CONsole Room 2021 is Going Virtual

2020 has been an unpredictable year and we know all of you have been anxious to hear updates from us about CONsole Room 2021. The health and safety of our volunteers, attendees, and guests are of the utmost importance to us and our convention committee has been working hard to determine a way forward that not only allows us to host our convention in a safe way but also continues to support this thriving community.

To that end, due to the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, we have made the difficult decision to host CONsole Room 2021 online.

We understand that this decision will be disappointing to many of you. However, we are living through extraordinary times that require extraordinary actions and we know this is the right decision.

While we will not be together in person, our goal is to create a vibrant digital world filled with the same inclusive, community-driven experience you’ve come to expect from our events! Our team has spent the last several weeks and months working to determine how to bring the robust experiences you love into a virtual space as well as make sure all of our legal and official obligations were taken care of. We appreciate your patience while we made sure all of the right boxes were checked before announcing our change to a virtual space!

We know this announcement will spark a lot of questions for all of you. Answers to many of these questions, such as REGISTRATION, VENDOR OPPORTUNITIES, PANEL SIGN-UPS, and more can be found below or on their respective pages on our website. If you still have questions, please reach out to chairperson@console-room.org.

When will CONsole Room 2021 be?
CONsole Room will still be held over three days on January 15-17, 2021.

Where will CONsole Room 2021 be?
We plan to use a variety of digital platforms, including YouTubeDiscordFacebook, and our own website, to give all attendees a way to interact with the information in the way that works best for them. More information will be shared as the dates get closer.

What can I expect to see at CONsole Room 2021?
We will be including virtual versions of much of the same well-rounded content you can see at our in-person convention, including live panelsguestsConSuite, an escape roomvendor spaces, and more!

How do I register for CONsole Room 2021?
While registration will not be required to access all parts of the convention, it will be available at a later date to grant you access to the full convention experience. Please note that registration will be free for all attendees.

What about my hotel room?
If you have a hotel reservation for our convention it will not be automatically cancelled or postponed. Please contact the hotel directly to manage your reservation.

Thank you for creating an online space for us! How can I continue to show support for CONsole Room?

Did you know CONsole Room is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization? While we will be sharing a full weekend virtual experience for free, there will still be some costs associated with hosting the event. We have made it easy for you to gift CONsole Room with a tax-deductible donation, if you choose. You have our wholehearted thanks for your continued support!
 

If you pre-registered for CONsole Room 2021 at our 2020 convention, you have the following options:

  • TRANSFER REGISTRATION (DEFAULT): Your 2021 registration will automatically transfer to 2022 unless you contact us to use a different option. Your registration type for CONsole Room 2022 will not change.
  • DONATE REGISTRATION: You can choose to donate what you paid for your 2021 registration to CONsole Room. Your donation will be tax-deductible and you will need to register separately for CONsole Room 2022 when registration opens for that year.
  • REFUND REGISTRATION: You can choose to request a full refund of your CONsole Room 2021 registration. You will need to register separately for CONsole Room 2022 when registration opens for that year.

If you choose to DONATE or REFUND your 2021 registration, please contact registration@console-room.org no later than November 30. If you do not contact us by November 30 your registration will automatically roll over to CONsole Room 2022.

Please note that all who pre-registered for CONsole Room 2021 will still need to register separately for our virtual convention when registration opens regardless of your decision above.

Calling all panelists! Sign-ups are OPEN for virtual panels. Take a look at our list of panel suggestions for 2021 on the PROGRAMMING PAGE on our website, then fill out our PANELIST INTEREST FORM if you are interested in becoming a panelist. Our Programming team will contact you soon with further details about how to sign up for specific panels and how we are supporting virtual panels, discussions, and workshops this year.

Please note that we are working to accommodate multiple options for virtual programming, including LIVE PANELSPRE-RECORDED PANELS, and LIVE DISCUSSIONS. Please note that all live panels will utilize either Zoom or Discord. Pre-recorded panels can be recorded on your own device or recorded with our assistance through Zoom.

If you are interested in participating in a panel but are unfamiliar with any of these tools, don’t fret! We will be scheduling time prior to the convention to help you connect and learn the tools, if needed.

We look forward to hearing from you soon!

We will have a virtual DEALERS ROOMARTIST ALLEY, and ART SHOW.

The ART SHOW will only be hosted on Discord. Further details about the Art Show and how to participate will be announced in the coming weeks.

Our vendor spaces (DEALERS ROOM and ARTIST ALLEY) are FREE and will include a presence on both our website and in Discord. Further details about the spaces can be found on the VENDOR PAGE on our website.

If you are a Dealer or Artist who is interested in participating in our virtual convention, please fill out our VENDOR INTEREST FORM now for consideration in one of our virtual vendor rooms.

We have loved creating and sharing ongoing opportunities this year for this community to gather and share our love of this fandom in a digital space.

To make sure you don’t miss any of the events or information, you can:

Full details, updates, and replays of past events are being shared both on social media and on our website as they are available.

TARDIS Tour #3 Coming to a Virtual Space Near You

Our TARDIS Tours have been an exhilarating way to spend a day with fellow Doctor Who fans in Minnesota for the past two years. While COVID is keeping us from gathering in person this year, we’re excited to be bringing the TARDIS’ to you in this new, virtual format.

Don’t leave the breaks on! Our #WhoItYourself LIVE event “TARDIS Day” starts at 9AM central time on Saturday, July 11. Take a journey with us on the CONsole Room Facebook page and Twitter throughout the day as we travel virtually to TARDIS’ all around Minnesota. New TARDIS’ will materialize every 15 minutes, with activities and snack breaks built in, just like the real deal!

TIP: Follow along with our EXPLORER TRAVEL LOG to make sure you get the most out of your digital travels!

Then join us for a LIVE Meet & Greet/Q&A with the TARDIS owners at 4PM, streaming on our YouTube channel and on the CONsole Room Facebook page, to learn about their TARDIS journeys and ask questions.

#WIY LIVE Day of the Doctor was great fun!

Our convention committee was so excited to share LIVE events with you over the weeks leading up to the “Day of the Doctor” special!

Our #WhoItYourself LIVE event “Day of the Doctor” started at 9AM central time on Saturday, June 27, 2020 and brought you a full day filled with some of the unique, exciting ways CONsole Room celebrates not only the Doctor Who universe but also the fans who help bring this universe to life. Our schedule of events included activities, discussions, live panels, a tweet-along, a virtual Masquerade, and so much more!

Keep reading to learn the full schedule below:

Where to Tune In

Our panels streamed live in our YouTube channel and on the CONsole Room Facebook page.

Activities, such as our Masquerade and “Caption This” game, are posts that were shared throughout the day on our Instagram, Facebook, and Twitter social media channels.

Lastly, we wrapped up your day with our Tweet-along on both Twitter and our #WhoItYourself Community Facebook Group using #WIYDayOfTheDoctor.

Making Your Day Extra Special

While much of our day is designed for live interaction across our social media channels, there are a few things you can do on your own, too, to share or add a little something extra special to your day. Take a look at our list below:

Virtual Masquerade

We have always enjoyed celebrating the creativity of cosplayers through the Costume Showcase and Hall Costume Contest at our convention. During our “Day of the Doctor” event, we will have dedicated space for you to share videos or photos of your own cosplay throughout the day!

Cosplayers (left to right) Meg Bjorkman, Eleanor Cashman, and Matt Bjorkman at a previous CONsole Room convention.

Coloring Pages

Need some coloring time to unwind? Our coloring pages have always been very popular at both CONsole Room and at the outreach events we have hosted outside of our convention. Bring that experience home this weekend by printing these out to color by hand or color digitally, then share on social media to add your art to our digital wall.

Mix Your Own Mocktails

We are very proud of the top notch refreshment experience we offer both through our ConSuite at our convention, as well as at some of our Who-themed experiences outside of CONsole Room. Bring a piece of that magic into your home this weekend with some of our tried-and-true non-alcoholic beverage recipes!

Schedule

No matter how you would prefer to get involved, we have options for you! Take a look at our schedule below to plan out your day. Please note that all times are in central time.

Please note that TIMED EVENTS (in blue) will be happening live at the listed time. All ACTIVITIES (in red) will be started as posts on our social media channels between panels listed below.

Not available when a panel or activity launches? Not to worry! While you might miss out on some of the live interaction, all posts and videos will still be available later when you are able to join us.

  • ACTIVITY: Share Your Coloring Page
    Share pictures of your creations in this post so we can decorate our virtual walls with color.
  • 9:00 AM | Welcome from the CONsole Room Co-Chairs
    Tune in for a brief, live welcome message from the CONsole Room co-chairs as we talk through what to expect from the day and can answer any questions you have.
  • ACTIVITY: Introduce Yourself
    Introduce yourself to your fellow Whovians from all around the world and share how you discovered Doctor Who.
  • 10:00 AM – 11:00 AM | Costuming the Doctor
    Panelists: T Aaron Cisco, Kiah Nelson, Kat Pepmiller, Amber Raden
    Whether you’re creating your cosplay from scratch or through thrift store finds, join us to learn great cosplay tips and hear stories from our cosplayers.
  • ACTIVITY: Digital Masquerade
    Share videos or photos of your own cosplay for this digital Masquerade!
  • 11:30 AM – 12:30 PM | Radio Play: The Celestial Toymaker
    Cast: Ben Ellis, Meg Bjorkman, David Norris, Riki Gee, Earl Luckes, Matt Bjorkman, Susie Guille, Phillip Gordon
    The play is the thing! Join our cast as they take us on an audio journey into this First Doctor story. There will be time for Q&A and discussion at the end.
  • ACTIVITY: Caption This!
    Share a caption or two (or more!) on the photos we’ll be sharing (and please remember to keep it family friendly!)
  • 1:00 PM – 2:00 PM | Comic Creators of Doctor Who, Featuring Christopher Jones and Katy Rex
    Moderator: Dave Wheeler
    Doctor Who may have started on the small screen, but it’s expanded far beyond the screen’s four corners. Join us as we discuss Chris’ and Katy’s work in creating Doctor Who comics and their journey bringing the Doctor to the printed page.
  • ACTIVITY: One Word Story
    Add one word at a time to create a Who-related story as a community (and please remember to keep it family friendly!)
  • 2:30 PM – 4:00 PM | Tea Time Roundtable Discussion
    You’ve had a day full of Doctor Who-related content, now join fellow fans on Zoom for an open discussion for all to talk about Who.
    Join on Zoom through this link using password “nomore”
  • ACTIVITY: TARDIS Forced Perspective Photo Challenge
    Get ready for our Virtual TARDIS Tour on July 11 by participating in a photo challenge! Learn more about forced perspective with our video, then take a picture of your own in preparation for our next #WhoItYourself LIVE Event – our virtual TARDIS Tour!
  • 4:15 PM | Closing Message from CONsole Room Co-Chairs
    Tune in for a brief live message from our co-chairs about the day and what’s coming next.
  • 7:00 PM | Day of the Doctor Tweet-Along
    Prop up your feet, pop some popcorn, and relax by joining us for a live Tweet-Along of the 50th Anniversary episode “Day of the Doctor.”
    Please note that we will not be streaming this episode live. To participate in the Tweet-Along, we ask all participants to start streaming or playing their own copy of the episode when we start at 7PM, then either follow #WIYDayOfTheDoctor on Twitter or join in the conversation in the #WhoItYourself Community Facebook Group as we share thoughts and reactions about the episode.