Celebration and Thanks for Dragon Con 2015
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DRAGON TALK Membership Newsleer Don’t have your own copy of Dragon Talk? Click here to sign up! 1 Dragon Con Membership Newsleer Volume 5, Issue 1 September 2–September 5, 2016 Atlanta, Georgia Our amazing guests from Arrow, Balestar, and more Lead to hours of great programming and Muppets galore The App guided you onward, registraon moved even faster So you could get to the new Vendor Hall and grab that cool blaster Our new, longer, parade route extended the fun But it wasn’t so long that Leia burned up her buns It went by so quickly, everything fun, mind-blowing, and nerdy We can’t wait to see y’all next year, and remember it’s number 30! Celebration and Thanks for Dragon Con 2015 We would like to thank all of our members, professionals, exhibitors, and amazing volunteers for making the 29th annual Dragon Con the best ever! We had a great turnout, with over 70,000 in aendance! The costumes this year were amazing! We had a multude of Minions, doubled our number of Deadpools, and the new Stormtroopers were out in force. Our parade marched proudly through the streets of Atlanta with over 3300 parcipants and 75,000 aendees. As always there was way too much going on at Dragon Con to cover it all, but here are a few stand outs from this year’s show: Thank you for your creavity, your devoon, and your spirit. You make Dragon Con the most amazing Con in the Mulverse and will connue to help us bring together like minded people from all walks of life. Did you buy your 2016 Dragon Con membership at the convenon? At one of our Dragon Con stores? We need you to give us a call. Unfortunately, there was a glitch in the card machine—only at our stores— and you probably weren’t charged for the memberships you bought…or the t-shirts or other items you purchased either. Check your credit card or bank statement. If your statement doesn’t show a charge from Dragon Con during the event, then your purchase was affected. You might have a receipt, but your card wasn’t charged. We’ll honor the $80 rate for a 2016 membership, but we need you to call our office at 404.669.0773, Monday through Friday from 9:00 am to 5:00 pm Eastern me to arrange payment. All postcards have officially been sent out to our 2016 members who purchased prior to December 17. If you have received your postcard for the 2016 show, you can rest easy that your membership is safe and sound. If you have not received a postcard, please feel free to call the office to confirm the status of your membership. We know it’s a pain and we know it’s inconvenient, and we’re sorry about that. But, we really want to see you at Dragon Con for our 30 th anniversary. So call us. Noce: Did You Make A Purchase At the Dragon Con Store During the Show?
Transcript of Celebration and Thanks for Dragon Con 2015
DRAGON TALK Membership Newsletter Don’t have your own copy of Dragon Talk? Click here to sign up! 1
Dragon Con Membership Newsletter Volume 5, Issue 1September 2–September 5, 2016 Atlanta, Georgia
Our amazing guests from Arrow, Battlestar, and moreLead to hours of great programming and Muppets galore
The App guided you onward, registration moved even fasterSo you could get to the new Vendor Hall and grab that cool blaster
Our new, longer, parade route extended the funBut it wasn’t so long that Leia burned up her buns
It went by so quickly, everything fun, mind-blowing, and nerdy We can’t wait to see y’all next year, and remember it’s number 30!
Celebration and Thanks for Dragon Con 2015We would like to thank all of our members, professionals, exhibitors, and amazing volunteers for making the 29th annual Dragon Con the best ever! We had a great turnout, with over 70,000 in attendance! The costumes this year were amazing! We had a multitude of Minions, doubled our number of Deadpools, and the new Stormtroopers were out in force. Our parade marched proudly through the streets of Atlanta with over 3300 participants and 75,000 attendees. As always there was way too much going on at Dragon Con to cover it all, but here are a few stand outs from this year’s show:
Thank you for your creativity, your devotion, and your spirit. You make Dragon Con the most amazing Con in the Multiverse and will continue to help us bring together like minded people from all walks of life.
Did you buy your 2016 Dragon Con membership at the convention? At one of our Dragon Con stores? We need you to give us a call. Unfortunately, there was a glitch in the card machine—only at our stores—and you probably weren’t charged for the memberships you bought…or the t-shirts or other items you purchased either. Check your credit card or bank statement.
If your statement doesn’t show a charge from Dragon Con during the event, then your purchase was affected. You might have a receipt, but your card wasn’t charged. We’ll honor the $80 rate for a 2016 membership, but we need you to call our office at 404.669.0773, Monday through Friday from 9:00 am to 5:00 pm Eastern time to arrange payment.All postcards have officially been sent out to our 2016 members who
purchased prior to December 17. If you have received your postcard for the 2016 show, you can rest easy that your membership is safe and sound. If you have not received a postcard, please feel free to call the office to confirm the status of your membership.We know it’s a pain and we know it’s inconvenient, and we’re sorry about that. But, we really want to see you at Dragon Con for our 30th anniversary. So call us.
Notice: Did You Make A Purchase At the Dragon Con Store During the Show?
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7 Highlights from the 2015 Dragon Con
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Steve Whitmire and Caroll Spinney (aka: Kermit the Frog and Big Bird)Okay, who’s cutting onions in here? If you were one of the lucky people who got to experience your childhood favorites brought to life in front of you during this panel, then you too may have shed a tear or two. These warm, convivial masters were all that you could hope for. Learn more in this great article from the Daily Dragon.
Stephen AmellStephen Amell arrived at his panel bearing a gift—the Dragon Con crowd became the first people to see the Season 4 trailer of Arrow! With the fans duly psyched and intrigued, Stephen shared his thoughts and behind the scenes insights. And just when they thought it couldn’t get any better, Stephen’s cousin Robbie Amell showed up to join in on the fun!
Nichelle NicholsCountless astronauts, scientists, and people from all walks of life have been inspired to pursue their dreams by seeing Nichelle Nichols in her ground breaking role as Lieutenant Uhura on the original Star Trek. We were honored and thankful to be able to have her at the show this year. Check out our interview with Nichelle in the Daily Dragon.
Georgia Philharmonic OrchestraIf there’s one thing we heard a lot of buzz about, it was the concert by the Georgia Philharmonic on Saturday night. The crowd was blown away by their performance, which included music from Star Wars, Star Trek, Game of Thrones, Lord of the Rings, Doctor Who, The Fi th Element, and much more. This was a first for Dragon Con, and based on the enthusiastic response from the fans and the orchestra, we’d love for it to become an amazing tradition in the future.
The Vendor HallsThe Vendor Halls received an upgrade this year in its new location. Wider aisles, high ceilings, a straightforward layout, and plenty of signage made it easier to find your way around and discover amazing treasures. The Halls feature such a diverse selection of unique vendors and products, it’s always a must see at the show.
Here Come the MummiesHow ‘bout some high-energy, body-movin’ funk-rock with a side of witty/wicked lyrics, delivered by eight fantastic musicians in mummy gear? Yeah, bring it on! Fans were raving about how much fun they had at this show—these guys excel at live performance. Did you miss out? See what they’re all about on their YouTube Channel.
John Barrowman John Barrowman is known to be a fan favorite, but we think he outdid himself this year when he burst onto the stage in a blue TARDIS dress and red pumps while twirling, prancing, and high-kicking to the music of Dr. Who. Always generous with fans, he was witty, entertaining, and delivered the fun with wild abandon. The Daily Dragon tells all here.
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The LifeSouth blood drive held at Dragon Con had 3,171 registered donors who gave 2,678 units of blood. One blood donation (1 pint) can save up to three lives, which means the donations collected at Dragon Con could save as many as 8,000 lives!The entire blood donation process takes about one hour and 15 minutes and we are so grateful to everyone who took the time to give blood this year in order to help others.
Making A Difference For The Community:
Our 2015 Charity Results
This year Dragon Con raised nearly $100,000 for the Lymphoma Research Foundation. The money was raised through our charity auctions, fantrack events, as well as the contributions of our partners, and includes a 50% company match from Dragon Con. Thank you so much to everyone who participated in making this a success.Lymphoma is the most common blood cancer in adults and the third most common childhood cancer. Lymphoma has affected people dear to us in the Dragon Con Community. Sadly, two of our long-time members—Eugie Foster, Director of the Daily Dragon, and Mark Brown, Co-Director of Convention Operations—died from lymphoma last year. With this donation, we aid the Lymphoma Research Foundation in their vital mission to eradicate lymphoma and serve those touched by the disease.
The Dragon Con Superheroes, our team of community service volunteers, also did their part this year to help out.On March 21 they dug in at a community garden in Northwest Atlanta sponsored by the Atlanta Community Food Bank. Local residents greatly appreciated the assistance provided by the team.Then on April 11 they participated in the Lymphoma Research Foundation’s Lymphoma Walk, where they staffed tables, cheered on participants, and raised over $14,305. We cannot thank our Superheroes enough.
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The Hallway Costume Contest is the event where Dragon Con members get to choose the winners! Cosplayers go to the Contest Registration Table in front of Centennial IV in the Hyatt and have their pictures taken and posted on the boards there. Fans cast their votes Sunday morning through Sunday at 5:00 pm, then the winners are announced that evening at the Masquerade.
2015 Contests: Beauties, Beasts, and Everything In-Between!
Most Popular Woman: Kara Pesson
Best In Show: Jackson Enix and Amy Beergam
Most Popular Men: Jim Neidhoffer and Maithilee Kund
Held on Sunday night, the Dragon Con Masquerade Costume Contest is a multi-genre costume contest where participants also incorporate performance and audio into their presentation. A panel of celebrity guests and professionals evaluate the participants on the adaptation of their concept, the composition of their costume, and their performance and stage presence.
Best in Show: Mike Carambat and Gabrielle Fowler, TikTok and Dorothy Gale from Return to Oz
Masters Best in Show: Scott and Sherri Millican,General Grievous and Shaak Ti
Masquerade Costume Contest
Hallway Costume Contest
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1st Place: Angela and Gary Sterley, Destiny Guardians
Best in Show: Shannon DerrickBest Youth: Sierra Rivera
2nd Place: RJ Foster, Captain Nemo
3rd Place: Elizabeth Gerringer, Queen Amidala
Friday Night Costuming Contest
“Legend of the ChÔsen” Cosplay Competition
Dragon Con's Friday Night Costuming Contest focuses solely on the craftsmanship of the costume, unlike the Masquerade, which adds performance. It’s open to groups and individuals, experts and novices. The judges, a team of costuming professionals, look at the costume itself, the workmanship, design, and inspiration.
2015 Contest Results, cont’d
Dragon Con’s newest competition, “Legend of the Chôsen” was held on Saturday night at the Georgia Aquarium. The event was judged by the noted cosplayers Lee “Fev” Camara, Catherine Lee Jones, and Monika Lee. The 20 finalists from pre-judging went on to display their amazing craftsmanship for the finals in the main atrium.
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Check It Out: Your Dragon Con Member Benefits
Member Events
Dragon ConSuperheroes
Workshops Dragon Con Store
Publications
Dragon Con offers a fun filled member benefit through our partnership with Six Flags, which brings you substantial savings off the main gate price as well as discounted season passes. Stay tuned for our 2016 promotion codes, coming soon!
Extend your Dragon Con fun by joining us at our special Member Events. Our Medieval Times nights had over 900 enthusiastic revelers. Dragon Con Night at GA. Aquarium has become one of our most popular events Saturday night—with special access, contests, music dj’s, and more.
Scootaround provides Dragon Con rentals for around $60 a day, plus $30 off the total if you rent all five days. Plan ahead and rent online.Year-round, you receive 10% off any rental taking place in Orlando, Florida or Las Vegas, Nevada. Call 888-441-7575 and use the code Dragon15.
Olympus Worldwide Chauffeured Services offers members 10% off their services. Roll up to the convention or your next special event in style! Call 1-877-OLYMPUS, and mention the discount code Dragon Con.
Get discounted rental car rates with Enterprise and National Rental Car. Click here or use the following codes:Enterprise code: XZ03A67, pin: DRA or National code: XZ03A67 This is one of our most popular Member discounts so be sure to remember it for your next trip.
Dragon Con members receive special discounted fares on flights to and from the show on Delta Airlines. Discounted rates are available on both domestic and international flights. Click here and enter NMMWP under Meeting Event Code, or call 1-800-328-1111.*Some restrictions apply.
Are you looking for a way to stay connected with fun Dragon Con people throughout the year and give back to your community as well? The Dragon Con Superheroes just might be for you! Click here to learn more about the program and stay abreast of future opportunities.
You know it’s Dragon Con time when your Progress Report arrives in the mail in July! It’s a 64-page booklet detailing the latest information on guests, fan tracks, contests, dealers, and lots more. You’ll also receive Dragon Talk, our Souvenir Program Book, and the Pocket Program.
Hello Fabulous Dragon Con Members!
We are always on the lookout for ways to make your Membership even more valuable. Here are some additional Member Benefits, including discounts, free publications, workshops, and year-round group events.
Event Horizon Publishing Group offers 15% off all e-books purchases. Just type in the coupon code DCebook15. This is a better price on these titles than on Amazon. Plus, get free shipping on trade paperbacks using coupon code DCFREESHIP.
Dragon Con’s workshops offer amazing opportunities to receive instruction from award-winning writers, actors, and artists like Michael A Stackpole, Jody Lynn Nye, Erin Gray, Roy Wooley, and R.J. Haddy. Workshops go on sale in late April and are continually added until the show.
Members receive 25% off Dragon Con Store merchandise purchases. At the show, we have stores in the Sheraton, the Marriott, and in the Vendor Halls at the AmericasMart. But your discount is also good in our online store all year long on great Dragon Con gear and souvenirs.
