Chicago TARDIS 2020 is Going Virtual!
Due to venue restrictions, safety standards from the State of Illinois, and concerns for the welfare of our Staff, Volunteers, and Attendees, Chicago TARDIS 2020 will be taking place online.
This was a very hard decision for our Staff to make, but there were many things preventing us from holding our event this year - safely or legally.
Please read the following FAQ post for information about the structure of our virtual event, ticket rollovers, hotel room reservations, guest appearances, and more.
Updates as of 07/28:
Many of our attendees’ hotel reservations have now been cancelled by the Westin hotel. Please get in touch with them directly if you have yet to receive your cancellation notification.
In addition to all attendee tickets, any Vendors or Artists that have signed up to exhibit with us in 2020 will have their table reservations moved to 2021. We will also be having a Vendor and Artist feature as part of our virtual event. More on this will be coming soon.
Yes, we will be having fan panels as part of our virtual convention! Our timeline for programming calls will be similar to a normal year. More information on this will also be coming soon.
When will Chicago TARDIS Online take place?
Chicago TARDIS Online will be held virtually during our usual convention weekend - November 25th to 27th.
The structure of our event, including a full schedule of our programming, will be made available in the coming months.
How will ticketing work for Chicago TARDIS Online?
All current Chicago TARDIS 2020 members/ticket holders will have their tickets automatically rolled over to 2021. Your level of membership will remain the same and no additional fee will be applied.
All ticket holders will be able to access the full programming line-up.
In addition, all current ticket holders will have the option to attend otherwise closed guest-facing Q&As and meet and greets we will be holding during our virtual event. Please read the section below for more info on this.
If you need a refund for 2020, please contact us. If you are a Premium member and you request a refund for 2020, we will not be able to guarantee your spot for 2021.
Will there be guests at Chicago TARDIS Online?
Yes.
All of our current guests will now be attending our 2021 event. We are currently working on a small (but special) guest list for this year’s virtual event.
An open Q&A will take place with each guest. Any other guest involved events will be limited to those who have already purchased a 2020 ticket. If you do not have a 2020 ticket, we do not anticipate opening up these closed events for additional individuals.
We are currently working on a system for how we may grant attendee autograph requests for those who currently hold a 2020 ticket. Updates on this process will come when more information is available.
How will programming work for Chicago TARDIS online?
Chicago TARDIS Online will focus heavily on community-based, accessible programming with nearly all panels being open access and available for streaming on all of our current social media platforms as well as linked on our website.
We will be adopting a similar structure to our in-person programming tracks in that we will be offering attendee participation panels, workshops, gaming, and more - all in a digital format.
There will be a small amount of intimate guest-centered events that will also take place. These events will require special access and be personally focused - as we detailed above. All 2020 ticket holders will have automatic access to any of these events.
What about my hotel room reservation?
The Westin Chicago Lombard will be automatically canceling all reservations in our 2020 room block by the end of July.
We will be reopening hotel room reservations for 2021 in the coming months. Please be sure you’re on our e-mail list or following us on social media for updates.