GrandAdmDraco wrote:I really wanted to attend the first convention but were not been able to due to distance and cost.
Now it's looking like I may attend one or the other of the upcoming ones.
My question though, is which? Is there a difference?
Hi GrandAdmDraco!
Well, the answer is
both! MantiCon is local for me, and I am on the planning committee for MantiCon, so I will definitely be there! But I have also registered for Honorcon, and look forward to travelling to Raleigh in the fall.
But I understand if you need to choose only one.
You did not mention where you live. Location may make a difference in which event will be easier for you to attend. The time of year may make a difference to you, as well. HonorCon is in Raleigh, NC, OCT 31-NOV 2, 2014. MantiCon is in Bloomington MN (suburb of Minneapolis), MAY 22-24, 2015, Memorial Day weekend.
If none of that makes a difference to you, let me tell you about some of the awesome things we are planning for MantiCon and why we think it will be worth the trip to Minnesota. I invite one of my counterparts at HonorCon to do the same for our sister convention, as they will be more familiar with the details there. Let me emphasize that this is not meant to say one con is "better" than the other. And some of the things I say will be at MantiCon will also apply to HonorCon.
LOCATION: Battle Squadron 21, the Minneapolis St. Paul chapters of The Royal Manticoran Navy, is the largest local TRMN group in the world, and we are looking forward to treating our fellow Honorverse fans with hospitality and showing off our great metropolitan area!
The
Hilton Minneapolis St. Paul Airport Mall of America loves to host science fiction cons, and we think that is a great plus for the event. As the venue name implies, we are right by MSP International Airport, so if you are flying in, you 'll be able to get to the Hilton in minutes by hotel shuttle van, taxi, or light rail line.
And, yes, we are down the street from the world famous
Mall of America with it's myriad of attractions:
http://www.mallofamerica.com/ (I think that the Avatar Airbender and Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles rides at the Nickelodeon Universe amusement park inside the mall are a blast!)
We are also a 60 second walk from the visitor center for the Minnesota Valley National Wildlife Refuge,
http://www.fws.gov/refuge/Minnesota_Valley/visit/plan_your_visit.html about which, watch for announcements about special event opportunities.
If you stay through Monday after the con ends, it is Memorial Day, so there are two great opportunities:
Fort Snelling National Cemetery is within walking distance (in fact, you will be looking down on the rows of military grave markers if your room is on the north side of the Hilton's tower, an impressive and inspiring sight) and there is a very moving annual Memorial Day observance ceremony there. You can also tour the several Medal of Honor holders' graves and interesting regimental monuments.
Additionally,
Historic Fort Snelling http://www.historicfortsnelling.org/ is a 5 minute ride from the hotel, and it is one of the USA's finest military historic sites (and I have been to many of them from coast to coast) with the fort restored to its 1827 appearance and excellent costumed interpreters. It is worth visiting any day, but Memorial Day features the annual Timeline of Military History event, with high-quality juried interpreters demonstrating the uniforms, arms and equipment of military personnel of every period of American history from colonial times up through the present. I have secured a group discount rate of $9 each for those who wish to visit the fort.
Sounds pretty great, doesn't it? And all that is in addition to the convention itself.
THE CONVENTION: Here are some of the features we have planned for you:
David Weber! Timothy Zahn!(creator of your fellow Grand Admiral, by the name of Thrawn!) Watch for announcements on a third author of similar fame (don't want to announce until papers are signed)! Autographs and talks from these authors who are really nice guys and generous with their fans. Anyone who has gotten to have a conversation with David Weber knows that man loves to talk! And he is as interesting as you would expect-- a great storyteller who has a superhuman historical knowledge base. You will have that chance to converse with David at MANTICON!
A memorable part of conventions is meeting fellow fans with common interests. So far, we have registrations from throughout the US, and also some people coming from Europe, so you get the fun of meeting fellow Weber fans from all over.
Multiple tracks of programming with panels and presentations that David Weber fans are going to love! We have several members of BuNine coming with great insider canon information. Plus, possibly the largest gathering ever of uniformed Royal Manticoran Navy and Marines in one place. But in addition to Honorverse, we have plenty to appeal to science fiction fans of all sorts, and you will see uniforms from many different universes at MANTICON.
Duckk wrote: I think Evergreen Studios is only going to be at Honorcon, so that might be the only substantial difference.
Actually, at present Evergreen has not committed to either. Fingers crossed that they will be able to make it to both!
Fallout Shelter Arcade http://www.falloutshelterarcade.com/ will be on hand, with their Tesla II simulator pods. Step in to pilot a giant stompy robot of doom in BattleTech Firestorm, or race through the mining tunnels of Mars playing Red Planet.
HMS Artemis Spaceship Bridge Simulator-- we have built a custom immersive spaceship bridge environment, with hardwired consoles and custom controls. Team up with five other fellow fans to control the systems of HMS Artemis in combat. It is SO.MUCH.FUN! We plan to have a second bridge up and running by MantiCon.
http://www.facebook.com/hmsartemisGaming! Can you survive The Crusher? Final Sword Productions will be on hand with
Saganami Island Tactical Simulator. X-Wing tournament! Lots more!
Dealer's Room! Lots of cool merchandise to be had, including The Royal Manticoran Navy's Bureau of Supply, with replica RMN insignia and uniform items, plus a professional gunsmith who makes high quality pulser replicas (um, non-functional!). A maker of custom embroidered goods including ball caps for RMN ships, many different ones available! Those are some Honorverse specific vendors, but there will be many more with all sorts of stuff to appeal to science fiction fans.
Consuite up in the twelfth floor Presidential Suite with a nice spread of refreshments for the enjoyment of all attendees all weekend(we have some awesome people running this).
Parties! Have you ever had a Missile Pod? If not, you are in for a treat! Its not just a drink; it's an experience! We invented them here in Minnesota, and you'll get your chance to try it at MANTICON!
If you join at the Sphinx level membership, in addition to your convention attendance you will also get a limited edition
Challenge Coin and get to attend the
Saturday evening banquet spectacular. The First Lord of the Admiralty is bringing in some features to make this a unique experience.
After the banquet, all convention members will get to enjoy the
Saturday evening dance, with our awesome DJ.
Costume contest! Red Cross Blood Drive! Sphinx Forestry Commission Junior Ranger activities for the kids. Photo studio for your RMN service portrait. Lots of other stuff.
These are just a few examples.
Please Like MantiCon on Facebook to get updates of added features and experiences:http://www.facebook.com/trmnmanticon And, while you are at it, Like HonorCon, too!
http://www.facebook.com/HonorConQuestions? Ask!
