GoGaDoll 2009 Discussion Thread

Ok, that's perfect. I'll definitely go for the parking garage. I know SF well enough to know that street parking will be a hassle and very unlikely to be close to the hotel.

Thanks so much! You and Zagzagael have put my mind at ease.

Jay

 

RE: Oh, yeah. Downtown SF is a nightmare for parking, and I agree with Kellyhime and Zagzagael about parking in the hotel garage. That's your best bet when staying at a hotel.

Of course, if you would like to do some sightseeing, my advice to you is to leave your car in the hotel garage and save up on gasoline. We have buses at almost every corner, and they run pretty frequently. Just thought you might want to know.

 

It looks like the California BOE webpage has been down for about a week now - does anyone know what that's all about?

 

​

Presenting a GoGaDoll Exclusive
DollHeart GOLDEN FER for SD10/13 Girls
Limited to 40 Sets​

Everyone is familiar with DollHeart's exceptional quality BJD clothing. Now, we are excited to present a fashion designed exclusively for the Golden Gate Ball Jointed Doll Association Convention and only for registered attendees. ​

Golden Fer by DollHeart commemorates GoGaDoll's inaugural convention taking place on June 19-21, 2009. The dress is made in a never before used golden color and comes wih coordinating coat and accessories. Please note the very first extra special designer touch--gold tone buttons!​

​

Available only to registered convention attendees. Priced at $98 which includes CA sales tax (paypal payments to add 2.5% unless outside of US, then it is 4%). Two ways to purchase:
1. Paid in full and may be picked up during the convention.
2. Accepting a non-refundable deposit of $25, with the balance to be paid and pick-up made during the convention.

Don't wait until the GoGaDoll convention to purchase this extra special fashion.
Being limited to only 40 sets, worldwide, it is likely to be sold out before the event.
Please PM nathankatt or snowleopard with your order, and we will confirm your registration.
Also check out the convention website at www.GoGaDoll.com​

More pictures of the Golden Fer here at http://dollheart.com/web/shop/clothes/1013g/ld296/ld296.html

 

Damn! The convention falls on the weekend I fly to Spain for school.

 

BJDcollectasy did an article about the convention Check it out here: http://www.collectacy.com/bishonen-house/gogadoll-2009.html

 

Great article at Collectacy!!! Loved seeing all the photos from 2008.
When will you be listing the educational workshops offered at GoGa 2009?

 

hhmm Im thinking about coming ive never been to a doll meet or a doll convention this sounds fun... just need a ride...lol

 

I'd love to go! I think I will. It would be my first con ever.

I'm probably going to make a t-shirt with my forum username on it so maybe people will recognize me. XD

 

Just curious (please tell me if this is off topic) but do you know if anyone from specific states will have carpools to GoGa doll?
I want to go, from western Michigan, but I don't know if I want to drive or to fly there. This is my first con and have never been out of state by myself so I don't know how to go about traveling.
Any pointers?

 

Why is everything awesome BJD related in California? I wish I could go, it looks like alot of fun. I cant wait to see pictures from it from you guys!

 

Hi guys,

Just a note from your friendly neighborhood GoGaDoll Registrar.

(That's me.)

Please take the time to fill out ALL the registration information when you pre-register. Remember, if you just do the default PayPal process, I will not have many crucial pieces of info, including whether or not you wish to volunteer, your age (especially important if you wish to volunteer), and your badge name.

(Don't you hate it when you forget to include your badge name and then you show up at the convention and you're all registered but there's no badge because there was no badge name and you have to write it in Sharpie and hope people can decipher your handwriting?)

If you have already pre-registered, please take a moment to go here, to our registration webpage. If you did not send these details with your payment, please PM me right away with the info.

Thank you, and see you at the con!

 

I'm so excited!! I'll be able to go after all! Since the convention's right after my birthday, apparently my fiance was trying to do a little trick where he'd already had a bunch of family members agree to help get me there (even though he can't go) and was going to surprise me on my birthday with the reservations and tickets already made-but decided to tell me early, as I was stressing over it.

So yay! Won't be able to enter the competition, but will still be going!

 

Peak's Wood Cue is my very first BJD. I loves my Cue (KiWi) lots and she is still my fav ^_^

 

I apologize if I missed it, but has the schedule of events been posted yet?

 

Yeah!!! Please post the schedule soon!

 

I wish i could go this year, but I'll just have to go next year.

 

My daughters and I will be going and we are really looking forward to it! I am new to DOA and new to bjd dolls in general so I can't wait to meet a lot of wonderful people and their dolls!

 

You will have a smashing good time, Anarwyn.... Even if you don't go to a single panel or workshop, or set foot in the dealers' room, it's still like one big giant meetup. Doesn't matter if you know anybody going into it; you'll know lots of people (& their dolls) by the time you come out.

If this'll help tempt anybody, here's the photo-thread from our 2008 event!
http://www.denofangels.com/forums/showthread.php?t=230433
Owner dolls, display dolls, Steampunk Costume Contest entry dolls, clothes-modelling dolls, special-edition raffle prize dolls...

Besides: Our entire staff is all really, really cute. Resistance is futile. This is me, this is our webmistress, this is our adorable Treasurer hobnobbing with two of the Guests of Honor, our head of Security is secretly Mr. Universe, and how cute can a Chairwoman possibly get?

 

is junkyspot, denver dolls and jpopdolls not going to be in the vendors room this year?

 

If anyone is interest in distributing some GoGaDoll postcards please let me know.

We want to get the word out about GoGaDoll so if you own a shop/go to meet-ups/have local friends in the hobby and would like some postcards to hand out please PM me about it and I can mail some to you

Also please feel free to post the GoGaDoll signature banner in your signature, this is another great way to help us spread the word about this years convention. PM me if you need help with how to do this.

Looking forward to another great year!

-Katie

 

Have a question hope you dont mind. since I can only get there for one day are both Saturday and Sunday open to the public for shopping at the swap meet? and what times would that be..

Thanks so much in advance at least I wont have to miss all the fun hopefully

 

RE: Sometimes, it all depends on the individual. I've attended two out-of-state conventions, without knowing a soul -- no friends, no family. But that never stopped me from having a good time. I figured, "hey, there's a doll meetup. What better way to meet new friends than engage in conversation with people who share the same hobby?" Not everyone's that brave. There was one convention that I attended, and some people were a little shy to get their name out and say, "hi, I'm 'so-and-so', and my DoA handle is...". It's not that they weren't sociable people, it's just that sometimes certain individuals are a little self-conscious as to how they are viewed by others. My philosophy is, it's not what others think of you. It's what you think of yourself. If you can keep that positive attitude, you can't go wrong.

 

Anarwyn: It may help you feel more comfortable knowing the BJD enthusiasts are young and old from all walks of life. Come with an open heart and open mind and you will have lots of fun! The positive energy surrounding the event is truly infectious. Being new to the hobby is not a hinderance--there are lots of people who enjoy sharing their love of the hobby with others. Be prepared to see lots of wonderfully customized dolls too. The staff of GoGaDoll welcome and look forward to meeting you and your family!

 

I am so excited! This is my first doll convention. Is this only for BJDs or does it include other dolls as well? Also - does anyone know if they will be selling any Alice Cherry Blossom stuff there? Or any Puki Puki's? Thanks!

 

snowleopard: Thank you, that is exactly what I hope will happen. I look forward to being able to learn more about all the different aspects of this hobby that I am just getting into. It sounds like it is a wonderful atmosphere! I can't wait to see what workshops are scheduled, and of course getting to look at all the items for sale in the dealer hall instead of pictures online will be fun!

 

Anarwyn: You are very welcome. I was new once too, and not a little bewildered by the many dolls, the styles, the sizes, and all the accessories that go with them. That is why this hobby is so wonderful--the infinite variety allows people to express their creativity through their dolls. Enjoy!

 

This brings much sadness to my heart. They were my favorite vendor last year.

 

How would you like to contribute to the fun at GoGaDoll?
​

Even if you can't make it personally to this event, you can still donate your new and unused BJD items! Every item given to us will have the donor acknowledged to the lucky recipient at GoGaDoll! We plan to give away great gifts and prizes to our attendees and raffle off items for our designated charities.

We can use just about anything, and especially if the items are related to this year's theme - Weddings San Francisco Style! So, we can use bjd related items that would have even a tenous link to weddings.

Donors can mail their items to GoGaDoll or bring their items to the convention. Please contact the donations manager at [email protected]
​

A Big Thank You to all of our generous donors past and present! Your continued genorosity will make our third year of running a BJD convention in the San Francisco Bay Area more fun and fulfilling for all attendees.
​

Alex​

​

 

thank you Kelly for the info..: )

 

If you're looking to add even more fun to your weekend, I just noticed that there are two fab shows lined up for the evening of the 19th! Nouvelle Vague will be playing at the Regency Grand Ballroom, literally a few blocks down the street from the hotel. And PJ Harvey (with John Parrish) will be playing at the Warfield just a few more blocks down and around the corner. Doors don't open for either show until the cocktail party is over, so there's no conflict. Tickets go on sale tomorrow morning. Nouvelle Vague is great, but I think PJ is getting my money.

 

This may be a dumb or obvious question but is the cocktail party an actual cocktail party? Can those under 21 attend and is it the same as the opening ceremony or just after/before?

 

If its the same as last year, there are drinks but you have to show your ID to buy any, otherwise anyone (someone can correct me if I'm wrong, we were kind of late to the party last year and didn't see anyone that looked super young there) can come

 

No way!!! That is SO AWESOME! I am so excited now, I can't wait

 

Thank you Kellyhime, I had a feeling that was the case but I wanted to check. My youngest is 19 and I would not want her to miss all the fun. I have never been to an opening ceremony/cocktail party; I am glad now I signed us up for the full three day registrations!

 

Whoo hoo for Cheryl and Lyn and a demo on faceups! Did I just die and go to heaven. Okay, I am a total dork. But I will be there.

 

Once again I apologize for the nagging, but has the schedule been put up yet? Difficult choice but need to decide which day I'll be attending!

 

I apologize for sounding impatient-sometimes the GoGadoll website doesn't open properly on my computer and I wasn't sure if it had only been set up on there so far or if this thread had been linked to there. I fully appreciate all the work that has been put into it and look forward to when it is put up

 

What type of payments do vendors accept? Do any of them accept Paypal? Just wondering so I'll know how to prepare. Thanks!

Jay

 

I would love to go to this, it sounds like so much fun. So, I suppose from this point on I will be saving for the trip and the hotel. I live in Montana, so if there are any attendees that live close by, I may be willing to car pool if you would be willing to put up some money for gas! Just send me a PM!

 

It depends on the vendor, some are able to accept card and some are cash only. I remember last year one vendor also accepted paypal.

 

There is an ATM just down the block from the hotel as I recall - so getting cash is pretty easy.

 

Yep there was a Wells Fargo bank I think right next door.
I found it was much easier to just have cash in the vendors hall because even though a few took credit card or had a computer for paypal it seemed to be kind of a hassle at a busy booth.
Though I think I spent more at the swap meet the last two years. XD

I've been wondering, will there be any Lolita oriented events like the tea party last year?

 

I'm preeeetty sure that this was answered partially in the beginning of the thread, but I figure I'll ask again to be sure.
There is no specific theme for the photography contest, correct?

 

We'll be accepting cash primarily. We can also do Paypal invoicing on Saturday night with jewelry pickup on Sunday morning. ATMs are abundant in that section of Van Ness Avenue...as is coffee.

 

Correct! There is no specific theme for the photo contest - here are the specifics -

Photography Contest
After dressing up our dolls, photographing them is probably the next most popular activity for collectors. What better way to share these photographs than a contest? The photo entries will be on view in the Display Room, and judging will be by the attendees as well as a special “Judges’ Choice” award. Please read the contest rules carefully:

• One (1) entry per attendee
• Photo Size: 8" x 10"
• Frame: Plain glass or plastic, with metal or plastic side clips, OR a plastic one-piece frame with a built-in stand.
• Must bring own stand

Alex

 

You can't get any more convenient than the full service Wells Fargo / Starbucks combo right next door to the hotel. And just down the block and across the traffic light (on the same side of the street) is a Bank of America atm and branch also!
Alex

 

There is a planned tea party event this year, but it will not be specifically lolita-themed - details will be forthcoming!
Alex