013 - Unofficial STLV Events

[00:00:00] Welcome to the Con Pod, a Star Trek Convention Podcast, a proud memory of the Trek Geeks Podcast

[00:00:12] Network. Here is your host, Ron Robel. Hello and welcome to lucky episode number 13

[00:00:20] of the Con Pod, a Star Trek Convention Podcast that's part of the Trek Geeks. This month's

[00:00:26] episode is going to feature a deep dive into three fantastic unofficial events that are occurring

[00:00:32] during this year's 57-year mission tour in Las Vegas, Nevada otherwise known as STLV. As of

[00:00:38] this recording we're just under two months away from this event and very much looking forward

[00:00:43] to it. The first event we're going to look at is the Fan Geeks party which is hosted by the Trek

[00:00:48] Geeks and Fan Sets. Our second event is going to be the newbies in Solos meet and greet. A great

[00:00:54] event for first time was coming to the convention and the third event is going to be the STLV

[00:00:59] Craftswap which is a really fun way to get some swag and meet some fantastic Trekkies. So without

[00:01:05] further ado, let's kick this episode off. So joining us to talk about the Fan Geeks party is Bill

[00:01:14] Smith, one of the hosts of the Trekkies. Bill, thank you for joining us. Thank you Ron. It's a

[00:01:19] pleasure to be here. And we're joined by Lou Halbeth, the managing general partner of Fan Sets

[00:01:24] the official sponsor of the podcast. Lou, thank you so much for joining us. We're so excited to

[00:01:29] have you here as well. It's an honor to be here to talk with you Ron not so much with Bill but with

[00:01:34] you for sure. I get that a lot. It's how we can talk Star Trek and pins. It's a good day. So Bill,

[00:01:42] let's jump right off the bat. Would you tell me a little bit about this party? How did this thing

[00:01:46] get started? What's the history behind it? Well, it goes back to Gosh Lou. What was it? The

[00:01:54] 51st convention? Yes. So the year after the 50th, Lou and his partner John came to Dan and me

[00:02:03] and said, Hey, we want you guys to host a party for us. And here's where we're going to have it

[00:02:07] and blah, blah, blah. We never hosted a party before. We had no idea what we were doing. But

[00:02:12] Oh, yeah. Yeah, it's right. You know, this was a big, you know, wing in a prayer for all four of us.

[00:02:19] And we said, well, let's just let's get a bunch of people in a room and have fun. And that's kind

[00:02:23] of how this party started. And here we are, you know, COVID years aside, this is the fifth or

[00:02:31] sixth one I've lost count. But it wants to be one of the most anticipated parties of the convention

[00:02:36] week. That's awesome. And Lou, I know that from your side, this then it brings to showcase some of the

[00:02:43] pins. I would imagine most of our fans, most sort of listeners are diehard track fans and know all

[00:02:48] about fan sets. But go ahead and tell us a little bit about fan sets and how you guys got involved in

[00:02:52] hosting this amazing party. Well, like all good ideas, we, John and I were sitting around talking,

[00:03:03] it's like, we need to do something to stand out because we're literally a two-man team fan.

[00:03:09] Everyone thinks fans sets is this big warehouse and multi employees. I mean, it's two of us.

[00:03:16] And my son, Parktime, when he has time. And I had been listening to Bill and Dan

[00:03:24] as just a listener. And I'm, as you can already tell, I'm not good with a mic in front of me.

[00:03:34] So I told John I said, you know, these guys are very, very friendly. They come across well.

[00:03:41] Dan is obviously handicapped by Bill but we took that into consideration.

[00:03:47] And we decided to contact these guys and I got to tell you all kidding aside.

[00:03:55] Dan and Bill are like my brothers. I mean, I'm sitting here joking with him but it's because

[00:04:01] it's what a brother would do to another brother. And it was a match made in heaven. We,

[00:04:08] from that moment, we got to sit down and talk with them and plan this up.

[00:04:14] And what a lot of people don't know is that Bill is so meticulously ahead of the schedule

[00:04:20] and planning this stuff, that what we're going to do, how we're going to do it when we're going to do it.

[00:04:27] It's why it comes off so well. And the first year it was kind of a shoestring deal

[00:04:34] but everyone that attended had a great time and word friend. And then next year

[00:04:44] we didn't know how to distribute the tickets and that's when the geeks came up with, well let's

[00:04:49] do it online. And you know if we've made it past 60 minutes on any of these last couple parties,

[00:04:56] I would be surprised in distribution of tickets. And it's just a good time. It's a birthday party.

[00:05:01] It's a New Year celebration. It's Christmas. It's all of that wrapped into one thing for Star Trek.

[00:05:09] I love it. It always feels like STLV as the Met Gala for nerds throughout the quadrant. And this

[00:05:15] party is the after party that just you're going to be on top of things to get a ticket. So Bill,

[00:05:20] let's talk about that a little bit. How um this event is sold out? Where is the venue this year?

[00:05:25] What's what is it going to play? Well, you know, it's amazing because the first couple years we

[00:05:29] did this. It was it was a tiny little place over at Caesar's Palace. And although it worked,

[00:05:34] it never really felt like the perfect place for the party. Earlier this spring,

[00:05:41] Lou and John were out in Las Vegas and they were scouting locations and they walked through the door

[00:05:46] of Millennium Fandom Bar on a Las Vegas Boulevard. And it felt like home. And then they started

[00:05:54] sending us pictures and we had a conference call with the owner. And it just it came together. So

[00:06:00] we're incredibly excited and stoked and pumped to bring this party to honestly, the venue we

[00:06:09] should have found all along that we didn't even really know about at the time. Absolutely.

[00:06:13] Millennium Fandom Bar, which is just you want to talk about a celebration of fandom, Ron?

[00:06:18] That's exactly what Millennium Fandom is. And it's it's the perfect place for fankees party.

[00:06:23] I'm looking at their website too. And it looks like they have they have swag. They have it.

[00:06:27] And they have a whole like trep theme swag. So I mean, it's these guys. It's a Millennium Fandom.

[00:06:32] It looks like it's Star Wars focus, but it looks like they're definitely no strangers to Star Trek.

[00:06:35] Well next, you know, right next to the bar, there's a giant cling on crest. You know,

[00:06:40] they've got various, you know, memorabilia from all kinds of sci-fi shows all throughout the bar.

[00:06:45] Yes, there is an R2D2, but who doesn't love R2D2? Let's be honest. Awesome.

[00:06:49] Well, it is one of the sponsors. So I'm assuming that you folks are there selling pins, correct?

[00:06:57] We won at the party. We will be doing just the opposite. We will be giving them away.

[00:07:03] Because that's what we're known for. We have some really great stuff that we're going to be

[00:07:10] premiering after show. You know, we're hoping that it'll it'll excite the people who are attending.

[00:07:18] It'll be great. It always is. That's great. That's exciting. That's awesome. I'll be honest,

[00:07:24] this is my fourth or fifth STLV. I've never been to this party. What?

[00:07:29] How do we let you want a network? This should be a lot of fun. So I'm so excited. I've heard so

[00:07:34] many good things about the pins about the guests. Bill, did I hear correctly that there are some special

[00:07:39] guests that might be joining us this year? There are and in order to introduce that, I want to back up

[00:07:44] a little bit because folks who who were listening to this may have attended last year's party.

[00:07:49] And I know I speak for Lou when I say this. It was not the event that we planned intended or

[00:07:56] were satisfied by. We heard from a lot of people, Luke, or Prons. Or, or,

[00:08:01] or, right, by the, Lou hears from people all the time. I hear from people all the time

[00:08:06] that that party just wasn't wasn't what they wanted and we get it. You know, we wasn't what we wanted

[00:08:12] either. You know, the venue told us they were going to do action, Y&Z and then did the exact opposite.

[00:08:18] So this year to make up for it, we've decided to do a live audience recording of the Trek Geeks

[00:08:25] podcast at the party. It's the first time we've ever done this or a little crazy for doing it. But

[00:08:31] we said, we're going to do this. We have to, we have to bring some heat, you know? So we call

[00:08:38] our friend John Billingsley who instantly said yes. He, of course, Dr. Flox from Star Trek Enterprise.

[00:08:43] We also have joining us Bonnie Gordon, the voice of the computer from Star Trek Prodigy as well

[00:08:48] some other characters on Prodigy. And that's just the start. We have a couple of other things in

[00:08:53] motion. We're hoping to announce at least one more special guest. And if it's more than one

[00:09:00] then I'm going to be, you know, even, even happier and I think Lou will be too. But uh, and then after

[00:09:05] that Bonnie is also going to be the halftime show. So she's going to do a couple of musical numbers

[00:09:09] because fandom loves Bonnie and Bonnie loves fandom. And then after that, we are going to do,

[00:09:17] and I've told Lou to get ready because we're going to do the biggest giveaway of fan sets pins in

[00:09:22] the history of this party. It's the entire second half of the party. We're going to try to get as many

[00:09:29] people to leave that party with pins as possible. And, and that's my goal is to bankrupt Lou just about

[00:09:34] a year. Absolutely. And we're in for it. Well, we are so excited about this. I know the event is

[00:09:45] sold out, but Bill and I were talking, I think we are able to do a giveaway. So if you're listening

[00:09:51] to this podcast and you do not have tickets, um, all you have to do to win to still have a chance

[00:09:57] to win two tickets to this event is to tweet at Trek ConPod, tag at fan sets and post a picture of

[00:10:05] your favorite fan sets pin or tell us what your favorite fan sets pin is. What pin are you most

[00:10:09] looking forward to getting in Las Vegas? And you'll be in our for drawing to get two tickets,

[00:10:13] which will be drawn at the end of June. Um, and we it's a great way to get to this very fun event.

[00:10:19] Um, anything else you want to add? Bill? Yeah, I want to say you have to be going to STLV to pick up

[00:10:27] the tickets because we're going to have them there. And it's, it's a, it's two tickets. It's one

[00:10:32] per person. They're not transferable. So if you're going to enter the contest, be sure you're going to

[00:10:37] go to the party because um, if you win, um, you're going to have a hell of a time. Fantastic. Lou,

[00:10:44] anything else you want to add about this? And we want to share that. We want you to definitely.

[00:10:49] Sure. Well, I just want to say thank you to everyone who has come out and supported the Geeks

[00:10:55] and uh, fans heads throughout the years that the event. Vegas is like our Star Trek, uh, reunion

[00:11:02] with our fans and our friends. And we just can't wait. I mean, we are counting the days.

[00:11:08] So thank you to everyone. And Lou, so for those of us that are going to Vegas that maybe

[00:11:13] didn't get tickets and unfortunately don't win tickets to the con pod. If anybody wants to find

[00:11:17] fan sets, you guys will be in the vendors room, right? Yep. We're going to be in the same spot. We're

[00:11:22] always right in the door into the hard left. Um, that's kind of our spot. Well, we're going to have

[00:11:29] some surprises. I guarantee you for the show. Don't want to let that out yet. But yeah, we're,

[00:11:35] we'll be the booth where there's a line. Love it. Well, gentlemen, thank you so much for coming

[00:11:41] on the show. We're so excited for STLV. It's coming up just a couple of months away. Um, and gosh,

[00:11:47] this is just one of many events that we'll be talking about. We're looking forward to seeing you in Vegas.

[00:11:51] Thank you. Um, thank you. Somebody wants to follow you and stay in touch. Bill, how can they find

[00:11:56] you on social media? Well, you can, uh, it's probably best to follow Trek Geeks. We're pretty much at

[00:12:00] Trek Geeks on every platform. There you can get updates on fan geeks party. There you can get

[00:12:05] updates on all of our shows including con pod with the lovely and talented Ron. He's amazing.

[00:12:11] He's absolutely amazing. Yeah. And Lou, if anybody wants to stay in touch with fans, that's how can

[00:12:17] they follow you guys? Well, uh, much like Bill, it's at fan's tests on Instagram, Twitter, Facebook.

[00:12:25] Uh, that's the best way to get a hold of us is, is through messenger or through

[00:12:31] so that social media.

[00:12:35] And task well, thank you again, gentlemen. We will see you in just a few months.

[00:12:39] Thanks so much, Ron. Looking forward to it, Ron. Thank you.

[00:12:42] So the next big event that we're going to have at STLV this series, the new B and solo

[00:12:46] meet and breathe, which is being held right at the start of the convention. And here to talk about

[00:12:50] that event, we have two fabulous guests. First is Heather Barker, one of the admins of the unofficial

[00:12:55] Star Trek convention Facebook groups and one of the organizers of this event and a returning guest

[00:13:00] to the show, Heather, welcome. Thank you for having me back. I am so excited. How many days? How many

[00:13:05] days are we from STLV? Oh, right now we are 83 days, but this is being recorded about a month

[00:13:12] that have been posted. Oh my gosh, well, we are close. That's the big thing. I used to do the countdown.

[00:13:19] Now you do the countdown and I just rely on you. I love the countdown. And we're also joined by Randy

[00:13:25] Frank with Lambda Quadrant. Randy, thank you for joining us. Yeah, thank you so much for having me.

[00:13:31] So this countdown is terrifying because I have to make merch. So you three D printer has to be

[00:13:37] running nonstop at this point. It's on fire. Love it. So Heather is the kind of veteran of this

[00:13:45] event. Tell me a little bit how this event got started and what the essential details are.

[00:13:50] So I'm trying to remember when we had the first to Nubian solo traveler event because

[00:13:57] so our group used to be the unofficial Star Trek Las Vegas convention group. And then there was

[00:14:02] a time when there were supposed to be more official conventions. And that's on pause for now, we'll say.

[00:14:10] So we changed the name of the group to Star Trek convention experiences and I used them both

[00:14:15] interchangeably because most people know what they both are. So when we were unofficial STLV

[00:14:21] group, we started doing a like a group meetup. And then we just found so many people that were

[00:14:29] coming on their own or had never been and were coming for the first time. And we're very

[00:14:35] intimidated by the chatter of the group and the hype and the fact that there's so many people

[00:14:42] there, it can be very, very overwhelming. So I think that it was actually Jesse Atendo in our

[00:14:48] group, one of our other admins who came up with the idea to focus on the newbies and the solo

[00:14:54] travelers and do a separate event from them. And now this event has kind of become the main event

[00:15:01] because everyone is welcome and we want regulars, we want veterans to come and greet the new people.

[00:15:08] So it's kind of a meetup focused on the the newbies and solo travelers. And it's really evolved over

[00:15:16] time because when we started doing it, it was basically just let's get together at Masquerade or Ibar.

[00:15:23] Maybe you have a name tag. I think we did try, we try very hard to have name tags. But it was just

[00:15:30] kind of like here are the admins of the group. They're like a point of contact will say meet them

[00:15:38] and then kind of go around and meet different people. Let's see, we had a break in STLV for 2020.

[00:15:47] I didn't go for 2021. So last year was my first time back, but in 2021,

[00:15:56] I reached out to Randy and said, would you guys at Lambacogra,

[00:16:01] during the be willing to host the newbie and solo traveler event because I was not going to be there?

[00:16:07] I don't think many of our admins were and we still wanted to make sure that it happened and if

[00:16:11] there was a welcoming group of people to say hi to everybody. And so Randy and Lambacogra

[00:16:19] took it over and last year was my first year there with them hosting and me just getting

[00:16:24] to show up and talk to people, which is great. And so last year we had a special guest. We had Larry

[00:16:32] Nemachik show up for trivia. And then we had gift cards for Star Trek wines and some giveaway

[00:16:41] prizes that were donated by very awesome fans just like us. So having said that, I feel like I should

[00:16:48] pass it over to Randy to talk a little bit or not. So look, I know that we're kind of planning

[00:16:58] to do the same type of theme where we're going to reach out to Larry again, reach out to Star Trek

[00:17:04] wines again and hope that all comes to fruition and have that event. So Larry will be there for

[00:17:12] the trivia, we'll have some cool things to give away but the night is just really focused on

[00:17:17] saying hi to other people or someone saying hi to you which I promise to do a better job of

[00:17:23] because we've had a few people say I showed up but I'm really shy and I had a hard time reaching out

[00:17:29] and nobody really talked to me so that I'm committing to that this year. I'm going to walk around

[00:17:33] and introduce myself and say welcome to STLV. Perfect, perfect, I love that. I get, because we have

[00:17:40] that night is the same thing as the like the whatever chair it is, the early access to the vendor's

[00:17:48] room. Right. And so we have to split the team and I always end up working the table because

[00:17:53] you know all of our stuff and whatever. So I don't even get to see it very much like I plan it and

[00:17:58] I create all of this stuff. Pass it on to the rest of the team by the time I get there they're like

[00:18:03] it was a great night. So maybe I'll get to jump in and actually see it this year but yeah we

[00:18:09] have a good time. They report back, we bring in some of our own merch to give away too

[00:18:17] just to you know and we bring in name tags and like pronoun tags and make sure everyone has

[00:18:23] you know like markers to actually fill those out and the first year we actually had our

[00:18:29] our bracelets that indicate like how much distance you want right. Right.

[00:18:33] So we try and make it a safe and welcoming place for everyone just outside of just being there

[00:18:39] providing those things also so. It's great and contrary to the name righty you don't have to be

[00:18:44] a newbie or solo traveler to have this thing correct? No and you shouldn't like you should

[00:18:49] everyone should come say hi to the new people or the people there by themselves because then I

[00:18:54] mean they're gonna they're gonna all fold in anyway. They'll be back next year so you'll see them

[00:18:59] again. Absolutely and Heather somebody wants to do you sign up for this event? Do you show up? What's

[00:19:05] the what's the protocol? You just show up. So this event happens on Wednesday night right? Oh yeah

[00:19:13] yeah. Sorry I get again when we had different events we would have one on Wednesday, one on

[00:19:19] Thursday, one on and then the reality yeah this one is Wednesday and I want to emphasize really

[00:19:26] quick that the reason that this is the main event that we have is just that there are only four of us

[00:19:31] admins. There are only so many people that can help as Randy said his time is split between the

[00:19:37] vendors room and the event if you can even make it to the event so it's really just a lack of

[00:19:42] volunteers and so we just try to have one really great event and and pick it off right at the

[00:19:50] beginning. Yeah, pick it off you get some connections we are having it this year at the ibar at

[00:19:56] the Rio which is right next to registration when you walk in so you'll make a note that is here.

[00:20:02] Working thing yeah. Yeah it's like a big circle with the the bar in between and I do want to emphasize

[00:20:09] that while it's at the bar because the bar is just a central location we have tried for so many years

[00:20:16] to have events in other spaces and there are just no good conducive spaces for these types of

[00:20:26] gatherings it's just bars because it's Vegas I guess. So while it is a bar and it can be loud

[00:20:33] ibar is a bit more intimate than masquerade and there is no pressure to drink.

[00:20:39] I don't drink like I used to I might have a drink like I'm a social drinker but

[00:20:46] there's no no one cares no one cares if you have a glass of water no one cares if you have a coke

[00:20:52] so I hope that people will understand that because it's at a bar don't let that discourage you from

[00:20:59] attending and there are lots of people there to support everyone through that experience but we

[00:21:05] start around seven o'clock and it goes to about nine which is when Larry Nemachik's the landing party

[00:21:13] sponsored by Trek Movie and Portal 47 starts and that is again a bigger trivia event

[00:21:20] that I highly recommend going to I will be over there after our party ends but our party really goes

[00:21:26] as long as people want to stay at the bar and talk to people yeah people and I will say for new

[00:21:32] bies especially that the ibar and the masquerade bar are really the places where people hang out

[00:21:41] and sad like again I know that as we get closer to the convention we will have an events thread

[00:21:48] and that will include links to different fan created events which do include

[00:21:56] it depends on what people are doing sometimes there's a game night

[00:22:00] and it's just like fans gathering together so it might be in a room it might be at a restaurant

[00:22:05] it's it's wherever but we do we're lucky enough that there are people out there trying to create

[00:22:11] events that aren't just at the bar so that there is something for everyone

[00:22:15] but yeah we'll be hanging out there and having fun and I will I will be saying hi to everyone

[00:22:22] I'm gonna tell this to myself 50 times so that I'm sure to do it

[00:22:27] sure to do it and to your point about the bar too like it's a very open space so it's not

[00:22:31] you have to like walk into a place that looks like a bar through one door or whatever

[00:22:35] it's open out to the entire casino so even if you're like outside the bar it's still right

[00:22:39] night like it's right there it's all out in the open so there's no worry about having to like walk

[00:22:43] into a space like that yeah but Randall like you mentioned too it's pre-view night for gold captains

[00:22:49] and copper chair holders so the event running seven to nine it's very easy to pop in for a little

[00:22:55] bit and then head down to the preview and come back it's not something we have to commit to the

[00:22:59] full two hours either which is fantastic oh for sure yeah and people stay long after trust me

[00:23:06] like once people find you know find someone to chat with they'll be at that bar for hours

[00:23:10] that's not what I mean yeah that's just one of the official part ends and we're gonna stop

[00:23:13] handing out name tags the nice thing is that it kind of sets you up for the rest of the convention

[00:23:21] where if you are looking for people to meet after hours like they're generally always people at

[00:23:27] ibar or masquerade and all hours um I think some times it's uh when I was open at least

[00:23:37] I yeah man i've heard about people you know leaving leaving the hotel at five a.m. for their flight

[00:23:42] and there's still people at the bar so they will be there guaranteed a fun thing with this group

[00:23:49] you can always tell the Trekkies because they're always in costume so it's very easy group to find

[00:23:53] and jump right into yeah fantastic well thank you so much for joining us before we leave Randy

[00:23:59] I do want to give you just a moment to talk very quickly about Lambda Quadrant and what you folks do

[00:24:03] and what your presence at the convention is gonna late oh yeah um we have we always have a booth

[00:24:10] at the convention and i3d print merch for us to sell that's very fun um it's all original stuff

[00:24:18] ask gates McFadden about our one last year it was amazing um so we do that and then we also usually

[00:24:23] do uh panels and talks and outreach and education and try and raise money for a charity

[00:24:28] and just be a positive influence in the space for everyone actors the attendees

[00:24:36] creation themselves they're nice to us um so just try and be a positive force in this

[00:24:41] place and give some information and good vibes out fantastic well it's hard to believe we're so

[00:24:48] close to this convention we're excited to see you guys there um have there if somebody wants to

[00:24:52] stay in touch with you and stay in contact on social media how can they find you

[00:24:57] that is a hard question um i have in the star trek conventions experiences group and that is probably

[00:25:05] the best point of contact for me since my uh social media world has shrunk quite a bit

[00:25:11] and that group is very active at this point and we'll continue to get so as we get closer the

[00:25:15] convention for sure but um Randy if people want to stay in touch with you how can they find you on

[00:25:19] social media um just at Lambda Quadrant everywhere we got all the socials right so find us there

[00:25:26] fantastic well thank you again for joining us and we're looking forward to seeing you in just a few

[00:25:30] weeks and Vegas thank you thanks the third and final event that we're going to talk about

[00:25:38] on today's episode is the STLV Craftswap and joining us today is Yez who is the moderator of the

[00:25:44] STLV Craftswap Facebook group yes thank you so much for joining us today

[00:25:49] uh you're very welcome thank you for having me so the craft swap is something we were talking a little

[00:25:54] before we began that i did in my very first convention um and it was something completely

[00:25:59] new to me because i'm not the craftiest person but for those who are completely new to this tell us

[00:26:04] exactly what is the STLV Craftswap? uh so STLV Craftswap is basically anyone who um joins the group and

[00:26:14] it is a dedicated Facebook group just to keep things off of the um the the start trek convention

[00:26:22] experiences group just to kind of it was basically an offshoot of that group because people have been

[00:26:31] trading crafts for years but we decided to make it a little bit more organized and um that's how

[00:26:38] the group came about basically it's anybody who joins who is interested in either making crafts or

[00:26:45] ordering um custom items for the craft swap they're primarily handmade items but anyone can make

[00:26:53] however many items they'd like and then attend the craft swaps and there are there's some flexibility

[00:27:00] in that which we could get to later but basically you bring your items however many you want to make

[00:27:05] there's no minimums um and you just trade with other crafters um for items that you find appealing

[00:27:14] for some reason and it could be you could trade all your items away or trade only for certain series

[00:27:20] or certain characters so again there's like no commitment there's no minimums so it's we try to make

[00:27:26] it um very casual and stress free but uh it has been likened to black Friday.

[00:27:34] I love that i think that's very very appropriate um so as far as you know mentioned you mentioned

[00:27:40] bringing as much as you want but how many people have you counted are participating typically?

[00:27:45] um so on a day-to-day basis it could be between 30 and 40 um I did count one time one year

[00:27:55] and it was we had between 30 and 40 each day total that is hard to say because by the end of the

[00:28:00] week i give up on counting um so it could be i've estimated approximately 60 to 70 people total per

[00:28:08] year and again that fluctuates based on um who attends you know because not most of us attend every

[00:28:14] year but not everybody attends every year so yeah that's awesome so did you create the group or did

[00:28:20] you inherit this group how did this kind of come to happen? um so like i said people have been

[00:28:27] trading um or just giving away craft items for years this has just been something that I

[00:28:34] walked into in 2015 my first year but it was very very um casual very impassing like somebody would

[00:28:41] have stuff in their bag and then um if they met somebody online they could pass it out that way

[00:28:46] there used to be a table that people would just throw things on whether business cards or stickers

[00:28:51] or craft items um so it was very informal and one year i want to say it was 2016 uh we tried to

[00:28:59] meet up but there was no like consensus as to like a specific time everyone's just kind of coming

[00:29:04] and going so the next year in 2017 um Heather you know very well who one of the admins for the group um

[00:29:14] uh started the conversation again about you know meeting up at a certain time and i know that Heather

[00:29:21] has a lot on her plate so i offer to you know make a group i just basically said hey do you want me

[00:29:27] to make a group and either do it for you or you can run it no pressure like i just want to help

[00:29:35] and she said go for it go right ahead so um yeah so i think Heather actually was the the one

[00:29:42] who came up with idea of meeting at 5 p.m every day just again no commitment if you can show up

[00:29:49] if not no pressure um i think she came up with that idea in 2016 um or uh yeah 2016 and then in

[00:29:58] 2017 or 2018 i decided to make the dedicated group so um we could just basically

[00:30:05] coordinate that way and also get to know each other a little bit in the months leading up to

[00:30:10] the convention and then again because it is very um casual sometimes people will exchange something

[00:30:17] and then forget who they got it from so they can post like hey who made this i love it can i get

[00:30:22] another or do you have a shop or you know just say thanks i use this every day that kind of thing

[00:30:28] so it's it's again another way of building community i think it's great and you mentioned that some

[00:30:33] people do have shops so this is not a buy sell group they're correct this is all just people trading

[00:30:39] craft items back and forth correct yes it's absolutely just for community building so we do not allow

[00:30:46] any advertisements whatsoever not in the group not at the event itself um and so sometimes um i can be very

[00:30:55] very much a stickler about using the term craft swap and not swap meat because a lot of people say

[00:31:01] swap meat swap meat implies their sales so this is a swap meaning an exchange so nobody should be

[00:31:10] charging for it now if they have a business many people many makers have Etsy businesses and

[00:31:17] if they would like to make a little card to include with their item that's completely okay

[00:31:24] it's one a good way for them to advertise their their business and two it's a good way for

[00:31:30] people to stay connected because again we're trying to build community right um but the item in

[00:31:35] and of itself cannot be an advertisement um i made the joke like no you know no one's going to

[00:31:40] want to trade their hand crocheted pair of socks for a frisbee that just has your URL on it you know

[00:31:48] so there has a little bit of thought and it should be a crafty item um but yes we we reserve the

[00:31:53] right to remove any kind of advertisement in the group and so far we've been we haven't had to

[00:32:01] struggle with that too much it hasn't been a problem so i'm looking right now at a picture you

[00:32:06] posted to the group on March 12th of some we're gonna call them treasures that were found at

[00:32:11] the last swap i'm assuming but i see like a lufa sponge that has a combat and it looks like a

[00:32:17] little character in it i see foring you lat no i see what looks like vulcan ear warmers these are

[00:32:23] so cool so what is like the most interesting or unique craft item that you've seen traded at the

[00:32:28] at the swap um at wow there's there has been so many amazing items um some that really

[00:32:37] stood out to me though are uh like paper lanterns they're like cut out from paper

[00:32:47] so they have a little like you know trick references cut into them and then there's a

[00:32:53] battery operated tea light candle in it um i believe rene verin makes those which she's done

[00:32:59] those a couple of years and they're beautiful little uh basically lamps they'd be perfect for

[00:33:04] night lights but they're so beautiful to look at and you know because they're made out of paper

[00:33:09] and they're basically a pyramid shape you have to be very careful with them but they're oh my gosh

[00:33:13] I think they're so lovely um there have been some crocheted items and some people crochet things like

[00:33:20] um wash cloths or um uh what are those called um cut holders

[00:33:28] going yeah those are what they're called like coffee cozies um ear cozies as well um

[00:33:36] what else uh coasters um yes a lot of crocheted items um one of my favorites have been the

[00:33:43] little sculpted and molded baby gorns and baby forengi um one of our members marion marion mordok um

[00:33:51] she's a very talented artist she sculpts and paints and so what she did when he was she sculpted

[00:33:57] the baby gorn and then she made a plaster mold out of her sculpture and then she used that to

[00:34:06] pour in I don't I don't know what the media is but she poured in she basically used it

[00:34:12] used it as a mold to then like mass produce like 20 or 30 little baby gorn and then she hand painted

[00:34:18] them they're adorable I'm a pediatric nurse so I love anything baby related so uh she made the

[00:34:25] baby gorns and she even gave one of bobby clerk and so he had it at his table and then uh the

[00:34:30] following year sometime after that she made baby forengi so I'm hoping at some facial makes

[00:34:37] some baby borgs it just shows how creative some of these fans are I mean it's we have such a

[00:34:45] talented group in this fandom and they are crafty um but I'm also seeing some items that

[00:34:50] aren't necessarily handmade or crafty key chains wristbands so if somebody like me who can't

[00:34:57] crochet anything wants to come to the group it's okay to bring something like that absolutely

[00:35:02] and I think one year you brought some custom bracelets now some of those uh like rubber bracelets

[00:35:09] yes so those yeah that was my first yes and people have made those you brought those

[00:35:14] marina craft check has brought some to celebrate like voyagers milestone uh anniversary's

[00:35:21] one person brought when that that reference craft swaps the craft swap specifically I can't

[00:35:27] remember what the saying was on it but it was something related to like mastery or artisan

[00:35:35] something like that something that paid homage to the craftiness of the group and also had

[00:35:39] STLV craft swap on it so it was very custom made um and those are welcome uh for the most part

[00:35:46] most people do hand craft items but you are certainly welcome to um order something like that or

[00:35:54] some people and again it's not it's not most but some people have been have said you know they've

[00:36:01] expressed an interest in participating but they can't make anything um so they have collectibles

[00:36:08] that they would like to exchange um and some you know some are worth more than others so it's kind

[00:36:13] of up to the person to decide okay I'll trade you this one collectible for two of your items or

[00:36:19] you know something like that so there's always some flexibility that way um some people have also

[00:36:24] kind of straddled the line between mass production and artistry by painting or somehow creating a

[00:36:33] uh an art piece and then having a professional company reprint it whether in a postcard form or

[00:36:41] magnets or stickers um our friend lean is a very talented artist and she drew a picture of um

[00:36:49] hammer from strange new worlds um and she kind of did a play on on his name hammer and she drew

[00:36:56] a picture of him wearing the like parachute pants and dancing and it says hammer time so

[00:37:03] she made she ordered those in um so she you know hand painted this and then uploaded the image

[00:37:09] and had them printed on um stickers and on buttons and then traded you know one or the other for

[00:37:15] people and then I think one of those ended up on um the actor I can't remember his full name uh

[00:37:21] that sticker to him and said hey look somebody made this part but you know about you and then they

[00:37:26] left the sticker there with him and he loved it I think he took a picture with the sticker so

[00:37:32] yeah so there's um different ways of going about it and uh yeah there's there's always the option

[00:37:39] of joining the group and posting your idea um for example one year I just did not have

[00:37:45] it in me to craft anything and so what I had done was I got um I made a just a very simple little

[00:37:54] STLB crafts law logo with some you know crafty type um clip art around it and I got those made into

[00:38:04] uh the the you know the like shopping bags what are they called they're like reusable

[00:38:08] topics I'm looking at a picture of them right now yeah nice real tote bag yeah convention

[00:38:13] tote bag so that was my contribution that year one year I did the bags in a different color

[00:38:19] and I also made um like combat the concrete kits which I had actually done even before COVID

[00:38:26] because as a nurse and a little bit of a germapho I you know had made these little kits to help

[00:38:32] people out you know in case you know they were not feeling well or actually just to help prevent

[00:38:38] just to kind of boost up their their immune system and also remind them to use tissues and

[00:38:42] cover their faces when they cough yeah perfect for like the current times are into you can't have

[00:38:50] enough hand sanitizer exactly yeah I included hand sanitizer um tissues uh emergency um and met

[00:39:00] metamusile packets because you know people are on vacation they're not drinking as much water as

[00:39:05] they should be they're not eating as many vegetables as they you know normally will always get

[00:39:10] so I included a couple packets of metamusile just in case anyone needed a little bit

[00:39:14] that's correct so if somebody wants to participate you mentioned the Facebook group how can they

[00:39:20] sign up how can they join do you have dates and times for the events set up for the 2023 convention?

[00:39:26] um yes so we normally meet Thursday Friday and Saturday of the convention at 5 pm and it's usually

[00:39:36] at uh Jimmy's place um last year because uh because of the venue change because we were at

[00:39:44] ballies Jimmy's place turned out not to work out because when we got there there was a panel

[00:39:49] ongoing and we make a lot of noise unfortunately when we're at craftswap so we just pivoted and met in

[00:39:55] the kind of large hallway in front of it and that worked out actually pretty well but yes it will be

[00:40:00] at Jimmy's place now that we're back at the Rio um and yeah just 5 pm Thursday Friday Saturday

[00:40:09] we eliminated Sunday a few years ago because it tended to be everybody that had um already

[00:40:16] traded um had already shown up so Sunday was just kind of like the same people going line one

[00:40:21] already traded with you so that's why we decided to eliminate it but um you can either show up

[00:40:27] every day if you'd like because some people can't go certain days or you can only go you know one day

[00:40:33] two days whatever works for you um and uh yeah like again no commitment um it can be a little um

[00:40:42] loud and chaotic but we tried to minimize that the last year by having some people just um basically

[00:40:50] park themselves putting one of their items like an example of their item or a small assortment of

[00:40:56] their different items if they brought different kinds of items on the table and with a number in

[00:41:01] front of it and then they put the number on their chest and then that way we can draw some people away

[00:41:06] from the main big table and then have people mingle a little bit again so um again it can be a

[00:41:12] little bit chaotic but some people say that's part of the fun of it um I won't say I don't want to

[00:41:17] hear anymore complaints about how it's black Friday because I recently won the Star Trek cruise

[00:41:24] and they do a craft swap there Joanne Ort-Loth um who was a longtime STLV attendee decided to take the

[00:41:33] craft swap um idea and bring it to the cruise a couple years ago so I went this past year and

[00:41:40] holy moly that was insane there had it been a hundred people there it was incredible it was so

[00:41:46] crowded yeah it was yeah yeah so ours is much tamer compared to theirs so we'll say that

[00:41:53] and it's funny I did mission Chicago about a year ago or last April and it was not the same

[00:41:57] not having the craft swap it's a it's a highlight of the convention each year um so I'm assuming people

[00:42:02] can also join the STLV craft swap Facebook group um yes absolutely um it is STLV craft swap and

[00:42:11] it is a closed group but it is searchable on Facebook it's also um in the uh I keep calling it

[00:42:19] the unofficial group but that's what it used to be called um the Star Trek Convention Experiences

[00:42:25] Group I often will um either bump or remind people about craft swap in there so they can look

[00:42:33] look for it in there if they're already in that group and there should be plenty of links to it

[00:42:38] in there incredible now this does sound like it's a lot of work for you organizing everything

[00:42:43] finding a table each day is there anything people can do to help you on site or in advance

[00:42:48] to prepare for this yeah um we do have a small moderator team that's comprised of myself

[00:42:56] Lucinda Loflin and Sally C. Graves so between the three of us we kind of do the the organizing

[00:43:06] but it would be very helpful if participants could arrive you know not all participants just a

[00:43:12] couple people 15 minutes beforehand and kind of stake out a table in Jimmy's place because again

[00:43:17] it is open seating um and sometimes you know it could take a little bit of time to find a table

[00:43:23] that is completely empty so if they could arrive early find a table that maybe has a couple

[00:43:29] people that look like they're finishing up their lunch they could go ahead and uh just stake out

[00:43:34] that table for us and spread themselves out just stare them down until they leave that's all it shakes

[00:43:39] I mean I'm not gonna say to do it but I'm also not gonna say not to um yeah no but usually it's

[00:43:45] it's you know people are pretty understanding um we've had people be like oh you need a stable oh no

[00:43:49] I'll move over and so they'll they'll move over to the next table and then they'll watch all the

[00:43:54] craziness and sue and then they come over and ask what's going on here what's happening so um

[00:43:59] yeah so you know trekkies are for the most part very polite um people who tend to help each other out

[00:44:05] when he did um and if possible um we would like to um keep our our our excitement to a minimum

[00:44:15] because usually there's another uh stage near to Jimmy's place um where there are panels that

[00:44:23] may be happening at that time usually yeah yeah yeah so yeah we try not to do a whole lot of screaming

[00:44:29] but you know some people get very excited hey it's a good it's not having a good time so well

[00:44:34] thank you so much for coming on this is really exciting it's hard to believe we're just a few weeks

[00:44:38] away um if people want to stay in touch with you on social media um how should they find you

[00:44:45] I could be found my name is yes um on the convention experiences group um I can also be found

[00:44:52] in the USS Rio STLV group um I also obviously am the the admins for the craft swap group um and um

[00:45:03] that's about it yeah awesome well thank you again we're looking forward to seeing you in a few weeks

[00:45:08] at STLV thank you I look forward to seeing you thank you for joining us for this month's episode of

[00:45:14] the con pod for even more fan organized events at STLV make sure to check out the Star Trek Convention

[00:45:21] experiences Facebook group in that group there's a thread called the 57 year mission slash STLV

[00:45:27] 2023 official trekktivities fan organized events there's a listing of all sorts of events that are

[00:45:33] happening and they are going to be a lot of fun as always we're looking forward to seeing you at

[00:45:38] the convention in a few weeks we'd also like to take this moment to thank our friends over at five

[00:45:43] year mission for the intro music that you heard at the start of this episode you can listen to all

[00:45:47] their music get their albums and some awesome swag by visiting their website at fiveyearmission.net

[00:45:54] thank you so much and until next time live long and prosper