Yea, we need to have somekind of danish convention too

Hey, you could help me host a convention here in southern Sweden It's only 20 minutes by train from Denmark. Close enough?

Hmmm... besides the 250 km distance to get to Copenhagen in the first place?

But excellent idea, actually -- when were you thinking it should be? I have a big apartment myself, and an airport (relatively) close by, so we could just as easily be at my place. But if I should host anything locally, I need to get my personal life in order first -- job and income and stuff like that.

Arrange a Mini-Con in southern Sweden or in the Copenhagen area, and I promise you that I'll be there. (The rest of Denmark may work as well, but it depends on the connections.)

A convention in southern Sweden, I like that idea It wouldn't be so far for me to travel from Halmstad down to southern Sweden, so I will gladly try to come then.

I would happily host a Mini-Con, but I suspect my apartment isn't big enough. However, I've looked at a place called Vårbogården, which is 2 minutes walking distance from my place. It has a large room, with tables and chairs (TF market, anyone? ;)), a big screen projector(movies or TV-shows;)), a kitchen (where Frank and Hild could cook for all of us ;)), pool tables, table tennis, dart boards, stereo and PA systems, and more. It would cost to rent it though, but I don't know how much. I also don't know if it would be worth the effort; that depends on how many who would attend. If I were to get some help though, we could make it the biggest Mini-Con yet ;) Sleeping arrangements could be hindersome as well. I guess me and my fiancee could squeeze in 10 people or so, provided that everyone brings mattresses or sleeping bags, and if someone wouldn't mind sleeping in the hallway, or on the balcony. We also have a 3-seat and a 2-seat sofa, and they are quite comfy. We also happen to have an old bed in the basement which we can carry up into the apartment. As you see, I've already been planning this for a while, and it would be great if it would work!

Another advantage is communications. Arlöv is 6 minutes from Malmö by train, thus making it fairly easy for Danes to come here. Also, visitors from Stockholm, the rest of Sweden, and Finland, can come here by train from Stockholm, or if you want to fly here, you can choose from both Kastrup and Malmö Airport. I think there are trains from Norway as well, Oslo-Göteborg-Malmö, I think.

I have split this off from "How many NTFA members have you met?" because it looks like a topic of its own.

Regards, your friendly moderator.

of course Joona. Should have thought of that myself

Connections in Denmark are pretty good... the country is not that large and there's transportation available to litteraly every corner

Now, I don't mind a Mini-Con in Denmark, but I think that ultimately it would be cheaper to have it in Sweden, except for you Danes who would have to come here though. My thought is that it would be cheaper to come from Norway, Finland, and northern Sweden, to southern Sweden than to have to go across Öresund to Denmark, and then further up country.

Sounds very good. That would mean it will be close enough to also visit Noma in Copenhagen.

I have been thinking that you're aiming way too high when you've been talking about renting this place for a Nordic TF gathering/convention, but I'm starting to reconsider. Perhaps it is time to aim for something larger? We need to take the step at some point, and it can just as well be now.

Well, one of my faults is that I tend to aim a bit high, but I have given it serious thought for a while now, and it's not impossible to do. But we need to make sure that enough people would come to make the whole thing worthwhile.

For a convention in the Malmoe/Copenhagen area I'´ll be there! No doubt about it..

I`ve never been to a gathering,nor met anyone on the board,so I would be interested in going,no matter the distance

That's not a problem if everybody pays in advance and payments won't be refunded unless the whole thing is called off.

Yes, I was thinking of calculating how much everything would cost, and then divide the sum with the total number of pre-registered users that sign up. The more who sign up, the cheaper it will get

It might be a better to set a fixed price to register, and any excess paid can be used for pizza etc or refunded when you show up. I would say anything up to 300 SEK is an okay price.

well, first of all, I'm going to check how much the place I was thinking of costs to rent. I will check the rate for both 1 and 2 days. Sleeping arrangements will have to be fixed some other way. I don't think they would allow people to sleep there ;)

haha, the next problem would be to figure out how to fill one, and respectively two, days with activities. Osku, your quiz and all that was very popular in Turku. How about coming up with a ton of stuff for a bigger meeting? ;)

We could always reprise some of the presentations that Frank, Lars and I have done previously -- in theory, enough attendees probably haven't seen them, and we could always add stuff to them.

We could also schedule discussions certain certain aspects (i.e. Movie, Movie toys, Classics etc.). But again, it all depends on how many people can attend.

Creating activities for bigger groups isn't really my expertise. I'm more used to planning activities for rather small groups.

At the moment I have one idea that requires some time and should also work larger amount of people. I'll try how it works in the Finnish meeting in June. If it's succesful, I'll pass on the idea for you...

I also have some rough ideas that require further planning. Not willing to write of those openly to not spoil surprises, sorry.

I could probably try and conjure up a new presentation as well. Martin - would it be possible to have a kitbash workshop? It doesn't have to be very structured. Perhaps people could bring half-finished bashes and exchange tips on how to complete it?

Regarding food, it would be awesome if we could rent barbecue equipment and roast a whole lamb or something similar.
In any case, I'd be more than happy to be the chef for the event - but I need some helpers if I'm going to have time to enjoy the actual convention. Two people should suffice. One to keep the kitchen clean, dress plates and so on, and one to do cook-work like chopping vegetables.

Wow, I really enjoy reading these ideas. Frank's idea to rent barbecue equipment sounds grand. I'm starting to really believe this can be our first larger convention.
Even though it forces us to solve the problem with sleeping arrangements, I strongly feel that we should aim for a two-day event. I think we should be able to come up with enough activities, and I think it will be more appealing for people a long distance away to come for something that lasts two days than for something that only lasts 6 hours.

Unfortunately I have to say that if this meeting will take place during the next two months or so, I may be unable to attend. It is too soon after the Knivsta Mini-Con, and I have to already plan for the Vieremä meeting in June, and my travels to central Europe in July.
But nothing is yet set in stone. When you guys have decided on a definite place and time, I will recheck my schedule and budget, but currently it doesn't look promising.

I'd say it would have to be more than two months in any case. If we are to have any hope of everybody interested being able to make arrangements to come, I would say it would have to be in august at the earliest. Not only because it takes time to plan and make arrangements, but also since the vacation season is coming up.

Yes, and we need to see the movie first before we can start discussing it ;) Barbecue equipment would be awesome! I think some friends of my rented a large grill, complete with a whole roasted pig. Lemme check up on what that kind of setup would cost

I don't know what's usually included in the barbecue equipment when you rent it, but we should make sure that we have some extra grills so we can grill other stuff as well, both for those who don't like lamb (or whatever Frank comes up with), and for those who are vegetarians.

Well, grilled halloumi cheese is a nice vegeterian barbecue meal. The easiest way to do a barbecue though would be to simply buy a bunch of grills and do it ourselves Come to think about it, I almost believe they have barbecue equipment at Vårbogården. I'll check up on that as well; I plan to visist them on thursday when I'm free from work.

Disposable grills would be easier, but less of a special occasion. A really big occasion would be if Peter could score a deer or wild boar . Not easy to come by, though...

Are there any vegetarians on the board?

Well if it's in middle or late August then my chances of being able to attend are much better.

A kitbash "workshop" would be a great idea -- we have a lot of very talented people on the board as well, so maybe they would interested in hosting, so that someone else besides us "old guys" had something to show.

A date later than August would suit me perfectly, and a 2-day event would be awesome. Also, because it could easily attract a lot of the potetial new Movie-fans as well, thereby getting even more attendees.

Not vegetarian per say, but kinda-/or-really-not-vegetarian. I don't eat pork, shellfish and flat fish due to religion and shit. Though I am an Atheist, it's the only thing I've taken with me since abandoning Sionism.

Osku is also some sort of vegetarian if I'm not mistaken.

This has to be the best idea ever conceived in the recorded history of mankind. Or at least in the top 100.

Count me in if it ends up in the vicinity of Malmö or in Copenhagen!

Heh, Lars and I could come meet you and this time notice it too!

Oh, I walked past Vårbogården today, and I saw that they also have mini-golf. Tournament anyone?

Hehe, this time I'll be sure to wear a big, flashing neon arrow on my head. And deactivate my personal cloaking device.

im in if it is the right time for me and if it is in denmark...

i got 5 kids so i cant be away from home in long time :-)

but i realy want see some of you guys ...

Yea likewise...

although I'm sure we'll have a dedicated DK-gathering sometime too (I don't recall seeing a DK minicon). Not that big, but still fun.

What, you have 5 children too?
I remember that there was some talk of a meeting in Copenhagen already before our glorious first ever Finnish meeting at my place, but I don't know if there actually was a meeting.

Hehe no no... I only have a big black cat. I was just refering to Sir.G's last comment = but i realy want see some of you guys

There hasn't been any "official" danish meeting (unless you count the one time Frank and Hild met up with SkyLynx in Copenhagen one evening and/or the one time Night Beat came around my place to pick up some BTs), but it would be great with a DK-only gettogether. We just need to be a bit more, IMHO, because -- well -- we're really just 4 or 5 active danish members. We need to be AT LEAST 20!

Nah, seriously: Maybe geography is still the main issue with a danish meeting, with you guys in the south-west part of Jutland and me in Aalborg. But I dunno... I dobn't have a car, so maybe that's my primary concern, really.

But if the meeting in/at Göteborg is going to be as big as I have a feeling it could, then I want to prioritise that one -- and I hope some of my fellow danes can do that as well.

Don't you have trains in Denmark? It was no problem for me to take a train to Iisalmi to go pick up some skulls from Inkku's place, for example.

yes we got trains i denmark .. but i got 5 kids and dont have so much time ( work to ) :-( ..
i got my own car .. but money and time is a problem for me right now ...

but i realy want to see some of you guys .. in the future :-)

My comment was mostly meant for Martin, who I take it is so far devoid of offspring.

To the best of my knowledge, yes.

I hate trains with a passion. It takes forever, they are notoriously late (or cancelled), tickets are pretty expensive and the wagons are too crowded and noisy (based on the fact that I usually have to go pretty far by train, and I have a very short fuse regarding noisy people and being stuck on my behind for several hours with nothing constructive to do.

Just a little bile from me.

A meeting in Göteborg is something I can consider. Having 5 "kids" of my own I can't stay away too long, but I can make a daytrip. By train!

Huh? Who mentioned Göteborg?

Halloumi cheese? Isn't that the thing that tastes pretty OK, but feels like eating rubber, complete with the squeaking? Or have I just encountered a poorly done variety?