The NYC-based Minecraft convention, "MineOrama", has been officially postponed, pending a future date.
A number of Youtubers, Livestreamers, and more, are currently in talks about hosting a small gathering for affected convention-goers. More info on this gathering will be posted here as it becomes available.
In a flurry of early-afternoon activity (07/07/2014), numerous sources began reporting that the upcoming convention was not occurring as planned, had no booked venue, and somewhat conflicting information on the cause. While a great deal of speculation on the postponement is making the rounds, little official information is currently available.
The official statement from MineOrama reads:
Quote from MineOramaDear Mine-O-Rama 2014 Attendees:
We regret to inform you; due to unforeseen circumstances, Mine-O-Rama 2014 has been postponed to a later date. We are truly disappointed and sincerely apologize to all those involved.
We expect to be completely sold out when we solidify a rescheduled date in the near future. If you have purchased a ticket, your ticket is still valid and will be honored for our rescheduled event.
Despite having to postpone, this extra time will allow us to ensure Mine-O-Rama 2014 and all future events, will be everything they have always intended to be.
Once again we would like to thank everyone who have been involved and appreciate your understanding, as this is disappointing for all parties. However, we are moving forward and working around the clock to reschedule as soon as possible.
In the coming weeks, we will be notifying attendees of new dates for the show and encourage guests to check back soon.
MineOrama is not affilated with Mojang AB, nor an event sanctioned, promoted, or authorized by Mojang.
We will be updating as the situation unfolds, read on for updates!
MineOrama is a planned convention for July 2014, which lists a number of activities and events featuring for attendees. Everything from Youtuber meet-and-greets to live performances, tournaments, education booths, to-scale Villager villages, and more, are planned for the event. Also mentioned was an official showing by The Greatest Science Fair Ever, Inc, as well as participation from New York City officials.
At this time, it is unknown how many events are still on the schedule.
The history of MineOrama is a long one, touched on in a Forbes article from last year. In a nutshell, MineOrama was formed as a for-profit organization meant to fund the non-profit group, "The Greatest Science Fair Ever". Lou Gasco, creator of TGSFE, said:
Quote from Lou GascoThis wouldn’t just be an event...this would be a company, which would fuel the STEM education movement...STEM education is interwoven in almost everything Mine-O-Rama does, it’s a symbiotic relationship.
Plans were in place to host up to 10 MineOrama-style conventions, meant to raise funds for the project.
Figures for MineOrama tickets sold have been reported anywhere from 3,000 to 7,300, at $150 apiece. MineOrama's official Twitter account is reporting approximately 3,600 tickets sold, generating just shy of $600,000.
As of this writing, no public explanation for the convention's postponement has been made available.