FAQ

General

What is CONfabulation?
Where is CONfabulation held?
Why is your logo an infinity symbol?
Will any celebrities be at CONfabulation?
Who runs CONfabulation?

Policies

How old do I have to be to attend CONfabulation?
What are CONfabulation’s policies on diversity?
What is CONfabulation’s harassment policy?
Is CONfabulation accessible?
What is CONfabulation’s COVID-19 policy?
What is CONfabulation’s refund policy?
Who will see my information?

Virtual CONfabulation

Where is virtual CONfabulation held?
Can anyone attend?
What type of programming does Virtual CONfabulation offer?
What is the Virtual CONfab vid show?
How do I submit a vid?
What are Virtual CONfabulation’s Privacy and Accessibility Policies?

In-Person CONfabulation Programming

What kind of programming does CONfabulation offer?
What is Meet & Greet?
What is Badfic Idol?
What is Fandom Trivia?
What is the CONfabulation Dance Party all about?
How do I participate in the Vid Show?
What off-site outings do you have planned?
Will there be vendors?
What is the Fandom Lounge?
What’s the Charity Raffle about?

Vid Show

How many vids can I submit?
What formats can I submit? What are their specs?
What does Aspect Ratio (16:9 or 4:3) mean?
Are het/slash/incest vids welcome in the show? What about vids that use outside or photomanipulated footage?
Can I submit vids that have been shown elsewhere, or that I’ve distributed online?
How will the vids be shown?

I have a question that isn’t listed here, who do I ask?

General

What is CONfabulation?

In the simplest of terms, CONfabulation is a long weekend where people from fandom come together to talk about the things they love best. CONfabulation is a celebration of fandom with panels and structured events. We are the internet in all its glory, come to life. We are a place to get together with old friends, discover new ones, and talk about everything that makes us squee. For more information, check out our About Us page.

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Where is CONfabulation held?

Virtual cons are just that; held in a virtual space via Zoom and Discord. The in-person cons are held yearly in Chicago, at the Springhill Suites Chicago O’Hare.  Check this year’s con information for details.

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Why is your logo an infinity symbol?

We had a contest in 2016 to see who could create CONfabulation’s new logo! Mikaela (technicolorstarburst) won, and provided this explanation as to her design:

I chose an infinity symbol as the focus because I believe it is synonymous with fandom. Fandom can be viewed as taking something finite, such as a television show or book, and making it infinite through endless interpretations and remixes. This is not to mention the people associated with fandom that come from an infinite number of backgrounds, personality types, gender identities, etc.

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Will any celebrities be at CONfabulation?

No official personnel from any fandom is affiliated with this convention, nor will there be any appearances by any show actors, celebrities, writers, or other personnel. It’s all about us, the fans, and the way we express ourselves and our love for fandom.

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Who runs CONfabulation?

CONfabulation is run by a volunteer committee. You can see a list of current and past members of the con comm here.

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Policies

How old do I have to be to attend CONfabulation?

You must be 18 on or before the first day of the con in order to attend.

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What are CONfabulation’s policies on diversity?

Diversity is a great strength of fandom, and to that end we take proactive measures to ensure all attendees of every race, gender, sexuality, nationality, disability, body size, physical appearance, culture, age and religion are comfortable and welcomed. While we admit we may make mistakes, we strive to always do better.

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What is CONfabulation’s harassment policy?

CONfabulation is dedicated to providing a harassment-free conference experience for everyone, regardless of gender, gender identity and expression, sexual orientation, disability, physical appearance, body size, race, national origin, age, and/or religion. We do not tolerate harassment of convention attendees in any form. Convention attendees violating these rules may be sanctioned or expelled from the convention without a refund at the discretion of the convention organizers. Full details on our harassment policy can be found here.

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Is CONfabulation accessible?

CONfabulation strives to be accessible to all fans. Our event facilities are provided by an ADA-accessible hotel, which houses our Panels, Group Discussions, Workshops, Fandom Lounge, and Dance Party. We are happy to work with our attendees to the best of our abilities on this matter and encourage you to email us with your requests, questions, or concerns related to any special needs or accessibility issues: info@confabcon.com.

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What is CONfabulation’s COVID-19 policy?

CONfabulation requires all attendees to wear masks in all designated convention spaces and be up to date on vaccines. Full policy can be found here.

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What is CONfabulation’s refund policy?

If you need to roll over your registration to next year’s convention, or transfer your registration to another attendee, we can typically accommodate this at any time up to the day before the first day of the convention. Please contact the Con Comm at registration@confabcon.com.

To request a refund of your registration fees, please contact the Con Comm at registration@confabcon.com for more information.

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Who will see my information?

Only authorized personnel on staff will ever see the personal information you enter when you register. The only information shared publicly at the con is the names submitted for the front/back of your badge. However, you must provide a government-issued ID during check-in to verify your name and age. For further information, please see our Privacy Policy.

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Virtual CONfabulation

Where is virtual CONfabulation held?

Virtual CONfabulation is held online using a combination of Zoom Meetings, a con-specific Discord server, and Conline. Panels and activities will be hosted on Zoom and in Discord, and registration, the schedule, and vid shows will be done through Conline.

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Can anyone attend?

You must be 18 on or before the first day of Virtual CONfabulation to attend, but it is accessible to attendees worldwide. The con runs in the US Central Time Zone (the same time zone as our in-person Chicago events). Go here to see what time that is for you.

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What type of programming does Virtual CONfabulation offer?

We offer two days of virtual programming. Day one consists of panels, all submitted and run by attendees, along with the Vid Show, and any official evening activities. Day two consists of attendee-submitted activities, like games, group watches, and TTRPG sessions.

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What is the Virtual CONfab vid show?

Good question! An answer will be here soon.

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How do I submit a vid?

Please see our Vid Show page for current instructions on how to submit your vid.

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What are Virtual CONfabulation’s Privacy and Accessibility Policies?

You can view CONfabulation’s Online Privacy and Accessibility Policies here on Conline.

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In-Person CONfabulation Programming

What kind of programming does CONfabulation offer?

We offer a wide variety of programming, including two tracks of panels, group discussions, and workshops; evening activities; and other special events. Most of our programming is suggested, voted for, and run by attendees, to ensure that CONfabulation is about what our attendees want it to be about.

In addition to that, we also have regular features such as our Thursday Meet & Greet, the Vid Show, Fandom Trivia, and the Dance Party. For current information on programming and programming submissions, check out the Programming page.

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What is Meet & Greet?

Meet & Greet is a casual hangout that happens on Thursday night in the Fandom Lounge and marks the official start of the convention. Here you can meet your fellow attendees and participate in some icebreaker games.

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What is Fandom Trivia?

Can you name every Infinity Stone or Starfleet captain or member of BTS? Show off your stuff at Fandom Trivia! Teams compete in a pub quiz format for prizes and bragging rights. Teams of up to five people are arranged at the event, so you don’t have to bring a team with you to play.

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What is the CONfabulation Dance Party all about?

CONfabulation’s dance is about community, positive self-expression, acceptance, and celebrating everyone’s individuality and amazingness. It’s also a big dance party with complimentary hors d’oeuvres, and more sparkling lights than you can shake a stick at. We dance, we eat, we dance some more, and we come together in the true spirit of CONfabulation and fandom. More information about CONfabulation’s dance, including the theme, will be announced on our Programming page when the schedule is released.

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How do I participate in the Vid Show?

We hold a multi-fandom vid show every year. Each vidder may submit up to 3 works, and we privately inform each vidder if their work is selected as soon as possible after the deadline. For more information on what types of vids we accept and how to submit, check out the Vid Show section of this FAQ. For current news about this year’s vid show, visit our Vid Show page.

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What off-site outings do you have planned?

In the past, CONfabulation has organized an official outing on Thursday to somewhere in Chicago. Outings have included trips to zoos, aquariums, museums, and the Catcade. Going forward, we will no longer be hosting an official outing, but we will have resources available for anyone who wants to plan one for Thursday, or for another day of the convention.

While no off-site outings are part of official CONfabulation programming, many are planned in advance by attendees. They become an essential part of many people’s unofficial weekend plans. For more details, check out the Off-Site Group Outings page.

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Will there be vendors?

We have had a dedicated space for vendors in the Fandom Lounge in the past. However, due to the COVID-19 pandemic, we are currently not offering vendor space. We hope to bring that back for a future convention, and will make an announcement when we do.

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What is the Fandom Lounge?

The Fandom Lounge is a place that fosters creativity and informal discussion. This is where you can play a game, engage in crafting, meet up with fellow attendees, relax between panels and activities, or participate in flash panels. It’s where we meet new friends, catch up with old ones, and it is where we kick off and wind down CONfabulation each year. It will be the center of the action all weekend.

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What’s the Charity Raffle about?

Every year we pick a local charity to support by way of a raffle. We’ll accept donations of fannish, handmade, or just plain cool items, which will then be raffled off at the Dance Party. Raffle items will be displayed in the Fandom Lounge. Raffle tickets are $1 each. To find out about this year’s raffle and who we’re supporting, check out the Charity Raffle page.

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Vid Show

How many vids can I submit?

Each vidder may submit up to 3 vids. Please note: This does NOT guarantee that your vids will all be shown. Barring an overwhelming number of submissions or insurmountable technical difficulties, we will show at least the first priority vid for all submitting vidders.

Also note: submissions are counted by submitting vidder, NOT by collaboration team. Any one member of a team can choose to submit a collaboration vid, but they must then decide the relative priority of that vid vs. any other solo vids they want to submit. Please discuss with your collaborators who will submit which vid.

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What formats can I submit? What are their specs?

Accepted formats:
A single audio/video file in “.avi”, “.mp4”, or “.wmv”. If your video is in another format, please try to convert it, or email us first to see if we can process your video type.

If you prefer to split the file in the format of a MPEG-2 video file plus a separate audio file, please contact vidshow@confabcon.com for instructions.

Specs for accepted formats:
AVI, MP4, or WMV audio/video file: preferred 720×480 (full screen) or 720×404 (widescreen) resolution, NTSC format, encoded at 5500-6500 kpbs bit rate*

MPEG-2 video file: MPEG-2 video, 720×480 (full screen) or 720×404 (widescreen) resolution, NTSC format, encoded at 5500-6500 kpbs bit rate*, with an “m2v” suffix.

*IMPORTANT: Do NOT encode your vid at a higher bit rate. If you do, you increase the file size without noticeably improving video quality and increase the likelihood of jerky playback. No one wants jerky playback.

Audio file: WAV or AIFF format (48 kHz). Please do NOT use AC-3 or mp3.

AVI or QuickTime MOV file (if need be): 29.97 frames per second, 720×480 (or 720×404) resolution, highest quality.

DIVX file (if need be): 29.97 frames per second, 720×480 (or 720×404) resolution, high bit rate.

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What does Aspect Ratio (16:9 or 4:3) mean?

Aspect ratio refers to the size of the picture. Older TV shows that were shot in standard definition are a square picture and are considered 4:3 or full screen. Newer TV shows and movies that are shot in high definition are a rectangular picture and are considered 16:9 or widescreen/letterbox.

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Are het/slash/incest vids welcome in the show? What about vids that use outside or photomanipulated footage?

The short version is, all genres of vids are allowed. The Con Comm doesn’t discriminate when it comes to the content of vids except in the unlikely event that a vid presents liability issues.

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Can I submit vids that have been shown elsewhere, or that I’ve distributed online?

Yes, but priority will be given to those vids that have never been shown at a con or distributed online. We want to encourage vidders to debut their vids at CONfabulation, to create the freshest and most exciting Vid Show possible. That said, if you have something you absolutely LOVED and posted earlier this year, please feel free to send it in. We’ll try to include it if we can.

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How will the vids be shown?

The show will be compiled onto a DVD, and played back on a large screen at the Con.

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I have a question that isn’t listed here, who do I ask?

No worries, we’re happy to answer any questions that you have! You can email us at info@confabcon.com or fill out this contact form.

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