FAQ

General Information

Registration

Lodging

Travel

Presentations and Programming

Sponsors

What is Convention Alley?

Convention Alley is an international conference, planned by a team of dedicated volunteers and sponsored by HPforGrownups (HPFGU), being held in Ottawa, Ontario (Canada) June 19 – 22, 2008 at the University of Ottawa. The event will be a four day celebration of the works of J.K. Rowling with panels, presentations, discussion and more.

What will the conference include?

We hope to be able to provide attendees with a variety of things to do. Our main focus is the daytime programming which will include panels, presentations and discussions. Our aim for the daytime programming is to make it as interactive as possible, to include the chance for the audience to participate with questions for the presenters.

Our social programming will include a banquet, meet and greet, Friday evening dine-around experience in Ottawa's historic Byward Market area, excursion on the Haunted Walk (for a limited number of attendees) and as much fun as you can possibly pack into one weekend.

How many people do you expect to attend?

We are setting a limit of 500 participants.

What ages can attend?

The focus of Convention Alley is to have an adult-oriented event. To that end, we will not be registering attendees under the age of 16. Attendees between the ages of 16 and 18 must attend with a parent, legal guardian or adult chaperone, who must remain at the conference site or be within contact by phone in case of emergency. Please note that those accompanying minors must, if not the parent or legal guardian, provide a signed and notarised letter of consent.

While there are few aspects of the conference where alcohol will be served, please be aware that the legal drinking ages in Ontario is 19. Photo ID must be presented in order to be served.

Will childcare be provided?

We are unfortunately unable to provide childcare; however, we will provide information to assist attendees whose families will accompany them in finding childcare. Childcare costs will be at the attendees' expense.

What will there be for families to do?

We will provide full information on what's available in the city for families who accompany conference attendees. This information will include not only the sights and city tours available but also the costs of each (where available) and the directions by public transit.

Will there be an event next year?

We're not planning any future events. There are other events planned for future years and we will provide as many links as possible to future events for your convenience.

Where is the money coming from to put on this event?

The registration fee only covers part of the cost of the conference. We hope the rest will come from interested businesses, individuals and fandom sites. If you are interested in becoming an event sponsor, watch this website for further information or contact us at hpottawa@yahoo.no.

How much does it cost to register?

If you register between now to February 29, 2008, it costs CDN$300.00.

Registering after March 1, 2008 costs CDN$350.00.

What does registration include?

Registration fees will include admission to all the daytime programming sessions, the meet and greet, most meals, admission to all keynote presentations, conference t-shirt and a copy of the conference proceedings.

When are the registration fees due?

Fees are due April 1, 2008, for now to February 29, 2008 registration.

Fees are due June 5, 2008 for the March 1, 2008 to June 5, 2008 registration.

*****Please be aware that international (outside of Canada) checks and money orders MUST be received by June 1, 2008 as we must have them clear the banking procedures before the event. Canadian checks may be received up to June 10, 2008.*****

Can I register my friends and family as well?

They can register for the event if they fit the age requirements but through a separate registration.

Can I pay and register on-site at the event?

No. Everything must be paid for in advance as we will NOT have on-site registration for the event.

How do I pay for registration?

Visa, Mastercard and American Express will be accepted and the transaction will be complete upon the confirmation page (the money taken within 2 to 3 business days). Registrations by credit card can be done until 11:59 p.m. on June 18, 2008, when online registration officially closes.

We also accept checks in Canadian funds and international money orders in Canadian funds. For international money orders, please select check as your payment option. No post-dated checks will be allowed.

If paying by check, please make it payable to Convention Alley 2008 and mail it to:

Convention Alley
Box 36004
1106 Wellington Street
Ottawa, ON
K1Y 4V3
Canada

Can I change the personal information on my registration later?

Yes. You can log into your registration information with the User Name and Password you entered when you registered. You cannot delete your registration.

Can I cancel my registration?

No. Registration is non-refundable but can be transferred if necessary.

What category do I fall under? (Attendee, Volunteer, Minor, Chaperone, Presenter, Vendor)

Attendee—Everyone (unless you fall under one of 3 categories: Volunteer, Minor or Chaperone)

Volunteer—Only register as a volunteer if you are a member of the Convention_Alley Yahoo group and belong to a team. Please note that registering as a volunteer does not impact your registration fees - you still pay full price.

If you are interested in volunteering, please contact convention_alley-owner@yahoogroups.com for more information.

Minor (16-18 year olds)—If you are between the ages of 16 and 18 years old at the time of the convention, you MUST register as a minor. A chaperone registration must be done within 30 minutes of this registration, as a SEPARATE registration.

ID will be checked at the onsite registration for anyone who looks younger than 25 years old.

If you register as a regular attendee and without a chaperone and we find out that you are not of age, you will be barred from the convention. Registration Fees and the Haunted Walk will NOT be refunded.

Chaperone—Only register as a chaperone if you will be accompanying a minor at the convention. A chaperone registration must be done within 30 minutes of a minor registration.

Presenter—Once the Planning Committee has approved presentation proposals, an Attendee or a Volunteer may register as a Presenter. Any previous registrations can be updated accordingly or a new registration can be done.

What is the Haunted Walk and is it included in the registration?

The Haunted Walk is an optional event on Friday night. By lantern light, the tour guides you through ghost stories and the darker history haunting Ottawa. Duration: 90 minutes. For more information please visit their website.

This is not included in the registration fee. The cost is $12. There are 150 spaces available. Once full, a waiting list will NOT be taken.

Can I cancel my Haunted Walk registration and receive my payment back?

We are not accepting cancellations for this event. It is non-refundable; however, tickets are transferable.

Who do I tell if I have Allergies, Special or Dietary needs?

There are separate sections on the form to fill in your needs. They will be taken into account and we will notify you if we have any further questions.

Who can be my emergency contact?

Anyone who is not attending the convention that you feel comfortable with us contacting in case of an emergency.

Does registration include accommodations?

No, it does not.

Is there an official hotel for the event?

There is not. We will be reserving rooms at the University of Ottawa residence. Reservations forms will be made available as soon as possible. There are also numerous hotels close to the University. Please click here for a list of hotels if you would prefer a hotel instead of the University's accommodations. There is also a hostel within walking distance of the University for those wishing to conserve funds. For more information on accommodations, click here.

What will it cost to stay at the university?

The residence has rooms for sharing that have two double beds and can accommodate up to four people – each additional person is an extra $10 per night. There are also lower-cost residence options available. Exact prices will be provided as soon as available.

*Prices will be quoted in Canadian dollars.

What are the rooms like?

Please see the university website for photos of the rooms.

Are there any special travel discounts available?

Not at the current time.

How far is the conference site from the airport, train station and bus depot? What will it cost me to get to the site?

The university is about a $30 cab ride from the airport. Information about shuttle bus services from the Ottawa International Airport to the city hotels may be found here. There is a public transit bus (#97) running from the airport that stops at the university (Campus Station). The cost of public transit is $3.00 per adult and $1.25 for children.

The train station is about a $10 dollar cab from the university. Public transit bus #95 stops at the train station and at Campus Station transitway stop. Cost as above.

The bus depot is less than $10 by cab from the university. While public transit is slightly cheaper, it is not as direct a route as from the airport or train station. For those wishing to take public transit, contact us at hpottawa@yahoo.no for detailed directions.

What are you looking for in daytime programming?

We know that a great deal of quality discussion about the Harry Potter series goes on in the fandom at such groups as HPFGU. We're hoping to draw a majority of presenters from the fandom. We'd like you to be able to continue, in person, the wonderful debates and discussions you've been having online.

How do I submit a proposal for a presentation?

Please see our Call for Papers page.

What is the presenter age limit? Why do you have an age limit?

The Convention Alley Call for Papers (CFP) states: "Presenters should be at least 18 years old, as the conference programming is intended for adults." Presenters should be at least 18 years old because the programming is intended for adults.

We understand that the Harry Potter books have been marketed for children, but it is clear that the very fact that groups such as Harry Potter for Grownups (HPfGU) exist is because adults enjoy the books and enjoy discussing the books with other adults. Convention Alley's goal is to provide an atmosphere where adults can discuss the books with other adults in person. We are hoping to draw the majority of our presentations from adults who are active in HPfGU, and as most of the 26,000 members of HPfGU are over 18, we anticipate that this will provide the resource base we are seeking.

We would also like to point out that the CFP stresses that each presentation will be followed by an audience discussion session. During the audience discussion session, anyone in attendance will be invited to participate. We are also considering directed discussion sessions without formal presentations, where all will be invited to participate.

What do you mean by "submissions will be edited"?

The CFP states: "All submissions will be edited for consistency of style, acronym use, and correct punctuation and grammar. Guidelines to ensure uniform style in the published proceedings will be provided to each successful presenter when selection notifications are issued."

We will be editing the final papers because all papers will be compiled into a printed document (called the "proceedings") and distributed to all conference attendees at the conference. Since we are publishing the proceedings, we are seeking a consistent style to ensure uniformity throughout the printed document. The term "style" is a technical usage referring to an established set of formatting, punctuation, grammar, etc., rules (as in "Chicago Manual of Style," "MLA Style Manual," etc.) - it does not refer to individual styles of expression. Any content changes will be approved by the author.

Are there any other requirements for presenters?

Presenters will need to register for the conference at their own expense when they confirm that they will present.

I would like to exhibit and/or sell goods at the conference. What do I need to know?

Please see our Vendor Marketplace FAQ.