Commander Sealed is a one-of-a-kind event where passion for inventive Magic: the Gathering play is reinvigorated, camaraderie and community is fostered, and new friendships are made. Those who have never been sometimes refer to is as a convention, but it is an error to do so. Commander Sealed is different in its focus on charity fundraising in a way that shapes every decision made about it’s purpose, structure and attendance.
When you attend a Magic convention, it’s normal to expect to see singles vendors. Commander Sealed has long avoided accepting or inviting these vendors, replacing their focus instead with a charity auction. The reason for this is simple; when we attend a show with spare money, it’s common as Magic fans to spend it on singles! And why not? Singles vendors also tend to buy a lot more than they sell, and that makes it hard for them to participate is vigorous donors to the charities the event is intended to support. At Commander Sealed, we want the goal to be to fundraise for our charities – 100% of our auction sales go to our annual charities. So every spare dollar attendees have tends to go into bidding on these items, and that’s our goal.
We do of course have artists and vendors, and all of them have agreements to donate a percentage of their sales to the charities as well! This of course means that the artists and vendors you meet will tend to be supporters of the charities we’re fundraising for. That matters because it gives us a great atmosphere, where everyone has skin in the game, and artists return yes, because they make some money, but also because they care about these causes. Our vendors are in the same boat too, so spending anywhere at the show is spending that supports the charity.
Planning your weekend
If you get a VIP pass, show up Friday, Saturday and Sunday to maximize that value. We try to have something special going on for VIPs every day, even if it’s just getting early registration or some extra promos.
If you attend Sunday, make it a point to meet Content Creators and artists! Sunday tends to be a bit slower, so it’s also a good time to plan your auction bids. Our auction is run on Auctria, and after our first year we learned and have an anti-snipe set up, and text messaging alert option, so you’ll never miss a bid again.
Think about how best to spend your spare money – if you value play, a side event is a great way to participate. A percentage of every side event on Sunday and Friday goes directly to the charities involved. If you’d eager to see 100% of your funding go to charity, bid early and often on auction items! Just pushing the bid up helps fundraise. Even if you don’t win everything you bid on, you can still feel good about helping fundraise.
Plan to visit Rochester sights
We have a great roster in Travel Plans of things to do – but plan ahead! Rochester has a gorgeous wine trail nearby in the finger lakes, and hundreds of cideries as you travel further afield toward Ithaca, as well as gorgeous hikes and parks a stone’s throw outside the city. And if it’s nightlife you want, check out the dozens of cozy lounges and theaters in the NOTA district. And of course, if you want more gaming, there are several world-class game stores in Rochester, including Just Games Rochester, located in Penfield NY.
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