Bid

Bidding is the process by which proposals for Convergence events are formalized and readied for voting. In most conversations and documentation of process, the terms "bid" and "proposal" are synonymous. Bid may be prepared at any time for any year's event, even several years out, but the proposal should be considered something of an open secret. Open discussion and promotion of specific bids is limited to periods as described in the Timeline, and promotion, even in a general "buzz-generating" sense is frowned upon, with the possibility that over-promotion early can result in a failure to have the bid ratified.

How To Build A Bid

Expectations

Convergences vary in size and duration due to many factors. A typical recent event will draw between 150 and 300 attendees, and typically officially last Friday through Sunday of a weekend, with unofficial stays running Wednesday through Tuesday.

There is a great deal of flexibility in what's actually provided. For example, if the place where a Convergence event is being planned for has no suitable venue, then using a hotel's ballroom space may be a useful option. If an otherwise ideal venue exists but is distant from the hotel, providing shuttle buses may be an option. If a base hotel is too small to accommodate projected attendance, provision for an overflow hotel nearby may be a useful option, even so little as simply locating one that isn't full yet and saying "try this one" may be enough. The absolute bare minimum is a place for a bunch of goths to hang out together, publicly and ideally 24 hours a day, and plan things. In most cases, the hotel lobby has served in this capacity, but even that it be in the hotel lobby isn't necessary if there's a side room that can be co-opted, a patio, or a con suite.

Hotel

You will need a place or places for people to stay. Designating a particular spot concentrates the fun. Aim small, though. Being able to fill 70% of the rooms at 2-3 people per is much more harmonious than filling 10% of a larger hotel. (Unless you're Las Vegas, in which case we're the quiet ones.)

Room Blocks

If there's just one piece of advice you listen to here, it's this: Start small! Make sure you set up the block with an adequate number of rooms and that there's room for growth of the block (depending on hotel capacity and how many rooms they have available at the time). It's much better to start with too few rooms and have to add than it is to end up with too many. Depending on the hotel you've contracted with, you may end up paying for those extra rooms out of your own pocket.

The appropriate number of rooms to block varies by year, but you'll also want to take particular days into account. If you're planning to book out 100 rooms on the top days, you might want to do something like 25 Thursday, 100 Friday & Saturday, 75 Sunday. (These, of course, are not hard numbers, play with them based on your own needs and feedback.)

Hotel-based Events

At the very least, you should make sure there's a good gathering place for attendees to sit around, drink and socialize at any time of the day.

You'll also want to make sure there's an appropriate sized room for vendors to set up in to sell their merchandise. Your best advice for how to handle the vendors' room is going to come from any of the vendors that have done at least a few different C* events.

Post-C21, there is a lot of discussion about offering workshops or panels in hopes of drawing a larger crowd. Keep in mind that a lot of people will explore the host city instead of attending daytime events so keep that in mind when you consider how much money you're willing to add to your budget for these items. That said, the more options you can give people, the better off you'll be!

Venue

This will probably be your biggest challenge. You want something close to the hotel (or at least close enough that one or two shuttles running back and forth can pick up and drop off frequently) and is an appropriate size for the event. If you have bands in a venue built for 3000 people but only put 300 in there, the sound is going to be off and it's going to feel empty.

While due consideration should be given while putting together your bid, there is no need to have a venue lined up just for bidding purposes.

"Unofficial" Events

By definition, you will not have to plan unofficial events. However, as a local resource, putting together information about local things that are customary unofficial events will endear you to the fans of that particular event. Additionally, attractions in your area that may be of interest to individuals or small groups should be at least superficially collected and directions to those things from the main hotel (by car and transit if available) included.

AGF Tea Party

If there's an actual formal tea house someplace in your area, so much the better. Collect capacity and reservation information, menus and prices if possible. If not, hotel banquet space information, or private event catering in the hotel's restaurant space has proven useful in the past. Typical turnouts for this are about 15% of total attendees.

Corpgoth Dinner

A list of restaurants that are large enough and in the "fine dining" category should be made available. When compiling the list, be aware that the Corpgoth Dinner is usually attended by about 30% of the total attendees, so total seating in the establishment should be no less than 60-75% of your total attendees. When looking at cost for meals, main courses in the US$20-$30 range with expected total prices of $45-60 per person should be considered ideal.