An inventory file of all majors micronational events announced
The pandemic has considerably slowed micronational activity in 2020 and 2021. With the arrival of vaccines and the current evolution of the Coronavirus, the prospect of a return to normal is fast approaching for the summer of 2022.
From now on, the major micronational meetings that had been canceled are all on the starting blocks. Never before in its history has micronationalism offered so many great appointments in such a short period.
A competition that everyone would have done without
On the one hand, many micronationalists are unwilling to engage and register at this time. It must be said that for some, the uncertainty is still very strong. Many still fear a pandemic wave that could interrupt a possible trip. Others have lost their jobs, or are just starting a new one. Again, this is a situation that also limits the possibility of registration.
On the other hand, not all event organizers wanted to postpone their peak by an additional year. This is understandable, especially after having lived through two years of deprivation, but not without a risk of losing big for some. In the space of three months, micronationalists will be offered no less than 5 major scheduled events. All of this will take place at a time that is still economically uncertain for many. No doubt, we will observe a competition that everyone would have done without.
Organizers are going to have to "sell" their summits more creatively.
Previously, the organizers could schedule their events according to the dates announced by their colleagues. In general, the summits between Europe and America alternated from one year to the next to ensure a successful meeting for everyone. Disaster! COVID has turned everything upside down. Today, each organizer feels they have waited long enough after these two long years and the media benefits of a summit are too great to give up one more year. A consensus is therefore unlikely. The organizers will have to "sell" their respective summits with more creativity than usual.
Creativity yes, but not only that, transparency in the organization and especially the prices will be decisive in filling a micronational summit in 2022. We have taken stock of the various proposals made to date.
All in Las Vegas!
On the American side, the MicroCon 2022 has just unveiled its program. This year it is organized by the Grand Duchy of Westarctica. The organizers had already confirmed the location last December: Welcome to "Sam's town hotel and Casino" in Las Vegas, August 5-6-7, 2022.
The place will bring together conference, accommodation, gala evening and entertainment in one and only place. The proposed package is $140 per person, this includes access to the conference and the gala dinner. For accommodation, a 10% discount was negotiated (estimating the price of the stay around $126). To benefit from it, you must reserve your room before April 15, 2022 on the hotel's website.
The conference program is yet to be unveiled, however Grand Duke Travis and his Prime Minister Mr. Jordan Farmer, Duke of Bear Peninsula, remain confident and promise on the MicroCon 2022 website: " A major event with selected speakers addressing topics of micronational interest ". Therefore, the challenge for these organizers is to complete the conference program before mid-April, when the accommodation promotions will end. The conference will be held over a single day, on Saturday August 6, 2022. It will be followed by the gala evening. The content of the conference will therefore be all the more decisive in ensuring a summit as full as that of Hamilton in 2019.
Westarctica remains an experienced and creative micronation. Grand Duke Travis' ability to follow through on his projects has been proven many times in the past. He can count on a motivated team and on his Prime Minister whose determination to succeed in this challenge does not waver. It will therefore be interesting to follow the progress of the preparations for MicroCon 2022.
" it's a free world and we don't charge for the convention "
They will not be the only ones who want to bring micronationalists together in Las Vegas on the same dates. Mr. Stan Vaughan from the Kingdom of Ourania announces his Microsummit 2022 on social media, negotiations are still ongoing with 4 establishments: "The details and the agenda of the MicroSummit 2022 are updated as new new details appear. We have 4 hotel-casino proposals and we will probably decide by the end of January 2022.” he posted on the summit's Facebook page. Stan Vaughan is offering a free gala evening worth $100 per meal, among other things. As a bonus, an impersonator of American singer Neil Diamond.
No well-defined conference program for this summit yet either. However, the Ourania leader insists his event pays special tribute to Ladonia's Dewayne Corbett and Lars Vilks. According to him, Stan Vaughan would have met Lars Vilks during the very first micro-national summit which took place in Finland. This is the Amorph!03 summit. The summit was renamed "Dewayne Corbett Microsummit 2022" for the occasion.
Asked about the confusion of two micro-national summits at the same time and in the same city, Stan Vaughan replied: " The Kingdom of Ourania is headquartered in Las Vegas and MicroCon2022 is fully aware of our annual events held in Las Vegas. However, it's a free world and we don't charge for the convention nor the dinner nor the ball. »
Let's now go to Europe where there too, the organizers are trying to fill their event. This year, not everything is happening in the same place and at the same time as in Las Vegas. However, these are 3 major events in preparation. We start with The Chyse Micronational Summit in the Czech Republic. It is scheduled for July 8-10 and the organizers are the Ducktionary Monarchy.
The program was communicated on January 4 by an email from Mr. Arthur C. Woldan, President of the host micronation. Rather, we discover a meeting between micronationalists. No solemn conference to make room for discussion and exhibition spaces. A micro-national philatelic workshop will also be offered. The organizers estimate the cost of this meeting between 150€ and 200€ maximum. This price will include accommodation at Chyse Castle, meals, and access to workshops and meeting places.
" A Micronational summit in the heart of Europe, easily accessible by car or public transport and held in a real castle. "
To seduce, the organizers based their argument on the question of costs, ease of access and the charm of a Bohemian castle. “ The road to Las Vegas is complicated and expensive, especially for many European micronationalists. The advantages are obvious: A Micronational summit in the heart of Europe, easily accessible by car or public transport and held in a real castle. This is indeed a once in a lifetime opportunity. Plus, as anyone who's been to the Czech Republic knows, travel costs there are much lower than many Western countries, including the United States. »
Some of the Europeans may not meet up with our Czech friends. These are the member micronations of the Microfrancophonie which is organizing its 3rd summit in Blaye, a town near Bordeaux and stronghold of the Principality of Hélianthis. Vincent, the Reigning Prince is preparing his summit with the Chancellor of the Prince of Aigues-Mortes, Duke Geoffrey Mathes who is also the General Secretary of Microfrancophonie. That is to say, the big boss of this organization with 21 micronations in Europe, Africa and North America.
Regarding this summit, Prince Vincent wishes to bring an academic dimension to this third meeting of French-speaking micronations. The program tries to bring in essayists and writers who have covered the subject of micronationalism in the French language. For the moment, it is the only micro-national summit giving details on the programming of its conference. The content is likely to be much more academic. At least, that's the impression it gives. At the same time, Duke Geoffrey Mathes underlines that the representatives of the member micronations will also benefit from speaking time.
As for the costs, Vincent of Hélianthis confided the following to one of his counterparts: "If I got used to the budget that we reserve for the first two summits, we could set a first order of price around €500”. This estimate includes transport costs, but they remain high for some scholarships. The organizers are well aware of this and wish to provide appropriate solutions. So forget the "all-inclusive" solution in a single place. Their solution will rather be to offer a list of several possible accommodations on site, ranging from Palaces to hostels.
This Microfrancophonie summit will take place on the weekend of August 27 and 28, at the end of the summer season. This is perhaps where the greatest difficulty sets in for this summit. Most will have already spent a lot of money on the summer holidays and the event finds itself caught between two major events. Las Vegas at the beginning of August and the princely ball of Aigues-Mortes which is scheduled for the end of September as usual.
This date positioning is somewhat disadvantageous for this summit in Blaye. But all is not lost, far from it. Prince Vincent can count on his French-speaking counterparts for most of them, and micronationalism has begun a media breakthrough in France, far more superior than in other years.
We will end this tour of the major micro-national events of the year with the princely ball of Aigues-Mortes, the famous " Golden Bucket " ball. The latter will celebrate its 10th anniversary as well as the jubilee for the 10 years of reign of Prince-Sovereign Jean-Pierre IV. With this decade of experience and a real physical population on its territory, Aigues-Mortes can approach the preparation of its grand ball with more serenity. With or without the micronationalists, the organizers know that the ball is always full.
The Prince's Palace in charge of organizing the "Golden Bucket" still announces a record of micronational pre-bookings at this stage. Duke Olivier de Constance is the Prince's Chamberlain who oversees all activities at the Prince's Palace. He gave us some details: “The package offered to our distinguished guests covers two nights with half board at the Prince's Palace. This includes entry to the Gala and the exhibition on the 10 years of our micronation. The package fluctuates between 209 and 223€ depending on the options chosen." On the media level, the Chamberlain confirmed the presence of French national television as well as the arrival of Doc Seven, one of the biggest Youtubers in the French-speaking world (2.14 million subscribers on his channel). Regarding microcosme.info and its correspondents: We will of course be there! Just as we will be present at each of these micronational events.
It is indeed an extraordinary 2022 season that is coming up. Many already regret having to make choices because of the dates being too close together or because of their personal situation. It is perhaps regrettable that summit organizers do not consult more among themselves to avoid these competitive situations. These are just as much a source of additional stress for the organizers as they are a frustration for the participants who now have to make choices.
In any case, we can agree on the fact that all these summits are proving that micronationalism abounds more than ever right from the start of the year. This is great news ! This goes hand in hand with the desire for many of us to find ourselves wherever we are on this planet Earth. Hasn't micronationalism always been this wonderful paradox in which people cultivate a supranational spirit while creating their own microspace?
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