I would like to say thank you to all for participating in one of the biggest cosplay events of the summer! I'd never imagine we're going to have so many people this year. The numbers did indeed tripled from last year. In 2008, our total came to 78, but this year the total came out to be an estimate of 272 attendees. SoyCon was so overwhelmed this year that we didn't have enough, at-event registration forms and badges. We're sorry if you did not get one this year. We promise that next year we will have more and enough for everyone.
The photoshoot went pretty smoothly, despite a few complications with the humidity. I'm also apologizing that a parade was going on at the same time. I'll be sure to check Chicago Events next year to see if there's nothing going on during the weekend of July. (SoyCon 3 will be in July next year. Dates are TBA.)
I realized how the picnic was pretty well... not how it supposed to turn out as I expected to be. I know that some events like Karaoke Idol and The Battlefield ran pretty smoothly. The others didn't due the fact that everyone showed up late due to some weather warnings and the times got all screwed up. I'll be sure to accomidate the new time schedule for next year to a later time since this one was too early for everyone to adjust. I would like to thank Chain Ze+ Stigma for putting on a wonderful performance and for letting us use their sound system to run some SoyCon events. I also want to thank Mary and Jaxx for singing in the opening ceremonies. And finally my staff for working so hard with me throughout the weekend even during the rough parts of SoyCon.
For the winners that was awarded during the SoyCon picnic. I would like to send my congrats to the following:
Karaoke Idol Winner: Katia Osadchuck
Improv Masquerade Winners: Jaxx, Amy, Ken, Kale, Alex, & George
Cosplay Masquerade - Judge's Choice: Samantha, Lacy, & Whitney as Sora, Kairi, & Riku - KH2
Cosplay Masquerade - Novice: Jack Rollins as Roxas - Kingdom Hearts 2
Cosplay Masquerade - Journeyman: Katia Osadchuck as Flonne - Disgaea
Cosplay Masquerade - Master: Lizzy Tharp as Haruhi (Wonderland) - Ouran Host Club
Lizzy Tharp - If you're reading this, send me an e-mail to SoyCon@SoyCon.com. We would like to deliever your trophy to you.
That's it about SoyCon 2. SoyCon 3 will be in action next year. Until then, enjoy the rest of 2009. Seeya in 2010!!!
Alright. Now I can officially make the final call.
Due to the increasing forecasts of rain and scattered thunderstorms throughout the day. (Going past the 50% mark) The beach party meetup is officially canceled. Take note that this does not effect the photoshoot and picnic of SoyCon. The photoshoot and picnic is forcasting great weather this weekend. We apologize the beach meetup is canceled. Since everyone that was going now has a day off, please use this time to prepare for this weekend.
I won't be showing up to the beach today. If there are some who still want to go to the beach, please watch the weather and be safe.
***I'm making the official annoucement if the beach meetup is a go or not around 7:00am. Please pay attention to the forums or the website to be updated.***
If it's a good day tomorrow, I'll see you all there. Have fun and have a safe trip there and back home.
To All Cosplay Masquerade participants that are going to sign-up at SoyCon
Your sign-up deadline is at 1:30pm. Any entrees signing up after 1:30pm will be nullified. Anytime before 1:30pm will be fine. We highly recommend signing up with your costume on ASAP. The later you wait, the longer it takes. Plus, we have no participants in Journeyman and Master. If you're interested, I highly recommend signing up because it gives you a better chance of winning a SoyCon Cosplay Masquerade trophy. Once you signed up, you'll be judged by the craftsmanship judges. After all the judging is done, you'll be able to do a walk-on during the cosplay masquerade (which starts at 2:00pm). Please read here (http://soycon.com/Picnic/Events/cosplaymasquerade.html) to understand the requirements, rules and guidelines of the cosplay masquerade. Sign-ups begin @ 11:00am
To All Improv Masquerade participants that are going to sign-up at SoyCon
Your sign-up deadline is at 2:00pm. Any entrees signing up after 2:00pm will be nullified. Anytime before 2:00pm will be fine. To obtain your spot without risking of not being part of the show, we strongly recommend signing up as early as possible. Sign-ups begin @ 11:00am. Once signed up, please report back to the picnic shelter at 1:45pm. You and your group will be given a subject and you have until 3:00pm to prepare for it. Once 3:00pm hits, your preparation is over. Skit groups will be selected at random. During your sign-ups, you'll be given an entry number and a subject. When your number is called, you and your group will perform the skit. Please make sure you have your whole group ready before 1:45pm. Performing without your full group will be an automatic DQ. There are many slots open and they are limited to 15 entrees. For more information, please read this page here: http://soycon.com/Picnic/Events/improvmasquerade.html
Here's the news on the rain situation if it occurs.
If rain pours during the photoshoot, it might be postponed to another date. I apologize for everyone anticipating for the event, but I can't control the weather. No backup plan has been made because there's no point of putting it indoors when it's a photoshoot. Plus, getting an indoor location at this point is merely impossible. Indoor locations take months in advance to rent out. Why I didn't proceed on this? We'll what would happen if I rented an indoor and there's no rain at the photoshoot. Then I'll be wasting money on the rental and they give a certain percentage back as a refund. Like booking a hotel.
If rain pours during the picnic, I'll also might post pone or cancel the picnic all together. Since this is a picnic location, chances are the picnic groves for the other dates might be reserved already. It might get pushed back to August.
Don't blame me for the rain. I cannot control the weather. I can control SoyCon's plans around it.
All of this will not be confirmed until 3 hours before the event occurs.
I would like to announce the top 7 finalists for this year's Karaoke Idol. Here are your contestants: (Click their names to view their contestant profile.)
Congrats and good luck to all of them. Karaoke Idol is on June 21st (The Picnic Day) at 12:00pm. The picnic is located at Busse Woods in Schaumburg, IL.
I also eliminated the Attack/Defense Mechanics from the Battlefield due to complications, but the level system is still there.
Alright, I would like to announce that pre-registration for Karaoke Idol, Cosplay Masquerade, and Improv Masquerade are now officially closed. Any pre-registration received now will not be taken. For anyone that wants to participate in any of these events will need sign-up during SoyCon. Please see Sarah or myself for more details. Anyone who pre-registered are officially entered in the competition. Karaoke Idol participants that pre-registered are locked in for the competition. There will be slots open for "on hold" registration. Please see me for more details. Other than that, the event is drawing closer and I hope everyone is prepared for this grand event.
Don't forget to bring a photo I.D. to obtain your badge. (This goes for both at-con and pre-registration.) Also, if you're in between the ages 13-16, please have your parent/guardian consent forms signed ready for submission otherwise attend with a parrent/guardian. For ages 12 and under, please have a parent/guardian with you at all times.
This is only optional, I will be hosting a beach meetup the day before SoyCon (June 19th) at North Ave. Beach in Chicago, IL. We will be meeting there at 10:00am and it will last until sunset. Bring your beach towels and swimsuits cause it's gonna be a fun time. And please refrain from the watermelon smashing.
One final thing, I hope everyone is going to be signing up for the cosplay and improv masquerades during SoyCon. The numbers are extremely low and I'm afraid if we'll have a competition at all. I strongly encourage everyone to join these events. Don't be afraid to join these events. These events are made for you to have fun and show off your skills and talents.
Contestant profiles for Karaoke Idol are now online. Remember, these contestents are not officially in the competition yet. If contestent pre-registration numbers exceed the limit, there will be a random selection to see who will advance to the competition. If there's open slots left, whoever is pre-registered is guaranteed a slot in the competition. As for the remainder slots, there will be an at-con registration for anyone who wants to take part in the competition. A reminder that pre-registration for Karaoke Idol, Cosplay Masquerade, and Improv Masquerade are still going until June 8th at midnight. Go into "Events" within the "Picnic" section for further information about each competition. You may view the contestant profiles for Karaoke Idol below.
Pre-Registration for badges has finally ended. If your e-mail was marked 12:01am on my e-mail account, then your pre-registration will be nullified and will not be processed.
Also, due to the lack of pre-registration for Karaoke Idol, Cosplay Masquerade, and Improv. Masquerade, I'm extending the pre-registration due date to June 8th @ 12:00am. I'm currently disappointed with the pre-registration results for these and I know many of you out there would love to enter in one or two of these events.
Please, I highly encourage everyone to participate in these events. We would not want an all audience, and no participants show.
***PRE-REGISTRATION IS STILL GOING!!! IF YOU WANT TO SAVE TIME AT SOYCON, PLEASE PRE-REGISTER FOR EVENTS SUCH AS BADGE PRE-REGISTRATION, KARAOKE IDOL, COSPLAY MASQUERADE, and IMPROV MASQUERADE!!! DO IT!!! SIGN UP!!!***
Pre-registration for all events will close on June 1st @ midnight. DON'T HESISTATE!!!
SoyCon document form page created. This would be faster to find all of the forms for SoyCon rather than clicking like 3-4 links to reach them. You can find the link on the sub-navigation bar by the main navigation bar. Click one of the links to download your respective forms to fill out. Send the forms to SoyCon@SoyCon.com.
Picnic location map and direct location is now online. The picnic (on June 21st) will be held at Busse Woods at Grove #4. To view the picnic groves, click here to download the map. (You'll be downloading a PDF file.)
Photoshoot Image Locations Now Online. The following pictures will be several locations we'll be walking through during the photoshoot day of SoyCon 2. SoyCon 2 Photoshoot Preview Pictures
New information uploaded. For the safety of SoyCon, there are age restrictions and requirements that young attendees must endure before attending SoyCon. Ages 12 and under must now come with a parent/guardian. Ages 13-16 must sign a parent/guardian consent form and submit it to the SoyCon staff. If form not signed by the time of the event, they must come with a parent/guardian or attendee cannot attend at all. Ages 17 and up does not need to go through this proceedure.
Since many people are having problems knowing the main details for this event, I created an overview page to answer those repeating questions. On the homepage, in the subnavigation section, click the "Overview" link to find out all the main details of SoyCon.
The roastee, or roastees I should say, are now announced. Ladies and gentlemen, I would like to announce that this year's roastees will be Kale and Alex from the YouTube mini series, the Adventures of Kale and Alex. If you don't know who they are, you can check out their YouTube series located right here: The Adventures of Kale and Alex.
For more information on the Roast, please go here to read all the detailed information: The Roast of Kale and Alex.
Also, pre-registration are still up for badges, karaoke idol, cosplay masquerade, and improv masquerade. Pre-registration deadline for all events are due @ 12:00am on June 1st.
If you don't have Microsoft word, you can download OpenOffice at openoffice.org and save/edit your .doc files there. Send your registration/questions/comments/or anything in general about SoyCon to SoyCon@soycon.com.
SoyCon would like to introduce our first musical guest. Chain Ze +Stigma is a local band that formed together not too long ago that love to perform Japanese cover songs and using their music talents to create their own. Hopefully one day the group will perform many shows that features their own music and J-Rock cover music. Chain Ze +Stigma is interested on being SoyCon's first musical guests as they perform their acoustic pieces for the audience to listen to.
Ladies and Gentlemen, I would like to announce that 3 events are now accepting pre-registration: Karaoke Idol, Cosplay Masquerade, and The Improv Masquerade. Remember, you cannot participate in both cosplay and improv masquerade. You can only select one of the two. Although, you can participate in Karaoke Idol and one of the two masquerades. Please make sure you follow the rules and guidelines that are posted in the Events section within the Picnic section. You can go to the corresponding pages to pre-register or click one of the links below to download your form. Once you're finished, you can send them to SoyCon@SoyCon.com.
The TBA people open positions for any attendee who wants to take part of the wedding. Please contact one of the wedded coupls listed in the page. You can find them mostly on the ACen forums.
I did some more updating. I've now created detailed information for 6 events for the SoyCon picnic. You can view them under the "Events" section of the "Picnic" or you can view the following links below:
I apologe for the lack of updates here on SoyCon. I've been working hard committing my time for this huge event as well as several other things such as Anime Central and Anime Expo. I've been developing each event that is happening during this weekend. Once I finish them, they will be uploaded on this site. In the meantime, rules and guidelines are up for the SoyCon Cosplay Masquerade and Karaoke Idol. You may view them on the SoyCon forums under "The Picnic". Registration for those two events will be up when the rest of the events are uploaded online. If you have any questions or concerns, please contact me by e-mail. I am also looking for 3 judges that want to judge the Improv Masquerade. E-mail me at SoyCon@SoyCon.com for more information.
Pre-Registration for badges are still going! Check the "Registration" section for more information on how you can pre-register. Pre-Registration ends on June 1st.
Photographers and videographers are welcomed. We love someone who are willing to take shots of all the action that goes down at SoyCon!!!
SoyCon 2 official website is now online! Browse through the site for more information on how you can be part of SoyCon! It's been awhile since thte last update and there's alot to catch up on. The new site still has some rough edges, but they will be cleaned up slowly everyday. If you noticed an error or a problem with the page, you can contact Soy at SoyCon@SoyCon.com. Don't forget to pre-register for SoyCon. Check out the "Registration" section for more details. If you want to staff/volunteer for SoyCon, head towards the "General Information" and go to "Staff and Volunteers". You should be able to download a form to fill out and send it back to SoyCon.
Hey everyone. I know it has been a long time since I made an update here on SoyCon. I've been going through alot of stuff that had been keepin me from working on anything here for this con. But now I got some stuff settled and out of the way. I can start working on the details of the up and coming SoyCon 2. So since the holiday season is coming up, I will be working on version 2 on the site. In the meantime, I completed the Soycon Staff/Volunteer application. So for anyone who will or want to be on staff for SoyCon 2, please click here to download the .doc file and fill out the following. When you're done, email your copy to me at SoyCon@soycon.com. I will review each application and get back to you as soon as I can. Thank You.
I want to thank you so much for attending this event. I'm very pleased to see so many of you having such a huge blast. I apologize for some of the mistakes I've made throughout the weekend, but this was my first time running this with a slight taste of a convention system. I'll be going back to the drawing board to see what went good and what went bad. I'll try my best to fix these mistakes so it doesn't happen again next year. And yes, I said "next year". The turnout for this event was so epic, we are definately going to do it again.
The photoshoot was such a scare at the beginning because the forecast and before the photoshoot was going to hell. Thunderstorming and heavy rain hit Chicago. I was freaking out because it pushed me back into a wall of either cancelling it or risking the photoshoot and make the attendees uncomfortable. So, I called Strawberry and via 3-way with HEDGESMFG to aid me on what to do. With some help from them getting my mind straight and also referencing a couple anime quotes, I went full force to complete the decision. I'm sorry for those who couldn't make it to the photoshoot at all, we wished you all came, it was such a blast.
The picnic was probably the best picnics I've ever attended to. I do not remember the last time I had fun like that. Everyone had fun goofing off, being random, and being very social. I hope everyone at the picnic met new friends. The panels went pretty smoothly despite the timing of the schedule was very off. The SoyCon Cosplay was pretty darn good for it's first time running it. I want to thank mens pocky, R1kku, and Ononoke for running it and keeping it organized. Next time I'll make more copies than just 20. I didn't expect the contest will have almost 40 people. All the participants did a great job doing their walk-ons and entertaining the crowd. Now that I got the word from one of the judges, I'm here to announce the winners of the 1st Ever SoyCon Cosplay:
Judge's: Stephanie as Eureka from Eureka Seven
Novice: Ami as Lady from Devil May Cry 3
Journeyman: AI as Grimmjaw from BLEACH
Master: Foad as Makoto Shishio from Rorouni Kenshin
Congrats to all of the winners. And finally the roast. O god the roast was probably one of the most epic things anyone has done in a gathering. I got smoked so hard, I actually got a cold from it. XD But thank you to all for making the roast the exclamation point of SoyCon, it was very well done.
I want to thank everyone for coming out to SoyCon and I hope you all had a blast. Hopefully this gathering will be a memorable one, next year will be in the works. I know some of you guys wanted to staff for SoyCon, so I will be putting applications online for anyone who is interested doing staff. I'm not sure when I'll post it, but I'll let you all know.
Finally, I LOVE YOU ALL!!! I WOULDN'T NEVER THOUGHT SOMETHING LIKE THIS WILL HAPPEN BUT IT DID!!! *tears of joy* This really means alot to me, more than the acen skit award this year. This had been something amazing and it was one hell of a ride.
After checking hour after hour until 3:30am. I came to a decision that everyone will be checking in with me in times between 8am-9am at the parking lot on 9th St. and Wabash Ave. (where we will be meeting at). Once it strikes 9am, I will be no longer aiding people who arrive late at the parking lot. Chances that we will be going to Navy Pier for a few hours since most of the outdoor locations rained on us. I'm very sad this came about and all of you had high hopes of having fun under the sun. I cannot control mother nature, but we can control on what we can do to have fun. I'll be seeing all of you at the parking lot. Please bring umbrellas to cover yourselves, some extra clothes, and money for taking the CTA trains. You may stay at the parking lot until the shift or you can meet us at Navy Pier around 10:30-11:00am. I need everyone to meet by the McD's. Please look for me or the other staff members so we can round up everyone to start the backup plan for the photoshoot. Again, I'm sorry that the rain chose a bad day. I've worked so hard for this event, then to be shatterned with bad weather. Let's try to follow this backup plan and we'll go from there. Thank you.
I apologize for the lack of updating because I was going though preparations going to Anime Expo with Disneyland and Six Flags Magic Mountain afterwards. Now that I'm back, I can start focusing on SoyCon. Pretty much alot of things are done, but not everything is complete yet. I'll be going through every single post in between times of July 1st till today and I'll be replying as many messages as possible. It's important that everyone knows what they are doing so they don't be confused at the time of arrival. If I haven't got back to you yet either via email or PM on any site that I'm on, please resend the email again immediately. I want to make sure everyone is on the right direction. For those who have pre-registered for the SoyCon cosplay, I'll be sending out confirmations so you know that you are registered for the contest.
As for the weather, I had been given reports of a high percent chance of rain during the Chicago photoshoot portion on Saturday. If it does rain, I'll be holding a manditory SoyCon meeting for everyone at the 9th St. and Wabash parking lot. Please bring your umbrellas if it does rain. I'll be making an announcement that if it does rain Saturday, we are all taking the CTA train and spending the whole day at Navy Pier. So please bring a little extra money for the train.
To all SoyCon staff and honorary staff members, we will hold a final meeting before the event arrives. We are going to make sure everyone has gotten everything down and run through any questions or considerations.
If anyone has any questions, please PM me or email me at SoyCon@SoyCon.com
The SoyCon cosplay competition pre-registration and details are now online. You can go into the Events section and click the "SoyCon Cosplay" to learn more details on how you can join. Please make sure you read all of the rules and guidelines before pre-registering. If you have any questions or concerns, you can email me at soycon@soycon.com. I'll get back to you as soon as I can. The pre-registration deadline is July 10, 2008. If you miss the deadline, you can still register during the SoyCon picnic. With also that in mind, awards will be given out for those who showcase the best costumes in each level. Comissioned costumes or found item costumes are not allowed to participate, unless it's highly modified. We wish you all good luck during the SoyCon cosplay competition.
There has been an important change to the SoyCon picnic location. This will be the last and final change for the picnic location. The new location is located at Deer Grove East located in Palatine, IL. Make sure you notify anyone is going to change their arrangements upon this new location. I apologize for those who cannot make it due to the location change. I was having a permit issue, but I worked hard and got this solved as soon as possible. I hope everyone can make it to this event and me and my staff will do whatever we can to provide the best fun for everyone. Schedule and direction pages are readjusted to the correct information. To finalize, the dates of July 12 & 13 will remain set as stone
I finally found a new picnic location that is more convenient than Gray Farm Park. The new park location is at Busse Woods, closeby Arlington Heights Rd. & Higgins Rd. in between the cities of Schaumburg & Arlington Heights. I still need to get a permit from the place, but I do not have enough funds to purchase it. At least not yet. I am placing a donation link to put up here linking SoyCon to my PayPal account. Me and my staff will be contributing for the event as well. If you would like to contribute/donate to SoyCon. Click the "Donate" link at the top of the SoyCon Forums. Thank you in advance. ^_^
Anime Central is now over and now we look forward to SoyCon coming in about 2 months!!! I''ve got the original goers who are once again going and I've dragged along some new people so expect to meet some new folks. In other news, the dates for July 12 & 13 might be changing since the estimation for the picnic attendence might be more than I estimated. I'm searching for different picnic locations around the Chicagoland or suburbs that are big enough to host this events. It will be still be in July, so stay tuned for a later update. Also, if anyone has any suggestions on a picnic location, please look it up and send me the details. Send information via email at SoyCon@soycon.com
I hope everyone has their costumes done for Anime Central. I know I didn't. *teardrop* I'm sure everyone I know I didn't. *teardrop* I'm sure everyone takes lots of good pictures and have a great time. Come checkout meand my other friends @ the masquerade cosplay show and DON'T FORGET TO GET A TICKET FOR THE SHOW!!! Other than that, I'll seeya all there! You may post videos, blogs, and pictures on the SoyCon forums. I will be putting up an ACen section before I leave for ACen. After ACen is passed, it will be SoyCon's turn to shine!
SoyCon website debuts. Feel free to browse around the site for more information on the gathering. Also, check out the forums to communicate with the others on what are they planning to do at SoyCon.
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