14th annual South Eastern Laser Enthusiast's Meeting (SELEM 2021)
Sunday, August 8th through Friday, August 13th
at the Executive Banquet and Conference Center in Newark, Delaware.
Register via Paypal: selempayment@gmail.com
Be sure to include a note with your shirt size! (Sizes: Small to 4X)
Also, you have your choice of the standard Polo or a high-quality 6-oz Gilden T-shirt this year
Be sure to specify Polo or T-shirt when you register!
Extra shirts are $20 each.
Early registration - now through May 28th (Guaranteed a shirt) $119 EARLY REGISTRATION PERIOD IS NOW CLOSED
Standard registration - May 29th through July 9th (Guaranteed a shirt) $149 STANDARD REGISTRATION PERIOD IS NOW CLOSED
Late registration or at the door – July 10th through the end of the event (no guarantee of a shirt) $179
Please note that registration fees are non-refundable.
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Guests are free to attend. Generally, guests are family or friends of the people who have registered to attend. Guests may share some interest in lasers or laser shows, but guests are not laserists themselves. If they are, they should register as attendees and not guests. Please do not abuse this policy.
Teenage children are allowed to attend if they are mature enough to follow rules and be responsible. Young children (under 13) are discouraged from attending, and may only attend if they are continually supervised by a parent or guardian. Note that all minors must have a parent present at the event.
Liability waivers (see attached) will be required for all persons (this includes registered attendees and all guests). Minors will need a parent to sign their waiver. When you arrive, go to the sign-in area in the lobby to sign your waiver. (There will be a sign at the sign-in table so you know where to go.)
Once your waiver is signed, you will be issued a lanyard with a name badge, and if you registered in time (before July 9th) you will receive your official SELEM shirt. (Extra shirts for yourself or your guests are completely optional and may be purchased in advance for $20.) As posted above, this year you have your choice of either a Polo shirt or a T-shirt - be sure you specify your choice when you register. (No preference specified means you get a Polo.)
Also, just a reminder that ABSOLUTELY NO WEAPONS OF ANY KIND, ESPECIALLY FIREARMS, WILL BE PERMITTED AT SELEM. THIS INCLUDES ALL INDOOR SPACES AS WELL AS THE OUTDOOR AREAS SURROUNDING THE BUILDING AND ALL PARKING LOTS. If you have a concealed-carry permit, leave your weapon in your car and don't park it at the venue. No exceptions to this policy.
Event schedule:
Sunday, August 8th: Start at 10 AM, run until 7-9 PM as needed. This is load-in and set-up, and it should go much smoother this year because everything is in the same building. We will be setting up 2 main display spaces in the main ball room (one for pre-choreographed shows like we had in the auditorium, the other for live beam shows like we had in "club-SELEM"). A reduced "show off space" will be set up in part of the lobby, while the other half of the lobby will be used for presentations and classes. Buy-sell-trade will be in the kitchen service hallway, and the ion laser work room will be out near the loading dock. We will have both 208/240 3 phase as well as 480v 3 phase available at the loading dock. Even if you are not bringing any equipment to SELEM, you are still welcome (and encouraged!) to come help out with the load-in. We will do dinner out at a local restaurant once load-in is completed. (Load-in cut-off time is flexible for this day; dinner location to be announced soon.)
Monday, August 9th through Thursday, August 12th: Start at 10 AM, run until Midnight. Typical SELEM activities running all day in various spaces inside the hall. We will be able to extend until 2 AM on Wednesday and Thursday night if we want. EDIT: Thursday evening we will have a Pink Floyd tribute band performing just for us. We will be doing live lasers to accompany the band.
Friday, August 13th: Start at 10 AM, run until 4 PM. Pack-up, load-out, clean-up, and say your goodbye’s.
Friday night, August 13th: Special event starts at 8:00 PM. EDIT: Unfortunately this had to be cancelled for Friday. The band could not commit to this date. Instead, the band will be performing for us on Thursday evening when we do our traditional Pink Floyd "pull out all the stops" show. Live lasers and video effects to accompany a 10-piece Pink Floyd tribute band as they perform a public concert in the hall. All SELEM attendees are invited to stay for the show. Some SELEM veterans will be operating the lasers and video for this show. (Note: We are donating our time and equipment to make this happen.) The goal here is to build goodwill that will keep SELEM affordable for the foreseeable future, just like we did in Newton with the outdoor concerts put on by the symphony orchestra.
NOTE: We are not allowed to bring our own alcohol into the building.There will be a cash bar open from 7PM-Midnight on Wednesday and Thursday night.
General layout:
Front half of the ballroom (stage side of the dividing wall) will be used for running pre-choreographed graphics and abstract shows, along with pre-choreographed multi-projector beam shows, just like we used to do in the auditorium. At least one Z-5 analog console will be in here, along with several solid state projectors (for both beams and graphics). Front of house will be at the stage end of the room with the dividing wall serving as the main display surface.
Back half of the ballroom (emergency exit side of dividing wall) will be "Club-SELEM" and will be dedicated to live beam shows. Front of house will be on the kitchen-end of the room (primary projection direction rotated 90 degrees compared to the front half layout). Laser control consoles will be available for those who want to try their hand at running a show "live". We may have one or two presentations in this space related to live show control, and we may also have live DJs playing in this space at times. (Details to come.)
Front lobby near main entrance will be the "enthusiast display space", or as I like to call it, the show-off room! This area is roughly the size of the gallery (where the piano was) in the old venue, so space is going to be a little tight compared to past years. Purpose of this space is to showcase home-made projectors, laser modules, and other cool hobby items, including non-laser projects.
The long kitchen service hallway will be the buy / sell / trade area. Tables will be set up along one side of the hallway for people to display the stuff they're selling. There may also be some projector repair going on here, so long as it doesn't block people's ability to move down the hallway. (It's a very wide hallway.)
The back loading dock will be the ion laser work area. There could be exposed high voltage and/or high-power beams in this space! Always ask before approaching this area.
Outdoor patio area will be used for drinks, food, and snacks. We may also have an inflatable planetarium dome set up on the patio. (Details to be posted soon.) In case of rain we will need to move the food inside, either into the commercial kitchen area or to one of the offices or storage spaces. Lunch and dinner will be provided Monday-Thursday, but this year we plan to step up our food game a good bit now that we will have access to a full commercial kitchen. As mentioned above, we will have a cash bar open on Wednesday and Thursday evening. (Bar is accessible from the lobby and from the front half of ballroom, but we will probably only use the lobby-side access.) Also, please remember that we can't bring our own alcohol in from outside.
Far right half of the main lobby (near the bar window) will be used for training and special presentations during the day, and as a social gathering area at night.
More information concerning the presentation schedule and sign-up information for show display time slots will be coming soon. Once again I'm going to lean on Kumpula to hash out the schedule! Also, as we finalize details for the live concert on Friday those will be posted here as well.
Travel and Lodging info:
If you will be flying to SELEM, the two closest airports are Baltimore Washington International (BWI) and Philadelphia International (PHL). Philadelphia is closer, but even BWI is only about an hour and 15 minutes by car from the venue. (Unless the traffic on I95 is bad...) Note that there is a $4 toll on I95 right where you cross over from Maryland into Delaware, which is right where the venue is located. Thus you don't want to get on the Interstate to get to the venue each day. Instead, avoid I95 and take the secondary roads when you go to and from the venue each day. See this post for details.
Brad has managed to secure group rates for rooms at a local Bed and Breakfast and for the local Holiday Inn Express. Rooms at the HIE range from $119 to $129 (depending on bed configuration), although they may also have some suites available for slightly more. Use group code "SELEM Laser Group" when you call to book. Their number is (443) 350-9154. Note that this is for the Holiday Inn Express located on Elkton Rd in Elkton, Maryland. (It's closer than the other one!) Just be mindful that you *DON'T* want to get on I-95 to go to the hall each morning. If you do, you'll get socked with a $6 toll when you cross the state line about a half mile from the hotel. Instead, take the back roads (use your GPS). Hotel is ~ 6 miles from the hall.
There is also a very nice Bed and Breakfast that is just down the street from the HIE. It's called The Elk Forge B&B Inn. It's similar to the Trott House Inn that many of us stayed at in Newton, but the Elk Forge B&B is much bigger. They have 14 rooms, 6 of which are multi-room suites. Some of the suites even have a full kitchen! Rates range from $129 to $250 per night, but they are offering us a 20% discount off their normal rates just for SELEM. Be sure to let them know that you're with the "SELEM Laser Group" when you call to book your room. Their number is (410) 392-9007. Note that if two people share a suite you can each have your own bedroom while still saving money vs booking two separate rooms at a hotel.
If people want to have breakfast at the Elk Forge B&B even though they aren't staying at the place, you can still come for breakfast. Cost is $12 per person, and they have quite the selection on their breakfast menu. Check out their website at https://elkforge.com/ for more information and pictures.
A Note regarding COVID-19 concerns: Now that vaccines are becoming available to the general public we are seeing a significant drop in the number of new cases. Assuming that the current declining trend for new cases continues through the summer, then by August I expect that any prohibitions on public gatherings will be lifted. It is my sincere hope that *everyone* will get their vaccine as soon as it's made available to them. (I've already gotten both of my shots.) We will of course comply with any local ordinances that may still be in effect during the event, and we will also have hand sanitation stations set up in the venue (just like every other building these days), but the current plan is for masks to be optional, not mandatory.
As always, we're open to more ideas! If you have any questions or suggestions, please post them below. And remember, registration is now open. The longer you wait to sign up, the more it costs, so sign up early!
List of registered attendees:
Buffo
Lazerjock
Bradstockdale
Polishedball
Stuka
Hitekvoop
Imagelight
ILDAdirect
Bradfo69
DZ
Krztov
Baptist Bob
Aaron Tate
StonewolfStudios
LaserLotus
HankLloydRight
Hakzaw1
Djeric68
Telmnstr
DrFlick
Lulighttec
Clickamouse
SaltyRobot
Saltydog
J4cbo
Illuminaut
Mrs Illuminaut
Swamidog
Lyra
Rns0504
Rgb-gas
Hobbybob
DiscoTheFunkyHippo
CountFunkula
Sphankstah
Mmuhler
Afturmath
Eightdot
Laser Dragon
Araugh
Aberry
Ash McFadden
Cfavreau
Ekeefe
Singlemode