FAQ
Frequently Asked Questions
Do you have to be a member to come to the Convention?
Yes.
Your membership is your ticket to the Convention and all the fun and frivolity that entails. Without membership you won't be able to get a membership badge and without a membership badge you will not be admitted to any of the Convention rooms.
What does membership include?
Membership of the Discworld Convention 2012 includes entry to all events and areas of the Convention except the Gala dinner which is a separate ticketed event. Your membership also gives preferential rates on hotel booking and food and beverages (both alcoholic and non alcoholic).
How do I become a member?
Simply go to our About Membership page and register as a member.
I'm from another country, how do I pay for membership?
Thankfully credit cards are accepted everywhere, including www.dwcon.org. If you follow through the membership application you can pay by credit card and the currency translation will be sorted out by your card provider. So far we have people paying in pounds sterling, euros, rupee, US dollars and a few other currencies so we reckon it will all work out!
What are the different kinds of membership?
Full membership is the 'normal' adult membership, allowing entry to the Convention as detailed above.
The Concessionary rate applied to students, old-age pensioners and persons in receipt of state benefit - proof of eligibility at the time of the Convention will be required.
The Child rate is free for children aged under 13, and the Concessionary rate for those aged under 18 - again, proof of age at the time of the Convention will be required.
Supporting membership does not provide entry to the Convention, but allows you to reserve a place. It may be upgraded to Full (or Concessionary) membership at any time, at the rate in force when the Supporting membership was purchased.
Do I have to stay at the Convention hotel?
The short answer is no.
The longer and more comprehensive answer is that you are welcome to stay wherever you like but you will probably enjoy yourself more if you do stay at the hotel. People tend to stay up late and get up early and it's a lot easier to stagger to bed if it's only a few feet away. We have also negotiated a special preferential rate for attendees of the Convention so you can save money on your accommodation costs.
To book your hotel stay please go to the Hotel Information page
How many nights should I stay?
The Convention opening ceremony is usually at around tea time on Friday (please check your Read Me, which you will receive at the Convention for up to date information on this) and the closing ceremony will be on the Monday afternoon. The core nights are Friday, Saturday and Sunday although we have negotiated our preferential rate for the Thursday prior, and the Monday following for those who can't bear to miss a second of the action (and for those who are being dragged in to help).
The hotel reservation page asked me for a credit card. When will you take the money?
We won't :-)
The hotel require that we take a card number in order to guarantee the room.
You will pay your room bill at the hotel when you check out, so you have plenty of time to save up.
How do I get there?
The hotel is conveniently located with easy access to rail, air and road transport. More information can be found on our Getting to the hotel page.
What if I can't come after all?
We will be very sorry not to see you :-)
However, we regret that the membership fee is non-refundable.
You are welcome to give or sell on your membership to another person - all we need is for you to provide us with the details of the new member.
There are a many online fan communities where you could advertise your membership for sale, including but not limited to:
- The original Usenet group, which can also be found via googlegroup alt.fan.pratchett
- The LiveJournal communities discworld and discworld_2012
- The Facebook groups Discworld Convention 2012 and Terry Pratchett and Discworld Addicts
- The Convention Google Group
- The Cunning Artificer's Forum
How do I contact the Convention?
All the details are on our Contacts page.
Help I've never been to a Convention before - what is it like?
You mean you would like a concise article on What can I expect At The Discworld Convention, handily if you click that link that is just what you get
