We are excited to announce that pre-registration for the Las Vegas face to face MEPBM game is OPEN!
The event will be held from Friday, June 28th through Sunday, June 30th, 2019 in Las Vegas, Nevada, USA. Our plan is to start the event on Friday @ 4pm and finish by Sunday @ 4pm. This is dependent on player travel schedules and may be adjusted prior to the event. Optional events may be held on Friday prior to 4pm, such as advanced JOverseer training.
General Event Information
Please note, this email is not a summary of all details for the event. This is email is focused on the pre-registration process only. If you would like general overview information about the Las Vegas event:
- Join the online event group here:
https://groups.io/g/mepbm-lasvegas2019
- Visit the event page on middleearthgames.com:
http://www.middleearthgames.com/vegas-2019/
Event Costs Per Player
We are estimating that the event will cost approximately $515 USD (or £405 GBP) to attend. The final amount will be impacted by the total number of players who sign up and the amount raised through player sponsorships.
This fee will include:
- Game fees for your nation (any players with dual nations will be a charged an additional amount, to be determined)
- Two nights (Friday & Saturday) hotel stay at the event venue hotel (Gold Coast Hotel & Casino)
- Five meals (Friday dinner, Saturday lunch, Saturday dinner, and Sunday lunch)
- The costs to run the event, including meeting space and equipment
Players will be responsible for their own travel to/from Las Vegas on their own, as well as breakfast during the event days.
If we collect more money than is necessary to run the event due to player sponsorships, we will use the additional money for amenities such as refreshments and snacks in the team rooms, and event gifts such as t-shirts and mementos.
Pre-Registration Process
We are asking for roughly 50% as a non-refundable pre-registration fee to reserve your spot at the event. The remaining amount will be collected in the coming months once the event budget is finalized. The hotel requires full payment no later than June 15th, but we will likely request this sometime in April or May for sufficient event planning time. Stay tuned for details. It is possible that the remaining amount due will not be exactly $265 USD (or £210 GBP for UK and European players). This number is more likely to go down than up, based on the player sponsorships we are collecting from generous players.
Here’s how you pre-register:
- Visit the Add Credit page on the Middle Earth Games Ltd website:
http://www.middleearthgames.com/add-credit/
- Add $250 USD Credit (or £200 GBP for UK and European players). In the field that says “Player Name and 6-digit ME Account Number”, please also add “Las Vegas Pre-Registration”. Example: "Raven Zachary 111111 Las Vegas Pre-Registration”. This will make sure that your payment is allocated properly to the event.
While event fees are non-refundable, your registration is transferrable to another player should life get in the way of attending. If you have special circumstances, please email me@middleearthgames.com.
If we do not get a minimum number of players to pre-register, then the event will be cancelled and pre-registration fees will be refunded in full. Based on the level of interest from the players, we do not forsee that this will be a problem.
Hotel Stay in Las Vegas
Please do not make hotel reservations in Las Vegas. We are including your hotel reservation with the registration process as it allows us to get benefits for the players at the hotel venue, including meeting space, team rooms, meals, and other services. The room block requirement means we are advising players not to do room sharing, as was originally discussed, as this harms the overall deal terms for the event. Selecting the Gold Coast Hotel & Casino was the best overall deal, despite players not being able to share rooms.
If you intend to stay in Las Vegas for more than two nights (and we encourage you do to so), you have two options:
- Extend your reservation at the venue hotel, the Gold Coast Hotel & Casino, through Middle Earth Games. This is the preferred option. Details are forthcoming. Extra nights, such as the Thursday before or Sunday after, are expected to cost approximately $75 USD plus tax and resort fees. We will provide an option to pay for additional hotel nights at the Gold Coast Hotel & Casino with your second half payment in the next few months. Stay tuned for details. Please do not make a reservation at the Gold Coast Hotel & Casino for additional nights directly, as this will not be credited towards our event.
or…
- Make reservations at a separate Las Vegas hotel for the other nights. Friday and Saturday nights are covered in your registration fees. By staying at the Gold Coast Hotel & Casino on the additional nights (option #1 above), you can help the event meet its financial obligations to the venue hotel.
Travel to Las Vegas
Feel free to make your travel arrangements (but not hotel reservations, as this is covered in your registration fees).
We encourage you to fly in to Las Vegas on Thursday (or sooner) and fly out on Monday (or later), if possible, as this will allow us to have more time for game turns on Friday through Sunday. We understand that some players will not be able to arrive early and depart late due to their work schedules or personal obligations. Taking Friday, June 28th, as a work vacation day will reduce the chances that you may arrive late. If you are flying in on Friday, please plan to arrive in Las Vegas as early as possible to avoid unexpected travel delays and support us starting earlier on Friday. If you are flying out on Sunday, please pick the latest possible flight as to not miss the final turns of the game. Our plan is to start the event on Friday @ 4pm and finish by Sunday @ 4pm.
If you are unable to arrive into Las Vegas until later on Friday, your nation will be managed by your team until your arrival.
Laptops
Players are expected to bring a laptop with them to submit turns. If you would like to attend but do not own a laptop, please contact Raven Zachary, raven@rinzai.com, to arrange for a loaner laptop for the weekend.
Questions? Comments?
Emali Raven Zachary, raven@rinzai.com
Thank you for your interest!