Before I get started, let me say that the event name will be forthcoming. For now, I’m just referring to it as ‘the event’. Rest assured it will be a Halo-themed event.

Okay, here goes!

The purpose of creating a Halo themed convention, known currently as ‘the event’

There is no pure Halo convention out there, that I know of. One or two may feature Halo prominently, but they are not purely Halo.

I want to be able to bring Halo fans together from all over the world in an atmosphere that is strictly for them. The motto for my blog is ‘By a Halo Fan for Halo Fans” and that rings very much true here as well.

The opportunity to provide fan communities representation in the form of their own booths at the convention is one of the motivating goals. To that end, there will areas that I’ll be looking to for participation. These include but are not limited to:

• Forge/Cartographers; with sub categories such as:
– racing maps
– mini games
– slayer and objective map making.
• Grifball
• Bloggers
• 405th/Cosplay
• Lore based
• eSports; Pro-teams this is an opportunity to get to meet your fans!
• Podcasts
• Fan Forums

If you can think of an area I haven’t mention, by all means, let me know! I want this event to include EVERYONE! slashalofanforlife.com

I will be obtaining a 501c (3) to mark this as a non-profit organization. As part of this, I will be looking to raise money for one or two charities. Though the event itself will be considered a ‘social club’ which falls under the 501c (3) category for non-profits.

This is a monumental effort and I’ve got a lot of planning to do.

At the moment, these are the plans I have laid out, though they are fluid. Meaning, they can change at will depending on the needs of the event and the speed at which they can be achieved:

• Contact fellow Halo communities for potential participation. (If I haven’t contacted you yet, don’t fret. I’ve only just begun two days ago.) Feel free to contact me! [email protected]  (Ongoing up till late June)
• Contact Halo licensees for participation and/or samples of their products for display and/or prizes  (Ongoing up till late June)
• Start the Kickstart campaign to fund this (I’ve already started creating the fundraiser and that will go live in January)
• Secure the event location: this also includes booth set-up if applicable, electricity for booths at need, etc. (March/April)
• Set-up ticket sales program (March/April with ticket sales to go live in May)
• Create printed materials such as: (April-June and later as needed)
– convention badges
–  event posters
–  event wall signs (to be displayed at the convention
–  event t-shirts, buttons, water bottles, etc.
• Secure food/beverage vending (if applicable as the venue may have their own instead) (April/May)
• Hire a LAN company to run the FFA and 4V4 tournaments (with hopeful participation by 343/Bravo) (May/June)
• Hire a live band (this one is subject to change. I’ll be looking for YOUR advice on this) (???)

and more….

Of course, I will seek official status from 343/Microsoft. However, if I can’t obtain that, then this will move forward purely as a fan event. In that, I know I won’t be able to use the word “Halo” in the title of the convention. I already have a few names for the event and am currently researching any trademark issues with those names.

What are the ultimate goals of this all? There are several.

• I would love to see this become an annual event, with hopes of increasing attendance each year
• Officially license/sanction event by 343/Microsoft OR,
• For me to be hired by 343 themselves to run their own official Halo convention (This may result in a change of location for the event and me as well…)
• MOST IMPORTANTLY! An event that is affordable to come to and participate in, where Halo fans can interact with each other, learn about other Halo communities, see all sorts of Halo merchandise in person, and of course HAVE FUN!!!

The possibilities are many and I’ll look to include as much as possible.

I wanted to address specifically fellow Halo community participation.

Over the past couple of years, I’ve seen the Halo community become fractured. Heck, I’ve had squabbles with two in particular. This is the time for us all to not just put aside those difference, but rather, dissolve them. Let’s look to make this event something where all are welcome. Whether you’re part of a huge fan site, small blog or an individual fan for example, I want you here!

To any of you fellow fans for whom I may have personally ruffled feathers, I extend my most sincere apologies and want to make things right with you. So please contact me. [email protected] We all should not allow our differences to hold back the community as a whole.

I’ve said my part on that, it’s up to you to accept or not. I can’t wait for an acceptance back however, as that will only hold me back personally as well as this event.

I will say that getting involved early, especially the first year of something like this can be something exceptionally special for you/your community. You can say you were there from the start and had a direct hand in forming what it will become. As well, and I know this from personal experience, the stories you’ll be able to tell years on of how it started up to where it is currently at.

Let me give you a couple of examples. We all know of Star Wars. I’m a big fan and have been since the beginning. Well, years ago, they started a small little convention. This convention was outside, under tents… Not to mention, it happened to RAIN during their event. Did that deter them from continuing on? No, not at all. The next year, it got bigger. I had the pleasure of going to what would become Celebration III or C3 for short. This Star Wars convention, not two years earlier with only a couple hundred people had turned into 10s of thousands. I’ve lost count now as to what number Star Wars Celebration is up to. Suffice to say though that it is MASSIVE!

Another example you may likely be aware of is RTX, Rooster Teeth’s annual expo. They as well, only a few short years ago started their event. Once again, a few hundred shows up there. Now look at them! They too are into the 10s of thousands.

With those in mind, I’m being practical about my expectation this year. (With hopes for more of course) I had a conversation with a friend recently who gave me some great advice. The measure for success of an event such as this in it’s first year needs to be set realistically (even low). What this means is this, don’t worry so much about how many people will come to it. The goal is to have people come, enjoy and have fun. THAT is the first measure of success. If I can attain that, then word of mouth will spread and next year will likely be bigger.

This is why I want every and any Halo fan to come. Your participation is crucial to the success of this event.

On that note, I AM looking for folks who would like to help me with the planning and execution of this. More advice I was given by my friend on this. He said that while many people are well intentioned, you can’t rely on the majority of them to actually do the work. So, if you want to help, I want you to know up front, at the least for this year, it’s unpaid. If you are going to help, you must be serious about involvement. You will need to schedule things around your involvement with this, rather than than the other way around. Meaning, this must be a top priority for you. If you can’t make that kind of commitment, then you likely will not be called on to help in the capacity for which I have need.

Now, that’s not to say I won’t use your help at all. At the event itself, I will likely need folks on the floor to provide assistance. This can range from helping people find specific booths, to assisting those with special medical needs, to setting up the booths, etc. That is something you can do at the event itself and something I’m most certainly going to need help with.

Getting involved with something from the start can be very satisfying. This is why I am encouraging your participation, be that planning, event assistance and of course attendance.

I look forward to meeting my fellow Halo fans! If you can make it to the event, be sure to say HALO! er…Hello!

-Sal