Every year we have an avalanche of last-minute cancellations of hotel rooms for the convention, and by last-minute, I mean within a week or two of the convention. I know that there is a certain percentage of people who have some unhappy event occur at the 11th hour that prevents them from going, but the rest, I suspect, are people who have known for weeks or even months that they would not be able to attend, but did not bother to cancel their hotel reservations until the day before.

This leaves us with a number of rooms that suddenly become available well after another attendee is able to make travel arrangements or to arrange time off of work. I have been wracking my brain for years to try to think of a practical means (with a very strong emphasis on practical) to solve this dilemma, yet all I've been able to come up with is to appeal to folks to be considerate of their fellow congoers.

At this time, the Omni is sold out of all room types except for non-smoking rooms with one queen-sized bed on Thursday, July 5. There are a limited number of double non-smoking rooms available again on Friday, July 6. Of course, suites are still available at both hotels. If this won't work for you, we have compiled a list of nearby hotels that are in a comparable price range.

For a while we were not accepting American Express. We did not like the fees, nor the way the money was reported on our bank statements.

They called and asked why we had dropped them, and we told them.

They said, "Oh, we can fix all that!"

Who'd have thought it? So Anthrocon is once again accepting American Express for payments.

Last year, we had some reports of dealers from Canada being denied entry into the US because of their intention to sell artwork or other wares at Anthrocon; the border patrol agents seemed to believe this constituted "work" and required a work permit. Anthrocon has no control over the U.S. border nor the agents who guard it, but be assured that we are still doing what we can to make it easier for our dealers from neighboring countries to attend the convention.

For those who have not had any problems thus far, we really do recommend shipping your wares ahead instead of bringing them with you.

Hello everyone,

Anthrocon is nothing without the input from our membership. It's really all of you that make Anthrocon what it's become. That being said, I'd like to offer up an opportunity for anyone who is planning to attend Anthrocon. You can be part of a very special piece of our programming.

I'm putting out a request for any attendee who would like to submit a video clip of themself, or a group of attendees, with a representative image of your hometown in the background. If you have a fursuit, you can wear it, but it's not needed for this project. The time limit for each video segment is not to exceed 10 seconds and should be of very high video quality (i.e. don't use a cameraphone). Videos that have landmarks or skylines in the background, or possibly large groups of individuals would potentially have an advantage for inclusion. We really want to see where you're coming from, or how many people may be coming from any given area. Also if they have a comedic element in addition to a good background, they may have an advantage as well. (If you're coming from outside the US, please try to submit a video, we'd love to see it.)

Anthrocon has selected Animal Friends, a no-kill shelter in Pittsburgh, to be our beneficiary for 2007. They will be at the Charity Auction and will also have a table in the Dealer's Room where you can meet them and some of their rescued pets.

For more information about Animal Friends, please visit their website at http://www.animal-friends.org. If you have any questions about Animal Friends, you can contact their representative, Nicole Larocco, at 412-847-7055.

Table of Contents:

1) Need a Ride to Anthrocon or a Room during the convention?
2) Attention Fursuiters! Request the Fursuit Floor Online!
3) Got a Programming Suggestion?
4) Westin Hotel Sells Out; Omni William Penn Hotel Lowers Room Rates
5) Small incident at Convention Center; Anthrocon not affected
6) Anthrocon Dances
7) Anthrocon Charity Auction
Anthrocon Masquerade
9) Help Contribute to the Anthrocon 2007 Conbook!
10) Credits
11) About this Newsletter

Need a Ride to Anthrocon or a Room during the convention?

There was a minor accident on February 5 at the David L. Lawrence Convention Center, involving a semi trailer, the 10th St. Tunnel, and excessive gravity. The damage to the Center is being repaired and has been judged by engineers to be "an isolated incident." The building is certified safe and sound, and Anthrocon will be moving in on schedule.

There are only suites left at the Westin at this time. For information on how to go about reserving a suite at the Westin, please click here. The Westin is keeping a waiting list, although we cannot guarantee when (or if) a room will become available, nor can we guarantee what type it may be. You can learn how to get on the waiting list by visiting our Westin info page. There are still plenty of rooms at the luxurious Omni William Penn.

Due to a miscommunication on the part of the chairman (who apologizes profusely), dealer confirmations were inadvertantly delayed. Rest assured that if you have sent in a dealer application prior to January 15, we have table space for you. Go ahead and make your hotel reservations while there is still time!