VatiCon: A Warrior Nun Convention

Now that VatiCon is less than 2 months away, The OCS Newsletter finally had enough questions that could be answered About the journey and developing of a convention for the Warrior Nun fandom in the United States. We chatted with the convention director to learn about their love for Warrior Nun, the development of the team, THE KICKSTARTER CAMPaIGN, some of the challenges and logistics, and what to expect this February in Chicago.

OCS: as a fan, what inspired the desire to put on a Warrior Nun convention? 

Started by three Halo Bearers who want to bring a Warrior Nun Convention to the United States. We watched as other countries held similar conventions and hoped that someday there would be one hosted closer to us. Traveling to another country can be expensive and stressful. We wanted to give people an opportunity to celebrate a show they love so much. After some thought and discussion, we decided to be the group that would bring it to the US. VatiCon: A Warrior Nun Convention for the fans, by the fans. 

 

OCS: What is your approach to making this convention more tailored to the fans? 

It is having the fan experience at the forefront of all the decisions we are making. We are also trying to include parts of the fandom and making this truly about every part of the Warrior Nun community.

 

Just like the OCS Newsletter, VatiCon started with a random tweet that set in motion a defining event for the Warrior Nun fandom. When asked about the team development Roman stated, “I made a post on X and thought it would be a throwaway comment no one would notice. I was wrong. I got some replies and DM’s from people and talked to everyone who did. Sarah and Emily were the easiest picks for who and what was needed to get started. John was forced into this. We work other conventions together and they are one of my best friends. Our team has grown to cover more, and most of them are my friends from other conventions with loads of experience who want to help VatiCon be amazing.”

For about a month, the team worked to find the right name for the convention. They “didn’t want to do anything with (the) Halo but knew we also maybe would want a fun play on words. My show director (Shanty) threw out the name one night as we were at a bar” then it was “said it in a meeting after and we just knew that was it. The play of words was funny and most of the team loved it.”

MEET THE TEAM

OCS: How did you discover Warrior Nun and why was it important to you to campaign to save the show?

Roman - I discovered it from sapphic twitter. It felt like overnight the show took over my timeline and I gave it a shot. I loved it right away. It is important to save shows like these for the representation, and the cast and crew of this show make it easy to want to fight for it.

Shanty (Show Director) - I came in after that campaign was really going. Roman showed me the show after they came to work with me at a couple of anime cons.

OCS: What made each of you decide to get involved with taking on a project like a convention?

Roman - I kept waiting for either a US Warrior Nun convention or a convention that did exist to pick up some Warrior Nun cast but it never happened. I was watching social media during another Warrior Nun convention and thought about how I had the experience to help make my dream happen. I work other conventions and have done live event management so I decided to see if I could find others who would help me take this on.

Shanty (Show Director) - I do conventions as a side living. Mostly operations and security, with some live events programming. There's a whole community of people that live for this stuff.

OCS: How did you discover Warrior Nun and why was it important to you to campaign to save the show?

Emily - I discovered Warrior Nun shortly after the release of Season 2. Scene packs and edits kept popping up on my social media, but it was the now-iconic bar dance scene between Ava and Beatrice that truly caught my attention. Really interested in seeing how their story continued, I decided to give the show a try. I quickly finished Season 1 and immediately moved on to Season 2.

I fell in love with the show; the characters, the plot, the choreography, and the visual effects. But as the wait for renewal news began, I needed something to fill the gap. That’s when I stumbled upon the Warrior Nun fandom on Twitter. It was incredible to see so many people sharing their love for the series and building such a strong online presence.

Not long after, Simon announced the show’s cancellation. Like many others, I was heartbroken by Netflix’s decision, but it quickly became clear that the fandom wasn’t ready to give up. Watching the community unite in their passion and talent to create the #SaveWarriorNun campaign was nothing short of inspiring. The funding of the billboard, trending hashtags weekly, compiling data with detailed analyses, and even motivating healthier lifestyles with initiatives like the 'Nun Run.'

While I already adored the show for its storytelling and execution, it was the fandom that inspired me to take part in the fighting. Seeing individuals come together with such creativity and determination reminded me of the power of a shared passion.

I just found it on Netflix as recommended after watching a scary movie and put it on. It was like 2am already so I went to bed and then rediscovered it when I saw a tweet about the show. I think having a strong female and such a diverse cast was something that really sat with me but also how great the writing and cinematography was as well.

OCS: What made the team decide to do a kickstarter campaign?

We looked at how to get this convention off the ground and had a couple of ideas. We tried to reach out to other convention companies but either they didn’t want to take on such a risk or we would lose all control over the convention. None of us wanted to work so hard to have it taken from us. This led to us needing to fundraise to see if this is a viable project we could do. Kickstarter felt like the safest for us and people who wanted to support us. It made it that if we didn’t reach it no one was charged and we also could see interest.

To hear about the launching of their Kickstarter Campaign you can listen to the Q&A from March 29, 2024 here: https://x.com/VatiConWN/status/1773776950005526896 and https://x.com/VatiConWN/status/1773848244151336987

OCS: Your original goal was $10,000, what were your thoughts/feelings when the Ultimate and VIP sold out so fast and the amount was $20,000? 

The Ultimate sold out in under an hour, and we ended up hitting our goal in less than four hours. It was unbelievable. I knew we would get support but how quickly and how much we got was unexpected. Ending up 20k was something we thought was unrealistic, but again the fandom proved us wrong. We all sat in a meeting and just laughed because now we really knew this was a project for all of us.

OCS: What made you decide to not add more VIP tickets with an increased price when They went on sale?

We always had a limit on VIP and Ultimate tickets, we planned on keeping some back but with how quickly we sold out we added all of them on Kickstarter as a thank you to those who supported us.

Logistics

OCS: Many things are involved with developing a convention including, securing venue, rules, website, ticketing, prices, legal contracts, scheduling, security, and time. Can you talk about the many logistics involved with putting on a convention?

One thing they all have in common is so many meetings, and emails. Lots of math as well. Also everything normally has to be done way sooner than people expect. To book a venue for a convention you need to reach out around a year or so in advance, if not more. Thankfully the event manager I have been working with has been amazing. On top of this, there are so many moving parts and one might require others to be complete. Having a team and delegating tasks helps a lot. I am thankful for my team and their communication to help with all this.


OCS: The most important question: Who was the one Warrior Nun cast member that was a must on the list? 

It was KTY. She has been such a supporter of this fandom, and we know that so much of the fandom loves her. It was so exciting to be able to announce that she is attending. 


OCS: 86 tickets were sold during the Kickstarter campaign. How many more people do you hope for?

At the start we hoped for 250, but it seems it will be less than we thought. Right now we are hoping for 150, but planning for around 125.


OCS: Some people might be afraid the event will be canceled like what happened recently by another company. As of today, with the money you have raised will the event go on with both announced guests? 

Yes it will. This event will be happening with what we have, and there are no plans of canceling. 


OCS: For those undecided people, what would you like to say? Is it important to secure tickets now versus waiting?

I would recommend sooner rather than later. It gives us a better idea of what events to plan. This also does help secure more guest that everyone wants to see.


OCS: Do you think the negative movie news which saw the fandom fade away has hurt interest in the convention?

Absolutely. This event is already very niche, and the group this is for is getting smaller still because of it.


OCS: What has been one of the more challenging aspects of developing this convention?

Finding balance. Making sure to take time for myself and make sure my team does the same. Most of us work full-time jobs and sometimes feel like there is never enough hours in the day. 

UPDATE: After the blog was published, Yzang Lee @yzanglee19 asked if live streaming or filmed panels would be possible. VatiCon answered, “due to logistics and legalities” they are unable to provide this.

VENUE

Renovated in 2020, the Hyatt Regency O'Hare Chicago is just 2.25 miles from O'Hare Intl airport and 15 miles from Chicago, Illinois. When asked about the location choice “Chicago was picked for a combination of reasons. One was the airport and the ease of international travel. The other was the price of putting on a convention in places like Los Angeles or New York is a lot higher. Lastly was our staff and team. Most of us are based in the midwest and Chicago is a lot easier for travel.”

Chicago has also been named the “Best Big City” in the United States for 8 years in a row. Next month, we will dive into what to do while you are in Chicago but if you can’t wait, check out Explore Chicago

Convention Q&A

OCS: For those people that have never been to a convention what will VatiCon be like? 

Expect to plan. We will have panels with guests everyday, we are also planning on having fan panels with writers, artists, and others in the fandom. These are free to everyone with the exception of one Kickstarter backer exclusive panel. We recommend purchasing any extras (M&G, autographs, selfies) before the show as it will be cash only at the convention. We plan on having a cosplay competition as well as community events that will be free. The goal is that everyone can connect and have an amazing weekend with other Halobearers.

OCS: Is the VIP Meet and Greet different from the separately sold M&Gs?

Yes and no. They are on separate days and VIP meet and greet are with other VIPs, along with more than one guest. The M&Gs are for a specific person and will be Saturday and Sunday. 


OCS: Kickstarter VIP gets a separate meet and greet and their own special panel?

VIP and Ultimate get a separate meet and greet that came with their badge purchases. Anyone who backed on Kickstarter gets to attend a special panel for hitting the 20k stretch goal.


OCS: Info about using the fandom artist? What are they making or projects they are working on? 

We are currently working with or have gotten work from four fandom artist. They have provided convention badges, lanyard designs, and posters for the event. We have art from Prince (@princington), Note (noooooo_te), and others. As things are still being worked on we can’t share what everythings looks like yet. 

OCS: Who is moderating the guest panels and what made you pick them?

That would be Des. She was the first person that came to mind due to her past interviews and fandom spaces she has held. It has been amazing to work with her so far and I am so excited for everyone to see what we have planned. 

OCS: What made you decide to do fan centered panels?

This comes from my work in other conventions. Lots of panels at conventions are people talking about the community or parts of it they love. I wanted to showcase everyone who helped this fandom. On top of this so many people wanted to see them. 


OCS: Can you talk about the script contest? It is a very unusual item.

VatiCon was gifted this item with the donor having the script sweepstakes in mind. They wanted to give people who could not make it to VatiCon a chance to help support us, and win something super cool from it. 

OCS: So far, many hours do you think the team has spent working on this convention?

I think we are well over 1000 hours at this point, maybe somewhere closer to 1500. 

OCS: What has been one of the best experiences so far developing this convention?

I think hitting the Kickstarter goal. It was this very public win we could share with everyone. It really was this big “Oh we are doing this” moment. 


OCS: What keeps the team motivated to keep pushing when challenges present themselves?

Roman: Thinking about all my friends who will be at VatiCon and remember that I am doing this for them. 

Emily: Every project comes with its challenges, but I believe that staying focused on the original intent, a space created by the fans, for the fans, helps keep the momentum alive. The reason I joined the campaign in the first place was seeing a community come together, leveraging their unique strengths to create and participate in incredible projects that extend beyond the show. It’s been a privilege to collaborate with other fandom members and witness their talents in action as they help build this space.


Sarah: For me it’s remembering what drives me and what I love to do so as long as I keep going it doesn’t matter what challenges come because as cheesy as it is, where there’s a will there’s a way. I think being a part of a team just strengthens the ability to power through whatever obstacles that much more.


Shanty: Dedication mostly. We're in this to make it work so. Handling challenges are just a part of that.



OCS: Any message you would like to send to the fandom?

Roman: Thank you for everything. I can’t express how much every interaction, no matter how big or small, means to me. I love this fandom, and am forever grateful for everything it has given me. I am excited to see everyone who is coming to VatiCon and thank you to those who can’t come but have still supported us. 


Emily: This convention is a tribute to the fandom, a celebration of their love for Warrior Nun and their dedication to the series. It’s about fostering an environment where we can all come together to honor the show and some of the people who brought it to life. I’m really looking forward to February and seeing it come to life!


Sarah: Hm, just that all the support means a lot and no matter how active someone is or whatever following they have I hope they know that kind words do make a difference and if they share any art it’s always great to see what they create.

Not only are Halo Bearers putting a Warrior Nun convention together but another group has set up a giveaway to support VatiCon and give back to the fandom.

Enter to win @PHDInterviews giveaway by Dec. 24, 2024.

The OCS Newsletter prides ourselves on getting exclusive information and today VatiCon happily confirmed that another guest announcement is happening in the next few days. be sure to follow VatiCon on Twitter/X for all the lastest information. Tickets and extra are available now on their website

The OCS Newsletter, Warrior Nun FandomAdrienne .Comment