Just a few days ago, the House M.D. Convention took its website public and live! While this was a major cause for celebration among the members of the convention staff who have been working for months to make the event possible, it has come to the attention of the committee that you (the fans) have questions, comments, concerns, and other things that you would like to be able to voice.
Well, here is your chance!
This will be the Question and Answer forum for the House M.D. Convention. Here, any question you have to ask will be answered by a member of the convention staff as promptly as possible, your comments will be welcomed, concerns addressed, and anything else will indeed be listened to! This convention is, as all gatherings are, for the fans - and by the fans!
Below, we have started to answer some of the questions we think you might have. Again, feel free to leave comments here so we can respond to you. Please, do not hesitate to leave us your comments - we would like all voices to be heard!
For the time being, this weblog is hosted on free space. As soon as we are able, we intend to move this to our convention'
Question: Where and when is the convention?
Answer: The convention will be held in Anaheim, California, which is very close to Los Angeles for those who are unfamiliar. (For those unfamiliar, the Anaheim area is where Disneyland is located!) We are still signing the last of the paperwork, and after we do that we will be able to provide you with more information regarding room rates and information on how to book hotel rooms for the con. As soon as this is finalized completely, we will be updating the website with how you should go about doing it.
In regards to dates, the convention will be held October 17th - 19th, 2008. While we realize that these dates may not be perfect for everyone, booking space for a convention requires a great deal of advanced notice, and this is why we opted for a later, fall date. If we planned to have it over the summer, it might be more difficult for attendees to save up the money to come! A bit further in the future seemed like the best route for all.
Question: How do I register to attend?
Answer: Registration will be available on the website. As soon as we have our hotel information and rates finalized and available, registration will be going up as well. Attendees will be able to pay via credit card online, and further details on all of that will be forthcoming! The price for registration will feature one-day passes (for Friday, Saturday, or Sunday individually) and a three-day pass for the entire weekend, as well as discounted prices for registering early.
Question: Who from the cast is attending?
Answer: One of the most pressing and often asked questions! The convention staff has been in contact with several of the cast members from the show, and interest has in fact been expressed. As of now, we are working to revise our guest list and all other information pertaining to our attending stars. Check back for more information!
Question: What does tentative confirmation mean? Will the stars be there or not?
Answer: Tentative confirmation is exactly what it sounds like. When working with stars on an event like this, especially with the current events surrounding the writer's strike, few things can be set in stone. We are not the first convention to be faced with this problem, nor will we be the last. There is always the possibility a star will have to cancel his/her appearance for various reasons - a family situation, filming, or any number of instances you can think of. Tentative means we are taking all of this into account when announcing this information to you. We don't want anyone purchasing convention tickets or passes and then getting upset if someone has to cancel at the last minute. There is always the chance of that happening, so we feel it is most professional to address it.
Question: What events are planned for the convention?
Answer: We are in the process of constructing itineraries for the entire convention, spanning all three days. As of now, we have opening and closing ceremonies, a question and answer session with the stars, meet and greets and autograph signings, the chance to "dine with the stars" at a special event, fan panelists speaking about different aspects of the House M.D. fandom, a presentation on the Best Friends Animal Society, and many more! Again, details will be forthcoming but we are working to plan an exciting event for all!
Question: Is the convention official? Doesn't it have to be?
Answer: If by official you mean endorsed by FOX, the answer is no, not at this time. However, as is the case with many other fan conventions across the world, it is not necessary for us to have Fox's approval to put on the event. We are not breaking any laws, doing anything illegal, or infringing upon any copyright.
As of February 5th, 2008, we have an update concerning FOX and the potential of their involvement. Until our organization reached out, FOX has had no contact whatsoever with anyone attempting to set up a convention. However, we did receive a proverbial green light to continue on with our planning of the event, even though at this time FOX is not endorsing us. It is the choice of the actors as to whether or not they wish to attend. We were also assured that the writer's strike has no impact on the convention as of now.
Question: Does this convention have any connection with the House convention located in Princeton?
Answer: No, we do not. We are aware that there has been a great deal of confusion in regards to there being two conventions in development on two different coasts. The Anaheim convention is not at all connected to the Princeton convention. A great deal of thought has gone into planning the Anaheim convention, and none of those thoughts have been poor or adverse. We are simply dedicating our time and efforts to having an event we feel will be easy for fans to attend, accessible to the stars, and in a location that is convenient for many people. The Los Angeles area seemed to be the best option, and Anaheim's venue was welcoming to us.
Question: Will there be a fan fiction/fan video contest?
Answer: Our hope is that yes, there will be. However, with so many copyright issues currently on the news and on the Internet, we want to exercise caution before confirming any of these events for certain. There is some red tape involved, and if/when that is resolved we will be posting definite information on how to enter the contests.
Question: Does this convention benefit charity?
Answer: Yes, it does. As specified on our website, the Best Friends Animal Society is our represented charity at the convention. We reached out to Best Friends with our plan for the convention, and they responded positively by giving us the opportunity to use their logo on our site as well as promotional materials (featuring House's Lisa Edelstein!) that we will be able to make use of at the convention. Best Friends is excited to be working with us, and has voiced their support on our website's guest book. We are happy to be able to contribute to such a worthwhile cause as the safety of animals, and finding a home for every homeless pet!
Question: Why was there so much secrecy surrounding the planning of this event?
Answer: Because this is the first year an event like this is taking place, there have been complications and bumps along the way. We did not want to release any information to the fans without having some more to show for it. Our original plan was to have hotel and registration information completely solidified and in place before putting up our website, but as we began to worry about the time issues and problems that could arise with that, we thought it best to make it known to the fans now just what was going on and being planned in California. If this has caused any controversy, confusion or strife, we as a committee apologize and hope that in the near future all of this will smooth out and come to make sense.
Question: What about _____?
Answer: Ask us! Feel free to direct any questions to our temporary email address, housemdconvention@gmail.com and they will be answered! In the future, this blog will continue to be updated regularly with more information as it develops about the convention so check back and see what new things are happening.
Again, we thank you for your support and time and look forward to all fans that will be in attendance at this event!
