individual(s) that the ticket(s) are for as well as a phone number and/or email address we can contact you at to confirm your purchase was received. Once you have purchased your ticket we will update our records, then all you have to do is sign up for events and show up on February 5th to 7th and enjoy the show.

If you are going to send in your payment via post (snail mail) please make your cheque/money order payable to GottaCon Conventions. All payments sent via post must be received at least two weeks in advance of the convention. Do not send cash via post, GottaCon Conventions will not be responsible for lost or stolen payments. Please send your payment to this address:

GottaCon Conventions
4129 Cabot Place
Victoria BC V8N 4V9

!!NEW!! – GottaCon 2010 Membership Package

Do you just know you’re going to be attending GottaCon 2010? Well then our new membership package is for you! And just what is a GottaCon Membership? Well, you get a bunch of benefits, not the least of which is a guaranteed ticket into GottaCon 2010! The benefits include:

*Full Weekend Pass - GottaCon members receive a Full Weekend Pass to GottaCon 2010.

GottaCon 2010 T-Shirt - GottaCon members receive a T-Shirt (sized per their request) with the GottaCon 2010 logo.

Dice Set - You’ll receive your own full set of GottaCon 2010 dice! The “6” on the d6 will read “GottaCon 2010”. This is the first year we’ll be doing these sets, so you’ll have our premiere set!

Meal Coupons - You know you’ll need all your money at the convention for that special something you’re sure to find at the auction. Who has time to worry about saving money for food? That’s okay – as a GottaCon member you’ll receive 2 coupons that will each get you 2 slices of pizza and a drink (soda, juice box, coffee or water)!

Early Badge Access - Hate waiting in line for your badge? That’s time at the convention that you’re going to miss! Never fear as a GottaCon member you will have your badge ready and waiting at the doors and will be brought to the front of the line so you can get in fast and start checking out the deals! Maybe you’ll even get in a little early.

Forum Tag - What’s the point of being a member if you can’t brag about it? Every time you post on our forum boards, your name will bear the special tag of a GottaCon member!

Bag/Coat Check - With all of the stuff you’ll be getting at the convention, you don’t want to be slowed down by actually carrying it! Our bag/coat check service is free for all GottaCon members, so nothing can slow you down!

Prize Draw - Conventions are a great time for free stuff, and a GottaCon member gets a chance at even more free stuff! GottaCon members will be entered in a members-only prize draw, once per day, at the convention – and yeah, it’s all free!

GottaCon 2010 memberships cost $75 and get you everything listed above! The membership package will only be available for purchase via our website ( http://www.gottacon.com ), our warhorn site ( http://warhorn.net/gottacon2010 ) and at Skyhaven Games (details above). To add a membership package onto a special event package it will cost $45 extra.

*These prices include entry to GottaCon 2010 the "Event". Some designated activities require preregistration and/or payment of a separate, additional fee. More information on this will be contained in the event listing which can be found at http://warhorn.net/gottacon2010 .

**Offer for families only, ID may be requested

Event Listing and Pre-Registration of Events Now Available

The event listing is now available on our website in Excel and PDF format as well as on our warhorn site located at http://www.warhorn.net/gottacon2010. Please keep in mind that the event listing will have events added to it over the weeks to come and we will provide updates on what was added on the sites listed above.

In order to pre-register for events you must first purchase a ticket to our convention. To do this please visit our website at http://www.gottacon.com or see the Pricing and Payment section of our Warhorn site or visit one of the four retail locations selling our tickets (details on websites mentioned).

How to Pre-Register for Events:
1) Go here - http://www.warhorn.net/gottacon2010/attendee/new.php
2) Create a user account
3) Wait for GottaCon Staff to clear you (only people who have purchased tickets can pre register for events). You will receive an email letting you know.
4) Once you have been cleared, you browse the event listing (while logged in) by going here - http://www.warhorn.net/gottacon2010/schedule/day.php
5) Then you sign up for the events you want.

If you are organizing an event or are a vendor at our show please let us know which event or which vendor and we will clear your account.

If you don't get a chance to pre-register for events, there will be a registration desk at GottaCon where you can sign up for the event you want. But why wait when you can sign up now and secure your seat at the games you want to play!

Request for Event Coordinators
We are putting out the call for event submissions for GottaCon 2010. If you would like to run an event at GottaCon 2010 (become an event coordinator) please contact Evan Hatch at [email protected] letting him know. He will send you an email containing information on what to do next.

Benefits for event coordinators will be the same as last year which was get $10 off the $30 entry fee for each slot of events you run. Run three or more get in free. If you are attending for the full weekend you will also receive a swag bag and be granted early access to the convention Friday if you show up between 4:30pm and 5:00pm. This is in an effort to get you in before the rush which will allow you time to check out the vendors and the rest of the convention.

This year we will be awarding draw tickets to those people that participate in events labeled as a Demonstration in an effort to get people trying out a variety of games. These draws will happen at the end of each slot (from 9am to 11pm each day) on top of the door prize draws and other giveaways.

Thank you and if you have further questions please contact Evan Hatch at [email protected].

A Call Out to Volunteers for GottaCon 2010

GottaCon is looking for a few good men and women to for GottaCon 2010! Our last convention in 2009 was a success thanks in large part to the efforts of our volunteers. They helped to make the event happen and we can’t thank them enough for all their hard work and dedication!

To continue this momentum we are looking for motivated individuals to come join the team that will form the backbone of the convention.

Volunteering has its benefits with GottaCon. Volunteers get $10 off the $30 entry fee for every 4 hours of time given. Put in 12 or more hours and you get a free weekend pass. But that is not the only benefit you will receive. Depending on the amount of time given, volunteers will receive one or more free meals, the option of buying a GottaCon T-Shirt at cost (request must be received by January 21, 2010), and other potential benefits.

If you are eager to help GottaCon out, or maybe just a bit cash strapped but still want to come out to the largest gaming event on the island, then volunteering is for you. If you are interested in helping out please contact Carson Upton at [email protected]. For more information visit our volunteer section on our website and/or download our Volunteer Information Packet here http://www.gottacon.com/components/volunteerinfopack2010.pdf .

If you have any questions let us know! We look forward to hearing from you.

Please note we prefer our volunteers to be at least 16 years of age.

Board Games Line-Up at GottaCon 2010

Today we announce our board games line-up planned for GottaCon 2010. We have a huge number of games and tournaments planned for GottaCon 2010, which will be held February 5th to 7th, 2010 at Pearkes arena in Victoria BC (3100 Tillicum Road).

If you want to secure your seat at one of these awesome games simply do the following:

How to Pre-Register for Events:
1) Pre-purchase a ticket via our website(www.gottacon.com), Warhorn site or store location
2) go here - http://www.warhorn.net/gottacon2010/attendee/new.php
3) Create a user account
4) Wait for GottaCon Staff to clear you (remember only people who have purchased tickets can pre register for events). You will receive an email letting you know you have been cleared.
5) Once you have been cleared, you browse the event listing (while logged in) by going here - http://www.warhorn.net/gottacon2010/schedule/day.php
6) Then you sign up for the events you want.

For a full list of events please visit our forums:
http://forums.gottacon.com/v3/viewtopic.php?f=9&t=1094

With more tournaments and events in board gaming then last year there is sure to be a game you like at GottaCon!!!! GottaCon would like to thank all the event coordinators for making these events possible and a special thanks to the VCON, Skyhaven Games and Interactivity Games and Stuff crews for their efforts to bring out a huge team of board game masters. For complete details on the above events including descriptions please download our event listing here http://www.gottacon.com/components/gottaconeventlisting.pdf or view the events on the Warhorn site here http://www.warhorn.net/gottacon2010/schedule/day.php .

We hope you find a few games above to your liking and will come out to GottaCon 2010!

GottaCon Advance Ticket Price Ends this Friday

If you plan on attending GottaCon 2010 and the massively huge and impressive amount of games at it you should buy your ticket while it is still on sale and save yourself some cash. Full weekend tickets can now be bought for $30 whereas after January 22nd they will cost you $40. It just makes sense to buy them now. Go here to buy your tickets http://www.gottacon.com. Also with the close of advance ticket sales membership packages will also no longer be available so if you want to get one of our fantastic packages you will have to buy one this week. For complete details on the membership package as well as all the ticket package prices go here: http://forums.gottacon.com/v3/viewtopic.php?f=9&t=1067

There are multiple ways to get your ticket. Methods of payment that will be accepted will include:

1) Paypal - Pay from the comfort of your own home
2) Certified cheque - Send in your payment via post to address below
3) Money Order - Send in your payment via post to the address below
4) Purchase a ticket at a local participating retail location (see below)

For a list of stores in Victoria that are selling tickets:
http://forums.gottacon.com/v3/viewtopic.php?f=9&t=1096:

It is very important to remember that when you purchase your ticket that you include your first and last name and the full name of the individual(s) that the ticket(s) are for as well as a phone number and/or email address we can contact you at to confirm your purchase was received. Once you have purchased your ticket we will update our records, then all you have to do is sign up for events and show up on February 5th to 7th and enjoy the show.

If you are going to send in your payment via post (snail mail) please make your cheque/money order payable to GottaCon Conventions. All payments sent via post must be received at least two weeks in advance of the convention. Do not send cash via post, GottaCon Conventions will not be responsible for lost or stolen payments. Please send your payment to this address:

GottaCon Conventions
4129 Cabot Place
Victoria BC V8N 4V9

If you don’t get your tickets in time, don’t worry tickets will be available at the door. Event preregistration via Warhorn will remain open for those that pre-purchased tickets until February 1, 2010. Thank you and see you at GottaCon!!

GottaCon 2010 Wrap-up

GottaCon 2010 was a huge success, with almost 900 people at our event this year. That is a 50% increase from last year. That means more RPGs, boardgames, and TCGs. Our biggest growth was in Video Games and Miniatures, which was thanks to Evo Games/Stain Internet Cafe and Paul Puhallo respectively.

I would just like to thank all the event coordinators, volunteers, guests, vendors, and sponsors that made our event great.

You can see some photos of our event on our GottaCon 2010 event on our FaceBook group:
http://tinyurl.com/ydykeaa

You can also read a review of our event by one of our special guests Julia 'Jules' Sherred on her site Geeky Pleasures: http://tinyurl.com/yana5h3

If you have any feedback or suggestion to make things better next year please email me at [email protected]

GottaCon 2011 will be on February 4th to 6th 2011. Book your vacation early so that you can be part of our growing event.