Introduction

Atlanta is the heart of the south. It is the terminus (one of the early names of the city) for most business conducted in the south. And a good part of what happens in the world has something related happening here. In the south, we have a long tradition from which naturally follows the phrase "southern hospitality".

Hospitality is what was in mind when John Foster and I were considering the essence of Convergence during a break in activities at the Showbox on the Sunday of Convergence 6 in Seattle. People we knew at Convergence 6 inquired about the possibility of an Atlanta bid for C7. So, we began to ask a number of people their opinion on "what Convergence was all about".

The answer from each was emphatically, "the people", "friends", "seeing my friends", etc. By the time we left, there was no question Atlanta would give it a shot, and that (voters willing) we could bring all the needed components and people together to make it happen...

So, our goal for the next Convergence is to provide as much time for us to spend with the people we see so little, but miss so much. This is our focus. The social flavor of Convergence. The bands, venues, and special events will still be there. But we'll consider these the icing on the cake.

It is upon this model that we base our proposal for Convergence 7. We will present bands on Friday night at the Masquerade. Saturday's and Sunday's evening events will be specifically keyed to having plenty of time for dancing, talking to your friends, and making new ones.

Our Sunday night venue, The Riviera, has an added benefit of having the "holy" 24/7 alcohol permit. This means that Sunday night (Monday morning), at 5am if "necessary", you can still hang out with friends old and new, without that dreaded "last call".

Atlanta also has a remarkable amount of shopping available to people of all types. Mainly along the Convergence goer's line of interest are the shops in Little 5 Points and Virginia Highlands. Both areas are close to the Hotel (3 miles east or so) and will be easily reached via our shuttle bus. (see Transportation).

The Date

We chose May 25, 26 and 27 because that weekend seemed to work fairly well for travel arrangements and for people's schedules this past year. Convergence VI seemed to have a good use of that weekend, so we decided to do that again. It is neither a big holiday (difficult travel) and yet it is something of a holiday. Also the weather in Atlanta then is usually rather nice. Yet, not quite so hot to be unbearable.

Tickets

Given what we have run for our tentative numbers, we have found that a basic ticket price of $40 seems fair and affordable. T-Shirts, the cost of certain optional events (listed as such above) and other items will be additional.

Feedback

If you have particular questions, we will try and respond as promptly as possible. Please realize that we will not be able to respond quickly and promptly if volume gets to be any significant amount (but we will do our damnedest). e-mail us at convergence7@atlantagothic.net