Whale of a Crime Newsletter: March 20, 2019


Welcome to all our new registrants since the last newsletter. Only one more week until the convention!

Updates from Co-Chairs Colleen Glynn & Linda McNab

Coat Check
There will be a volunteer-run Coat Check in the Regency Foyer where attendees can leave their coats, umbrellas, and book bags at their own risk — on Friday and Saturday only, from 9:00 AM to 5:00 PM. Look for the table with the large stuffed whale, the one wearing the Deer Stalker hat and holding the magnifying glass. (The whale is on the case!) Left Coast Crime and volunteers are not responsible for items left after 5:00 PM.

Shipping
There will be will limited service from UPS on Saturday only. Packing supplies and forms will be delivered to the Tennyson Room (on the 4th floor) on Saturday morning. A volunteer will help people pack up their boxes and UPS will come and pick up the boxes by 4:30 PM. Payment will be by charge card or UPS account.

Questions? Email Linda McNab or Colleen Glynn.

Registration

The Registration Table will be in the Regency Foyer on the 3rd floor of the Hyatt. Pre-registration will take place on Wednesday, March 27 from 3:00 – 5:00 PM. Registration will reopen on Thursday, March 28 at: 8:30 AM.

What To Wear

Left Coast Crime is a casual convention. Comfortable shoes and layers to cope with fluctuating temperatures inside the convention rooms are best. Some attendees do like to dress up for the Awards Banquet on Saturday night, but casual clothes are also common. The advance forecast of the weather during the convention has changed from mostly showers to mostly sunny, but it may change again over the next week, so be prepared!

Tipping in Vancouver

This tipping advice comes from A Guide to Tipping in Canada
Chambermaid: $2 to $5 per day or a lump sum at end of your stay.
Doorman: $2 if he hails you a cab.
Bellman: $2 to $5 per bag.
Wait staff/servers: 15% to 20% of the before-tax total is typical.
Bartender: 10% to 20% is standard or often a “keep the change” rule applies.
Cabs/taxis: Anywhere between 10% to 20% of the fare. For example, a good tip would be $2 on an $8 fare (easy to round up to a $10 bill) or approximately $5 or $6 on a $40 fare.

Whale of a Crime Needs You!

As an all-volunteer organization, LCC can’t run conventions without volunteers! Out thanks to all who have already volunteered to help at Whale of a Crime. We are still searching for volunteers to help at Registration, the Volunteer Table, with Author-Hosted Table sign-ups, and in Panel Rooms. Can you donate a couple of hours to LCC? Volunteering is a great way to make new friends! Please check our Volunteers Needed page to pick your volunteer job.

Left Coast Crime Conduct Policy

Left Coast Crime is a fan convention, dedicated to creating a friendly, welcoming, and inclusive atmosphere in which all members of the community can celebrate their love of books. We are dedicated to the safety, security, and enjoyment of all attendees, and as such, the convention should be free of discrimination or harassment based upon an individual’s sex, race, ethnicity, national origin, age, religion, or any other legally protected characteristics.

All attendees are expected to abide by this policy.

Harassment is behavior that alarms or threatens, or is unwelcome or offensive to the person it is directed at. Examples of harassing behavior include unwanted physical contact, comments or foul language of an offensive or sexual nature, sexual propositions, sexual jokes or remarks, obscene gestures, and displays of pornographic or sexually explicit pictures, drawings, or caricatures, intimidation, stalking, following, harassing photography or recording, and false accusation of harassment.

Any attendee asked to stop harassing behavior is expected to comply immediately. If you feel that you or another attendee has been harassed or discriminated against on the basis of his or her sex, race, national origin, ethnic background, or any other legally protected characteristic, you should, if you are comfortable doing so, explain the behavior to a member of the Left Coast Crime committee, a member of the hotel staff, or both. All complaints of unlawful harassment will be handled in as discreet and confidential a manner as is possible under the circumstances. If no Left Coast Crime committee member is available, or if you feel it would be dangerous (such as in the case of an immediate physical threat) to inform such person, you should immediately contact the police.

The LCC Committee

Have questions or need assistance during the convention? Visit the Registration Table or flag down any of the Whale of a Crime committee members who are wearing Silly Sea Creature stickers, like Richard Moby. We want to help you enjoy Whale of a Crime!

Reminder: Opportunities for Authors & Fans

At Left Coast Crime 2019 we are offering several opportunities outside the normal panels and book signings for readers and authors to interact.

Author-Reader Connections
Interested in a lively talk with an author? Visit our Author-Reader Connections Page to sign up for a free author-hosted event. You MUST be registered for the convention to sign up for an Author-Reader Connection. Your Whale of a Crime Name Badge will be required to participate. You may sign up for a MAXIMUM of two Author-Reader Connections, but no more than one per host.

Author Speed-Dating
Author Speed-Dating will take place in Regency C-D on Thursday March 28, from 9:00–11:00 AM, before the panel programming begins, and is a fun and crazy way for authors to connect to a new set of readers. The time-frame and setup allows 40 authors to circulate and 144 fans to sit and enjoy the 2-minute pitches. Les and Leslie Blatt will be our Speed-Dating Hosts.

Author-Hosted Tables
When you register, look for the Author-Hosted Table sign-up sheets near Registration and sign up to sit at an Author's Table during the Awards Banquet on Saturday evening. There will also be open tables.

One Shots & You Had Me At…
The One Shots and You Had Me At events will alternate in Oxford-Wales throughout the day on Friday and Saturday. There will be a five-minute break between the 15-minute presentations and 5-minute readings. Drop by and stay as long as you like! (Schedule)
  • One Shots: Fifteen minute presentations by authors and attendees with interesting information or specializations they’d like to share.
  • You Had Me At… Readers! Time to meet new authors. Authors read the first page of their novel, novella, or short story — just enough to provide a respite from the busy conference.

Hospitality & Silent Action

There will be occasional service of coffee and tea in Balmoral-Winsor along with the Silent Auction items for your viewing and bidding pleasure. The Hyatt will not allow us to bring in the usual packaged snacks this year, so bring your own if you are a snacker! We are looking into purchasing a limited amount of snacks through the Hyatt, but they are quite pricey — $6.10 US for a single CLIF energy bar! And just FYI, those much-needed cups of coffee/tea in our Hospitality Room cost the convention $8.35 US per cup.
Hours: Thursday-Saturday 11:00 AM–4:00 PM, Sunday 8:30–10:30 AM

Silent Auction

Each Left Coast Crime Convention raises money to support a local literacy organization with funds raised through a silent and live auction and the annual Quilt Raffle. Whale of a Crime’s auction recipient is ONE TO ONE, a unique children’s literacy program that provides one-to-one tutoring to children in elementary schools during regular school hours. Trained volunteer tutors work with students who are identified by their teachers as needing a boost in their literacy skills. Typically, each student spends approximately 30 minutes two to four times a week with a volunteer tutor. ONE TO ONE provides these children with an opportunity to practice their reading in an environment where it is okay to take risks, make mistakes, and learn at their own pace.

All proceeds from Left Coast Crime 2019’s auctions go to ONE TO ONE. Anyone — reader, writer, bookseller, librarian, blogger — may donate an item or two to the silent auction. You can either mail your Silent Auction donations to yourself at the hotel or bring them with you. [Hyatt mailing information] We’ll be setting up the Silent Auction Room on Thursday morning, but we will accept donations on Friday as well.

Questions? Email Auction Chair Pam Fairweather Thomson

Left Coast Crime 2020: San Diego

Note: Registration increases April 1, 2019.
We will not be able to process credit cards in Vancouver, so please register online or bring your checkbook.

When: March 12–15, 2020
Where: San Diego Marriott Mission Valley

Guest of Honor: Rachel Howzell Hall
Guest of Honor: T. Jefferson Parker
Toastmaster: Matt Coyle
Fan Guest of Honor: Mysterious Galaxy Bookstore
Visit the Murder’s a Beach website for all the details and to register.

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