Bittersweet Candy Bowl Forums

Replacing the old thread.

BCBCon 2011 is a meetup of 15-25 Bittersweet Candy Bowl readers happening in Boston, taking place from Friday 1 July to Monday 4 July. We'll meet up Friday at lunch time, spend Friday, Saturday and Sunday nights sharing several hotel rooms amongst us all, and then split off and leave throughout the Monday. If you want to stay for the night of July 4, you can, but Vero and I will be leaving that day and you'll have to find your own arrangements for hotel stuff.

It is not a real "con", it is just a silly name for a bunch of people with a common interest meeting and doing stuff together. Anyone is invited, so long as they are not weird and creepy.

ACCOMODATION
We are now at the stage where we need to gather deposits for a hotel booking as confirmation that people are coming. To get a good rate, Veronica and I will book all the rooms at once, and pay up front. We can stomach some of the cost, but it will help if you can chip in whatever is comfortable.

I propose that we should stay at the Holiday Inn Beacon Hill, which Spacemouse assures me is in a nice area and Tripadvisor suggests is in a great downtown location within easy walking distance of interesting places (i.e. this will save you money for public transport.) It is not the cheapest option, but it is a nice looking hotel in a good place. The best I can find as an alternative is around two thirds the price, but at the airport (which would involve expensive and time-wasting travel back and forth every day.) I think this is the best option.

Pricing will depend on how many people are in the room. Booking a room with two double beds for three nights costs $622. What does that mean you must contribute?

If we pack a room with four people: $155pp.
If we pack a room with five people: $125pp.
If we pack a room with six people: $100pp.

Yes, once you go above four people someone has to sleep on the floor. And yes, you may have to share a bed with someone. These are the ways these things go. I anticipate that some of you won't mind sleeping on the floor, or will negotiate with others to

THESE RATES MAY RESET TO $155 IF PEOPLE BACK OUT. If people back out without paying the amount upfront, we may have to force people who wanted to share rooms with 5 others to instead share with 3 others, and therefore they'd go from paying $100 to $155. I will try not to let this happen, but it is something you should be aware of.

Further to the hotel cost, I think you'll be best to bring along $100 for food, $50 in general spending money, and consider whatever transport is. So a minimum of about $300, if you're bussing in from a nearby place like NYC.

There is a list of transport costs in the old thread. I would prefer people post their actual costs as they book them, so as to provide a more accurate guide.

FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS
Can I book my own accomodation?
Yes, but it's weird and you'll feel a bit like an outcast. This works best when we're all in the same hotel, waking up and leaving to do stuff as a group. It will be better if you let Vero and I work out the hotel stuff and ask you to pay us for your share.
Can I bring a friend or partner?
Sure, why not?
Can I come with a parent who will share a room with me alone?
This is really strongly discouraged, it makes things weird and sucky. I know a lot of you are young, but try hard to avoid this. You'll end up something of a social outcast all because you weren't very persuasive.
I doubt I can afford it, what can I do?
Don't come. Past experience shows that even otherwise good people can end up being deadbeats in this kind of event, so please don't come if you cannot afford a $300+ trip by July. It sucks to spend thousands on hotel rooms and not receiving the hundreds owed by a certain proportion of people - it happened to my friend several times at similar meetups, and it's pretty shitty.

Exception: If we or someone else likes you, we might be able to be charitable. Beg here!

Isn't this a busy weekend?
Yes! Book your transport early.

Can I book tickets now?
YES! In the past, I said that we had definite dates which we then changed because of Connecticon. But now we are committed, and the dates are set.

Book plane flights. Book buses. Spend money. Do it now, because rates are only gonna increase with time.

DEPOSITS
We would like an upfront deposit before booking a place for you at the hotel. You can be sure BCBCon is happening. If you don't mind if it starts on Thursday or Friday (even though it's pretty certain it's gonna start Friday), please consider paying a deposit. It will go towards your hotel fee and help us from losing tons of money if you back out.

Taking a deposit is kind of gay, we know, but we have to book a hotel and pay up front to get pricing you will find acceptable. This means limited refundability, so if we're gonna spend like $2600 on a big hotel bill, we need to be sure there's enough people to divide that amount and pay for it. We are bearing a lot of risk and that's what this helps diffuse. A little.

We would appreciate a deposit of $100, the lowest possible amount for a room. You can Paypal it to aquatic_ruin@hotmail.com or with any other payment method, really. We would collect the balance on the day of arrival. This deposit would be nonrefundable if you back out after we book the hotel (around the end of this month, April.) That's kind of the point - so we can book with you in mind, and if it turns out you don't come, we're not out any money. We will make cursory enquiries in cancelling the reservation if you back out, but we will not expend a lot of time begging for a refund from the hotel on your behalf.

GUEST LIST
Here is the guest list. We hope to get 12-24 people under "definitely attending" - currently reserved for those I know that have committed money to the endeavour and don't really need to pay a deposit. Plus there's Spacemouse, who is not staying in the hotel (if you have your own accommodation arrangements, you can go here too.)

Please confirm your status now! If you can't find out, let us know if you'll find out by the time we book in 2-3 weeks.

Confirmed attending - deposit taken or not required
Ace (Paid his own $150 flight change fee which we'll cover as his hotel charge)
SuitCase
Spacemouse (paid $100)
Taeshi
Titanium Dragon
ToastyJester (paid $155)
Pants (paid $100)
JHawkNH (paid $100)
MiwAuturu (paid $100)
Lvl 50 Fighter (paid $100)
Conradulations (Lvl 50 Fighter paid $100 in a second payment)
Gameking218 (paid $100)
Susan (paid $125)



Attending, deposit required
(nameless) (Will pay deposit, Paypal trouble)
ZoeStellan (Paypal issues, confident though)
Carmen (Will pay soon)
Kaxbe (Will pay soon)
kickash (needs to figure out how to pay)


Uncertain
Cappuccino (needs to work out some family issues)
Rukral (parental issues, no clear answers)
Wheat (leaving me hanging for no raisin)
Draixen (money issues potentially)
Dark, AJ (need to confirm with AJ)


Need to respond
Seppucrow
Sock
Hentai13
Lariat
Naravine
Regulith
Nikkoliah

This post has been edited by SuitCase: 08 May 2011 - 01:19 PM

keep in mind things have weird hours on sunday and will also have weird hours on the 4th.
managing where we go will become pretty important for those days but opens up sunday night for the drinkathon

I am a possibly probable/improbable.


Will update as I know more.

Yeah, all that is a consideration but I don't think it'll matter too much if we plan properly.

Wheat, on 07 April 2011 - 05:11 AM, said:

Will you know enough in a week or two to come to a definite decision? We are going to have to cut people off who are indecisive past this time.

Will have that deposit just as soon as I can get my pay-pal to stop...troubling me...

Yeah, it's not looking so hot for me right now so, just put me down for no...

List me up on probable.

Some money is finally coming to me these days. =3

However, I have the slight problem that you decided to make it all the way on the farthest corner of the US for me, so, as soon as I talk to my people and find a way to get there, I will confirm and make the deposit.

Edit: $400 just for the trip. Ouch! Not that I can't afford it by then, but it still hurts on my wallet. At least it's a round trip. I still would really like to go despite this.

This post has been edited by ZoeStellan: 07 April 2011 - 07:33 AM

Really wish i could go, but i can't sadly.

I was gonna make it but Im not able to now
So yea not going

I am going to this I have already discussed it with the parents and such and I should get around to sending my deposit soon.

i am not coming, kinda stupid that you sent me a message when i said on another thread based on this subject that i am unable to go.

I can't come.

Sorry guys, I can't come due to monetary obligations (like my fiancee's ring!). Exciting is the life of being engaged, but costly. Maybe next year?

Unfortunately I can't afford to spend another $300 at the moment.
If I manage to somehow snag enough extra money however I'll contact you.

(And I will need a ride if I do decide to come)

For the moment it has to be a no.

Still on the possible list? hmm, though I already mentioned, I cannot come to the BCBCon (though with the Canadian dollar doing as well as it is, it really does kill me that I can't make it) because I have to finish school, job hunting and my girlfriend would probably kill.

This post has been edited by ChewySmokey: 10 April 2011 - 10:47 AM

Not sure why people are getting all hurt that I didn't notice their third sentence in the second BCBCon thread a fifth of the way through the eighth page.

Anyway, great! We're paring down the list. Any more people uncertain that have an answer for us?

All righty then. I am coming to BCBcon, although since my sister is going to University in Boston soon she and my parents will be coming, but they'll be finding their own rooming while I shall be staying with the group.

Also this is probably a silly question, but it's American dollars we're paying the deposit in right?

This post has been edited by MiwAuturu: 10 April 2011 - 02:37 PM

SuitCase, on 10 April 2011 - 12:46 PM, said:

lol, if you're referring to the 3 or 4 replies in the message you sent me I was actually terrified that something may get really screwed up in the BCBCon because of me not being available after being on the list for so long now, like "dude, we fuckin' depended on dat asshole to put in his share" kind of thing ...I was also sleep deprived and forgot to take my meds

Nothing says responding on time like spending almost your entire paycheck on work expenses and 13 day work weeks.

My deposit should be in no later then Friday April 15

Not attending.

Excellent! We're working through this! Miw, USD is what I was working with, but AUD is surely acceptable as it is worth more than the puny greenback.

I should have the answer for today or tomorrow.

But yeah, if I'm given the O.K. I will make the $100 deposit.

fdlkgdkgj I found out I'm going to Newfoundland at the exact time of it, so no

Okay, so far, I am definitely going unless something terribad happens, which is unlikely. HOWEVER, I cannot make a deposit until I pay for repairs on my car, so we're looking at me making a deposit sometime late April/early-mid May/

Kay' coming here to confirm that I will be going to BCBCon.

I will make the deposit as soon as I solve some issues with my card not letting me buy anything online for some reason (This should be on the course of this week). Deposit to Paypal account right? Are there any other alternatives as to where I can make a deposit?

This post has been edited by ZoeStellan: 11 April 2011 - 04:15 AM

All the usual stuff listed on the store page. Paypal is easiest but you could mail it as cash or do a bank transfer if you wanted.

Sorry that I am late to reply. The 4th of July is usually a family get together for me so I had to check on some things first. Luckily my family does not have any plans this year so I will be able to attend.

I get paid on Friday. I will make the deposit of $100 on Friday. I would do it today, but I just spent $600 at a con this last weekend and I am a little short on money right now.

This post has been edited by JHawkNH: 11 April 2011 - 03:06 PM

It is looking great for me to go so far, have had permission and the dates are fine for me, just working on getting the deposit in soon!

I will be coming and so will Conradulations I will make my deposit next week, as for Conradulations I will ask him

Huh I thought I had mentioned this in the old thread but I'm not coming.

I want to go soooooo bad, but i got $ issues
but, i'll try my hardest to earn that cash, so put me down for possible!
By the end of the month? Right?

Leaving_a_Comment, on 14 April 2011 - 01:34 AM, said:

SuitCase, on 10 April 2011 - 12:46 PM, said:

After I make me deposit and pay my bills, some extra cash may slip out of my hands and into another deposit.....just saying..theres a chance.

I'm getting some tax money this week, I'll make my deposit as soon as it comes in. As for attendance; I'll be there or I'll be dead. No exceptions.

A little off topic, but how much of the BCB candy do you have left and how much of it do you think you can cram in your luggage without adding extra bags of luggage?

That way I can buy alot, you actually get paid for the candy, and I get to skip the shipping.

Turns out I can't attend after all; shortage of cash is a bitch

That's a shame, but it's good to hear about you other two.

Fun fact: I haven't got a single deposit yet!

I'm afraid to announce that I wont be able to make it. I just got my hours cut at work, and with gas prices the way they are commuting to school takes pretty much all of my money.

FUCK.

SuitCase, on 15 April 2011 - 01:57 AM, said:

Why are you so whiny and bawwing all over suitcase. I am dissapointed

your whore money is sent.

I appreciate it.

Aaaaaaand there we go, flights changed all good and ready for June 30th- July 4th.

So. Checking in I guess

Would you prefer the $150 now or should I just consider your hotel expenses paid for (and that I might owe you a bit extra depending on how many people you room with?)

SuitCase, on 16 April 2011 - 05:09 PM, said:

Let's consider hotel expenses paid for then, that's what I was planning on anyways. We'll see if I owe more or not as we get closer then.

For those as yet unaware, I will no longer be attending. My plans fell through and now I sadly cannot make it

I paid n' shit.

Unfortunately I will not be able to make this year's con since I will be taking summer classes. Maybe next time!

Better late then never. My deposite is sent.

Paid~

fuck off snooths

thanks everyone else

u will nevr undarstand.........