LPWire: NFFC Announces Summer Convention for Disney Enthusiasts
NFFC - National Convention 2003
Celebrating the 21st Century Mouse
July 15 - 20, 2003
Well, it just doesn’t seem quite possible, but the NFFC is gearing up for its 19th Annual National Convention. WOW!
I know that we’re about 3½ months away, but the NFFC’s Special Events Committee and National Board of Directors are already hard at work putting the pieces together. So - save these dates - the Convention will be July 15th through the 19th followed by the “NFFC’s Strictly Disneyana Show and Sale” on July 20th.
This year’s convention will be headquartered at the Crowne Plaza Resort in Garden Grove - at Harbor Boulevard and Chapman Avenue - we have gotten a great room rate deal for our Conventioneers at the Crowne for this busy summer season. The NFFC’s 2003 Convention group rate is only $99.00 single or double occupancy a night plus tax and tip - you can make your reservation for the Crowne can now at (714)-867-5555 make sure that you book under the NFFC’s room block.
Staying at the Crowne is great for attendees and great for the club. It’s great for the NFFC as the overall cost of the convention is offset somewhat by the number of rooms we book. And, it’s great for conventioneers as it puts them at Convention Central and makes getting to the seminars and events easier - then there’s ROOM HOPPING! If you’re unfamiliar with the NFFC’s tradition of Room Hopping - our members staying at the Crowne open their hotel rooms for our version of a multi-room show & sale. It is a lot of fun going from floor to floor and room to room seeing the array of different collectables our members collect, trade and sell.
Room Hopping isn’t part of the Convention itself and is open to all. All we ask is that you remember to respect the host of the room you are in as if you were in their home and to respect the rooms of other hotel guests not participating. As to the NFFC’s Hospitality Suite - it will be located in the Monterrey Suite and will be open to all current NFFC members on most evenings after the events of the day. You can stop on by and have a soft drink and some light snacks and munchies - here you can also check the Room Hopping board which will have a list of the rooms open. The Hospitality Suite is also the NFFC’s Pin Trading Central for the Convention and we’re planning on more great evenings of pins and fun.
You might notice on the Convention Registration form that we’re trying something new this year with the addition of a Saturday Only Ticket for those of you who can’t get off from work during the week. This ticket will include all of the Saturday Seminars for the convention as well as early Conventioneer admission to the NFFC’s Strictly Disneyana Show & Sale on Sunday. It DOES NOT - however - include admission to the NFFC’s Luncheon with a Disney Legend - which you may purchase separately. We are also offering a very special VIP package this year - check the registration form for details.
We’ve also put together some great prizes for our Opportunity Drawings. You must be a registered conventioneer to be eligible for these drawings -you can't win if you don't buy a ticket - so buy lots of tickets! Tickets will only be available during the convention registration times at the registration or NFFC tables. We’re also putting together some great Silent Auction prize packages that will be available for bid throughout the convention.
We have lots of great ideas in the works - so you can expect to see a lot great things coming your way for the NFFC Convention 2003. NFFC.org will be your link to the NFFC’s 2003 National Convention updates and Late Breaking News - so check back often.
OK - so - here is a (very) rough schedule to give you some idea of the events and seminars being planed -
Monday, July 14
This is our move-in and set-up day - all day from 10AM until about 11PM. You can imagine the undertaking putting a convention together can be and we can always use some help with everything from setting up the staging and sound to packing the goodie bags and helping with registration. We’re an all volunteer organization and can always use some help getting things ready. And it’s always fun to meet new people and renew acquaintances, a couple hours helping the SEC set-up and settle in is a great way to do both.
So - if you find that you have a couple hours that you don’t know what to do with - we can always use some help with registration and set-up - just stop by the Cozumel Suite and check with a member of the Special Events Committee and we’ll be happy to help you find something to keep you busy. Or you can e-mail me at [email protected] and I’ll find you something fun to help us with.
Tuesday, July 15
We will begin the week with the yearly Chapter Representatives Meeting - from 9AM to 10:45AM in the Monterrey Suite - where chapters can meet and talk over the happenings and share ideas with each other. It’s a great way to share ideas and to see what other chapters do for fun. This meeting will be followed by our Annual Business Meeting - from 11AM until noon also in the Monterrey Suite. As a not-for-profit organization we are legally responsible to be accountable to our membership. These two events are not part of the Convention itself and are open to all current NFFC members who wish to attend. The Chapter Representatives Meeting - however - does need to be limited to two or three representatives participating from each Chapter - so, check with your chapter to see who will be representing you.
Convention Registration will be open from 1:00 until 5:00PM in the Mazzatlan B ballroom (don’t worry we’ll have signs set up all over the lobby to help you find your way around).
Following these preliminary meetings - the evening - beginning at 6:00PM with No Host Cocktails - will feature our Welcoming Reception from 7:00 until 10:00PM. This is the event to meet old friends and to make some new ones. This years Welcoming Reception theme is in the works - but there are lots of anniversaries and special dates to play with so it’ll be a GREAT! Evening.
The NFFC Hospitality Suite will also be open for light refreshments and socializing - it will be in the Monterey room from 9:00PM until 11:00PM. And - since the Convention has “officially” begun - room hopping will also be happening - the room hopping board will be found in the Hospitality Suite.
Wednesday, July 16
Starts bright and early - at 8:30AM - with our Collector’s Breakfast and then move into a day full of seminars and fun for all. We’re working on the themes for this year’s meal events and haven’t made any decisions that I can share yet - but - we’ve got plenty of time. Trust me - this is going to be fun!
Also - if you would like to share a particular Collection of yours - we will have table space for displaying (the club has a small number of locking glass-topped display cases if you need a bit of security). If you would like to do this please E-mail Brian Hugo at [email protected] to let him know so that we can arrange for the space you need.
Convention Registration will also be open beginning at 8AM.
We then move into a day of seminars and fun. It’s much too early in the process to release any names - we all know how the Disney Company works and it’s just too early to speculate about who and what and whatnot - but - trust me this is going to be fun!
The Hospitality Suite will be open from 7:00 until 10:00PM - for light refreshments and fun - we will also be hosting a “Pin-Central” location for some friendly trading beginning tonight. Also Room Hopping will continue.
Thursday, July 17
There will be no Convention activities at the Crowne today because we’re all going to DISNEYLAND! This is Disneyland’s 48th Birthday - and so we will all be in the mood to play in the Park all day long (bring your sun screen and your shades and your most comfortable walking shoes). We will also be hosting our annual Disneyland Foot Rally - our Rally-writing team is busy as we speak - you must be a Registered Conventioneer to be on a Team. Registration for teams will be at Convention Registration / Check In.
We will also be meeting for our Annual Convention Group Photo and “Happy Birthday” sing-along - more on where and when to come. These events take place inside Disneyland so you will need to purchase admission media if you would like to participate.
Friday, July 18
We got such positive feedback last year when we changed our traditional Friday and Saturday events that we’re exchanging places again this year. Friday will feature a full day of seminars - and we have also set aside some time for Club business - and will culminate with our Celebration Banquet in the evening.
We have a number of great seminars and speakers in the works - and with the evening reserved for the Celebration Banquet - if the Banquet goes the way hope it will - it’s going to be a real kick (and have lots of Character) - this is sure to be a great day dedicated to all things Disney.
Saturday, July 19
The highlight of the day is our signature event - our “NFFC’s Luncheon with a Disney Legend”. As with our Luncheons of the past, it’s sure to be a ‘Once In A Lifetime Event’ for all NFFC conventioneers - so don't delay in signing up for the convention and missing the chance to participate in this event. If you've never been to an NFFC “Luncheon with a Disney Legend” this is the one to attend! If you've been to them all - then this one is not to be missed!
We’re working on a couple very special seminars with great speakers - trust me here kids, you all know we can’t release the names of our guest until they have committed to us that they will be attending - and even when they do we can’t guarantee that they will be there.
After a day of seminars, our NFFC Luncheon with a Disney Legend will be the event to close the convention. This will create the time that some of you have been asking for - to socialize with friends or hit the parks. This will also be the biggest night for Room Hopping and the NFFC’s Hospitality Suite will be open from 7PM until 10PM - with munchies and Pin Trading!
We’re also working on putting together another group dinner and get-together for Saturday evening. This will not be part of the convention package and there will be a separate charge for those attending. The “NFFC’s Be Our Guest Dinner II” is our chance to offer our conventioneers the chance to dine at one of Downtown Disney’s hottest eateries with some of their favorite Disney VIPs. Keep checking here for updates on the guest list as they become available.
Sunday, July 20
The wall-to-wall-Disneyana-shopping-extravaganza that is the NFFC’s Worlds Largest Strictly Disneyana Show and Sale. The Show & Sale is our most widely attended event. This year’s show will feature nearly 200 tables with more than 150 dealers from across the country and around the world offering tens-of-thousands of new and vintage items. We are expecting the largest selection of Strictly Disneyana merchandise in the club’s 19-year history.
I keep saying “trust me” and I’m saying it again - as you all know we cannot release names of our guest until they have committed to us that they will be attending. But we’ve never produced a dud convention in 18 tries and we’re not about to let this one be our first.
Keep checking back to see what we’ve added to a week of full-tilt-Disney-fun!
--Posted April 4, 2003
Source: NFFC