As the "official" convention coordinator for Advance The Colors '96 1 thought it might be a wise idea to keep the membership informed as to the plans, needs, and accomplishments related to the convention. Obviously you know that we are holding a convention this fall, but you may not know some of the good things that are happening to make Advance The Colors '96 a great con!

First, let's start with the convention chairmen. Game coordination is being done by our illustrious editor, Brian O'Leary. Any questions about running events, what kinds of events are needed, etc., should be directed to him. We will be putting out a pre-reg book with our scheduled games listed in it, so if you are on the fence about running a game, don't hesitate to contact Brian as soon as possible to get your event listed. Ferkin Doyle is handling our dealers this year, and from what I understand we will have 30-34 dealer tables filled. Our dealers from last year have supported us whole-heartedly this year, and have verbally committed to nearly every table available. As noted above, I am the convention coordinator. It will be my job to delegate to everyone else, while basking in the glory of a successful convention! Seriously, I will be working to make sure that all the respective parts that are needed to have a great con are working together, and to drum up support wherever I can. Since I am a part of this process, I thought I would start off by letting you know about the convention's progress thus far.

As you all well know, we have selected the Radisson Hotel in downtown Dayton, Ohio to be our site this year. The reason behind moving to Dayton was simply economical: we could not find a hotel venue in the Columbus area that was cost effective for our organization. The Radisson is very easy to get to, offers free (but limited) parking in their garage (there are other parking garages very close by), is providing a free continental breakfast to all attendees, and is a very nice facility in terms of comfort. It is also far cheaper than the Ohio State Student Union, even with a student organization helping us out. Because of the monetary factor, we have been able to reduce our price of admission and the cost of the dealer tables. The gaming area is somewhat similar to the Distlefink room at the Lancaster Host (where HMGS East holds their conventions), but is far better lighted. There is food on-site, with both an in-house restaurant and a deli, as well as a food court across the street. The hotel will also be selling food in the gaming area.

The response this year has been, quite frankly, overwhelming! We have had numerous contacts from gamers out of state inquiring about the con, whether on the internet or by mail. We did not have such interest last year. This bodes well in terms of attendance. We have also had very positive dealer support, many dealers wanting their tables reserved at a very early date. We have advertised in the hobby related magazines, as well as all the HMGS chapter newsletters, and as stated, we will be sending out a pre-reg booklet to historical gamers within a 300 mile radius. With this kind of response from our fellow gamers this early, we know we will improve upon last year's numbers.

To make sure that our attendees have a good time at Advance The Colors, we now turn to our members for support. We want to make sure that we have enough staff to ensure that no snags occur. Therefore we need volunteers to help with the following tasks. Remember, we are a volunteer organization, and anything we do is for the enjoyment of the hobby and the continued success of Great Lakes, so expect a lot of support from the membership.

First, we will need some convention staff to assist at the registration and event tables. I have had some verbal agreements from some of our members, but now we need to get organized. We would like help in four hour blocks. This will allow all volunteers ample time to game, visit the dealers, eat, or take care of lives necessities. On Friday we need two aides from 12:00 to 4:00, and two from 4:00 to 8:00. This will make sure that there are at least two persons at both desks for registration. Saturday will be our busiest time, so for the registration desk we need three aides 9:00 to 1:00, two from 1:00 to 5:00, and one aide from 5:00 to 9:00. For the events desk we will need at least two aides from 9:00 to 1:00, two from 1:00 to 5:00, and one from 5:00 to 9:00. On Sunday we will two aides from 9:00 to 1:00, and one aide from 1:00 to 5:00 for both desks. Task at these desks will include taking admissions, answering questions, and monitoring the door.

We would also like to have some volunteers available to assist the dealers unloading their vehicles as they come in on Thursday night and Friday morning. We need a couple of aides for this task as it will show the dealers that we are glad they are there.

Another way you the members can help is by donating items to the raffle. Last year's raffle was very popular, especially the painted miniatures. If you have something that you don't mind parting with, please contact me so I can organize the prizes accordingly.

One last thing you can do, we need help in getting our flyers to the hobby shops in our region. This is especially true for our out-of-Ohio members. We will be glad to send you stacks of flyers and membership forms if you folks could distribute them at your local shops. Or if you are traveling across the region take some to shops you don't normally frequent. This will help advertise our con more thoroughly, and will make the shop aware of our chapter's existence. Anyone who is willing to help with this please contact me and I'll send flyers out right away.

I also would like to thank those members who have already volunteered their time for the betterment of our chapter: Mark Dayton, Bob Knecht, Jim Mitchell, and Bill Weber.