TH16 Announcement

The Homecoming proudly supports Sea Shepherd.

A message from Richard Dean Anderson...
Well, it's that time of the decade again! Time to gather, once again.....time to gather together to renew acquaintances old and new.

From my end of things, I can safely say I'll be doing both! With that in mind, a dear friend, wisely suggested that perhaps it would be a timely gesture to repeat our last gathering of loyal friends, fans and family in Vancouver for an event that was unflatteringly titled: 'Meet the Man'.

Therefore, my invitation goes out to any (and all) of you who can remember that last gathering, and would like to repeat the opportunity to join me and my very Special Guests at the upcoming 'Homecoming' event.

The message I bring is slathered with goodness, heavily primed with anticipation....ultimately I am thoroughly loving the thought of our coming 'party'. I want to make sure everyone knows that you are ALL invited to share in the festivities and celebrate the cause that has become an integral part of my socio-political life.

This is about awareness, if nothing else. We want people to educate themselves to what Sea Shepherd does and to get involved in any way they can. Whether it’s donating money, buying merchandise, attending Events or mouthing off to your politicians to do something about marine life conservation.

I'm hoping, as well, to find the opportunity to thank EVERYONE for their attendance, involvement, generosity, and ultimately the relationships you have all established with Sea Shepherd, Captain Paul Watson , Paul Brown and myself....by simply coming to The 'Homecoming' being organised by Gatecon and Legends in Vancouver, Canada, September 8th-12th, 2016.

Come and see what all the commotion is about...please do. I'm going, I already have my ticket!!
Richard

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Gatecon is joining forces with Legends to stage a brand new, exciting & memorable event – The Homecoming : A Weekend With Richard Dean Anderson, Friends & Special Guests to be held in Vancouver from 8-12 September 2016.

Gatecon has been biding its' time waiting for a return to its' traditional home of the Sheraton Vancouver Airport Hotel (formerly the Richmond Inn), and when Paul Brown from Legends mentioned to them his desire to stage another Meet The Man style of event, the timing and opportunity seemed perfect.

As Paul Brown explains; "although this new event will not be called Meet the Man 2, but instead will combine with Gatecon's plans for The Homecoming, it will still provide fans of The Man a similar opportunity to get up close and personal over the course of a long weekend.

I am delighted to have the opportunity for Legends to link up with our friends at Gatecon for what will be a nostalgic reunion here in Vancouver, and one that is in support of Sea Shepherd.

Our combined efforts will bring the fans an event unlike any other, as we have many very special Events and activities planned in addition to the outstanding guests who will be joining us.

I personally look forward to the planning process with Gatecon over the next few months, ultimately resulting in an event that we believe the fans will remember for years to come."

For the Gatecon organisers, a return to Vancouver is long overdue, following on from the huge success of their eight previous conventions in the city between 2000 and 2010. Working on the project with Legends is the ideal comeback event.

"We have known Paul from Legends for almost two decades and indeed had the pleasure of working with him when we produced our first Richard Dean Anderson event. So we are really looking forward to this new joint venture and aim to create something special, memorable and exciting for the fans and guests alike."

All the usual Gatecon features will be there such as the Absolutely Everybody opening ceremony, autograph and photograph sessions, panels, banquet and charity auction, along with a whole host of new and unique convention activities, including a harbour cruise, glyph hunt, two costume competitions and much, much more, all wrapped up in a colourful 1960's Vangroovy theme.

For the first time ever we will also be offering some pre-convention activities to keep the excitement building ahead of the main event. Full details to be released on the Gategoers forum and mailing list.

The Homecoming will also be supporting Sea Shepherd, with whom Richard Dean Anderson has an ongoing affiliation. The charity auction will be held to raise funds for Sea Shepherd, and representatives from this organisation will also be on hand throughout the event to answer questions about their work.

As the event title says, it is a weekend with Richard "and Friends" so you can expect to see some very special guest announcements made over the coming months, along with some surprise appearances over the weekend itself.


So, as you can see, not only is something brewing but it is fast approaching boiling point! More event details will be released soon, including ticket prices.

In the meantime, if you haven't already, please join the Gategoers Forum at http://www.gatecon.com/forum/ as that will be the place for the most up-to-date and detailed information on all aspects of The Homecoming. Join the mailing list so you can receive event updates straight into your inbox via The Homecoming Newletters. Or follow us on Facebook and Twitter.

We're excited. Are you?


Because charity matters…

Now that we have given you the impressive guest announcement for The Homecoming, please allow us to explain why all of these great people will be gathering in Vancouver next year.

Naturally they are coming to meet the wonderful fans that support them in all they do, but they are also coming along as Special Guests of Richard Dean Anderson and to help raise funds and awareness for Sea Shepherd.

Richard has been involved with Sea Shepherd for over 10 years and currently sits on the Board of Advisors. As well as lending his name in support of Sea Shepherd and its campaigns, he also took part in the protest against seal hunting alongside Capt. Paul Watson on the Canadian ice floes in 2005. Richard's involvement with Sea Shepherd is born from his concern over the destruction of ocean life and the efforts made by this group to help bring awareness to the world of the rapid decline in ocean ecology. Richard's desire in spearheading The Homecoming Sea Shepherd charity event is to help fulfill the objective of raising funds for their important campaigns.

"Given that most of the air we breath comes from our oceans, they truly are our life support system. However they are in deep trouble globally, due to over fishing, pollution and ocean acidification. The problems the world's oceans and our planet face can be overwhelming at times, however I know that with Richard, Paul Brown and team Gatecon, there is nothing that together we cannot achieve. For they are a part of Sea Shepherd, part of this movement to save the oceans, to save life and therefore they are part of our victories. For when we shut down whaling or an illegal fishing operation on the high seas, we collectively, Richard, Paul, team Gatecon and our crew on the frontline shut it down. Sea Shepherd's fleet would never be able to set sail without the help of people like you, keeping our ships out to sea in defence of the oceans! See you all at this amazing event in September, 2016"
Jeff Hansen, Managing Director, Sea Shepherd Australia, Director, Sea Shepherd Global.

More information about Sea Shepherd can be found here: http://www.seashepherd.org.au

Although the Homecoming is a Sea Shepherd charity event, we have also invited Amanda Tapping's charity initiative 'Sanctuary for Kids' to join us. They will have a booth where you can learn more about their mission to improve the lives of children around the world who need protection – those who are exploited, dispossessed or threatened. The Gatecon/Legends team are fully supportive of this worthy cause and we welcome them to our event.

"Sanctuary For Kids is very much looking forward to being at the Gatecon Homecoming event with Legends in Vancouver next year. We will be bringing the S4K booth with the official merchandise and can't wait to meet you all there."

More information about Sanctuary for Kids can be found here: http://www.sanctuaryforkids.org

Gatecon was fortunate enough to be able to showcase the work of Sea Shepherd at our previous Richard Dean Anderson event in 2008 with special guest Captain Paul Watson present. The relationship between Sea Shepherd, Richard and Legends has been flourishing for many years with the three entities joining forces to help bring the work of Sea Shepherd to an ever-widening audience. In 2010, the Meet the Man event in Vancouver raised $100,000 for Sea Shepherd in a single weekend.

Legends founder Paul Brown made the following comments in discussing his role with Sea Shepherd, "When I commenced my charity activities with Richard Dean Anderson nearly 10 years ago, it was he who introduced me to Capt. Paul Watson and the Sea Shepherd organization. Since that time, we have worked together to support this group and I am immensely gratified with the results of those efforts. I was also honoured to be invited by Paul Watson to join the Sea Shepherd Board of Advisors in 2008. I welcome the challenge of The Homecoming event to match or exceed the results from our Meet the Man event in 2010. With the participation of Richard and his many guests, I am confident in taking on this challenge."

We look forward to welcoming representatives from both Sea Shepherd and Sanctuary for Kids to The Homecoming next September.

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