Uru RealLife Community

Hello from your 2008 Mysterium Committee!

We're working on all of the details we'll need to get this year's Mysterium planning off to a solid start.

MYSTERIUM 2008 LOCATION

We are looking for proposals from Mystites in the Eastern Time Zone who would be willing to host Mysterium 2008 in their city. Proposals should
include:

1) The name and contact information of a local who is willing to commit to being the local coordinator. This committee position includes locating
hotels that meet Mysterium needs, finding local events and resources for Mysterium attendees, and any other committee needs that are best handled by a local person.

2) A rough idea of basic hotel costs in the areas, airports and public transportation available, any major events in the area during the summer
that could interfere with Mysterium, an idea of mid to late summer weather.

These proposals should be emailed to us at cagraywolf@hotmail. com or lakem@tezhme. net by February 5th, 2008

From these proposals, we will build a pool of potential locations for Mysterium. We are also seriously examining the possibility of adding
Mysterium in Atlanta, GA into the pool; possibly with GameTap's assistance. If anyone is willing to be the Local Coordinator for Atlanta,
please contact us by the February 5th date.

MYSTERIUM 2008 DATE

We are still waiting on further information to finalize the date. However, we are shooting for late July or early August, so you can begin narrowing
down when you need that time off.

MYSTERIUM 2008 WEBSITE

We are working on a new website (which will be at mysterium.net) to house all the latest and greatest information, including updated contact
information. We'll send out some communications when that website is up and working.

UPDATE: Our official website is now live at Mysterium.net. Please be sure to come visit us. We will be constantly updating our website to keep you all informed to the latest happening and further updates.

MYSTERIUM 2008 COMMITTEE

Secretary – Vaaht
Deputy Secretary – SR388
Treasurer – CAGrayWolf
Cyan Worlds Coordinator – RAWA
Cyan Worlds Liaison – Lehsa
Gametap Coordinator – TBA
Gametap Liaison – Oscelot
Community Liaisons – CAGrayWolf, Blade Lakem
Local Liason – TBA
Swag Coordinator – Lehsa
Website Committee – Alahmnat (Website Designer), TW (Website Host)
Events Coordinator – Eleri
Events Subcommittee: Blade Lakem, Oscelot, SR388, CAGrayWolf, Lehsa
Logistics Coordinator – CAGrayWolf
Logistics Subcommittee – Eleri, Oscelot, TW
Historical Committee – TBA

If you have any questions, please contact us at cagraywolf@hotmail. com or lakem@tezhme. net.

Thanks for your patience!
The Mysterium 2008 committee

Mysterium Location Deadline Extension

The Mysterium committee has decided to move the deadline for bids for locations for Mysterium 2008 until Feb 14, 2008 in order to solicit any extra bids from community members to ’sponsor’ a location. The location must be in the Eastern Standard Timezone, and this person would act as the local person to act as a point of contact, during which time they would join the committee.

Also, due to the recent, saddening announcement that GameTap is discontinuing Uru Live, GameTap’s participation in an Atlanta Mysterium is no longer viable. A Mysterium in Atlanta is still possible, with a local sponsor. We repeat, again, that this would be without GameTap’s participation.

We would like to take this opportunity to clarify the position of the Local Liaison. The responsibility of the Local Liaison is to consult with the Mysterium Committee on matters relating to the locality that is chosen. This includes local attractions, places to eat, hotel information, planning logistics (areas to avoid, what we might want to be aware of, etc) and any other information that would be helpful in planning the event.

The Local Liaison should be local to the suggested location, and the location should be within the Eastern Standard Timezone. This person should be relatively aware of the details of the location, as they reside there.

The Local Liaison will become a full member of the Mysterium Committee for the 2008 planning season leading up to Mysterium 2008. Therefore, they will function as a full member of the committee for this time, attending meetings, sharing ideas, etc. It is during this time that they will help us plan. This obviously might include any footwork that would be needed to be done locally.

We would like to stress that we will not be considering any locations which do not have a local sponsor. So if you want to have Mysterium in your city and are willing to commit, please let us know!

You can email us at cagraywolf [at] hotmail [dot] com or lakem [at] tezhme [dot] net.

Mysterium Registration Fees
February 6th, 2008 by CAGrayWolf

After much research and discussion, the Mysterium committee has decided that there will be a registration fee for Mysterium 2008. The amount of the fee is yet to be determined, but we expect it to be between $10-$20 per individual. We also plan to have rates for families and groups.

Traditionally, Mysterium has had no registration fee. However, previous members of the Mysterium committee have paid for the majority of the costs out of their own pockets. We are instituting a fee in hopes of making Mysterium a more self-sufficient grassroots effort and to avoid financial burdens on present and future members of the committee. The collected fees will go to pay for such things as: hotel and conference room costs, presentation equipment, goodies and packets given out to attendees, and event reservations.

We intend to be transparent about all funds that are collected by the Mysterium committee and exactly what they are used for. The community will be able to see how their money is being used through quarterly financial statements posted to our website. We are currently determining how much money we will need and what events and purposes we will need it for.

Additionally, we plan to accept donations in addition to the registration fees for those who wish to contribute. In order to facilitate this, we intend to have a PayPal link on our website by this time next week. This is in the final process of being set up.

We’re currently planning hard in order to help make Mysterium 2008 a fun and memorable success. We will make more announcements about these topics as we determine them.

Thank you from your Mysterium Committee.

Shorah Explorers!

Things are hopping here at Mysterium HQ! While we work on some exciting details and announcements, we thought we'd get the community's input on a couple of issues: we would like to know if you are planning to attend Mysterium 2008, and which weekend between mid-July to mid-August works best for you.

To take the survey, please go to the Mysterium Date and Attendance Survey
Thanks for your input ahead of time, and watch out for more surveys and news very soon at Mysterium.net!

Mysterium Committee

Shorah Explorers!

The nominations for this year's Mysterium location are now closed. We have received bids for the following cities: Atlanta, GA; Boston Providence Corridor, MA; Cleveland, OH; Detroit, MI; Ft. Lauderdale, FL; Orlando, FL; Pittsburgh, PA. We're running a survey to see which of the potential Mysterium locations has the most community interest.

Before the survey, you will be presented with some preliminary research data indicating the general cost associated with each location. We have also listed a number of attractions in and around the cities. We have compiled this data to make it easier for the community to make an informed decision as to which location would be best.

This survey will remain open until March 15th, and we will announce the results soon thereafter. We will then begin scoping out accommodations in the chosen city with help from the city's local contact, and then announce the hotel and date as soon as possible so you may begin making your reservations.

While your vote will be considered the deciding factor in the location of Mysterium 2008, the committee reserves the ability to overrule the top selection only in the event of severe mitigating circumstances, such as hotel availability, natural disaster, or other crisis. In this case, we will select the second-most popular location instead.

This survey will record participant's preferences for the location, ranked from most-preferable, to least-preferable. The results will then be scaled; to give the most-preferable votes more weight and the least-preferable the least weight. This will allow a more accurate picture of which city people prefer, and it will allow us to easily determine a second choice.

Please visit the Mysterium Location Survey to vote! You may only vote once, and duplicate votes will be detected and discarded.

Be sure to keep checking Mysterium.net to keep up with any news!

~Wolfie~
Mysterium Committee

Mysterium 2008 Location & Date Announcement

Shorah Explorers!

We are excited to announce the location and date for Mysterium 2008! The community has chosen Boston, MA for this year's event, for the weekend of July 25 - 27, 2008. We are already working on finding and reserving a hotel and once we have this information we will be making another announcement with the hotel details so that you all can make your reservations. We are hoping to have this information to you within four weeks of the date of this announcement, if not sooner. There will also be another gathering in Kirel Community Room and CyanChat next week (time and date TBA) for you to be able to talk with some of the Mysterium Committee members about the upcoming Mysterium. Please be sure to visit Mysterium.net for details.

~Wolfie~
Community Emissary
Mysterium Committee

Shorah everyone!

We now officially have a PayPal account set up and ready to accept donations. Donations will be used to reserve rooms under a special Mysterium rate, the conference room, audio/video equipment, along with any events planned, swag, t-shirts, etc. You can donate any figure you wish up to $100.00 USD. You do not have to attend Mysterium to support the event(s). Those attending will still be required to pay for their own travel, hotel reservations, food and other personal and group expenses. Please visit Mysterium.net and click on the donations button if you would like to donate. All donations will be kept strictly confidential.

Please keep in mind that your donations are not a part of the Mysterium registration fee as this will be a completely separate fee that will be added to the website as a link very soon.

Any corporation desiring to donate anything towards Mysterium needs to contact the Mysterium Committee beforehand at cagraywolf [at] hotmail [dot] com.

You can also choose to buy a Mysterium T-shirt at our CafePress store when they become available.

~Wolfie~
Treasurer & Community Emissary
Mysterium Committee

Shorah, Everyone!

What's Mysterium without t-shirts? Once again it's time for the Annual Logo Contest! There have been some changes from past years, so please make sure you read the submission guidelines carefully. There are so many creative people in the D'niverse community, we're excited to see what this year's submissions hold!

Logo Contest for Mysterium 9 ~ Boston, MA ~ July 25-27 2008
Submissions must be received by April 22nd, 2008


General Submission Rules:

~~Entries not meeting submission guidelines will be discarded.
~~Entires are to be kept confidential until after the winners are announced. Entries found posted in any public format prior to that date will be disqualified. (This includes publicly asking people to look at your entry elsewhere, but does not include privately asking people for help.)
~~Screenshots from any of the games are not allowed.
~~The Mysterium Committee reserves the right to make small design adjustments as needed to facilitate printing.
~~All submissions become the property of Cyan Worlds Inc.

You may send in as many designs as you like, they must each be sent individually, with the subject line "Mysterium Logo Contest- (Front or Back)" and this in the body of the email:
Your real name
Your email
Your screen or forum name

PLEASE name your files such: firstname_lastinitial_front or firstname_lastinitial_back
Entries must be high quality, 300 DPI minimum. If you can submit vector graphics, you will have our eternal appreciation.
Our prefered file formats are: .tif, .ai, .psd .eps, .swf
We will also accept .jpg, .png (no transparency) .pdf
We will not accept .gif, .bmp

Submit your entires to: info@mysterium.net

THE FALLING MAN- .jpg, .eps & .tif
Previous Years Shirts- HERE

FRONT LOGO:
The shirt front logo should be a simple, easily recognized design that incorporates the falling man. It will be used on the front of the Mysterium t-shirt, and on this year's memorabilia.
~~Black and white linear only- No grayscale, shading or halftones
~~Must use Falling Man logo
~~May contain Location and Date
~~May contain word "Mysterium"
~~Print size should be no less than 8" x 8"

BACK LOGO:
The shirt back logo is more detailed than the front logo, and usually visually represents the location Mysterium is being held.
~~2 Colour- May contain halftones/shading
~~May use Falling Man
~~Should contain Location and Date
~~Should contain word "Mysterium"
~~Print size no less than 9" x 12"


~Wolfie~
Mysterium Emissary
Mysterium Committee

MYSTERIUM 2008
BOSTON, MA ~ JULY 25-27[/size]

A weekend of fun, adventure, learning and community kicks off FRIDAY at noon, and wraps up with Closing Ceremonies at 4pm on SUNDAY. Join us for three full days of MYST!

OUR HOTEL:
Hilton Garden Inn ~ Burlington, MA
Located just 15 miles NW of downtown Boston, and 11 Miles from Logan Airport, this beautiful hotel offers us everything we need, and then some!
We have graciously been given a room rate of $95/night (plus 9.7% total tax) for occupancy of up to 4 people per room. You can easily reserve a room by using our RESERVATION PAGE

REGISTRATION:
As previously announced, Mysterium will have a registration fee this year. This fee goes to cover hotel and materials costs, allowing us to bring you the best Mysterium possible, funded by the community, rather than individuals. This year's registration fees are as follows:

Through June 15:
Adults (over 18): $15~~Children (10-17): $10~~Children under 10: $5

Through July 15:
Adults (over 18): $20~~Children (10-17): $15~~Children under 10: $10

There will be no pre-registration after July 15. At the door prices are:
Adults (over 18): $25~~Children (10-17): $20~~Children under 10: $15

In addition to the basic registration we have some special registration categories:

FAMILY RATE: Families consisting of 2 Adults, and 2-4 children have a flat rate of $45. (additional children at regular price) After June 15, that rate is $50

GROUP RATE: Groups consisting of 5-10 Adults who register and pay together (using one registration form, and one paypal payment) pay only $10/person. After June 15, that rate is $15/person

We have an easy to use registration form that will calculate your fees for you, take you straight to paypal to make your payment, and then send the whole form to us. Paypal is our preferred method of payment, but if you must send check or MO, that information is on the form as well. Please see our REGISTRATION PAGE for the form, and further details.

COMING SOON:

Cat-herding Galore! Keep your eyes open for information about Room-sharing at the hotel, carpooling to and from the airport, and other ways to make Mysterium easier, and inexpensive!

Events! Be watching for announcements about things like ~~ Tabletop Ayoheek ~~ Marker Missions ~~ Classes ~~ Presentations ~~ And the great mystery: What did Atrus break this time?!?

Don't forget that the LOGO CONTEST ends on April 22nd! Get your entries in soon!

UPDATE:

OUR HOTEL:
Hilton Garden Inn ~ Burlington, MA
Located just 15 miles NW of downtown Boston, and 11 Miles from Logan Airport, this beautiful hotel offers us everything we need, and then some!
We have graciously been given a room rate of $95/night (plus 9.7% total tax) for occupancy of up to 4 people per room. You can easily reserve a room by using our RESERVATION PAGE

Shorah Explorers!

I'LL HAVE A KING-SIZED MYSTERIUM UPDATE TO GO, AND A DONUT...

LOGO CONTEST WINNERS
We are pleased to announce that the winners of the 2008 Mysterium logo contest are

Daniel 'Floydman' Floyd and Claire 'Shoom'lah' Hummel
You can view the winning entries, and the other entrants HERE

Tshirts and other nifty items featuring their artwork are now available at our Mysterium CafePress Store

Congratulations to you both, and thank you to everyone who entered!

MYSTERIUM AUCTIONS
Between now and Mysterium, we will be having several items up for grabs on Ebay, suitable for any Myst fan's collection!

You can view all active auctions HERE

REGISTRATION
We've made registration easier with a new web based form! Register for Mysterium today!

ROOMMATES
Looking for someone to share a hotel room with? We now have a roommate matching system to help you find others who are looking to share a hotel room and split expenses to help make you trip more affordable and stress free. Visit our room share page HERE

PRESENTATIONS:
We are trying something new this year for Presentations, by offering three different formats for groups & individuals to share their works with the community:

Display- Table space for displaying artwork, crafts or other creative efforts.

Small Group- For a small class, panel or smaller presentation.

Performance or Presentation- For larger presentation to all Mysterium attendees

Further details about each option, presentation rules and requirements, and registration, are available now on our Presentations Page HERE

PAPER PEOPLE
Once again, we invite those D'niverse fans who can't join us in the flesh to join us on paper. Please send your picture in jpg format, with an 8x10 print size, to paperpeople@mysterium.net

EVENTS
Have we got some fun stuff planned for this year! Visit our Events Page for a preview!

PRIZES & MATERIALS
One of the things that makes Mysterium great is the amount of community involvement, and one way you can be involved – even if you aren't able to attend Mysterium – is through the donation of prizes or materials.

If you create items that are directly related to the D'niverse (like Journey Cloths, or linking book replicas), or are thematically similar (like journals, or art of Age-like locations), we'd like to invite you to donate an item or two for prizes at Mysterium. In the past Mysterium has awarded prize winners journals, decorated cones, Journey Hand necklaces and more. Unique prizes are an inspiration to everyone! Please contact us at info@mysterium.net for donation instructions.

If you have materials you think might be useful to us, like button blanks, or printer paper, we may be willing to find a use for them! Please contact us at info@mysterium.net

TRANSPORTATION
Jet Blue has several specials to Boston right now, check them out!
We recommend that attendees NOT use American Airlines if at all possible, given their new $15 fee for a standard checked bag.
Manchester Ariport (MHT) is less than 50miles from the hotel, and there is a free shuttle that goes from the airport to the regional transit center near the hotel. Booking a flight to that airport may be cheaper!

Shorah Explorers!

In order to allow more people to attend Mysterium, despite increasing gas prices, and other economic BLAHS, we have ELIMINATED the June registration increase, yay!

PRE-REGISTRATION (and all the goodies that come with it) will remain the same price as it has been, until July 15th! AND all pre-registrations are entered into a drawing for one of the highly nifty RIVEN CRYSTAL KEYCHAINS by RIUM+!

In addition, the at the door price has been lowered AND we've added a 1 day pass for $10.

David Sweeney aka Wolfie
Mysterium Emissary

4,17 $/gal. @ MA, USA (regular gas / av.)
13,46 $/gal. @ Germany (Normalbezin / av.)

It's always kind of fun when you're moaning about the high gas prices in the US in european forums.

====================
Offtopic-Einschub:
CAGrayWolf ist am vergangenen Wochenende leider gestorben.

Falls ihr kondolieren wollt, tut dies bitte nicht hier, sondern in dem Thread im MOUL Forum oder auf der extra dafür eingerichteten Seite.

Ob und wie das Thema Mysterium hier im Forum fortgeführt wird, weiß ich nicht.

Mucol
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