Celebrities Guests of Honor We have about five or six full Guests of Honor per year, usually one or two authors, one or two from software, and the rest from from games, comics, film/TV, or science. Here are some of our guests, and we’re excited about more to come!

John Scalzi

Jim Gettys

Scrub Club Records

OpenSoda

Nifty Guests “Nifty Guest” is a status we confer on those who are not our Guests of Honor this year, but have been in the past, or they are celebrities in their own right. We only have about twenty or fewer Nifty Guests per year, although that number gets slightly larger each year from the original two. Some people we find pretty Nifty this year:

*Our Guests of Honor and other invited Guests commit to attending Penguicon long in advance of the actual event. Along the way (and generally at the very last moment!) circumstances beyond everyone’s control may happen, resulting in the Guest not being able to attend the convention as planned. Though this is rare, it can happen. If we are made aware of a Guest’s inability to attend far enough in advance, Penguicon will attempt to invite another Guest as a replacement. However, this may not always be possible. In either case, Penguicon can make no guarantee that a particular guest will be able to attend the convention, and can not be liable for the results of a Guest’s cancellation.

Features and Events Penguicon has many, many things happening outside of just panels and presentations! Here’s a look at only some of the things we have going on:

Geek Prom, Masquerade, the Drag Show, Room Parties, the live-action W.O.W. Game, our Chaos Toy, Open Soda, the Computer Lounge, Artist Alley, LN2 Ice Cream, random acts of chaos, presentations, panels, workshops, musical performances… More information to come!

Geek Prom Saturday 8pm Desoto Q: What is a PROM at Penguicon?

A march of guests into a ballroom constituting the opening of a formal ball. A high point. A formal dance. A memory chip whose contents can be programmed by a user or manufacturer for a specific purpose. ALL OF THE ABOVE! This will be the first year that Penguicon has hosted an official Geek Prom. We encourage formal attire, which includes ball gowns, suits, costumes, and formal costumes. It’s ok though, come as you are if you choose. Kelii Parsons will be hosting Free Prom Pictures that will be available online. Thank you to Luova Keliin Studios. We plan to have music, dancing, and who knows what else, you’ll just have to wait and see!

The Masquerade Costume Parade and Contest Saturday 4pm Stutz Parade Line-up 5pm Masquerade in Big Top A premiere event at Penguicon, the Masquerade showcases the dedicated and talented costumers in attendance and includes a full parade and judged contest. Each year brings its own theme or unique touch, but all costumes are welcome from the simplest newbie offerings to the most elaborate presentations. Honored judges will award prizes, but the real reward comes in the form of unending praise, unending glory, and unending lines of con goers wanting your picture!

W.O.W. Live Game Hello all my fellow on-line gamers! I understand your fear of withdrawal and hope to keep you busy with your own live action quest to keep the symptoms away. Come and join in this years live action world of warcraft themed game. Keep your eyes open for the gold ! to start your quest.

The Drag Show Friday 9pm Big Top The amazing world of Drag King and Drag Queens! Ever wonder how they pull it off? Whether you’re a first timer, a seasoned regular, or just curious – come join us at the Drag 101 workshop and find out! For those interested – you’ll get a chance to strut your stuff on the runway at our very own Drag Show. Drag not your thing but want to perform? Not a problem come on over and join the fun. You may perform as male to male or female to female or what ever gender you wish even if that is none at all.

Any money that is raised by the drag show will be donated to a charity that is called Affirmations. For more information about them please visit: http://www.goaffirmations.org For all of our Facebook users we have started a group where you can join in and make plans to do group performances or just check with others on what they are doing, or ask questions of others who have perform before and what they advice they can give that website is: http://www.facebook.com/groups/320869444614811/

Penguicon’s Chaos Toy – Lobby near Big Top

This customizable marble roller coaster will be open all weekend for Penguicon attendees to tinker with. It serves as a metaphor for the open source development process. We used to have a giant room-sized version of the contraption, at great expense, but in 2008 Penguicon got one of its very own. Each year, we plan to purchase additional Chaos Toy kits until one day we will match the size of the one which, in the past, was shipped in boxes to Penguicon from across the country. This popular attraction will live right here in Michigan and be available for your use every year!

Computer Lounge – Marquis, sponsored by MPCON

Feel free to drop on by to check your mail, browse the web, and perhaps find out a little bit more about open source software. You can also check out some technology demos that help show off the real power of Linux.

Artist Alley – Springwells Are you attending Penguicon and are artistic? Do you have something you created that you’d like to offer to the Penguicon attending audience? Use our Artist Alley! Artist Alley will be held exclusively in the dealer’s room this year. For questions or to reserve your space, please contact [email protected].

Liquid Nitrogen Ice Cream – Consuite Liquid Nitrogen Ice Cream is a Food Track event that takes place many times over the weekend in the hospitality suite. Homemade ice cream is instantly created, in a variety of custom flavors, by adding liquid nitrogen to the recipe at negative 320 degrees Farenheit. The nitrogen boils off and goes out the window, leaving behind the other ingredients frozen into a smooth, creamy dairy dessert. It is truly a spectacle to behold! And the range of strange and imaginative flavors that work with this process is much wider than with normal ice cream. Bring your own crazy combo of flavor ingredients and challenge us! This year we are asking our Guests and Nifties to each design an ice cream flavor named after them.

Morton’s Miraculous Random Reality Machine – Grand Foyer (brought to you by Morton’s List and a grant by the Ann Arbor Science Fiction Association.) This is a capsule toy vending machine that dispenses destiny. Your random adventure, designed by the creators of Morton’s List, will send you off into the convention to have strange experiences you wouldn’t have otherwise, with people and things you may have overlooked.

Room Parties Every year there are several room parties at Penguicon. In fact, there is a special room block set aside for these parties. The room party coordinator collects data from those willing to throw a party at the convention, organizes it, and makes it widely available to attendees. Check for signs and a list in the program book once attending the convention for more information. Email [email protected] for details now.

Brick Challenge Saturday 11am Qualifications in Knight Brick Challenge is, to my knowledge, the first live Lego-based game show. The model is similar to Double Dare. Two two-man teams will compete to be the winning team of each show. One team red and one team blue will be challenged with a series of mini-games as well as quiz questions. Winners will be determined by whichever team receives the most points. We will have a mass qualification at XX:XX followed by taping 6 shows with the top 24 people from the qualification. This even is open to everyone so bring your building skills.

Geeks with Guns

Concom for Penguicon 2012 Responsibilities in bold are Concom positions. Others are Staff level positions (see the staff page for a listing of staff members.)

Staff

Description If the Convention Committee runs the convention, staffers are the muscles that move it along. Penguicon makes a distinction between Concom, Staff Members, Volunteers (Penguins), and Panelists (Program Participants). For this year, Staff will be considered those individuals who are responsible for doing work and making decisions for a single part of the convention and handling minor budgetary amounts. Typically staffers put in some amount of work before the con in addition to work during the convention. To compensate for this, staff pays a $25 rate. Only staff can check ID for con-run stuff. Presenters are responsible for checking IDs at their own panels before service.

Hospitality by Cylithria Dubois

Facilities by Jer Lance

Operations by Christine Bender - [email protected]

Programming Programming Instructions by Sarah “Sparrow” Slovik - Head of Programming

Registration by Aaron Thul