CoastCon

CoastCon, Inc. is a non-profit organization that hosts Mississippi's Science Fiction and Fantasy Convention. The corporation is run by a ten-member Board, the members of which volunteer their time to host events throughout the year to promote "fandom" in the Southern Region. Each year CoastCon, Inc. hosts a three-day convention; the 2011 convention will be "CoastCon 34". A portion of CoastCon's proceeds benefit a charity that is chosen each year by its Governing Committee. This year's charity is the Human Society of South Mississippi.

In purchasing admission to CoastCon, you are actually buying an annual membership in CoastCon, Inc. This membership not only gives you license to attend the convention, but also to attend general membership meetings, held monthly throughout the year, and to vote on public issues. A meeting schedule can be found at the website.

The next CoastCon
The next CoastCon, CoastCon 34, will be held March 11-13th, 2010, at the Mississippi Coast Coliseum and Convention Center in Biloxi, MS. This year's theme is Con of the Living Dead.

Events
Members of CoastCon can participate in many unique fan themed events.
 * Discussion panels
 * Many topics are covered
 * Merchant room
 * Merchants from all over the country come to sell a wide variety of goods.
 * Charity auctions
 * CoastCon hosts a charity auction with all proceeds going to the chosen charity.
 * Art auction
 * Professional and amateur artists can submit pieces to be sold at auction.
 * Art show
 * Artists from all over the country submit works to be exhibited and sold at CoastCon. Artists whose genre include science fiction, fantasy, horror, comics, anime, and mass media are encouraged to showcase their art.
 * Slave Auction & Dance
 * Volunteers offer themselves as &ldquo;slaves&ldquo; for an evening, with proceeds going to the selected charity. The dance immediately follows.
 * Gaming
 * Including RPGA rounds, Magic and other CCGs, board games, tabletop war gaming, and a varied assortment of other games.
 * Costume contest
 * The CoastCon costume contest is one of the most highly-anticipated events of the year.
 * Larps

Guests
CoastCon brings new guests and fan-favorites each year. Check the CoastCon official website for the most up-to-date information.

Previous guests
CoastCon has entertained guests from many areas of fandom.

A short list of some of the recent guests (In no particular order):


 * Actress: Nicki Clyne
 * Author: David Drake
 * Author: David Weber
 * Artist: John Picacio
 * Actress: Virginia Hey
 * Actress: Gigi Edgley
 * Actor: Peter Mayhew
 * Game Designer: Mike Mearls
 * Author: Michael Moorcock
 * Actor: Peter Jurasik
 * Actor, Producer: James Cawley
 * Author: Deborah LeBlanc
 * Author: Sharon Green
 * Actress: Noel Neill
 * Gaming Legend: Dave Arneson (R.I.P. 1947-2009)

Volunteering
As a not-for profit organization, CoastCon, Inc. is organized and run by volunteers. These volunteers take time off from their regular lives throughout the year to make CoastCon an enjoyable experience for all involved. If you wish to volunteer for CoastCon, please refer to the official website.

Charity
CoastCon's Board of Directors choose a charity each year, a significant portion of which CoastCon's proceeds benefit. This year our chosen charity is the Human Society of South Mississippi.

Per a letter from The Department of Treasury, CoastCon, Inc is a Not-For-Profit tax exempt entity.