Is QuidCon on Your Wish List?
Preparations are well underway for the second annu...
Potential attendees can now preview the conference or register to attend at the QuidCon 2013 website. It only costs $25 to pre-register, and those who register prior to January 1st receive a commemorative QuidCon 2013 shot glass! Full registration fees aren't due until June 11th, so why wait?
With the website launching during the holiday season, registration for the conference
and a ticket to Seattle will be at the top of any hopeful attendee's wish list. The registration fee
includes access to both formal and informal programming, accommodations at Embassy Suites
Seattle, transportation to and from Seattle-Tacoma airport, daily breakfast, a Great Hall-style feast, and more. Prices range depending on the number of occupants per suite. A reduced local registration package is
also available for those living in the Seattle area who don't wish to pay for accommodations.
In July 2012, the IQA hosted the first-ever QuidCon in Schaumburg, IL. The original
conference featured three days of programming, including Referee Training and Certification,
Fundraising (Or, How to Take Other People's Money to Buy Brooms), and World Cup VI and
You.
Just like last year, many formal programs are in the works for quidditch newcomers and
veterans alike. Already announced formal sessions for QuidCon 2013 include On-Pitch Strategy,
Team Branding, Getting to Know the IQA, and more. Informal programming will feature events
like the Sirius Black Tie Ball, scavenger hunts, and game rooms.
Boston University (Boston, MA) captain and QuidCon 2012 attendee Max Havlin said
that aside from the informative formal programming, spending time with other quidditch players
at QuidCon made attending worthwhile. “It was definitely a lifetime experience,” Havlin said. “I met some really, really good friends that I still talk to today… we had a fake wedding, we had a dinner with dancing afterwards, and like anything with quidditch people, it always gets crazy.”
Another highlight from last year's conference that will return this year in Seattle is the regional tournament. On Sunday, July 14, players will be divided into teams while others will have the chance to be graded on their snitching or refereeing field performance.
Sam Fischgrund of the Silicon Valley Skrewts (Mountain View, California) said that
the regional tournament was one of his favorite memories from the conference. “I love playing
quidditch, so this was definitely awesome, especially to get to play with and against people I
don't normally play with,” Fischgrund said.
“The tournament was absolutely fantastic. I hadn't played much quidditch all summer and
it was a lot of fun despite the heat,” agreed Katie Milligan of Bowling Green State University
(Bowling Green, Ohio). Milligan also said that she loved the programming at QuidCon and
would recommend attending the conference to everyone she knows.
“Snitch and referee training had to have been my absolute favorites,” Milligan said. “My
friends and I had a blast exploring Chicago and even jumped into Lake Michigan for the heck
of it. I also enjoyed the general atmosphere around the hotel between all of the quidkids. It was just a wonderful place to be… I enjoyed all of the programs. I would 100 percent recommend
attending QuidCon to everyone I know. I had an amazing time!”
