Providence Anime Conference Registration FAQ

1. How do I register for Providence Anime Conference?
2. How old do I have to be to get into Providence Anime Conference?
3. Can I register by mail?
4. Do you take PayPal?
5. Do you take credit cards?
6. Why is it so expensive?
7. Is there a group discount?
8. Can I register at the door?
9. Can I buy a one-day membership?
10. What if I just want to go to the Dealers' Room? Do I still have to register for a full membership?
11. I'm only coming to run a panel/get an Artists' Alley table/etc., do I still need to register?
12. Why do you need my birthdate? Gender?
13. Why do you need a phone number?
14. Why do you need my e-mail address? You're not going to spam me, are you?
15. When do I need to register by?
16. How long do I have to pay?
17. What do you mean by "party" and "party leader"?
18. What can I put in my badge name?
19. I moved after I registered or I changed my e-mail address. How can I update my information?
20. I registered but haven't received any confirmation. Am I really registered?
21. My friend said he sent in my registration, but you guys don't have it. What happened?
22. What happens after I register? What do I need to do next?
23. When will registration be open at the conference?
24. What happens if I arrive after registration closes?
25. Can I have my friend pick up my badge for me?
26. What will the badges look like?
27. I can't go to Providence Anime Conference anymore. Can I get a refund?
28. Can I transfer my membership to someone else?
29. Is there a limit on the number of people you'll allow at the conference?
30. How fast will you fill up?
31. How do I register for a Press pass?
32. How do I register for an Industry pass?
33. How do I register for a VIP pass?
34. Other than entrance to Providence Anime Conference, what else can my membership get me?
35. Paypal isn't working!
36. What does my payment status mean? Unpaid, Sent, Received, Cleared, Bounced?
37. My status says my payment was sent, but I haven't paid yet. How do I pay?
38. I got an e-mail saying my payment cleared, but then I got one saying my payment was cancelled. Why?
39. What are the rules of the referral program?

1. How do I register for Providence Anime Conference?
   Visit our Registration page for complete instructions.
2. How old do I have to be to get into Providence Anime Conference?
   Everyone at the conference must be at least 21 years of age as of October 3, 2008. Absolutely no exceptions will be made and IDs will be checked.
3. Can I register by mail?
   You must register online, but you can pay via mail. However, you must complete the online registration form online FIRST! Your registration information is safe with us -- it's all submitted with 128-bit SSL encryption, so nosy people can't see it.
   Alternatively, you can try to catch us at one of our promotional appearances and register in person. (We cannot take credit cards if you register in person. Please plan accordingly.)
4. Do you take PayPal?
   Yes. You can register and pay via PayPal through our online registration form.
5. Do you take credit cards?
   We cannot accept credit cards. However, if you register online, you can pay via PayPal...and PayPal takes credit cards. (Sign up for PayPal before you attempt to register online.)
6. Why is it so expensive?
   One of our goals for Providence Anime Conference is to provide a rich experience in a more intimate (but less crowded) setting. Without the funding of a large attendee base, each person needs to contribute a little more. Rest assured, we're making sure every cent goes towards quality programming.
7. Is there a group discount?
   No. We are not planning to offer any group discounts. However, if you register in advance, you may participate in our referral program and get some money back. (Some restrictions apply, see site for details.)
8. Can I register at the door?
   Yes. The membership fee is $65 at the door for the whole weekend. Single-day memberships will not be available.
9. Can I buy a one-day membership?
   No. We are only offering full memberships that admit people to all three days of the conference.
10. What if I just want to go to the Dealers' Room? Do I still have to register for a full membership?
    Yes. We will not be offering any passes for access to the Dealers' Room or any other single event or location at the conference.
11. I'm only coming to run a panel/get an Artists' Alley table/etc., do I still need to register?
    If you're going to be at the conference, for any purpose, you need a badge. You will need to register unless you're specifically told that you will have a complimentary badge (in the case of staff, guests, press, etc.).
    Panelists and the Support Team that contribute to the conference in particular ways may be eligible for reimbursements. Details on such reimbursements are provided on the appropriate pages.
12. Why do you need my birthdate? Gender?
    We need your date of birth to make sure you will be at least 21 years of age as of October 3, 2008. We also use age and gender for demographics. (Sponsors really like this information and sponsors give us free stuff.) We don't actually record your birthday, age, or gender in your registration record; see our Privacy Policy. (When you register, we figure your age from your birthdate, make sure you will be 21 on October 3rd, add "one more person of age n and gender q" to our tally, and then throw away your birthdate and gender.)
13. Why do you need a phone number?
    We require a phone number in the US or Canada where we can reach a responsible party in the event something happens to you at the conference. We only keep it until the end of the conference and only use it in a genuine emergency (such as one that would involve an ambulance). If you live outside of North America, please provide the number of a trusted friend in the US or Canada who can help you if necessary.
14. Why do you need my e-mail address? You're not going to spam me, are you?
    We hate spam. A lot. We only ask for your e-mail address so we can e-mail a registration confirmation and in case we need to contact you in regard to your registration. Your personal information will be kept confidential by The New England Anime Society and will not be shared with any other organizations for any reason. See our Privacy Policy.
    You are responsible for providing an accurate e-mail address and ensuring you can receive e-mail from providenceanime.com. If you use a spam filter, we suggest whitelisting providenceanime.com. Providence Anime Conference is not responsible if you miss important information due to providing an incorrect e-mail address or rejecting e-mail from providenceanime.com.
15. When do I need to register by?
    There are only 2,000 memberships available to the public. You need to register before they're gone or before September 1, 2008...whichever comes first. We highly recommend registering as soon as possible to guarantee your membership. Assuming memberships are still available at the door, you will also be able to register and pay there.
16. How long do I have to pay?
    If you are paying via PayPal, you are expected to pay immediately! The last step in the registration process is a link to a PayPal page for payment.
    If you're mailing in a check or money order, we must receive your payment within two weeks. We suggest having your checkbook and printer handy before you start the process. Plan on mailing your payment immediately.
    If you don't pay, we'll assume you don't want to attend and will cancel your registration. No payment means no membership.
17. What do you mean by "party" and "party leader"?
    
    • Party means a bunch of people who registered together, roughly the same meaning as at a restaurant. (If you're registering by yourself, you're a party of one.)
    • Party Leader is the first person registered in the party. If the person paying for the party registers with the party, that person will be the party leader.
    • Payer or "person paying" is simply the person paying for a party's memberships.
18. What can I put in my badge name?
    It can be your nickname, your real name, your forum name -- whatever you want people to call you. Sorry, we don't support kana at this time. Your badge name has to consist of alphabetic characters (including simple accents), numbers, and most standard punctuation. For the technically inclined, it must match ^[\x20-\x7E\xC0-\xFF]*$.
    Your badgename cannot contain anything obscene or offensive in our judgement; we reserve the right to replace your badgename with your first name if necessary.
19. I moved after I registered or I changed my e-mail address. How can I update my information?
    You can make changes like this via the registration status page. In mid-September, we will lock down our database in preparation for the conference and will be unable to make any changes after that time.
20. I registered but haven't received any confirmation. Am I really registered?
    Maybe. Check our registration status page. The best way to be sure of your registration is to enter a complete and accurate e-mail address when you register. After you register, you will get a confirmation e-mail about a day after your payment clears. You will also be able to have your status code e-mailed to you if you lose it. You must use your full e-mail address, plain...don't typo it, don't use anti-spam tricks, and don't assume we know it's @aol.com. We don't share your e-mail address with anyone and it's in your best interest to make sure we have it accurately. Be sure you can receive e-mail from providenceanime.com addresses as well -- add it to your whitelist if you use a spam filter.
    Be sure to submit payment immediately. Your membership registration isn't valid until it's paid!
    
    
    • Mailed Payments
      Assuming you mail payment immediately (which you should), it takes:
      1. 1-2 weeks to reach us in the mail. Express mail won't help.
      2. Up to 1 week for us to check the mailbox and enter the payment in our database. You can see on the status page if we've received your payment.
      3. 3-4 weeks for your payment to clear our bank. Just because it's cleared your account doesn't mean it has cleared into ours!
      Allow six weeks from the time you mailed payment before asking about your registration.
    • PayPal Payments
      If you pay with an Instant Payment, it should clear immediately. PayPal will automatically update our database and you'll receive an e-mail in about a day. If you pay with an eCheck, it will take several days to clear.
      
      Allow a week from the time you sent a PayPal payment before asking about your registration.
21. My friend said he sent in my registration, but you guys don't have it. What happened?
    Your friend either lied or doesn't know how to spell your name.
22. What happens after I register? What do I need to do next?
    Just show up at the conference. Your first stop should be at the Registration Desk during registration hours. Bring a government-issed photo ID that displays your date of birth. (You will not be admitted to the conference if you cannot present a government-issued photo ID that displays your date of birth.) You can pick up your membership badge, lanyard, and program guide there. After you get your badge, you're free to attend any of our events.
23. When will registration be open at the conference?
    Hours of operation for Registration will be as follows:
    • Friday, October 3rd - 1:00pm to 8:00pm
    • Saturday, October 4th - 8:00am to 6:00pm
    • Sunday, October 5th - Registration not available on Sunday
    The Registration Desk will be closed on Sunday. Please note that these are only the hours for the Registration Desk and NOT the operating hours of the conference!
24. What happens if I arrive after registration closes?
    You'll just have to wait until it opens the following day. You cannot attend any conference functions or events without a membership badge. We will be checking. We will not issue "temporary" badges (or any other kind) during the hours registration is closed. Please plan appropriately so that you will be able to pick up your membership badge during the set Registration Desk hours. If you arrive after it closes on Saturday, what took you so long?!
25. Can I have my friend pick up my badge for me?
    No. Since we need to check everyone's ID, everyone must pick up his or her own badge.
26. What will the badges look like?
    We'd love to tell you. Unfortunately, there are some people out there who would rather forge a fake badge. That means we can't show anyone (not even most of the staff) what it looks like ahead of time. You'll find out what it looks like when you show up. We promise that they will make a good souvenir.
27. I can't go to Providence Anime Conference anymore. Can I get a refund?
    Sorry, we cannot give membership refunds. We will not make exceptions to this rule.
28. Can I transfer my membership to someone else?
    No. Registration is a commitment to attend the conference. Transferring it rather defeats the purpose. This means the name you register with must match the name on your ID and you are not allowed to change it in the registration status page. (We will make exceptions in cases such as getting married between registering and the conference.)
29. Is there a limit on the number of people you'll allow at the conference?
    Yes. We are limiting attendance to 2,000 paid members. However, it's is not likely that we will hit this cap.
30. How fast will you fill up?
    We probably won't, but you never know.
31. How do I register for a Press pass?
    Information on obtaining a press pass can be found on our Press Registration page.
32. How do I register for an Industry pass?
    Industry passes are handled by our Communications division. Contact us for more information.
33. How do I register for a VIP pass?
    You can't. Providence Anime Conference's executive committee members are the only ones who can assign VIP passes. They are typically given to local celebrities, spouses of guests, and other mucky-mucks who are invited to the conference. There is no application process.
34. Other than entrance to Providence Anime Conference, what else can my membership get me?
    A membership purchased for Providence Anime Conference only admits you to Providence Anime Conference for that year. It does not admit you to other conventions or events run by the New England Anime Society nor will it admit you to future Providence Anime Conference events. For information on other NEAS events, visit neanime.org.
35. PayPal isn't working!
    

    Please note that PayPal is a separate company and we have no control over its website or any technical issues it might have. That said, by far the most common problem people have with PayPal is failure to provide a confirmed address. We require a confirmed address for your protection and ours. If you are paying by credit card without logging in, this simply means the address you give us must match the billing address on the card. If you are paying by logging in to your PayPal account, please see PayPal's help section for information on confirming an address.

    The error message "We cannot process this transaction because there is a problem with the PayPal e-mail address supplied by the seller. Please contact the seller to resolve the problem." usually means either:

    • Rarely, there is a temporary hiccup in PayPal's servers, in which case it usually works later.
    • An ill-behaved browser, firewall, or proxy server between the user and PayPal is removing the data on your payment. That could be the Windows firewall, it could be a home wireless router, it could be a "transparent" proxy put in by the ISP. You can try using a different browser, changing firewall settings, or (in the worst case) using a library PC or some other internet connection. Make sure your system is up to date; this Knowledge Base article may be applicable.

    If your payment doesn't go through the first time, you can return to the status page and try again. "Sent" does not mean that the money was taken out of your account. We do have safeguards in place to prevent double-paying for your registration.

36. What does my payment status mean? Unpaid, Sent, Received, Cleared, Bounced?
    
    • Unpaid means you have not committed to any form of payment.
    • Sent means you have clicked on a "Pay Now" button and chosen a method of payment. It means we are expecting a payment from you, but have not received your mailed payment nor gotten confirmation from PayPal that you have completed a transaction. If you have not completed a PayPal transaction, or have not mailed payment, you can still do so through the payment status page. PayPal transactions almost immediately update to Received, so if your payment is "Sent" you probably have not completed the transaction with PayPal. (Note that you have two days to complete a PayPal transaction, or two weeks for us to receive a mailed payment. This is the significance of the due date.)
    • Received means we have received payment: either we got your check/money order in the mail, or PayPal informed us you have completed a transaction.
    • Cleared means your check/money order has cleared our bank, or your PayPal payment has cleared into our account. Your registration is all set, and we send another confirmation e-mail when your payment clears.
    • Bounced/Cancelled means a check bounced, or your PayPal transaction was reversed for some reason. You will need to contact registration to have the issue resolved.
37. My status says my payment was sent, but I haven't paid yet. How do I pay?
    "Sent" does not necessarily mean you completed payment. Look at your payment status page. Directly under "You have already paid" it says "Get directions for where to send your check," "Get directions for where to send your money order," or "Get directions for sending your PayPal payment." Click there.
38. I got an e-mail saying my payment cleared, but then I got one saying my payment was cancelled. Why?
    As it says in the e-mail: "Note that this e-mail applies only to the payment number and code listed above; if you registered twice this does not apply to any other payments you may have sent." The cancellation e-mail has a payment code. Your confirmation e-mail has a payment code. If they don't match, they are for different payments. The cancellation e-mail also has a payment number, which corresponds to the invoice number in PayPal. Again, if they don't match, they are for different payments. This commonly happens when people do two registrations under two different e-mail addresses; double-check which e-mail address you're using.

    Verify that the cancelled payment is the same as the cleared payment before contacting registration, or your e-mail will not be answered.

39. What are the rules of the referral program?
    
    1. Any registered member of Providence Anime Conference can receive a $5 referral bonus when their e-mail address is listed as the referrer by a new member during the registration process.
    2. There is a maximum limit of 10 referrals for any registered member. The maximum amount in referral bonuses that anyone can earn is $50.
    3. We regret that we are unable to accept retroactive referrals for anyone that has previously registered for Providence Anime Conference. Those members, however, are still able to refer other new registrants and earn referral bonuses.
    4. Referral bonuses are non-transferable.
    5. Referral bonus payments will only be paid out in person at the registration desk at Providence Anime Conference during normal hours of registration operation. Providence Anime Conference WILL NOT send out referral bonus payments prior to or after the convention.
    6. When receiving a referral bonus payment, members will be asked to verify receipt and sign off that they have received payment.
    7. Providence Anime Conference and The New England Anime Society are not responsible for mistyped e-mail addresses submitted as referrers. If you are referring someone, make sure they use your correct e-mail address. If you have been referred by someone, be sure to use their correct e-mail address.
    8. "Poaching" members, standing by an in-person registration desk and asking strangers to list you as their referrer, is not permitted.
    9. Registrations at the door are not eligible to receive referral bonuses.
    10. Members who registered in advance do not receive referral bonuses for any registrations paid at the door.
    11. We may modify any of the terms and conditions contained in this agreement, at any time and in our sole discretion, by posting a change notice or a new agreement on the Providence Anime Conference web site. Modifications may include, for example, changes in the scope of available referral fees, referral fee schedules, payment procedures, and program rules. In the event the referral fee changes or the referral program is discontinued, all referrals prior to that time will still be honored at the referral rate at the time the referral occurred.
    12. You and we are independent entities, and nothing in this agreement will create any partnership, joint venture, agency, franchise, sales representative, or employment relationship between the parties. You will have no authority to make or accept any offers or representations on our behalf. You will not make any statement, whether on your site or otherwise, that reasonably would contradict anything in this section.
    13. We will not be liable for indirect, special, or consequential damages (or any loss of revenue, profits, or data) arising in connection with this agreement or the program, even if we have been advised of the possibility of such damages. Further, our aggregate liability arising with respect to this agreement and the program will not exceed the total referral fees paid or payable to you under this agreement.
    14. We make no express or implied warranties or representations with respect to the program. In addition, we make no representation that the operation of the Providence Anime Conference web site will be uninterrupted or error-free, and we will not be liable for the consequences of any interruptions or errors.