As with previous years, our Art Show & Auction will be operating a pre-registration process for the items you want to sell!

To pre-register your items, simply fill out the form here: https://forms.gle/WgzhgLu6ujuA9QSi7


Not yet ready to pre-register? Don't worry, you have until Noon on Saturday 16th May (UK Time).

Whilst it is possible to submit items at the convention without pre-registering, we strongly encorage pre-registration, as this should significantly speed up the process for you when you drop your items with us!

If you have questions, please contact auction@confuzzled.org.uk

Due to amazing demand the Events team will be closing new event submissions Friday 28th Feb at midnight (UK Time). If you have a great event or social you want to organise please submit this ASAP via the registration portal.

Questions? Please contact events@confuzzled.org.uk - many thanks!

We've compiled our final shortlist of themes for ConFuzzled 2021, which means it's time once again for another round of voting!

To see the themes and cast your vote, head HERE: https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSdnntkU5FzISYVwmHWSAGFH-WqxEDfAO-V-7oGdFm19BIQB_w/viewform

Your vote will help advise our team on which theme is popular with our attendees, and they'll then make their final decision on the selection for ConFuzzled 2021 - your view matters, so please make your preference known via the voting form! Voting ends Friday 28th February.

We’re pleased to announce we’ll shortly be opening for Party Suites! This year, we’ve changed the process, so please read the below for details!

The Lottery will open for applications on 29th February at 7pm, and will close on 7th March at 7pm. The draw will then be held on 9th March. The application form will be HERE: https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSdUD_rhZp2hiE8A064zhEY5tkpSNRCWj5yQb-KGLXGRYpK7fg/viewform

Now, onto the new process! Each night of the convention, there’s only two party suites available for booking. Previously, we’ve used a ‘first come first served’ booking process. However, this meant there was only an extremely limited window of opportunity to apply.

This year, we’ve decided to switch to a lottery process. Here’s how it will work;

1: When you load the online form, you’ll be asked for your registration number and nickname.
2: You can specify up to six preferences for which day you’d like (just choose ‘N/A’ for any preference slots you don’t want to use).
3: We’ll run a draw for names. As each name is drawn, they will be allocated a room in order of preference based on rooms available. The draw will be repeated until all rooms are allocated.

If, following this process any rooms are still not allocated, we’ll offer applicants first-dibs on further draws. Following this we’ll go public to offer further options if any rooms still remain unsold.

If applicants don’t respond & pay within 14 days, then we’ll redraw for that date in preference order to give other applicants the option. It is important to keep an eye on your email (and perhaps whitelist confuzzled.org.uk to avoid any emails from us being caught in your junk-mail!).

You must be registered as a residential attendee for the convention at either the Hilton, or Crowne Plaza. Due to contractual limitations, Party Suites on the Early Arrival / Late Departure days will only be open to those who have booked to stay early/late as appropriate.

The rooms are subject to the same Hilton Terms and Conditions, and ConFuzzled Code of Conduct and Conditions of Sale.

ConFuzzled and Hilton wish for you to enjoy your space and privacy, and you are politely requested to be mindful of the noise levels so as not to disturb other convention guests and hotel residents.

If you have any further questions, please contact registration@confuzzled.org.uk

We’re pleased to announce that Super-Sponsor registration is now open, and we can also share with you this year’s T-Shirt!

If you’d like to help the convention, and want to go the extra mile, then Super-Sponsor is for you. The funds we raise through this are all invested into making ConFuzzled the best we can make it! It really does help, and makes a big difference for us!

Want to upgrade? Just email registration@confuzzled.org.uk and they’ll make it happen for you (if you’re not a sponsor already, both the ‘Sponsor’ and ‘Super Sponsor’ upgrades will be added to your reg, and both will need to be paid for). Pricing can be found here(https://2020.confuzzled.org.uk/attending/registration/), and our reg team will work out what extra you need to pay based on your current level.

Of course we have other choices if Super-Sponsor is not right for you, including ‘Plus’, and ‘Sponsor’ options available, and today we can announce what you’ll be getting in your convention packs. It’s our way of thanking you for your support!

Plus
T-Shirt
4” Holo Decal

Sponsor
All the Plus gear
Sweets
Bee Friendly Seed Bombs
Drinking Vessel / Mug

Super-Sponsor
All the Plus and Sponsor Gear
Bag / Backpack
Custom Velcro Patch

And on top, we’re still looking into the possibility of adding even more!

We promised above to share the T-Shirt design for 2020, and you can see it in the web version of this post here: https://2020.confuzzled.org.uk/2020/03/02/super-sponsor-upgrades-now-available-plus-t-shirt-preview/

We think it’s pretty amazing, and the artwork here is by the wonderful Lapras. Want to see more? Twitter here: @LapresOfficial

If you want to upgrade, whether it’s to Super Sponsor, Sponsor or Plus - just contact registration@confuzzled.org.uk

Directors Statement Regarding Coronavirus (COVID-19)

Dear Attendees,

In light of recent events following the Coronavirus (COVID-19) outbreak that has now spread to 79 countries (05/03/2020), including the United Kingdom (UK), we have been receiving a number of questions and concerns from our attendees. We would like to try and address some of these concerns and answer some of those questions in the following issued statement.

At the time of writing, there is currently no immediate plan to cancel ConFuzzled 2020. However, we must consider the genuine possibility that due to circumstances beyond our control, we may be required to cancel the event.

This would only be done based on current Public Health England and/or HM Government advice at the time of any such decision being taken. The current status of the UK strategy is still in containment. However, there are considerations as part of a ‘delay’ phase that may include the mandatory cancellation of large scale events. The potential requirements of this edict and if ConFuzzled 2020 would be affected by it, if made, are currently unknown.

Therefore, we are currently still planning to go ahead. Please be assured that we are keeping a close eye on the situation, and taking our formal position under advisement from the correct authorities. Should these circumstances change however, we will ensure to advise all registered attendees via ConFuzzled’s official communication channels in the form of a statement from the Board of Directors. Any other information in relation to the cancellation of the event should otherwise be disregarded.

With this in mind, we would like to provide the following advice;

Attendees should check with their own local authorities, airlines and public guidance in your own countries/place of origin. Advice or legislation which could affect you may be different from that provided by PHE/HM Gov.
Attendees should consider having a valid travel insurance policy in place which covers both travel and/or event cancellations, even if you are a UK resident.
Continue to follow World Health Organization advice as provided regarding good hygiene best practices in relation to COVID-19.
We recommend attendees to ensure they are familiar with the ConFuzzled terms and conditions of sale, as laid out on our website.

In closing, we would like to remind our attendees that with planning ongoing as normal, we recently opened super sponsor upgrades and we are operating as usual.

Thank you for your continued support in ConFuzzled.

Yours Sincerely,

Rizzorat, Crimson, Russet
ConFuzzled UK LTD Board of Directors

WHO Advice - https://www.who.int/emergencies/diseases/novel-coronavirus-2019/advice-for-public

ConFuzzled Terms and Conditions of Sale -
https://2020.confuzzled.org.uk/attending/conditions-of-sale/

ConFuzzled Policies & FAQs:
https://2020.confuzzled.org.uk/policies-faqs/

Public Health England
https://www.gov.uk/government/organisations/public-health-england

The CFz fursuit dance competition registration will stay open until May the 1st! Sign up for a chance in the spotlight to show what you got!

CFz fursuit dance competition: http://bit.ly/CFz2020FDC
And Paws on Water (almost full - only non-suit slots left): http://bit.ly/CFz2020PoW

We're working hard to get the results of the party suite draw out to the winners ASAP. As soon as we're able, we'll let you know! :)

A quick update from the ConFuzzled team.

Today's announcement from the UK Government does not change anything for the convention at this stage. We're still going ahead with the convention as planned, and would continue to point you toward our previous statement regarding Coronavirus here: https://2020.confuzzled.org.uk/2020/03/05/directors-statement-regarding-coronavirus-covid-19/

We know there are still questions many of you have, and this won't be the last communication on this topic. As soon as we have more information to share, we'll let you know.

Thank you
ConFuzzled UK Team.

Today we want to share with you the first stage of the close of registration for ConFuzzled 2020,

On the 4th April, at 7PM (UK), we'll be closing for all upgrades and resales / additions.

These means the following won't be possible after the above date & time:

+ Upgrades to Super-Sponsor, Sponsor or Plus memberships.
+ The sale of residential tickets
+ Adding extra days

Registration remains open for attending-only and day ticket sales (for the day ticket process, see here https://2020.confuzzled.org.uk/2020/01/07/day-tickets-now-open/).

Remember, if you have questions about your registration, please email registration@confuzzled.org.uk

Thank you!

Dear Attendee,

As you will undoubtedly be aware, we are all currently facing disruption and impact to our daily lives as a result of the global Coronavirus epidemic. This has moved us, ConFuzzled, other businesses, and indeed the world, into unprecedented territory, with circumstances and recommended actions changing by the day.

We have closely been monitoring the situation, pulling in all information that we can from official governing bodies, and reacting accordingly. As it stands at the time of writing this statement, the HM Government still has not officially announced or made available their plans regarding the banning of mass gatherings, and until such instruction is available to us, we will continue to plan for the convention to occur in May 2020.

In light of the ever changing developments, we want to be as transparent to you as we can. Below is a list of things we feel you should know to highlight what is being done, the considerations that are going into the decision making process, and what to expect should the need arise to cancel or postpone the event this year.

Are you still going ahead?

At the time of writing, our position has not officially changed and currently, the con is still expected to run as normal in May 2020.

This may seem like an odd decision given the circumstances, however, there is a lot of complexity involved in organising and delivering an event as large as ConFuzzled. We have contractual obligations with our 2 venues, as well as other businesses that all form part of the supply chain. It is therefore not a clear cut decision we can take in isolation, as reneging on our commitments could very likely result in us being unable to secure the future of the convention. Therefore until we are firmly in the knowledge that the HM Government has banned mass gatherings, we are proceeding as planned, in the meanwhile working in the background to adapt the event based on the current landscape.

Will the convention be cancelled or postponed?

We are currently in discussions with our suppliers to weigh up the options available to us. We must face the very real reality that we may be forced to postpone or cancel the event. In each unique circumstance, if this should arise, the convention will deliver a formal statement outlining to you what your options will be. These circumstances will obviously rely very much on what agreements can be reached with each of our business partners.

We must stress that each scenario brings its own pros and cons. Whilst postponement to later in the year might seem like the easiest solution, we need to consider things like both venues having the space available or suppliers availability aligning with our new dates. Additionally, we would need to consider the stress this would put on our team of volunteers who would effectively be delivering 2 conventions within a 6-7 month time window when taking into account next year's event.

The true message to emphasise to you is that the process is a complex one, however, want you to rest assured that we are considering every single option. This means preparing for each possibility, and that we will update you the moment circumstances change, with clear instructions on what you will need to be aware of.

Are you insured, and can I get a refund?

We are thrilled that so many of you look forward to ConFuzzled. We know you put a lot of planning and effort into attending. It may be the one holiday or big event that you might attend and so it is a heavy financial investment for you.

The circumstances we currently face are unprecedented in the history of the convention. This is why we are remaining in constant communication with our business partners, as well as our insurers.

Whilst we are of course insured for ConFuzzled, there are specific sets of criteria that must be satisfied in each given situation to invoke this process. Currently, owing to the HM Government's position to not ban mass gatherings as an example, we cannot take the business decision to cancel the convention without there being heavy financial penalties that would jeopardize the future of the event. As such, at the time of writing, our standard Terms of Sale and cancellation policies remain in effect.

What this means to you -

+ If you are faced with flight cancellations or restrictions on travel, you will need to liaise with your travel insurer directly. Unfortunately, this is outside of ConFuzzleds control.
+ You can look to sell your registration spot to someone else who wishes to attend. Email our registration team should you choose this option.

However, we want to stress the following;

As well as making challenging business decisions, we need to consider the human element and the safety of our attendees and staff. We are not ignoring the health risk involved in running a large scale event, even if no such announcement should come from HM Government. This is why we are working with each of our suppliers to ensure we make the best decisions for all involved. Any decision we take, whether due to Government directive or collective agreement, will be done so in such a way that we aim to ensure the safeguarding of the event and the minimisation of any impact to you, the attendee.

Can you help in any way?

Yes! Absolutely!

We ask that each and every one of you tries to remember that ConFuzzled, as large as it is, remains a non profit organisation, run by a dedicated team of volunteers. These circumstances that we all now find ourselves in are uncharted waters. We appreciate that you yourselves will no doubt have many questions and concerns however, our team is equally under immense strain right now and we ask that you treat them with respect and appreciation.

Remember, any decisions that have or may be taken in the coming weeks will be done so with the highest degree of due diligence and not taken lightly. Please try to refrain from taking out any frustrations or annoyances on our team. We are trying our absolute best to ensure we cater for everyone's needs. We ask that you consider the impact your actions may have on their wellbeing and simply ask for you to treat them with respect and the courtesy that they are owed for giving up their time for free to enable you to enjoy ConFuzzled year on year.

Other questions.

We know many of you will have questions not answered above. What if you are in an at-risk group? Will we be extending registration re-sales? What will the convention be doing to protect people in attendance?

Like yourselves, we have these thoughts and considerations in mind, and are working tirelessly to consider each scenario in what is currently a dramatically changing landscape. We continue to adapt, and will release more information to you at each phase of decision making.

What happens next?

We have further meetings scheduled this week with our venues to reassess the situation and once again consider the options available to us. The HM Government is anticipated to release their guidance on mass gatherings on Tuesday 17th March, at which time we will have a much clearer indication of what our next steps will be.

If the circumstances should change we will ensure each of you is aware through our normal communication channels, and this will be delivered in the form of a Directors statement, and will include any instructions you need to be aware of.

In closing, the Directors wish to issue a personal statement both directly to our attendees and our team. We appreciate wholeheartedly your understanding and patience through these trying times. Our objective is to ensure the safeguarding of ConFuzzled for years to come, and want to thank you all for your continued support whilst we ride this wave.

Kind Regards,

Rizzorat, Crimson, Russet

ConFuzzled UK Ltd Board of Directors.

Would you like to help out the convention, and your fellow attendees? Are you able to offer friendly and helpful 'customer-service' style interactions? WE NEED YOU!

We've got several 'front-desk' crew positions available in our convention operations (‘Con-Ops’) department. If you'd like to skip right to the application form, it can be found here https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSdtfTVM5wQl4Qq6oseuZohIiRDVsjjIFAkCQNw4ksm_Pfa2Mw/viewform?c=0&w=1

As a crew-member on the con-ops front desk, you'd need to be on-duty for one (or more if so available) six-hour shift. This would be providing help and assistance to attendees, as well as to other staff & crew.

You may be called upon to get involved with;

+ Dealing with lost property
+ Helping late-registration attendees
+ Assisting attendees with questions
+ Directing people if they need help figuring out where something is
+ Advising people on any queries about our event schedule.
+ Helping with some back-office operations
+ Other 'customer-service' style requests

You'll need to interact with attendees and other staff in a courteous and professional manner. For any issues you're unsure of, you'll have the benefit of a team of people behind you to help out if you need to escalate any issues.

We have several positions available, to ensure we have good cover during the convention period, so apply today and become part of the team!

(successful applications will have a crew-discount retroactively applied to their registration).

Dear Attendee,

We at ConFuzzled want you to know that we are reacting to every piece of information as it is delivered by the Government. Today, the Prime Minister Boris Johnson advised that a more aggressive posture was being adopted in response to the epidemic. The government has now called for the closure of cafes, bars, restaurants, night clubs, theatres, non-essential shops, gyms and leisure centers.

Frustratingly, there still remains no immediate clarity in regards to hotel closures, as this was not specifically mentioned, and many venues continue to remain open. This means that we are once again forced to seek further clarification, and work with our venues to understand our position. These conversations now cannot take place until early next week at the earliest, so we appreciate your continued patience - these are not easy times.

Why can't you simply cancel?

As per our statement on Monday 15th March, it is unfortunately not a straightforward decision that we can take in isolation. The difficult reality ConFuzzled is faced with is a set of different scenarios that if played out, could mean no more ConFuzzled events in future.

The Directors have a legal obligation to secure the future of ConFuzzled, but also have a moral and ethical obligation to the safety and wellbeing of our attendees and team alike. We want to do everything within our power to ensure we do right by you, the attendee, whilst trying to ensure at the same time we can guarantee the survival of ConFuzzled.

Are the hotels being unhelpful?

We must stress that we have an incredibly good working relationship with our venues and are in constant communication with each other.

At these times, we must remember that our venues operate in the hospitality industry - one that is suffering catastrophic impact as a result of COVID-19. They are businesses, with business interests, and whilst they remain in a position to deliver a service, will continue to do so.

On a day-to-day basis we're working to understand how current legislation changes our obligations to the Hotels, and theirs to us. Once again this is why in good faith we continue to plan for the event to proceed as normal and our hotels remain committed as always to us.

What are you actively doing in the background?

The Directors are applying their focus to reacting to each bit of information as it becomes available. As well as reviewing each piece of legislation and government directive in detail, we have also written to the Government directly for clarification. We are also currently running an impact assessment to understand our ability to effectively deliver the convention under the current conditions.

As always, when anything does change, we will not hesitate to inform our attendees and staff.

In the meantime, the wider ConFuzzled team continues to busily plan for the event. This time of year is particularly frantic as final arrangements start to come together.

The hotel likewise continues to plan, and have implemented a number of changes in response to the virus. This includes, but is not limited to, the implementation of a specific Coronavirus awareness training program, hand sanitizers in all public areas, and increased sanitization of all touch points within the hotel 24 hours a day.

Thank You

Once again, we need to express our thanks and appreciation to everyone - our attendees and staff, for continuing to be patient, supportive, and understanding with us in these difficult circumstances. The Directors wish to convey that they are working around the clock to get answers and to make the right and informed decisions that are in everyone's best interest.

Thank you again for your continued support!

Kind Regards,

Rizzorat, Crimson, Russet

ConFuzzled UK Ltd Board of Directors

We will be trying to get out a statement tonight / as soon as possible.

Dear Attendee,

We appreciate you have continued to be patient with us whilst we work on our position with our suppliers. As we have stressed in previous announcements, we have not been in a position to simply cancel the event by choice because of contractual obligations which would leave many out of pocket if not conducted carefully. Our strategy has remained clear and focused - to ensure that we protect you, our attendees, whilst trying to ensure the survival of the convention for future years.

As of 23rd March, 2020 - the UK Government has now issued a directive to the British public that enforces the banning of mass gatherings and mandates social distancing. This mandate is enforceable currently for the next 3 weeks, but this is likely to be extended.

We will now be addressing these changes in circumstances with our venues, and we will deliver a full statement tomorrow evening, 24th March at 9pm.

We appreciate right now you will no doubt have questions, but we please implore you to remain patient until we can now establish the facts before delivering to you a more detailed statement.

We cannot thank you enough for your continued support.

Kind Regards,


Rizzorat, Crimson, Russet

ConFuzzled UK Ltd Board of Directors

Please hold - we are putting the finishing touches on tonight's statement and it will be published shortly.

Dear Attendee,

As all of you will be aware, we are living through one of the most unprecedented events in a generation. None of us can escape the impact of the Coronavirus pandemic. The changes brought about by many of the nations of the world are difficult, but necessary, to ensure everyone's wellbeing.

In these difficult times, we are now having to take similar unprecedented measures, and it is therefore with a heavy heart we must inform you that we have taken the decision to cancel ConFuzzled 2020.

The next ConFuzzled will be in May 2021.

We understand that this will be, for many, upsetting news. However the health and safety of our attendees, our team, and the venue teams is priority one. This decision, whilst difficult, is the responsible one to take.

What happens next?

We know that this is going to leave you with many questions. We have provided some immediate information this evening, with a further update to follow next week. The update next week will include a much more detailed outline of what this all means for you, and your options.

We once more ask for your patience whilst we make the necessary preparations. This will allow us to make everything that comes next, as smooth as possible. To avoid over burdening our registration team, we kindly ask if you could please refrain from emailing them your questions or requests until we make the process public next week.

What does this mean for ConFuzzled?

ConFuzzled UK Ltd is a non profit members club. We as an organisation are able to deliver the event year on year thanks to the generous support and contributions of our members, you.

As you can appreciate, the cancellation of the event has many financial consequences. We operate an incredibly tight budget, with many of our services being paid for in advance. With us being very close to the date of when the event was due to take place, we now require some time to allow return of funds back to the company.

What happens to my registration?

Our finance team is working diligently to assess this impact and we once again emphasise our repeated request for patience whilst they determine what these options will look like to you. Things currently being considered are;

Donating your con fee
Rolling over your registration
Refund packages
Can you postpone the event to later in the year?

Regrettably, whilst we know many of you would like this to be an option, we feel it is in the best interest of the attendees and the team to plan ahead for 2021. We have taken this decision based on the wellbeing of our team to not be faced with the pressures of delivering 2 events in a short period of time. This also avoids for you, our attendees, any confusion and uncertainty about missing the event.

Whilst this year has been an incredibly difficult journey and we have faced uncertainty in these trying times, we can now confidently plan ahead, and move forward towards the future.

I have more questions, who can I talk to?

We understand that you may have many questions that have not been answered right now. We would ask that you wait until we have published the processes and options available to you as these may address many of your further queries.

Our team is fully voluntary and like yourselves, they have had their daily routines and jobs thrown into chaos by the lockdown. Nevertheless we are working hard to get everything in place as quickly as possible, as having the event cancelled like this is not something we ever thought we would have to do.

We will ensure that full details of whom to contact with questions is included in our detailed options update next week if your query is not addressed within that message.

In closing, we want to express as always our love and appreciation to you all for your support of ConFuzzled and the team. We all of us find ourselves in these unique circumstances together, however we will weather this storm as a community.. Thank you for your understanding, and we wish you all good health and safety.

Kind Regards,


Rizzorat, Crimson, Russet

ConFuzzled UK Ltd Board of Directors

IMPORTANT ANNOUNCEMENT:

Today, we're able to share with you our upcoming process and options for your registration fee following the announcement of our cancellation.

You can read the full information and FAQs here: https://2020.confuzzled.org.uk/2020/04/03/confuzzled-cancellation-refund-process/

Our charity, Secret World, are facing a significant disruption to their normal fundraising activities because of the Coronavirus lockdown. Over the next few days we'll be sharing ways you can fundraise, get sponsored, and help out!

First up, the 2.6 challenge! To sign up or give, visit: https://twopointsixchallenge.justgiving.com/get-involved?charityId=181980

For fundraising ideas, visit http://twopointsixchallenge.co.uk