Meetup Megathread (April 13) - Hedgehog Day Event News

[JoeMD]

Looks like an awesome time was had by all. Well done!

[Ogilvie]

Thank you, Joe! I'm already looking forward to next year.

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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!

[Ogilvie]

https://www.facebook.com/groups/SonicOklahoma/

Sonic Oklahoma has been formed by none other than Jerry Alexander of the band Serenity Seven; perhaps you know them better for their covers of songs such as What I'm Made Of and Escape from the City.

Now, for those unable to attend Summer of Sonic or Sonic London... more great news!

There will be a SIX HOUR fan event held in Weston Super Mare this January, complete with gaming competitions, costume workshops (for next year's SoS) and an art corner. Best of all, admission is free!

https://www.facebook.com/events/643917318974940/ Feel free to RSVP via Facebook!

[Ogilvie]

While Sonic Georgia’s meet nears tomorrow, I bring more good news.

In honor of Youmacon this year, Sonic Michigan has been formed!

Sonic SoCal has been organized for residents of the Southern California area. They are already planning their first meetup at Newport Beach on January 18th at 1 PM; the venue will be Johnny’s New York Pizza on East Coast Highway. This site is notable for being half-owned by Johnny Gioeli of Crush 40.

Sonic St. Louis has rescheduled its event for December 7th in light of schedule conflicts; the time (noon) and location (outside the Pageant in the Delmar Loop) remain the same.

[Ogilvie]

Hello again folks!

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

[Ogilvie]

Large update today.

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.

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.

Next up, Sonic Mississippi is now a thing.

Yet more, 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.

Finally! 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 [email protected] 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!

[Ogilvie]

(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: [email protected]

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!

[Ogilvie]

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 Sonic-revolution.net’s 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!

[Ogilvie]

Hello everyone, more meetup updates here. We’ve received a new influx of members, so take note that I update this thread more or less regularly as news about fan events, from small meetups to large conventions, comes along. Above all else: don’t hesitate to try and host your own meetups; make sure to let me know about it so I help spread the word!

Without further ado, here’s what’s on the schedule so far:

There will be a Sonic fan meetup at the Gamestop Expo later this year. The event is hosted by gaming retail giant Gamestop, and is basically a cheaper E3 or PAX for those who are into video games, and we plan on stopping by whatever booth SEGA sets up in. You get to play upcoming games, meet fellow fans, and have all sorts of fun activities such as getting pictures with mascots like Sonic. The event is set to be in Anaheim, California on Wednesday, September 10th. I plan on giving details as they come, but a good page for people to look into is the event’s actual page: https://www.facebook.com/events/671840496201664/

For those in the London area, Sonic London is holding their next meetup on February 23rd at the Meltdown Bar in London. Here’s the event page: https://www.facebook.com/events/571207212959354/

In Florida, there will be a Sonic cosplay-themed meetup at UltraCon 2014 on February 22nd. https://www.facebook.com/events/1406971136215425/

No event page for this last one, but over in the States, there have been two monthly meets at Packrat Comics in Hilliard, Ohio so far. The meets generally begin at noon and are held on the first Saturday of every month; the next meetup will be on February 1st. These meetups, given their nature at a comic shop, often are awesome for those who are fans of the Archie series. The meetups are organized by Sonic Ohio: https://www.facebook.com/groups/SonicOhio

Weston Super Sonic is up to ~40 attendees and will be meeting on the 11th, as a last reminder. Don’t hesitate to RSVP on the Facebook to guarantee yourself some of the freebies they’re handing out: https://www.facebook.com/events/643917318974940/

As a final reminder, Sonic SoCal will be holding its first meetup at Johnny’s New York Pizza (the venue is half-owned by Johnny of Crush 40 fame) in Newport Beach, California on the 18th. The event page is here: https://www.facebook.com/events/522692731138882/522745227800299/

[MykonosFan]

No event page for this last one, but over in the States, there have been two monthly meets at Packrat Comics in Hilliard, Ohio so far. The meets generally begin at noon and are held on the first Saturday of every month; the next meetup will be on February 1st. These meetups, given their nature at a comic shop, often are awesome for those who are fans of the Archie series. The meetups are organized by Sonic Ohio: https://www.facebook.com/groups/SonicOhio

 

 

If anyone here is in the area of this, please try to make it to it. Last weekend was great. A couple of the people there had all kinds of production pages from different artists from the Archie comics and a few animation cels from AoSTH, it was really interesting to look at, even as someone who knows little about the comics and cartoons. Plus we had a Genesis/32X/CD and Dreamcast set up there by one of the members. All 5 of us were pretty hardcore ( in a good way ) fans and it was just a really chill time. 

 

Also of note, Mike Pollock is scheduled to be there for Free Comic Book Day, if you need a little extra incentive to swing by sometime. The shop owners are awesome.

[Lhancat]

Sonic Australia is holding a big meet in Sydney Park on Saturday June 28. There will be a sausage sizzle and many Sonic themed foods! There will be competitions and a raffle on the day as well as various Sonic activities. Sonic himself will be there personally so everyone can wish him a Happy Birthday and watch him cut the cake!

We are also taking suggestions for giveaway prizes on the day, so if you have any ideas for merch let me know!

Full details here:

https://www.facebook.com/groups/SonicAustralia/

[Ogilvie]

I shall start by saying that the above Australia meetup has been cancelled due to lack of staff.

Two more pieces of meetup news.

In Las Vegas, there will be a meetup on March 27th. The location will be the Cici’s Pizza on 2415 E Tropicana Avenue, not too far from the Strip. If you’re a local or happen to be in town, feel free to drop by! We will mostly be enjoying some food (it’s 7 dollar all you can eat pizza) and chatting about stuff, though we’re also likely to hit a retro arcade afterward. Here’s the event’s Facebook page if you wish to RSVP: https://www.facebook.com/events/1409619682617646/

In the United Kingdom, Weston Super Sonic is organizing more informal meetups to build grassroots support for its convention as well as to ensure fans don’t have to wait all year to meet other fans. The meetup will be at 1 PM on February 2nd at Drucker’s Café in Weston Super Mare. Here’s the Facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/events/233695620143300/

[Ogilvie]

(I've also posted a copy of this on the front page.)

Greetings fellow Boomers around the world!

While I let some of the news slip in various circles, I’ve made sure to keep a lid on a lot of things to make this Hedgehog Day extra special. I’ve been excited to reveal a fair bit of news today, so here it goes!

First off, let’s talk about Sonic Revolution, as in the organization. We are proud to report we have formally affiliated with Sonic the Comic – Online and Fans United for SatAM! We are also in talks with affiliation with two other Sonic fan sites. When I originally thought of looking for affiliates, FUS and STCO popped out first – through their hard work and dedication, they have made the desires of their particular fanbases a reality. This is much in line with Sonic Revolution’s goals; though they may focus on animation and comics (respectively) whereas we focus on conventions, we are all ultimately working for the cause of fan empowerment, and it’s an honor to be associated with both. We hope to see more affiliates in the future; it would be a blast if the Sonic fanbase was united.

Secondly, great news for those living in Latin America and the Iberian peninsula! Other fans have formed groups similar to Sonic Revolution in Portuguese and Spanish. While these are NOT part of the Sonic Revolution organization, they operate under the same name in their respective languages and have the same goals; we give them our full support, naturally. If you speak either of the two languages, feel free to give them a look. There’s a vibrant community in Brazil via Planeta Sonic for one example, so we are certain that events could be brought to the whole of the Ibero-American countries. Sonic Revolution is also interested in having bilingual contacts who are able to speak Spanish and Portuguese, who can keep track of these groups’ events and pass the news onto us.

Thirdly, more Sonic fan events! There’s a new one scheduled for No Brand Con later this year on April 25th in Eau Claire, Wisconsin. It is of course, hosted by Sonic Wisconsin, and here is the event page! They will be meeting in the Plaza Hotel and Suites’ lobby at 2 PM.

Weston Super Sonic, meanwhile, has announced plans for a Bristol meet this month and a Taunton meet next month. More details as they come, though Claire (SSMB user Rurifuu) has welcomed comments on the best times and dates for people to try and maximize turnout. They also had a meetup a few hours ago (as mentioned above), so let it be known they’re most definitely bringing the regular meetup scene to the southwestern UK! Weston Super Sonic has also announced that it will be hosting a craft contest at next year’s event, giving you close to year to prepare – a “craft” is any piece of work that does not count as a costume or artwork.

Fourth, something I’ve been excited to reveal for a good month or so. While Sonic Revolution 2014’s date and location are not yet finalized (we’ll have them very soon, don’t worry)… we can at least tell you about a special surprise we have planned.

It is my honor to reveal that we have partnered with animator Christopher Wilcots and director and writer Doryan Nelson, the team behind the upcoming Sonic Prologue fan film. We felt that as a fan event it was only proper we give the ability to showcase work to promising projects, and Sonic Prologue most certainly fits the bill! The film will sadly not be finished in full by the time of Revolution, but we will be showcasing a scene from the film via projector screen; this scene will be a Revolution exclusive.

There is plenty more goodies prepared for Sonic Revolution 2014. However, it’d be no fun if we revealed them all at once, now would it? Stay tuned for more event date and details as they come.

[Ogilvie]

So I'm doing some information gathering for event organizers everywhere.

Your wallet allowing, how much would you be willing to pay for an eight-hour Sonic event? Assume for the sake of argument it has a fair deal of bells and whistles (contests, etc.) and isn't just a large meetup. Please cast a vote here!

It's hoped that this poll can reach countless fans so that any organizers can gauge the right ticket costs in the future.

As a disclaimer, Sonic Revolution has no plans on charging this year or ever.

[Ogilvie]

http://sonicunited.org/2014/10/07/sonic-boom-2014-event-recap/

 

So I attended Sonic Boom 2014 in New York City a few days ago. It was pretty fun! All sorts of people to meet and all kinds of stuff to do. Hope to see everyone at next year's.