Sonic Event Megathread (Updated July 4th) - Sonic the Comic Con To Not Return

[TCB]

I have finished up my news article over at RadioSEGA about Sonic Revolution 2014's website launch: http://www.radiosega.net/news/sega/2013/09/sonic-revolution-2014-fan-site-launches/

 

If there's any errors or what not, let me know.

[Tani Coyote]

I have finished up my news article over at RadioSEGA about Sonic Revolution 2014's website launch: http://www.radiosega.net/news/sega/2013/09/sonic-revolution-2014-fan-site-launches/

 

If there's any errors or what not, let me know.

 

Looks good to me, TCB! The Revolution team greatly appreciates the exposure and gives its thanks!

 

It goes without saying that more volunteers and staff members are always welcome! We'll see what you can do; one need only apply!

[Tani Coyote]

It is my belief that perhaps the biggest stumbling block in forming a meetup group is the initiative to actually found the “watering hole” that members can gather around, whether a Twitter, Facebook, website, etc.

As for hosting actual meetups, I’m noticing a recurring trend: the democratic approach can be rather cumbersome. When time is of the essence, trying to get the attention of every member for a good time and date is rather chaotic… I think making an executive decision (possibly with the help of a few close co-organisers) on the matter is really best. It goes without saying that meetups should be announced with at least one or two months’ notice, like what Sonic London does; it allows people to take time off and allows for much greater turnout.

Now, as for that first issue, I have a treat.

I’ve decided to launch something I call “Operation: Springyard.” (Little pun; a spring is a succession of revolutions while Spring Yard... well, you get that one I think) Basically, rather than waiting for groups to form themselves, I’ve been starting the groups instead, all over the place; the idea is that people will find them and join, and given time, I can hand the reins over to someone else. It’s basically the equivalent of an economic stimulus for a business to get off the ground until it can become self-sufficient.

To start I’ve hit three of the larger US states:

https://www.facebook.com/groups/SonicTexas - Texas!

https://www.facebook.com/groups/SonicIL/ - Illinois!

https://www.facebook.com/groups/SonicPA - Pennsylvania!

If you join, do not hesitate to invite your friends as well; the more turnout these can get the more successful they will be. Every person helps!

[Rurifuu]

I've got some biiiig news for everyone! 

 

 

Taking a gamble with this one as to how many people will turn up, but Weston Super Sonic is taking place! It's a meetup with a venue and some fun things going on during the day.

 

We're going to be running a games tournament during the day, as well as a Green Hill Zone act 1 speed run, so prove yourself to be the fastest thing alive!

 

There will also be an art corner, for those who want to chat and draw (as well as a competition)

 

During the day there will be a costume workshop, for those who want ideas for Summer of Sonic. I'll be sharing some hints and tips. There will also be a costume contest on the day.

 

I'm hoping to have some more stuff going on as well, so if anyone has some ideas they'd like to run just let me know!

 

Food and Drink will be available to buy from the cafe at good prices!

 

(Also, don't be put off of the name of the venue, it's an awesome venue!)

 

I've set up a facebook page, so please spread the word!

 

https://www.facebook.com/events/643917318974940/

Edited September 25, 2013 by Rurifuu

[Technomage]

Salem Willows would be a good New England meetup location, actually. Barring that, the Boston Common.

 

Now organizing it? That's a different beast entirely.

[Tani Coyote]

Salem Willows would be a good New England meetup location, actually. Barring that, the Boston Common.

 

Now organizing it? That's a different beast entirely.

The easiest way to start is to basically form a "watering hole," or some sort of page people can find and follow/join. Facebook groups have been the convenient way but really any form of social media or a website could do. That's why I started Operation: Springyard, to get a few states pages they can land on and thus begin building the grassroots base needed for this sort of thing.

Once a "watering hole" has enough members, the most active members can discuss what'd be a good venue choice for them... as with Sonic London's example, a venue need not be rented to be satisfactory! Simply meeting at a bar or restaurant can work wonders!

Even if a meet starts with a humble, say, five people, word of mouth would gradually spread (plus you have the Sonic Social and Sonic Revolution networking forces for promotion) and they can become very successful and recurring.

I think one of the best methods for promotion has got to be attending conventions with that sort of audience and promoting it there... anime cons, gaming cons, etc.

One thing's for certain. Every Sonic Boom from now on, if there's no group for that location, I'm forming it and plugging it at the event. There are hundreds of fans in all these cities, I'd safely say... there's no reason meets can't succeed!

[Tani Coyote]

Double post due to some new information!

https://www.facebook.com/events/522692731138882/

Sonic SoCal will be holding its first meetup (I'm counting Boom West as a mini-convention; this is a casual meet) January 18, 2014 at 1 PM. It will be at Johnny's New York Pizza at 2756 East Coast Highway in Corona Del Mar in Newport Beach, California. The venue is notable for being half-owned by Johnny Gioeli of Crush 40 fame.

It's advised to bring 20 dollars to pay for one's own food.

[root08]

Would have been nice if we could have a meetup in Scandinavia one time.  Too bad we're too few of us here in north... 

[Tani Coyote]

Would have been nice if we could have a meetup in Scandinavia one time.  Too bad we're too few of us here in north... 

The Sonic fans are fairly spread out in much of the US as well...

My two biggest suggestions, from what I can see:

-Meets will function best in large cities for obvious reasons

-Meets will function best if attached to another convention of some sort that draws people; I'm not sure what sorts of cons Norway has but if there's any that might attract a "geek" sort of demographic they're definitely worth looking into

[Nepenthe]

Back from AWA, exhausted and dehydrated, but pretty satisfied with how things went. I was aware that most of the existing members would not be able to attend this meet due to the short notice and price of such a venue. However, Kevin still came and even invited a friend, and along with my posse of two people that made five, which is a couple more than last time. Still, progress is progress. xP Granted, it was a bit more muddied up by my lateness due to a few mitigating circumstances, as well as having a tough time finding a place to set up. I also stupidly forgot a camera. That's all on me, but regardless of the set-backs, my ultimate plan worked:

 

Due to my Sonic-y costume and apparel, my best friend working really hard to track down people I couldn't see out of my eye holes, and ultimately the public set-up of a Sonic Monopoly game with another fellow we invited into it because he was enamored that such a thing existed, plenty of passer-bys remarked on us, watched the game a little, reminisced about Sonic, and ultimately all twenty advertisements for the group I was able to print up nicely went out. I'm so happy that the interest in such a thing was so high and only disappointed that the printer I used wasn't up to the job of making even more. So, all in all, I'd consider it a nice little success. I'm crossing my fingers at least a few of the flyers last the rest of the con and the trip home, and that some of the people remember to sign up to the account and bolster the numbers. ^^;;

[Tani Coyote]

I’m happy to hear everything went well, Nepenthe! I’ve been anxious all day to find out exactly how things would go… but it sounds like you safely managed to attract attention and get the word out! Had I lived closer I would have been happy to supply the industrial printer my father picked up during his travels (he picks up lots of strange stuff) so as to help with the flyers. Overall though, I’m happy you were able to find folks, and the slightly-larger group than last time shows a promising start! I think Sonic Georgia and its de facto (since it technically doesn’t exist) subsidiary, Sonic Atlanta, have a promising future.

[HelenBaby]

The twelth SonicLondon meet has been announced! It also happens to be a joint event for a certain organiser's landmark birthday ^^;. To view details/see which of your friends are going along please see here : https://www.facebook.com/events/1412673555626472/

 

So far we have :

 

• 15 RSVP'd as 'Going'
• 18 RSVP'd as 'Maybe'

 

And that figure looks set to rise as the date approaches (always does).

 

Once again this meet is 18+. Apoligies for any inconvenience...

 

If you'd like to learn more about SonicLondon/check out what we got up to in our previous meets please see here : http://soniclondon.com/

Edited September 30, 2013 by HelenBaby

[Tani Coyote]

The twelth SonicLondon meet has been announced! It also happens to be a joint event for a certain organiser's landmark birthday ^^;. To view details/see which of your friends are going along please see here : https://www.facebook.com/events/1412673555626472/

 

So far we have :

• 15 RSVP'd as 'Going'
• 18 RSVP'd as 'Maybe'

Sounds like everything's going super, Helen! I'm glad to hear your event's prospering as always, and I hope all the other meetups can emulate your success given time.

===

Alright, time for a mega dump of information!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wf301rDP4Xs

To start, Matt of TailsChannel has been kind enough to promote Sonic Revolution on his page; the net result is that we've gone from 47 members to 111 in just 24 hours and by my projections we could gain at least 200 more. We're going to need a bigger venue.

The surge in Revolution interest has spilled over into Sonic Social territory as well; we have several new groups. Say hello to all our new family members!

• North California!
• Kansas!
• Maryland!
• Michigan! In honor of the Sonic Paradox panel at this year's Youmacon!
• Oklahoma!
• Colorado!

We will also soon have a Sonic New Jersey, Sonic Oregon, and Sonic Tennessee.

I'm off to promote the two Sonic Californias; remember that the next known meetup is Sonic Australia's at the EB Expo in Sydney on the 4th of October!

[Tani Coyote]

G’day my Stadiumgoer friends!

I bring grand news for the fan event movement: Sonic Revolution’s website has officially launched! Expect some revisions in the coming days as we respond to feedback on the layout.

There’s been another surge in groups; I’ve updated the OP for them. Sonic Revolution's website will also be tracking them through the Meetups/Conventions dropdown menu, but my list is most likely to be the most up to date from time to time due to delays in the actual website's updates.

To recap there are now meetup chapters in Tennessee, Massachusetts, New Jersey, and the Carolinas, to name a few. I’m about to get to work on Ohio, Indiana, and Virginia. That will bring us up to a grand total of 25 states!

For those who aren't stateside... remember, this is your movement too! We want ALL Sonic fans, regardless of location, to be able to regularly meet and befriend nearby fans!

Edited October 1, 2013 by Ogilvie Maurice

[Tani Coyote]

The list of groups in the OP has been updated; we've expanded to include Arizona and Minnesota, to name some, and there are now chapters in 28 states.

I also discovered that prior to the Sonic Social and Revolution teams' formation, a Sonic San Diego group has existed: https://www.facebook.com/groups/350336165088488/ They haven't done meetups but the head says they're open to it! California continues to be a gold mine. Most importantly, this group is also active.

Speaking of California, the Revolution team are trying to gauge headcount for the upcoming Sonic Revolution in Summer 2014. It will be held in California, most likely Orange County. Please cast a vote in this poll if you are certain you'd be able to make it.

We're going to try and get a formal date announcement in January/February. Even if SEGA doesn't have anything for Hedgehog Day, we certainly hope to!

Edited October 5, 2013 by Ogilvie Maurice

[Tani Coyote]

G’day my con and meetup-loving friends! More news related to community events hath cometh.

Firstly, I and the Revolution team have narrowed down our options for next year’s venue and we’ve found several that would be perfect. However, that’s all I can say on it, besides the already-known “Summer in South California” bit. We’re in the midst of setting up a donation button and the like so people can help with the expenses; I’ll link it once it’s up.

For those in the UK, grand news! There’s word of a “Sonic Manchester” from within the various circles I’m in. That’s right; not only will Sonic fans have places to congregate in the southeastern (Sonic London) and southwestern (Weston Super Sonic) corners of England, but those further north will get a shot at it too! I’ll give details as they come.

Thirdly, Sonic Australia's meetup has concluded. It doesn't sound like the meet materialised, but it was on short notice, so that's to be expected. In the meantime Lhancat of Sonic Australia is still working out the details of a small convention like Sonic Boom West, so don't worry my friends downunder! In the meantime, the next Sonic fan event will be the Sonic Paradox Panel at Youmacon in Detroit!

Fourthly, I’ve decided to try and launch a viral campaign of sorts to help these events get off the ground. Basically, I made a video that describes what Sonic Revolution and Sonic Social are, how they work together, how they’re different, and their current successes with their goals. All without a script no less; I winged it for five minutes! XD Anyway. Besides being something you could feel free to show folks you know… I included a dropbox link in the bottom there so viewers could download the video and re-upload it on their channel if they want; double points to those who steal the description (it has links and such) as well! Before you think anything you could do would be insignificant, consider this; Revolution has about 120 members so far, and if each could get just one other person aware, suddenly we’re up to 240.

The snowball will get bigger, and before you know it we’ll be running down White Acropolis trying to escape from it! The more the merrier; enough fans can make a Sonic Boom!

[Rurifuu]

I have to admit I'm amazed by the amount of support from Sonic fans for more of these events. The WSS list shows there's a huge number of fans just in the local area, let alone those travelling from much further away. 

 

It's great to hear there's possibly going to be a Manchester event. I look forward to hearing more about it. Although it's a little too far for me to afford to travel, I wish them all the best. I'm sure they'll get lots of interest. Let's see if we can get a Wales and Scotland based meetup and the UK will be well covered for all of its Sonic fans!

[InfinityAlex]

So, yeah...Sonic Manchester's kinda been on my mind for a while now, but I'm not sure how many people'd take me seriously in Wigan, so is there anyone else in Lancashire interested in Sonic Manchester?

[Tracker_TD]

Now a Sonic Manchester meet I would love. Hailing from St Helens, I'm only an hour or so away!

[Boomer]

I used to live in Morecambe but I moved away a few years ago, I still go across to Manchester a few times a year to see my sister's though so I'd be up for it.

[Tani Coyote]

Well Alex, there's two! That's how these things start.

If you could get that Let's Player to plug such a meetup it would help enormously, as in the end it's all about press!

Speaking of which I need to start PMing some Youtube Channels and various Sonic site staff on this...

[Tani Coyote]

Alright, multiple updates this time around.

For starters, I’ve canned the spoiler list of meetups; there’s now a link to the meetup Index on Sonic-Revolution’s website. This will save me a huge amount of work since people can now just redirect to a single page. Likewise, there’s a list of upcoming meetups/events linked in the OP.

For two, Sonic Mississippi is now a thing.

Finally, for three! Rurifuu’s event in January has been so warmly received she doubled the capacity from 40 to 70! So feel free to RSVP on Facebook if you plan on attending! Weston Super Sonic is shaping up to be a second Summer of Sonic already, with a slew of activities and fun for several hours in the city of Weston Super Mare! Even if you don’t have Facebook feel free to stop by; just make sure to RSVP by emailing the event at westonsupersonic@gmail.com so you make it onto the list! Once the room is full no one further will be allowed in; RSVPing a spot is a fantastic idea accordingly!

As a reminder, Sonic Revolution is trying to determine a headcount for next year; you can simply enter a vote in the poll on the front page here. It's right below the "click to enter" portion! We want to make sure there's adequate space as it would be a real shame to deny anyone!

Edited October 9, 2013 by Ogilvie Maurice

[Tani Coyote]

(Some of this news may be old, but hey, reminders are cool)

Good morning/afternoon/evening, Revolutionaries! It’s Saturday in most of the world, so I hereby declare the first Sanicday. What’s Sanicday? Well, normally I post event updates every day as they come, but I figured it’d be better to spread it across the week; I chose Tuesday and Saturday for being mostly apart, and renamed them Tailsday and Sanicday. I think the puns are obvious on both counts.

So without further ado, what do we have that’s been unearthed in the last few days?

Asia

For starters, news that will probably shock the fandom. Summer of Sonic, it turns out, is NOT the world’s first Sonic convention. The Sonic Globalka, held annually in Russia since 2005, is. It is organized by sonic-world.ru, which has over 8000 members, showing a very strong, close-knit following for Sonic in the Russian Federation despite its large size. In the event you know anyone in close proximity to Russia, feel free to refer them to the event website

North America

For starters, Sonic Utah has been formed! They are already debating a meeting near Brigham Young University, where advertisement efforts are also beginning towards fellow students. Don’t be afraid to share this with any Utah Sonic fans you may now! There are now 30 US States covered by a chapter.

Sonic Revolution’s con for next year has its headcount up to approximately 41 people, which is pretty good when there’s no determined venue information thus far! We’ve also been in contact with Evan Stanley of Archie fame, so who knows, we may have ourselves a special guest! While the website still has a poll that can be voted in if one’s confident in their ability to attend next year’s con, the Facebook page can proudly report over 200 Likes in but a few short weeks!

For the final piece of American news, the bulk of the Sonic Paradox team, responsible for the famed Sonic Shorts as well as the Seaside Denied/Metropolis Mayhem animations, will be holding a panel at Youmacon in Detroit later this month.

Australia

Let’s go to Australia now! As Sonic Australia works on getting cons and meetups going, those in the Western part of the country are in luck; Sonic Perth has been formed for fans in the Greater Perth area and Western Australia in general! If you know any Australian friends, feel free to redirect them that way.

Europe

Over to Europe! In the United Kingdom, there’s a SEGA photoshoot planned to be held at the MCM Expo in London on October 26 and 27. You can RSVP at the event’s page!

Also in the UK, Weston Super Sonic has recently unveiled a new set of medals that will be awarded to winners of its various competitions. Pretty swanky, huh? If you’re in the UK and would like to attend a Sonic convention that’s growing rapidly and could very well be the next Summer of Sonic, you can RSVP via their Facebook or by sending a message to the site’s e-mail address: westonsupersonic@gmail.com

As a final bit of news for Europe, there’s word of a “Winter of Sonic” to be held in the Netherlands. Unfortunately there’s no further news just yet! But, that should mean tons of fun for those in the Schengen Area, yes?

And finally, I end this post by announcing my recent discovery of SAGE, an annual expo for Sonic fangames, held since 2000. The best part? It’s online, so anyone can attend and watch a variety of livestreams and other events that showcase the best fangames the Sonic fandom has to offer its members. Organised by SFGHQ!

That’s all for now, Revolutionaries. See you on Tailsday!

Edited October 12, 2013 by Ogil.exe Maurice

[Tani Coyote]

Held off on Tailsday announcements due to lack of much meetup meat to sink one’s teeth into. Okay, what do we have today?

 

1. Sonic Utah has been formed and will be holding weekly meetups at Brigham Young University in Provo, Utah. The exact specifics are: 8:00 pm in the Roland A. Crabtree Technology Bldg, Room 340.  If by any chance you’re in the state of Utah one week, why not give them a visit? Keep in mind that this meetup is lumped in with a general gamer meetup for the time being to help build interest.

 

2. Sonic Utah is in the works of throwing its own convention though many details are not yet finalized; what is known is there are planned activities and it will cost 4 dollars to attend so as to help pay for food and the like. The con is likely to be in late November.

 

3. Sonic Revolution 2014 is hovering at about 80 attendees for the inaugural event. More people are always welcome, however. The poll where one can voice interest and ability to attend is, as always, on the Sonic Revolution sites' front page. Speaking as a member of the Revolution team, we are going to wait until about late November or so before finalizing our venue choice, so make sure to get your “yes” vote in before then. We are going to be issuing tickets (free tickets, but still) so as to prevent overflow.

 

4. As a victory for the movement for meetups and cons for Sonic fans everywhere, TSSZ News and Fans United for SatAM have both published articles on the Sonic Revolution movement. With the support of Sonic fansites steadily growing, this movement is looking to really gain steam in the near future!

Edited October 20, 2013 by Ogil.exe Maurice

[hifihedgehog]

Howdy, hi and hello to all SMMB members from HiFiHedgehog and Sonic Utah!

 

We are starting out strong and hitting the ground running with our weekly club meets. All are held with the combined forces of the university's video game club on Wednesdays at 8 PM in the Crabtree Building, Room 340. No matter you particular passion or exact age, if you want to pay us a visit and share in our fanatic fan spirit for the blur streak, jump on in because the water's fine--unless, of course, you share in Sonic's swimming abilities or lack thereof. (Disclaimer: no hedgehogs were subjected to water torture in the making of this club.) But we have not only focused our mad chaotic, super, hyper hedgehog powers to there.

 

We are also planning on hosting the first ever fan-run international, Sonic the Hedgehog convention in the United States. Seeing that Sonic Revolution will be geographically based in the Pacific Coast region, our thoughts were that we could not leave the Mountain region uncovered and ignored for the sake of all things blue and speedy, right?

 

Got a curious mind and a bunch of creativity and drive to match? Just want to have a blast with your family and friends? You and us together can write a chapter in Sonic fandom history and have a load of fun doing it. Check out the Super Sonic convention and start busily hittin' the old grindstone. The date has been set for November or December 2013. The clock is ticking and we cannot let victory slip from our grasp. Tell everyone everywhere that a convention of Super Sonic proportions is on its way and only all of us fans as a global force can make this happen!

Edited October 22, 2013 by hifihedgehog