Hey, guys!!
I'm Jen, the Director of Charity Events at Dragon Con. I've been asked to come in and fill you in on the Intergalactic Military Ball and the Challenge Coins that we are offering this year.
For the last four years, the Stargate Multiverse Track has sponsored a Charity Night with Green Screen Photography for its Track members and friends, and has partnered with various tracks over those years. I was the Director of that Track until this year, when I was asked to take on the Charity Events position. I was approached by the Director of Special Events at the Dead Dog Party last year about collaborating and putting on a much larger event for the entire convention, the Intergalactic Military Ball, as a Charity Event.
The idea is to bring together any and every military costuming group at Dragon Con for a huge party, a la "Military Ball" style. This will include any group or individual that wants to come, in any military dress they wish, and also to include civilians. It is - at its heart - a Charity Event, meant to raise funds for this year's Dragon Con charity, the Atlanta Community Food Bank. There will be professional Green Screen photographers, Pub-style Trivia (run by the new SGMT Director), and a big dance with at least one bar available. Additionally, we are welcoming anyone who is a member of an actual military branch, US or otherwise, to come in their own uniform.
The Challenge Coins came about in May, when the Director of Special Events approached me at the Directors Meeting and asked if I knew what is was he was holding in his hand. When I told him that the SGMT had been selling challenge coins to its members for the last 6 years, it just clicked. I am the graphic designer, and I already had a supplier to strike the coins. We decided then to create the set of coins and use them as an additional fund raiser for the charity. As you can see, they are now available in the Dragon Con Store, individually or as a set, at
THIS LINK.
While you will be able to purchase some coins at the event itself, they will be in very limited quantities. We are basing our total order on how many preorders we get between now and August 3. So far, we only have 2 Colonial Marine coin preorders. This means that we would only order 10 to have available at the event. If you are interested in getting your coin, I would suggest ordering ahead of time. This will both ensure you receive your coin, and increase the number we will order to have available at the event itself.
Also, if you know you want a coin (or multiples), but will be unable to attend the event itself, I would suggest finding someone coming to the event who will be able to pick up your order. They will need a copy of your Dragon Con store receipt, and will need to attend the event themselves, in order to do this. The only way to get a coin shipped to you is after the event, if there are any coins left in the style you want. The only caveat is is if you are currently serving in the military; we are working on a way to get coins to our active servicemen and women, but have not worked out the details yet. Your best bet is still to have someone coming to the event pick them up for you, and work out shipping with them.
If I can answer any other questions, let me know. Our event page is at
https://www.facebook.com/events/581954521925174 - you are welcome to post a question there, as well.