As you’re most certainly aware, 2020 has proven to be a year unlike any other. All of us at BLFC have been closely monitoring developments, in close communication and consultation with our host hotel, and in contact with local authorities regarding our upcoming convention and the implications of the ongoing COVID-19 situation on public events and gatherings in general.

Within the last few days, the city of Reno, Washoe County Health Department, and the Grand Sierra Resort have expressed support for postponement of large gatherings.

In light of these recent developments and in the interests of the health, safety, and well-being of our attendees and the families and communities they return home to:

BLFC2020 will be rescheduled to October 29 - November 1, 2020.

We felt it essential to let all registered attendees, vendors, and volunteers - along with those considering attending - know of this schedule change as soon as possible, so they could review the new dates and plan accordingly. We still have all 4 con days and all the same convention space on our new dates, the Grand Sierra Resort is working closely with us to handle the date change, and our theme and other official con events are set to proceed as planned pending contract finalization - just over Halloween, instead of in April.

If you are still considering BLFC2020, please know:

• Existing con-block room reservations will be moved to the corresponding days for the new convention dates automatically, and at the same rate. Example: if you were booked Thursday to Monday, your reservation will be moved to the Thursday to Monday of the new dates. This migration of existing room reservations to the new dates is expected to take place over the next two weeks.
• If you have already registered for BLFC 2020, your registration is valid for the new dates.

If you can make the new date of Oct 29 - Nov 1, the only action you need to take is to alter your travel plans. Hotel and registration will be taken care of automatically. If you had a con-block reservation you recently canceled, it can be reinstated for the new dates. We will be providing more information on reinstatements within the next few days.

We understand not everyone is able to make the new dates. If you can’t make the new dates, you may use your confirmation email to cancel your reservation (if you can make the new dates, please leave your reservation alone; it will transfer). If you booked at our overflow hotel, we will be providing more information to you in the next few days and intend to give you first access to GSR rooms that free up.

Likewise, your convention registration is fully refundable. You may cancel your registration and request a refund. Please be patient with your refund requests; they are processed manually. You are also welcome to leave your registration in place in anticipation of attending on our new dates. If you’re unable to make it, your unclaimed registration is always automatically refunded a couple weeks after the con. By popular request, you may opt-in to donate your unused registration to help offset the added costs of this reschedule. If you choose to do that, thank you. We pledge these donations will either help run the con, or eventually go to charity. To request your refund, please visit https://reg.goblfc.org/account/orders, click the triple dot and select “request refund.” To donate your registration, go to https://reg.goblfc.org/event/register/edit and check the “donate” checkbox.

Most major airlines have waived change fees because of the current situation. If you have already booked flights for BLFC, please visit your airline’s website or call them to change or cancel your reservation. Individual airline policies may vary. We would suggest doing this at your earliest convenience, and suggest using their website if able as their call centers are currently quite busy.

We understand other conventions and events are already scheduled around the same time as BLFC 2020’s new Oct 29-Nov 1 dates. If you were planning on attending one of these other events and our new schedule poses a conflict, please attend that other event! Support our fellow conventions, and enjoy yourself thoroughly at them. We’re all in this together.

We are deeply grateful to the Grand Sierra Resort for all their help throughout this process, and their assistance with this date change. BLFC is extremely fortunate to have such a close relationship with a host hotel that has been a valued partner in making the convention happen each year, and in helping handle such a major rescheduling. We are also endlessly grateful to our attendees who have supported BLFC in the past, and those who were set to attend BLFC 2020 this spring. Without you, our convention could never take place, and your health and safety were the driving factors behind this schedule change.

Attempting to hold the convention as originally scheduled in the current climate and circumstances could expose attendees, vendors, volunteers, panelists, hotel staff and friends and families back home to unnecessary risk and many foreign attendees could have been denied the opportunity to travel. Potential disruptions to domestic travel and services left us unable and even unwilling to proceed as originally planned. We fully appreciate how disappointed many of you likely are, and are equally disappointed BLFC 2020 won’t take place in April. We also appreciate how difficult it might be to alter plans. We’re excited to have the opportunity to reschedule the convention for later this year instead of risking being mandated to cancel last-minute. Thank you for your understanding and flexibility.

Vendors: We are particularly sensitive to how important conventions are to vendors. All vendors approved for BLFC 2020 (April) now already have a slot for BLFC 2020 (October). Fees paid will be honored, and also fully refunded if you can not make the new dates. Also if you recently canceled before this announcement, your table can be reinstated. Vendors may contact dealers@goblfc.org to request reinstatement.

Volunteers: If you were scheduled to be one of our volunteers at BLFC 2020 but are unable to make the new dates, please contact us at hr@goblfc.org to let us know. We will surely miss you, but we completely understand. Similarly, if you wanted to volunteer but couldn’t make the old date, please apply!

Please understand this rescheduling is a significant logistical undertaking, so while we are eager to answer any other questions you might have and be able to provide assistance where possible there may be some initial delays in responses, handling requests, etc. We will endeavor to release further relevant information as soon as possible, and keep you posted on important dates, developments, announcements, and more over the course of the next few days. Thank you for your patience and understanding, and we look forward to welcoming you to Neo-Reno this Halloween.

Regards, BLFC exec team

Relevant Links:

• Registration: https://reg.goblfc.org
• Refund request: https://reg.goblfc.org/account/orders (Click the triple dot and click “request refund”)
• Donate your registration: https://reg.goblfc.org/event/register/edit and check the “donate” checkbox. (The checkbox is still being deployed and may not be available for a few days.)
• Volunteers: email hr@goblfc.org
• Apply to volunteer: https://reg.goblfc.org/apply/volunteer
• Vendors: email dealers@goblfc.org
• Hotel room refund: check your email for your room confirmation.