Convention Overview

You will not want to miss this celebration. This will be the most family oriented, fun-filled, collecting event you have ever attended. If you have never been to an international convention, now is your chance. San Antonio, Texas is one of the top vacation spots in the country. There are hundreds of things to see and do within blocks of the hotel. The Hyatt Regency is located in the center of San Antonio's famous Riverwalk. There are over 100 restaurants and shops on the river level. In addition, the hotel is just across the street from the Alamo. With so much to see and do, you might just be late to the show!

The week will begin with two pre-convention tours. Both tours are great vacation opportunities that will be enjoyed by the whole family. On Wednesday, we will be traveling to historic Fredricksburg in the Texas Hill Country visiting the Admiral Nimitz State Historical Park, the Museum of the Pacific War, and the History Walk of the Pacific War. After lunch on your own, we will visit the LBJ ranch. On Wednesday night, you will have the opportunity to join us for one of San Antonio's famous riverboat dinner cruises. On Thursday, we visit the sites in San Antonio including the Mission San Jose, Fort Sam Houston, Lackland AFB, and the Alamo - "the cradle of Texas liberty." For lunch we will visit Market Square and El Mercado featuring the largest Mexican marketplace outside of Mexico. On Thursday evening we will have a kickoff reception with registration back at the hotel.

Friday morning will be the official start of the convention with registration, dealer set-up, display set-up and seminars by well known G.I. Joe enthusiasts like Charles Griffith, Jeff Kilian and others. Don't miss the special Hasbro Roundtable discussion! On Friday afternoon we will open the sales floor to registered guests. On Friday evening there will be a Casino Night with all proceeds benefiting the Admiral Nimitz Museum.

For those non-enthusiasts (spouses, etc.) there are hundreds of things to see and do within blocks of the hotel. The Rivercenter Mall, which contains over 100 stores, is just three blocks away.

On Saturday morning the sales floor will open early to registered attendees with the general public being admitted at 10 AM. Collecting seminars will also be available all day. Hourly door prizes will be awarded and you must be present to win. Saturday night promises to be a big event complete with cocktail party,

mariachi band, and awards dinner.

Sunday will provide you with the opportunity to attend additional seminars, spend more time in the sales room, along with the chance to win more prizes including a 1/6th scale vehicle (valued at over $1,000). At 3:00 we will draw for two trips to the 1999 convention and you must be present to win. Don't leave early and miss out on all the great prizes!

Other special services include: in-room child care, package shipping, and a central courtesy room. While there, be sure to ask where the room-to-room trading will be held. The hotel also has a pool with a view (on the hotel roof).

Contests will include a custom figure (all sizes), a photography, and a diorama contest. Prizes for the contests will be in show dollars which allow you to choose your own prize.

Registered Attendee Packages

There are four different convention packages available:

The General's Package will consist of the convention

figure set with certificate of authenticity, convention medal, convention hat, convention bag, luggage tags and admittance to the sales room including a private preview on Friday and Early Bird privileges on Saturday, admittance to Casino Night w/charity auction including $160 in GI Joe bucks good for the games and auction, admittance to the cocktail party and Awards Dinner on Saturday evening and admission to all convention seminars. Cost for registrations postmarked before March 1, 1998: $315 for non-members or $295 for club members. After March 1, 1998 cost is: $335 for non-members, or $315 for club members. You will receive your convention items upon check-in at the convention. Pre-convention tours are available for an additional charge.

The General's Aide Package includes: Saturday's dinner, name badge and admittance to all show events (not including tours). This package can only be purchased in conjunction with a General's package and is offered so that accompanying family members can join in the fun. Cost is $50.

Sergeant's package includes: convention medal, convention hat, convention bag, luggage tags and admittance to the sales room including a private preview of the sales room on Friday and Early Bird privileges on Saturday, admittance to Casino Night with a charity auction including $160 in GI Joe bucks good for the games and the auction, and admission to all convention seminars. Cost is $130 for non-members and $115 for club members.

The Base Commander's package includes: everything the General gets (except dinner & admittance) with all items being shipped three to four weeks after the show to your home base of operations. This package is for those who cannot attend the show. Cost for registrations postmarked before March 1, 1998: $315 for non-members or $295 for club members. After March 1, 1998 the cost is: $335 for non-members, or $315 for club members.

As a special incentive, the first 125 registrants (General's or Base Commander's Packages) will also receive a World War II (G.I. Joe size) pilot jacket complete with the convention logo as nose art on the back of the jacket and a free raffle entry for the 1/6th scale vehicle drawing (vehicle value over $1,000).

There is a limited number of each package available so register early. Texas state law requires 7 3/4% sales tax be collected on all convention packages.

Dealer Information

Dealer booths in the Main Ballroom, consisting of two 8' tables and one 6' table, cost $210, with single 8' tables going for $105. After March 1, 1998 booth costs will go to $250 with tables going for $125. Each dealer booth will be approximately 11' wide by 8' deep. We also have 18 booths available in the Main Ballroom Foyer. These 18 booths are by the show entrance in front of the Main Ballroom and will be the first booths attendees visit. These booths consist of two 8' tables and one 6' table and cost $375 and include manned all night security. Standard electrical hookups for all booths are $25 per booth. Direct dial telephone service can be provided at a cost of $170. There will be one central courtesy phone provided (at the headquarters booth) if you need to validate credit card orders. Booths and tables are limited and placement will be handled on a first come, first served basis. The entire facility is air-conditioned and carpeted. Dealers will also be admitted to the Casino Night w/charity auction and will receive $100 in G.I. Joe bucks good for the auction and games. Any dealer who donates an item for the charity auction will receive additional G.I. Joe bucks. Dealer booths and table rentals are non-taxable. Load in on Friday

will be handled via a reservation system on a first come, first served, basis. We will also be providing helpers to assist you with your load in.

Promotions

This show will be heavily promoted nationally for seven months before the event and promoted locally the week prior to the event. We will be running ads in all major toy publications as well as local newspapers and outdoor advertising in the San Antonio area. By show time, our advertisements will have been viewed over eight million times. The convention will also be promoted on our web site which receives over 110,000 hits per month.

Shipping

Mail Boxes Etc. will be available to handle your in-bound and out-bound shipping needs. If you need to ship packages to the show you can send them to: Mail Boxes Etc. 14542 Brookhollow, San Antonio, TX 78232-3800. They will hold and deliver your boxes to the show on Friday morning at a rate of $5 per box. If you want to take advantage of this service, please contact Mike Schlatter at 210-490-4547. Packages can also be shipped to the hotel at: Hyatt Regency Hotel, 123 Lysoya St, San Antonio, TX 78205, hold for (your name) G.I. Joe Convention 7/31 to 8/2/98. Shipments to the hotel should not arrive any earlier than 3 days prior to the event. Mail Boxes Etc. will have a booth at the show to assist you in shipping your items home. They will have all types of packing materials and boxes available. Items will be shipped via UPS. Prices will vary according to distance and weight.

Accommodations

Rooms at the Hyatt Regency are at a special convention rate of $115 per night. This is over a 50% discount off their standard rates. Call and reserve your room now before the block is filled up. The deadline for hotel reservations is June 28th. You can reach them at 800-233-1234 or 210-222-1234 and identify yourself as an attendee of the G.I. Joe Convention. All convention events (except tours) are in one of the Hyatt's 15,000 sq. feet of carpeted and air-conditioned ballrooms. The hotel is 15 minutes from the San Antonio Int'l. Airport. You can take the Star Shuttle for $6 each way. The shuttles run 24 hours a day and you can make a shuttle reservation by calling 210-341-6000. The Hyatt's address is 123 Lysoya St, San Antonio, TX 78205. The hotel also has a great pool area located on the roof (great view), along with a complete fitness center. The hotel is located in the center of the Riverwalk and just across the street from the Alamo.

Contests

Contests will include a custom figure contest for all figure sizes, a diorama, and a photography contest. Over $1,700 of prizes will be awarded as show dollars that you can spend with any dealer at the show. Please send a SASE to receive the sample judging criteria and registration form(s). Here are some of the rules: Diorama entries must fit on a table top and are limited to 4 feet wide by 30 inches deep. Team entries are allowed. The entry is limited to 4 feet by 30 inches deep per person on the team. All prizes must be split among

team members. Photography entries can be black & white or color. All entries have to be 8"x10" in size and they have to be mounted. All winners will be announced at the dinner on Saturday night.

Seminars

Collecting and customizing seminars will be presented on Friday, Saturday and Sunday. Each seminar will last approximately 45 minutes and will be held in the Live Oak room, one floor above the sales room. This facility seats 180 people in a theater style setting. Five different seminars will be presented each day on various collecting topics, including a special Hasbro Roundtable where you can speak directly with the Hasbro G.I. Joe team.

Courtesy Room

You can rest and relax with your friends in the Courtesy Room which will always be open. There will be refreshments available for all registered attendees. Make sure you check the message board for the list of rooms that will offer room-to-room trading.

Night Activities

On Thursday evening there will be a pre-convention kick-off reception at the Hyatt. Plan to attend this event because you won't want to miss the first opportunity for room-to-room trading. On Friday evening there will be a Casino Night for your enjoyment. Each registered attendee will get $160 in "G.I. Joe Bucks" to use at the gaming tables. You can purchase more "G.I. Joe Bucks" during the evening and all proceeds will go to the Admiral Nimitz Museum. At the end of the evening, there will be an auction using only your "G.I. Joe Bucks". Auction items will range from vintage items, to prototypes, to current Classic Collection figures. On Saturday the Awards Dinner will be in the Rio Grande Ballroom. These events offer you a great opportunity to meet new G.I. Joe friends and hear from some of the most respected individuals in the G.I. Joe community.

Door Prizes

Hourly door prizes will be awarded at five minutes to the hour each day while the Sales Room is open. Prizes will include all different types of G.I. Joe figures and memorabilia. At 3:00 on Sunday, we will draw for two trips to the 1999 Convention along with several other great prizes. Don't leave early because you must be present to win and we will hate to give your prizes to your best friend!

Pre-Convention Tours

The week will begin with two pre-convention tours. Both tours are great vacation opportunities that will be enjoyed by the whole family. On Wednesday, we will be traveling to historic Fredricksburg in the Texas Hill Country. Fredricksburg is home to the Admiral Nimitz State Historical Park, Museum of the Pacific War, and the History Walk of the Pacific War. This fabulous museum houses artifacts from all periods of the Admiral's life. There are wonderful exhibits chronicling W.W.II in the Pacific Theater. The History Walk has many W.W.II tanks and other vehicles that you can walk

right up and touch. This visit will not be one that you will soon forget. Fredricksburg was founded in 1846 by German settlers. This German charm is evident in the many different boutiques, shops and restaurants that line the downtown streets. After lunch on your own, we will proceed to the LBJ Ranch. Here you will take a guided tour of LBJ's Ranch and the Texas White House. Cost is $25 per person.

On Wednesday night, you will have the opportunity to join us for one of San Antonio's famous riverboat dinners and cruise. At 7:30 PM we will board the Yanaguana Cruise boats for a Fajitas Al Carbon dinner while we cruise up and down the Riverwalk. The cruise will last until approximately 9:00 PM. The cost for the cruise and dinner is $45.

On Thursday, we will be seeing the sites in San Antonio. We will start the day by visiting the Mission San Jose, the oldest in the city and known as the "Queen of the Missions". Next we will visit Historic Fort Sam Houston where Geronimo was held captive and Teddy Roosevelt's Rough Riders trained. For lunch (on your own) you will have time to visit Market Square and El Mercado, featuring the largest Mexican marketplace outside of Mexico. After lunch and shopping, we will head out to Lackland AFB to view their outstanding display of military aircraft. Finally, the tour will end at the Alamo, "the cradle of Texas liberty." Cost is $25 per person.

Other Activities

For those non-joe enthusiasts (spouses, etc.) there are hundreds of things to see and do right around the hotel including the Rivercenter Mall. Texas Adventure, a 3-D multimedia program, is located directly across from the hotel. The Children's Museum is three blocks from the hotel. In addition, the Hard Rock Cafe and Planet Hollywood are directly across the river from the Hyatt. The Hyatt Regency is located in the center of all the Riverwalk activities.

Convention Dress

All activities (other than tours) are located in the Hyatt Regency in air-conditioned ballrooms. Dress for the Saturday Night Awards Dinner is business casual (jacket required, tie optional). San Antonio will be hot this time of year so dress appropriately for any outdoor activities.

Special Convention Rates

Special convention rental car rates are available from Avis Rent A Car. For reservations, call 800-331-1600. Our Avis group number is J947629. Delta has a discounted group rate for the convention. Call 800-241-6760 to check their rates from your area. Our Delta group number is 108551A.

Child Care

In-room child care is available from the Northside Sitter's Club for $6 per hour (4 hour minimum) for up to 3 children. Additional children are $2 per hour each. Northside Sitter's Club will provide activities based on the children's ages. Northside Sitter's Club is licensed and bonded by the state of Texas and has been in existence for 75 years. All sitters are 25 years of age or older and are experienced. To arrange for this service, please call Betty La Force at 210-822-1535 to reserve a sitter. References are available from the concierge desk at the Marriott 210-223-1000, Hyatt 210-647-1234, and the Four Points Hotel 210-223-9461.

The G.I. Joe Collectors' Club Wants You!

We have spent many long hours planning and researching this event. We want to take care of all your needs. This event is designed so that every member of your family will have a great time. If you have ever thought about attending a convention, this is the one! San Antonio and the Riverwalk will provide you with one of the most memorable vacations you have ever taken! We want every member of the club to attend because this is your event! If you are interested in handing out flyers in your area, please contact us and we will be happy to send some to you.

Don't delay, make your plans and sign up today!