Bid Committee

Cora and Winter (chairpersons) – Both hailing from the DC/Maryland area originally, they lived together in Dupont Circle for 3 years before moving to the eastern shore of the Chesapeake Bay in Maryland. They have participated in Convergences of various shapes and sizes. Both have been active in the CorpGoth online community, a sizable subset of C* attendees. (Technically Cora is a "FedGoth" since she is employed by a government agency.) Cora has attended C12, C13, C15, C18, and C19. Winter has been an Alt.Gothic lurker since 1998. He attended C9, C10, C12, C13, C15, C18, and C19.

In Winter's own words:

It's been my understanding that Convergence is about seeing our friends, which is exactly what I wish to do. No stacking up of BigName bands, no endless parade of "we will stop at nothing to entertain you", no massive ticket sales to pay for costs that we'd really rather not rack up to begin with. I wish to invite my friends to my hometown and allow them to have a good time. It's a reunion, a party, a chance to catch up, talk, drink, and remember past Convergence horror stories.

Some of my friends happen to be local to DC and haven't met my alt.gothic friends. I'd like some of them to meet, because we can grow stronger that way. I'd never dream of introducing friends who I think wouldn't get along.

Neither Cora nor Winter has served on a Convergence Committee (though Winter was a member of the C7 New York committee at its conception but left because of gentlemen's disagreements with its chair [he'll talk about it in person over a Scotch if anyone cares, but no need to discuss here]). However, Cora and Winter have a willingness and eagerness to draw upon the wisdom/experience of their alt.gothic friends who have been through the planning and implementation of Convergence—in some cases multiple times. They are also a husband-wife team who combined have amassed, through other experiences, considerable organizational and leadership skills that would be useful in planning such a party. These include, in no particular order: budgeting, being resourceful, mobilizing volunteers, delegating, cat herding, keeping track of moving parts, knowing when to be flexible and/or compromise, being open to new ideas, and smoothing ruffled feathers.

Lori Beth (entertainment) – Attending club nights on a weekly basis since 1985, Lori Beth is up to her eyeballs in the scene. Originally from Philadelphia, she's been known to travel across many states for club nights and live music events, until she finally settled in Washington DC in 2001. Able to lend her professional talents to the local scene, in 2003 she started catering and handling hospitality by feeding most of the goth/industrial bands that played in the area around that time.

In 2007, the social events of the scene became sparse, and not one to sit on the couch, she decided to do something about it. Gathering together the best local DJs, Lori Beth found an unsuspecting venue that would trust her vision. So with the best intentions and along with a handful of dedicated helpers, she put together Spellbound, a DIY club night that's still going strong today.

In 2009, Lori Beth saw the need for variety. So over the last five years, she has opened 8 other club nights. Currently five of the eight, and Spellbound are still operating, giving our nation's capital the social base needed for the scene to thrive.

And if club parties weren't enough, Lori Beth is the go to person for booking live music in the DC Metro Area. She has hosted many bands over the years, and hopes to continue promoting shows for many years to come.

A veteran of the restaurant business, she brings sharp attention to detail, refined hospitality, and a sense of urgency to everything she does to ensure high energy throughout the night and a good time had by all.

Phillip Shade (entertainment/graphic design) – Since setting foot in Cincinnati's Club House in 1989 Shade has been addicted to Gothic and Industrial music. Frequenting and working at independent record stores he built his collection week by week until one night, a resident DC DJ asked "why don't you spin? You've got more music than I do."

In the 21 years (and counting) since, Shade has had residencies at Critical Mass, Roxy Resurrection, eclectica, Nocturnia, Alchemy, Purgatorio, Schadenfreude, Syndrome, Alter Ego, Night Shift, and Last Rites under his belt. He has taken up permanent residence at Spellbound since it opened in 2007. When not spinning he often doubles his duties by creating the visual identity for events. He he does Art & Publication Design for a government agency. Shade was an avid alt.gothic reader around 1993-98, and looks forward to getting alt.gothic alums on the dance floor.

Read about DJ Shade (p. 77) and Lori Beth (p. 186) in the Summer 2012 edition of Carpe Nocturne.

Paul "Trid" Gresock (vendor and fashion show coordinator) — "My time in the DC club scene was late '99 through late '02, where I was a regular at Catacomb, Alchemy, Nocturnia, Bound, and a few of the shorter lived ones. I'm still a bit sentimental about that time."

Trid's first Convergence was #6 in Seattle. By way of usenet, IRC, and the "Corporate Goth" mailing list, he had become acquainted with the multitudes of like minds and discovered that Convergence was very much akin to a family reunion...an excuse to climb out from behind the computer and party with with people you knew, but rarely had a chance to see.

He's attended Convergence 6, 7, 9, 10, 11, 13, 15, 16, and 19. For C9, he designed the logo/tee shirt and and his wife, Christal (who he'd met at C6 and proposed to at C13), was the vendor coordinator. He co-chaired C11, again helping with the logo, and again with Christal wrangling vendors. Christal vended at C6, C15, C16, and C19, so he's no stranger to how best to wrangle and support vendors.

Trid says he looks forward to being just as sentimental about C20 as he has been about past events... and is excited to be part of making it the best experience for everyone.

Christopher "Kier" Conroy (website/social media) – Apparently a goth long before he knew what one was, Kier spent a lot of time wearing black all alone in the middle of nowhere. Then the Internet (and college) happened. Nothing's been the same since. He got on the web in 1993 and really hasn't looked back, building websites and running social media campaigns for bands, movies, non-profits, and other various things. You can often find him spending time with much more stylish people at D.C. region goth-flavored events.