July 27, 2011

SoyCon has now setup a feedback section on the SoyCon forums. Please visit the forums located under the "Connect" page. The thread can be found under the "General SoyCon Discussion" section of the forum.

July 15, 2011

The following is a statement regarding to the event at Millennium Park in Chicago, IL on Saturday July 9, 2011.

"The situation that occurred on 7/9/11 happened almost one hour after SoyCon, and the attendees, separated from the Cancer Survivor's Garden. The location of where the incident happened was never, nor scheduled, to be there. Everything that occurred over the course of the weekend was a huge misunderstanding and misinterpretation by the media, the public, and the anime/cosplay community. We'll take this as a learning experience and move forward to make SoyCon a better event than before."

~ Arthur "Soy Sauce" Garcia
Event Director of SoyCon

July 11, 2011

SoyCon 4 is finally offically over. Myself and the rest of the members of SoyCon would like to thank you for making this event a success! There were some bumps and grinds inbetween, but we managed to adapt and pull through. I hope you all rest easy and we'll see what changes we can make to make for a possible number 5.

A lost and found section can be found here if you have any found or lost items throughout the weekend. Also a feedback section will be created on the forums soon to let SoyCon know how we can move forward and develop further on how to a better this event.

Looking forward to everyone's photos, blogs, and videos.

See here to post your memories at SoyCon.

July 9, 2011

We like to thank everyone who came to the photoshoot! And we deeply apologize for the space issues that occurred. We never faced any issues from the previous years. Thank you for your understanding and cooperation. We are also sorry we had to cancel early today. The Battlefield will be held during the picnic day from 1-3pm. And yes... I have a permit for the picnic so we're not going anywhere!!!

July 9, 2011

Here we are everyone,

The biggest day of the summer. I hope everyone is well prepared for this coming day.

Please be sure that you have everything that you need for the photoshoot day. Forms, food, cosplay, etc.

Myself and the entire volunteer staff will be busy working hard to provide everyone the best SoyCon experience as possible.

Registration will open at 10am. If you can't print or forgot your form, we will have some available on site.

Location is at Buckingham Fountain. NOT ANYWHERE ELSE! Please remember this previous SoyCon attendees.

Weather looks pretty clear and hot. (80s) Please make sure you are properly hydrated and eating right.

There's nothing else I can really add at this point, hope to see you all soon! See you at Buckingham Fountain!!!

July 8, 2011

SoyCon offically begins! (Well... Almost)

This message is for those who are going to the beach day. I extremely apologize how late this message is, but it's better than not getting it done. So lets run the details. Just informing everyone that the location is actually called 12th Street Beach, not Northernly Island Beach. I got confused when I looked it up online.

Meeting Time - 12:00pm
Meeting Place - 12th Street Beach (Infront of the changing rooms.)

This what the meeting space looks like: http://soycon.com/imagepictures/0707011752.jpg

It's pretty close to the parking lot.

We will be meeting infront of the changing rooms from 12-12:30pm. Once 12:30pm hits, we'll pick a spot on the beach and enjoy from there. We will be staying at the location until 5pm. After 5pm, we will be taking off to prepare for the photoshoto the next day.

I'll be bringing a small cooler with water. Hopefully some of you will do the same.

The beach day is mainly a day to kick back and enjoy the day. Meet fellow SoyCon goers, take pictures, and relax under the sun. (Minus the over tanning.)

Me and my group is expected to arrive at the location at 11:30am.

For those who wish to drive, there's a parking area at the beach. Payment is $16 the whole day and they take credit card or cash.

For those taking transit, please refer here: http://soycon.com/information/directions.html or chicago cta.

Late comers, get in contact with someone who is there already. We shouldn't be too hard to spot, but keep it ready just in case.

I'll see everyone tomorrow. And for those not going, see you this weekend!

~ Arthur "Soy Sauce" Garcia
Event Director of SoyCon

July 4, 2011

Happy 4th of July! We hope you are well prepared for SoyCon this weekend! We are working hard to put on a great cosplay gathering event for all of you. Please make sure that you are well planned for this event. Such as transportation, rides, financial, time, location, and knowing what to do during the weekend. It will be a busy week for many of us

For those coming to the beach day on Friday, I'll be doing some research. I did get some notices on a few who are having trouble finding Northernly Island Beach. I just found out that it's also known as "12th Street Beach". I'll be heading out there this Thursday to find a meeting location and how long we are staying at that meeting location til we head out towards the beach. Please get in contact with someone you know if you are coming late. Probably from 12-12:30pm, we'll wait for everyone to arrive at the beach as best as they can. Drivers will probably need to pay for parking (in cash). I'll find out how much it costs after I get back that day.

5 more days everyone! Lets get this ball rollin!!!

June 27, 2011

So most of you may be wondering about the situation of the photoshoot location for this year's SoyCon. After numerous visits downtown and analyzing the area over at the Buckingham and Chicago areas, I would like to announce that the location will remain in downtown Chicago as scheduled. With that said, everyone should be aware of these guidelines.

- If breaking off from the SoyCon areas, please have a small group of people guiding you. We recommend not traveling alone no matter if it's on the transit or on the big intersections.

- Keep your important possessions with you at all times. SoyCon will not be responsible for any lost items.

- We wary of what areas you're traveling to. We recommend to stay as close to the public areas as possible.

- Avoid hunger or thirst during the day. Even if you don't feel hungry or thirsty, at least put something into your system. You may forget since you're having too much fun out there. Water fountains and a small cafe shop is available within the Buckingham Fountain area.

- If you don't have enough for the food locations there, pack a lunch. It's a big park so having a picnic nearby wouldn't be a bad idea.

- If sun is not your thing, bring an umbrella. There may be times we'll be out in the open under the sunshine. Trees are also around the area if you want some shade.

- Have fun, be safe, and plan ahead. We want everyone's SoyCon to be as smooth as possible.

Unless something that's extremely drastic happens from now til the photoshoot, SoyCon's Photoshoot Day is confirmed to happen in downtown Chicago.

Questions or Concerns? Feel free to contact via PM or Email at SoyCon@soycon.com

June 13, 2011

Here's a few things to keep in mind before coming to SoyCon.

For Photoshoot:
- Try to wear costumes that are summer friendly. It's going to be pretty hot out there, normally around the high 80s.
- We would recommend bringing bottles of cold water. We recommend staying quenched. We had issues of people not staying hydrated enough due to the heat.
- Umbrellas are nice to bring to shade yourself from the hot sun. There are trees around the area, but other spots there won't be any shade.
- Either bring money to go to any nearby restaurants or bring your own lunch. We don't want anyone to be hungry throughout the event.
- Even if SoyCon has reduced the walking distance between areas, you still be walking around. Wear comfortable footwear and clothing.
- Everyone is responsible for their own possessions throughout the event. We may pickup any lost items left behind, but we can't take all of them.

For Picnic
- We recommend everyone to contribute something towards the picnic day. Provide eating utensils, food, tents, coolers, chairs, grills, etc.
- If you brought your own bowls, serving utensils, or anything else, please make sure you take them with you when the picnic is over. We will toss out anything you left behind.
- For those bringing a grill, bring your cooking utensils and items.
- If you have food that needs to be kept cool, we would recommend you or someone else to bring a cooler. (They do have dollar foam coolers that you can buy.)
- If you can make something, like pasta, muffins, salad, kabobs, etc., please bring them! We don't want to have a gazillion chips, cookies, and candy.
- Cups, eating utensils, water, burger patties, hotdog links, buns, and/or ice are good items to bring to the picnic.

June 8, 2011

Location and Direction pages are updated. Time limit for interpretive dance central event is changed.

If you need some help trying to get to SoyCon, refer to those pages. Or you can use map and transit sites for additional information. We are about a month away from the 4th annual cosplay gathering event. We are working hard to put together this large event and hopefully you will be ready by then.

June 7, 2011

Want to learn how to participate in The Battlefield? Check out the events section for more details. There's also a file download of the rules and guidelines so you can take the event outside and try it on your own!

June 6, 2011

A couple of updates here.

- Location page updated. Added overview map areas for each day.
- Cosplay Showcase page now available. Interested in participating? See the events section for more details!
- Schedule has been changed. Check event pages and information to view time changes.
- Cosplay RP weddings are now online. Spaces are limited. Pre-registration now available.
- Panel/Event Submissions have now been extended to July 1st! Interested running something at SoyCon? Check the "Register" section for details.

June 3, 2011

Cosplay RP wedding event is now added online and pre-registration is now available! Hurry and sign up quick, there will be only 3 slots for this event! You may find more details on this event under the "Events" section.