This is the letter I had hoped that I would not have to write.
At the end of 2021, the Con Chair team met and determined how we would move forward. We decided that we would look at the COVID numbers in the new year (they are higher than ever), we would look at the health of our team (several of whom now have COVID or have family members with COVID), we would look at the number of folks planning to attend and/or be on program (which is currently too small to sustain us financially), and we would look at the advice of our COVID advisory team. Together, these things portray only one responsible decision that we can make: We need to cancel the in-person Arisia 2022. Fortunately, the hotel has agreed to reschedule the 2022 and 2023 contracts and, instead, host Arisia 2023 and 2024 in the Westin.
What does this mean for attendees?
If you have paid for a membership for Arisia 2022, it will automatically be rolled over to next year. If you received a comp for working on Arisia 2022 pre-con, it will be used next year. You can cancel your hotel room directly with the hotel. Please note that you must cancel your room 72 hours before your reserved check-in date in order to receive a full refund.
If you have canceled with more than 72 hours notice, and you do get charged a cancellation fee of 1 night’s room charge, please reach out to innkeeper@arisia.org for assistance in getting the charge reversed. Innkeeper cannot assist with charges due to cancellations within the 72 hour window.
What does this mean for event runners, game runners, and program participants?
We very much appreciate your willingness to share your expertise and creativity. We hope that we will be able to see you at an in-person Arisia in the future.
What does this mean for artists in the art show?
If you have not sent in your art, please do not send it. If you have sent in your art, we will ship it back to you or you can arrange to pick it up, if you are local to the Boston area. We will be discussing refunds and/or rollovers in the coming days and will inform you as soon as we have made a decision.
What does this mean for vendors in the dealers room?
If you have a link to your website and an image, please send it to us. We will put it up on the Arisia 2022 website for those who would have attended Arisia to shop. We will be discussing refunds and/or rollovers in the coming days and will inform you as soon as we have made a decision.
What does this mean for staff?
I cannot even begin to say how much everyone’s hard work on this con has meant to me over the past year. I have no regrets about the time I’ve spent getting to know you and working with you. I do not feel as if any of that time has been wasted. I truly wish we could have gotten together in person this year for Arisia. From the bottom of my heart, thank you!
Will you pivot to a virtual con?
No, we cannot do that, for the reasons we’ve explained before. That said, on the weekend of Arisia, we will still have an online Minecraft server and an official Discord. You will not need a badge to participate. The Arisia code of conduct will apply in both of these spaces. We’ll have more information on how to connect as we get closer to January 14.
Lastly, how can we help?
I know folks will want to help out as we struggle to get things in order so that we can have future Arisias. Here are some ways you can help:
- You will be able to order Arisia 2022 masks here.
- You will be able to shop at the vendors that would have been in the Arisia 2022 dealers room here.
- You can donate to Arisia here.
But the number one way you can help is to please be kind to our volunteer staff members. No one wanted this result, but it was the right thing to do. We have all been working so hard to make this convention happen, and we will all be grieving that it isn’t going to be what we had hoped for. Please be kind and patient.
Thank you,
Vivian Abraham
Arisia 2022 Con Chair
_________________________
The most beautiful sea
hasn't been crossed yet.
The most beautiful child
hasn't grown up yet.
Our most beautiful days
we haven't seen yet.
And the most beautiful words I wanted to tell you
I haven't said yet…
-- Nazim Hikmet Ran