F.A.Q.

1. What is GEAR Con 2013, and what can I do there?

The Gaslight Explorers, Adventurers, & Romantics Convention (GEAR Con) is a celebration of Pacific Northwest steampunk and neo-Victorian creativity, taking place over three days in Portland, Oregon. Members of the public can register to meet fellow enthusiasts, attend presentations and workshops, meet authors and other steampunk community luminaries, shop for costumes and other goods, enjoy musical and variety performances, and much more. 2013′s theme is Steampunk Americana, exploring historical, technological, and socio-political what-ifs in the 19th Century United States.

2. What, specifically, will happen day to day?

Programming is still being developed and scheduled, but we know GEAR Con 2013 will include:

• socializing with hundreds of other steampunk enthusiasts
• author panels, readings, & signings
• workshops and presentations by writers, costumers, historians, performers, etc.
• short films
• a steampunk fine art gallery
• the return of the “Crafters’ Lab” classroom & workshop space
• the long-awaited debut of a board/card/rpg gaming space
• LARPs by Rise of Aester and Beyond the Aether
• our ever-popular fashion & costume show
• dealers in books, costumes, props, and more
• live musical & variety entertainment
• our Saturday night ball with featured performers
• a special series of bartitsu seminars & exhibitions

3. What is steampunk?

Steampunk is a retro-futuristic subgenre of speculative fiction, set in or thematically referring to an alternate Victorian period during which the technologies of the Industrial Revolution achieve fantastic sophistication and power. It is also a creative movement inspired by said literary phenomenon, expressed in art, fashion, music, motion pictures, handcrafts, and other media. The name was coined as a tongue-in-cheek reference to cyberpunk, another science fiction subgenre. For more information, see here and here.

4. How do I register to attend GEAR Con 2013?

Use the shopping cart buttons on our registration page, hand the organizers cash at one of their regular functions, or register in-person at the convention.

5. What are GEAR Con 2013’s attendance policies and code of conduct?

The full con policies are listed on their own page, but they can be summarized as follows:

While attending GEAR Con 2013, you will abide by federal, state, and local laws, the hotel’s expectations of conduct, a set of basic rules governing respectful and responsible behavior, and common courtesy. Dangerous or disruptive people may be ejected from the convention. You are responsible for your own person and property. Take photos, but please observe boundaries and respect personal wishes. We reserve the right to refuse service. No refunds after 6/5/13.

6. Is there a hotel stay discount?

Yes, the DoubleTree is offering GEAR Con attendees your choice of a standard guestroom for $89/night or a premium guestroom for $99/night, plus free parking and those delightful fresh-baked chocolate chip cookies. Click here to make your reservations online.

7. How can I get in free?

Registrations are how we’re paying the convention’s bills, therefore only a select few invited guests are receiving free ride admissions. There are a number of ways to pay a reduced rate, including early registration, volunteering as staff, providing several hours of content as a participant, and working for a dealer room vendor.

8. How can I support or sponsor the convention? Are you a non-profit?

You can extend us your financial support by buying a pass to attend the convention, paying your way into a pre-GEAR Con fundraising event like the Rose City Steampunk Film Festival, encouraging your friends to buy passes, applying to become a vendor, or becoming a sponsor.

Sponsors can buy advertising on publicity materials/merchandise and in the convention program book. The organizers are receptive to other avenues of sponsorship; please email admin@pdxgearcon.com with your proposal.

GEAR Con 2013 is not run by a non-profit organization, and cannot furnish you with the means to receive a charitable tax deduction for your donation–but you can still write us off as a business expense.

9. I’d like to participate!

We’d like to hear from you! Links to our submission forms are located on our Programming page. If you’re not sure how to present your specialty or subject matter, feel free to email the organizers at programming@pdxgearcon.com for suggestions. Showing is better than telling; if there’s video online of you doing what you do, please link it. Participants are eligible to receive a discounted or free admission rate and green room access. Only a limited number of participants will be compensated for travel and/or accommodation, therefore it is unlikely that GEAR Con 2013 will book large parties of presenters or entertainers from outside the Pacific Northwest.

10. How can I sell stuff at GEAR Con 2013?

Buy a dealer table, submit your artwork to our gallery curator, or consign your wares with us. Dealer application coming soon to print and mail. Art gallery requirements are forthcoming.

Our crew-staffed consignment table is an option for registered convention attendees without enough stock to warrant an entire dealer space, or who would prefer to spend the weekend enjoying the convention rather than working a booth. The split is 80/20 with no other fees or obligations, all items must be individually labeled in detail and accompanied by a manifest, and you may display a limited number of items at a time according to the discretion of GEAR Con staff.

11. Can I get a discount by volunteering for a few hours?

Yes! Contact Michell, our volunteer coordinator, by emailing volunteers@pdxgearcon.com to arrange registration and find out how you can contribute.

12. Can minors attend GEAR Con 2013?

Minors of any age may accompany their adult parent, guardian, or temporary guardian to GEAR Con 2013 with paid registration; contact the organizers at admin@pdxgearcon.com for the current children’s rate structure. Note that some programming is recommended for teen+ and adult audiences.

13. What is your privacy policy?

Your personal information and methods of contact will be used to issue your pass at the convention; to inform you of important changes in GEAR Con 2013’s policies, programming, scheduling, or venue; to communicate about specific issues related to your registration or payment; or to pass along information which may improve your convention experience (such as child care or pet boarding close to the venue). Note that this is entirely at the discretion of the organizers, and that advertisers may NOT purchase an “email blast” for the purpose of spamming our attendees.

Your personal information is NOT for sale or release to any third party and will NOT be accessed by sponsors, dealers, or other commercial associates. The organizers disclaim any liability for damage due to breaches of privacy or security suffered by email providers, payment processors, and other online services.

14. Who is running GEAR Con 2013?

GEAR Con 2013 is presented by the organizers behind the Rose City Steampunk Film Festival, with assistance from local enthusiast groups and individual steampunk-boosters in & around Portland, Oregon. Our fine art salon is curated by the L. Alan Arts Project

15. Rose City Steampunk Film Festival? Does that mean you’re affiliated with the Rose City Steampunks Local 23?

No and yes. The film festival organizers had yet to make the acquaintance of the Steampunks Local at the time we named the event; the “Rose City” in the festival title is simply a synonym/nickname for “Portland”. We make every effort to ensure that the RCSPs aren’t blamed for anything we do. On the other hand, the Rose City Steampunks are an informal group with a drop-in membership and a “do-ocractic” framework, wherein those who can and will organize events, may. We drop in occasionally, we can, and we are.

No official organ of the Rose City Steampunks Local 23 is planning or paying for the Rose City Steampunk Film Festival or GEAR Con 2013.

16. Your website sucks.

That’s not really a question, and “sucks” is a little harsh, but . . . yeah, okay. We’re event planners, not web developers. If you know a custom WordPress theme designer who’ll work for praise and coffee, by all means point them at us.