Welcome to the 2020 WCHC Virtual Convention.

Note all events unless otherwise stated, will be via Zoom – we will provide a direct link for you to attend.  New to Zoom, click here.

All weekend (Saturday and Sunday)

Silent Auction 

2020 Silent Auction

All-day Saturday and Sunday

As you know this show is a charity that helps teachers for deaf and/or autistic children.  Purchasing items in the auction will help us raise some money to give grants to teachers this year.  All items will have to be shipped or picked up (if you live near where the item is coming from).  We will do our best to estimate the shipping charges before you bid.  We will be available all weekend to answer shipping questions.  The auction will close at 4:30 pm on Sunday.

We are still taking donations, got something to donate? email chris@hauntersconvention.com.

13th Floor Decorating Contest

We’re excited to announce the WCHC virtual 13th Floor Contest! Anyone can decorate and stay on the ’13th floor’ this year! There will be two awards, Board of Directors Award and Peoples Choice Award. VOTING FOR PEOPLES CHOICE IS BY HEARTS AND THUMBS UP.

Friday

Haunter Happy Hour 5:30 pm – 7:00 pm

We will be hosting a Zoom call for everyone.  This is a chance for everyone to say ‘hi’, have a few drinks, and catch up with your Haunt Family.

Virtual Tour Fear PDX Haunt 8:00 pm

Saturday 

Keynote Address – Ed Roberts, Founder West Coast Haunters Convention 9:30 am

10:00 am until 11:00 am

Scaring people in 2020: Haunting in the Wake of COVID19

Presented by Leonard Pickel, Hauntrepreneurs Themed Attraction Design and Consulting Firm

October 2020 was set to be a massive season for the haunted house industry. Halloween falls on a Saturday; daylight savings time starts Nov.1 – the planets were aligned. Then COVID19 shut down “non-essential” businesses and people were told not to gather in crowds. Conventions were forced to cancel, and haunt owners were left wondering if they will be allowed to open or not. How can a haunted house scare people while social distancing and still provide a safe environment for patrons and staff alike? How do haunts convince local authorities to allow them open at all? In this thought-provoking session, haunt industry icon Leonard Pickel offers insight from his 40 plus years of haunting on how attractions can open safely for October 2020 and still be profitable in the wake of COVID19!

11:30 am until 1:00 pm

Legacy Haunting: Creating Story & Characters that live for years in your client’s minds

Presented by David D. Jones, Creatures of the Night

You for less than 1.5 seconds to establish 3 things in your client’s mind. Backstory, Rapport, & Create An Unanswerable Question. This class will guide you through the process to do this intentionally and repeatedly in your guest’s mind through story and character design. The class will be divided into 4 parts. History, Theory, Application, & Framing. This is an information-dense presentation; students should be alert and prepared to take notes.

1:30 pm – 2:30 pm 

Haunt Design Do’s and Don’ts: Avoiding Common Errors That Decreases Haunt Effectiveness

Presented by Leonard Pickel, Hauntrepreneurs Themed Attraction Design and Consulting Firm

Dramatically increase the scare factor of your attraction and get some great new scare ideas for your next haunted attraction design. In this lively session, industry legend Leonard Pickel will review the good the bad, and, the ugly of current haunted house design concepts, and point out common mistakes that even the best fright attraction designers in the country are making when creating their attractions. Both the best and the worst attraction design concepts in the industry will be discussed, as well as why the great ideas are working, and take your fright factor to the next level using these tips and tricks on how to fix the concepts that are not.

3:00 pm – 4:00 pm 

An Introductory Guide To Pneumatics: Basic Components, Connections, and Use

Presented by Scott Shier, Shier Terror

Previous experience with pneumatics? Don’t have a clue? This class will give you the basic information you need to understand or work on an air-driven prop.

4:30 pm – 5:30 pm

Photographing and Filming Your Haunt

Presented by Ben Krakowsky

This class starts with camera basics and looks at how to get the best quality photos and videos in low-light situations. I’ll cover techniques, lighting, camera stabilization, and technology for all budgets.

Virtual Costume Ball

7:00 pm until 9:00 pm

We know that you have a Halloween costume or four lying around, and now is the time to wear it. We are going to turn your living room into your favorite costume party!  We are giving you a special DJ (more details to follow), you pour your own drinks (as heavily as you want) and go to bed whenever you get tired. Do what you gotta do, boo.

Our first guest DJ is Lady Fright. Kayla “DJ Lady Fright” Allen has years of experience in the music industry from playing many instruments, singing, recording live audio, Mobile DJ & sound for film. Follow her company Lady Fright Studios on Facebook!

After Party!

9:00 pm until 11;00 pm

Join our Fearless Leader Ed Roberts as he shares his favorite Halloween songs with you for the rest of the evening.

Sunday

10:00 am until 11:30 am

Drive guest engagement with new tech (AR/social media). It’s FREE and easy!

Presented by Matt Knowles, Carriage Way Cemetery / Creatures of the Night

In this class, you will learn innovative ways to engage guests before, during, and after your event using free software tools for Augmented Reality (Spark AR) and Social Media (Facebook, Instagram). He will cover: Guest engagement–what is it? Why do you need it?  Standard/traditional approaches,  new tech landscape, AR made easy–in your pocket now. How to make your own AR filter  Demo/ make and take (virtual, of course)  Example results.  Links/resources to help you.

12:00 pm until 1:00 pm

Making a Singing Bust Using a Smartphone, 3D Printer, and a LED Projector

Presented by Jeff Davis, The Davis Graveyard

This seminar will walk you through the process of making a singing bust using a 3D Scanning phone app that uses photogrammetry and then using a 3D printer to print and make a mold of the actor’s face. Then using just a smartphone camera, film the bust and project onto it using a simple LED projector. Inspired with the recent developments in 3D printing and 3D scanning software, we took an old singing bust prop made with a simple female wig head, and with a little epoxy clay and a projector that projected a filmed actor and turned it into something that was very lifelike and realistic with just our smartphone and access to a 3D printer.

1:30 pm until 2:30 pm

Is Your Haunt Accessible? 

Presented by Ed Roberts, Nightmare Factory, Founder WCHC

Learn what the Nightmare Factory does to make sure their haunt is fully accessible to all.

3:00 pm until 4:00 pm

Keeping Your Makeup Room Clean in the COVID-19 Era

Presented by Shawn Morse & Kendra Quinlan, Shawn Morse FX & West FX

What can you do to keep your haunt actors and staff safe in the makeup room in the COVID-19 era? Kendra and Shawn have created new guidelines for cleaning and health safety in the makeup room for attractions. If you are a makeup artist or attraction owner, this is a must-attend class! Learn new guidelines and makeup practices you must now use to keep your makeup hygienic and your staff safe and healthy in 2020 and beyond.

4:30 pm until 5:30 pm

Be a Moving Monster Making Machine

Presented by Steve Koci, DIY Animatronics

It’s time to talk shop! We’ll discuss motors, materials, mechanisms and mounts and how it all connects together. There will be designs suitable for beginners but even seasoned builders are sure to discover some useful info. At the end the seminar you will be better prepared to select the most cost-effective solution for your motor-driven prop needs. You will also have a better understanding of some easy to construct mechanisms that will have your props responding to your will in no time!

Nightmare After WCHC

6:00 pm until ??

It’s now a West Coast Haunters Convention tradition: pajama movie night after the conference.  Pop that popcorn, grab a bag of movie candy and your favorite beverage, and sit back and enjoy a couple of fun movies.  As always, these are a secret, so don’t ask.  To participate, you will need a Netflix account and download the extension  (only works on Chrome).  We will heckle, drink, and talk over the movie. Looking forward to hanging with you all.

This is our schedule as of the date of publication.  Please note that things can change (we are new to this), we will do our best to keep everyone informed of any changes to this schedule.