Conventions??

[Bekkio]

Hi Lilo,

In choosing between Portus and Terminus, a lot of it comes down to convenience and personal 
preference. Many people have gone to both HPEF's events and Narrate's event and had an equally 
good time.

HPEF has a longer track record and greater resources to bring to bear on its conferences. HPEF is also 
building a broader network of organizing talent, mainly because it does not rely on the same team of 
people who are directly responsible for the conference each time. This provides us with more 
diversity of ideas and less risk of burnout, while simultaneously providing the organizers with the 
benefit of our experience and a continuity of purpose from year to year. We have learned many things 
from our experiences with our conferences to date (Nimbus - 2003, The Witching Hour, Lumos, and 
Prophecy).

I believe the average attendee could reasonably have a good time at either conference. Portus - 2008 
is uniquely positioned among HPEF conferences because its team is so well-balanced between 
experienced HPEF organizers and new and talented staff. 

In addition, one of the things HPEF strives to do for its conferences is to provide our attendees with a 
luxury experience at an affordable price. The Hilton Anatole is a prime example of how HPEF brings a 
little "resort" vacationing into its mix. As with Nimbus - 2003 and Lumos, Portus - 2008 is being held 
at a highly respected and very sumptuous venue, which we are able to offer to our attendees at prices 
below the usual available discounts and promotional fees. This allows our registrants to experience a 
little pampering along with their predilections for Potter.

Ultimately, any conference is what you, the attendee, make of your experience. Portus offers its 
attendees a wonderful selection of special guests, including Dr. Henry Jenkins of MIT, Ms. Monique 
Trottier, formerly of Raincoast Books, and Dr. Edmund Kern, who presented "Snape's Eyes" at Lumos 
2008. 

You can find more information about Portus' schedule on our website - www.portus2008.org.  Please 
don't hesitate to contact us if you have any questions about Portus.

Regards,
Bekki Olivieri
Minister of Magic, Portus 2008

--- In HPFGU-OTChatter at yahoogroups.com, "lilollu" <lilollu at ...> wrote:
>
> Hello, I'm new here and actually I've never been to a
> convention of any kind. I really want to go this year
> either to Portus or Terminus 2008. I'm pretty sure I
> wouldn't be able to go to two so can I elicit your
> advice about which I should look into? I don't really
> know what's what when it comes to fan stuff. I'm
> worried about the total cost, but I just want to get
> the most out of my experience. Thanks for any advice
> you guys might offer.
> -Lilo
>