We have hit capacity for this conference. Thank you to everyone that applied. If you did not get in, please apply again in the future for any conferences I might host.

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We are looking for 9 total presenters. If you would like to present, please apply right away, select that option, and select it as the primary role if you select more than one role. Applications for presenters close by 11:59 pm PDT on March 28th. If you apply to present after that, it will not be considered. Topics we are looking for: further store-level skills and topics, how to run Comp REL events for beginners, tournament logistics, a Streets of New Capenna topic, plus some lighter topics such as a game show or fun activity. One of the presenters needs to be our backup presenter that will be required for each night for the entire conference. We would like the backup presenter to have two topics within the areas specified above. If you want to be considered for the backup presenter slot, please state so.

I, Kris Kleinsteuber, and Niki Patterson would like to welcome you all to another weeknight conference. We are running this one sliiightly differently: more options for folks to participate! We are running the conference over FOUR nights this time while still keeping to the same requirements, which is that you only need to attend four of the eight topics showcased over the week. This requirement can not be circumvented and attendance will be taken for each topic! Want to attend the last topic each night? That works! You can only attend on Mondays and Thursdays? We are fine with that. That being said, you only can gain credit once for the entire conference, even if you attend all eight topics. So no, you can’t gain two packets as a regular attendee; however, your bonus is that you will have gained extra knowledge! There will be an optional feedback form shared at the start of the conference. Your feedback will not be anonymous to the organizer or the presenters you choose to give that to.

We are set to run this conference from April 25th through April 28th. Each night we will start at 7 pm PDT and go until 9:15 pm PDT. There will be two topics each evening, with the last evening being an entire evening filled with fun topics and activities to bring us all together. You may even learn something those nights! We are looking to continue the store-level skills and topics, but we want to introduce folks to Comp REL that might not be familiar with that aspect of judging and encourage you to foster an environment to give you all more opportunities to use your skills.

You will need to be L1+ at the time you apply and there will only be room for 150 people total for the conference. We highly encourage cover letters. If we approach the limit of attendees we can accept, we will be looking closely at cover letters to determine acceptance. If you choose to apply with an empty cover letter, your application may not be considered. First, we are looking to fill 50% of the attendance from within the US West region. After that, we are looking at allowing a limited number of folks from other US regions and international regions. While there will be a free shipping option, it is slow and not as reliable as a tracked and padded method. If a judge would prefer a more protected method of shipment, it can be provided for an extra cost that can be determined at the time of the shipping (prices are changing too often). Within the US, this is like $3.50 when your packet could be worth hundreds of dollars. There will be NO packet-buying options supplied this time, so plan accordingly if you choose to apply and are selected to attend. You will need to fill out an address form at the end of the conference on the last evening for us to be able to send you the packet. These will be the digital conference packets, which will contain Stranglehold and Parallel Lives for this conference. The staff promo will continue to be No Mercy for Q2.

We will be running the presentations on Zoom and hosting the conversations on Discord. The Zoom link will be shared on Discord when we near the date of the conference. Here is the Discord server we will be using: US West Weeknight Conference Discord

To recap in a cleaner fashion for some:

Date: April 25-28th, each night from 7 pm PDT – 9:15 PDT

(Slate of topics will be updated here for each night)

Monday, the 25th:
7-8 pm: David Elden with “Streets of New Capenna Set Digest” – This example-driven presentation will give an overview of the new and returning mechanics in the set as well as interesting card-specific interactions. If you’re curious about how anything in the new set works, this presentation is for you!
8:15-9:15 pm: Miguel Velasquez with “Creating a Positive Player Experience” – This soft skills training course will teach Positive Positioning and Customer Service techniques to help you create a consistently positive experience for those who interact with you.

Tuesday, the 26th:
7-8 pm: Ben Lurie with “Bridging the Gap” – A guide from taking on FNMs to your first Competitive REL experience.
8:15-9:15 pm: Steven Zwanger with “Hidden Card Error” – The history, philosophy, and application of HCE.

Wednesday, the 27th:
7-8 pm: Garrison Fogt with “Approaching Magic with a Growth Mindset: as a Player, as a Judge, as a Community” – In this session, we will be comparing how we grow and develop ourselves in different roles, how we can strive to be more successful, and how we bounce back when things don’t go as planned.
8:15-9:15 pm: Nat Graham with “Conquering Travel Events: Thoughts on Behaviors and Self Reflection” – How to successfully navigate events outside your LGS

Thursday, the 28th, the “fun” night:
7-8 pm: Stephan Classen with “The Flavor Judge” – Learn how the lore of Magic can help you judge in your community better, and connect to varied players, and then we’ll make some decisions for flavor judging!
8:15-9:15 pm: Daniel Gilison with “Judge Jeopardy” – We play Jeopardy…as judges!

Optional: feedback

Requirements: be accepted to the conference, be L1+ in good standing, join the Discord server, attend on Zoom a minimum of four out of the eight topics between the four nights, fill out the address form for the foils

Looking forward to seeing you all again for another great conference!