From the Desk of Ryan Reiter | Creator, Owner and President of ZomBcon International.
The fate of ZomBcon International lies before all of you today. As the owner and president, I am writing you all today to ask you for your support and help to return this convention back to Seattle for good and solidify it’s future for this great community.
I am offering a new opportunity to return ZomBcon to the fans and revive this amazing experience that once made Seattle “The Zombie Capital of the World” once again next September 27th.
After four years, I have witnessed the loyalty and hearts of our fan base; having met many of you at the convention and Red, White & Dead Zombie walk in Fremont. It has been a truly amazing experience to be part of this community of Zombie fans and I want to help to revive this amazing experience back to my hometown once and for all.
After two amazing years of building the world’s first true Zombie culture convention experience right here in Seattle, it now comes down to helping us finance this event by fans for fans. In years past, we have been honored to host top media guests like Bruce Campbell, George A. Romero, Max Brooks, Tom Savini, Norman Reedus, Ted Raimi, Bill Moseley, Sid Haig and so many others notable guests in Seattle.
Last year, our convention battled a lot of unforeseen obstacles and challenges, along with false accusations of ownership. Not only was it untimely, it severely hurt the conventions operation and financial support success, thus putting our plans for 2012 and beyond on hiatus.
Almost one year later, we have prevailed and proud to say that our team is ready to revive the convention; despite last year’s hardships one last time for the community that built this convention together.
I have decided that is was time to revisit the state of affairs after last year’s convention and with 2012 being absent of the convention. As most of you know, we were faced with a legal matter that forced the convention into a hybernation. Now that it is finished and we are clear to rebuild, we want to infect our Emerald City once and for all and we want your help bigger than ever!
As the President and Artistic Director, I have enlisted in a brand new team of talented individuals and staff for our 2013 plans that share the same invested interest as myself and the thousands of fans around the world that have joined us for ZomBcon International. Some are volunteers and others have been part of my team since the beginning like our amazing Festival Director, Jerry Brooks.
It’s time to band together as a community and celebrate the Zombie Apocalypse in true undead fashion once again. For those who can’t buy tickets, then we ask you volunteer your time and help us get the word out. For those who can, we are counting on you large and small this year to show your support and buy your tickets much earlier and encourage your friends to do the same
I have received countless emails, Facebook posts and met people on the streets day after day that cheer us on and hope that we find a way to bring this convention back to Seattle. It’s time to return form the dead and bring this community together.
Our plans for 2013 include a Apocalypse Survival Tech and Gadget Expo that will feature the latest products to keep you safe and sound when the horde rises and shambles your way.
2013 is our goal and we are calling each fan on Facebook, Twitter and around the world to share this and support our convention and buy tickets to show your support and commitment ahead of time. We don’t have sponsors and investors behind us, so if we are truly going to return this convention to the community, then we need the community to show us you want it back in Seattle.
So with that, we offer the opportunity to bring the convention back to the Northwest and keep the blood and braaaaaaains flowing on the streets; making Seattle the “Zombie Capital of the World” once again as we announce plans starting next week to release advance ticket sales and announce a date for the convention.
Our plans are to turn our attention to the ZomBcon and move our annual Red, White and Dead Zombie Walk around the same date to bring these two amazing events closer to together and unite for for one massive Zombie outbreak. Our goal is to bring the convention back to Seattle on September 27th through September 29th. We haven’t decided on a specific location for the convention, but are actively looking at sutiable venues to host our event event and will update you every step of the way.
BUY YOUR TICKETS ON TUESDAY, OCT. 16TH ONLINE
For our loyal supporters, we want to encourage your time and investment by offering you a great opportunity. So we put a limited amount of advance ticket sales on sale starting Tuesday, October 16th online.
Our first goal is to raise $25,000 before December 1st. In an attempt to reach this mark fast and set forth the next stage is to offer a (1,000) Three-Day Pass for just $25 each Admission for Single admission and $49 for two people. If we can manage to sell a combined amount of 2,500 tickets, we can actually set forth and produce the festival.
We have almost 8,000 fans on Facebook and if every Facebook fan donated or bought a ticket, we could be well on our way to announce our plans for 2013 and 2014. We will be offering VIP Packages upon reaching our first goal of $25,000 and upon that provide the opportunity to make plans. So one step at a time. As I say this and set forth the plans, this is not a guarantee that the convention will happen, but an opportunity.
This offer is limited and will not be offered again to fans and ticket holders, as ticket prices will go up on each round of ticket sales. It’s simple, in order for us to make this festival a great success; both operationally and to ensure a premier convention, we must raise the money to support the hard costs of the convention. I believe in this community and know we can reach our goals and make this an annual tradition once again for all of the horror fans in Northwest and the world.
What happens if we don’t reach our goal of $25,000 by the December 1st date? If we do not reach our goal of $25,000, then subsequently each ticket holder will receive a 100% refund and we will not go forward, unless we receive a substantial sponsorship or investment, but presently, we are on our own and can’t do this alone without your help. If we reach our goal of $25,000, then we announce a venue for the 2013 convention and begin working on media guests for the convention.
Thank you all for your time and the opportunity to bring this great festival together back to Seattle.
Sincerely,
Ryan Reiter
President and Artistic Director
