Midwest FurFest August 2011 newsletter

Midwest FurFest 2011 is less than three months away, and as the dog days of summer come and go we're getting ready to "Get Our Kicks" for the twelfth edition of MFF, celebrating the history and lore of The Mother Road, Route 66! This year we are welcoming as our Guests of Honor two talented artists: Thornwolf and Rick Griffin (creator of the webcomic Housepets!). We've got a lot to tell you about, so here we go...

ART SHOW
Did you know that you could register for Art Show spaces right now? All you have to do is fill in our Online Registration form today!

ARTISTS ALLEY
Just getting started as an artist in the fandom? Don't want to commit to three full days selling your art? Missed the deadline for the Dealers Den? The Artists Alley may be the place for you. To find out everything you need to know about this service, visit our Artists Alley page.

DEALERS DEN
The Dealers Den is full! If you'd like to see which Dealers will be coming to MFF this year or sign up for our waiting list, visit our Dealers Den page.

HOTEL
We are pleased to say that we still have lots of rooms available at the Hyatt Regency O'Hare! As we have noted before, we are sold out of double rooms for the night of Thursday, November 17. The good news is that we are working with the Hyatt to add doubles for that night whenever they become available. In the meantime, there are still plenty of king rooms available for Thursday night, and doubles and kings available for all other nights of the convention.

In recognition of the difficulties that the lack of king rooms for Thursday night can place on our guest's plans, Midwest FurFest has worked with the Hyatt to reduce the one-time fee for rollaway beds from $25 to $10! Please note that rollaway beds cannot be placed in double rooms due to fire marshal's safety requirements.

We are currently sold out of all suite types except for VIP Suites; however we are working on adding more. As they come available we will be making announcements on Twitter, Facebook, and on our forums. As soon as we announce them they are sure to be snapped up quickly, so keep an eye out!

PARTIES
This year we will once again have a party floor. If you are planning on hosting a party (public or private) and would like to be on the party floor, please contact us with the name the room is reserved under, as well as the planned date and time of your party. We will do our best to place you on the party room block. (Note that if you have requested a specific room at the hotel it may not possible to move you to the party floor.)

Please note that the party floor is for parties in personal rooms only. Last year we had some requests for function space to be used for private parties, which is not something that we can accommodate under our contract with the Hyatt Regency O'Hare. If your need for function space is for convention programming, please contact our Programming Director.

PROGRAMMING
Midwest FurFest needs you! Well, specifically we need your expertise in providing programming for the convention. You don't even need to be an expert - if know a good bit about a topic, or can lead a roundtable discussion, we would like for you to consider running a programming panel. You can submit your ideas for panels that you would like to run on our website. Thanks for your support!

REGISTRATION
Registration is still open, and still discounted - save yourself time and money and pre-register! Additionally, please consider helping us put on the Midwest's biggest furry event by upgrading your membership to a Sponsor or Shiny Sponsor level. At a reasonable price, you can get access to special events, our Sponsor brunch, and special, exclusive Midwest FurFest gifts!

For more information, and to register, please take a look at our registration page.

TRAVEL
Did you know that we have travel discounts available to our attendees? That's right! We have discounts available from American Airlines, Amtrak, and Avis Rent a Car! Check out our travel page for more information.

VOLUNTEERING
Midwest FurFest needs volunteers! If you're interested in pitching in, we can certainly use your help. Please consider firing off a quick email, and we'll put you on our volunteer mailing list! You'll have the opportunity to earn free T-shirts and membership to next year's convention!

SOCIAL MEDIA
Midwest FurFest is in your Internets! We can be found all over, from Twitter, to Facebook, to message boards on our website. If you need to get the latest information on Midwest FurFest or to get in contact with us, you can check us out at any of those places, or contact us by email. Need to get in touch with a specific department? Check the list of contact email addresses.