The SECOND MicroCon 23 event is fast approaching. Microcosme.info gives you a summary of what to remember before this first European 2023 edition, after the first conference hosted in North America by the Royal Republic of Ladonia in Joliet.
Forget almost everything you know about the American version of Microcon. As the two conferences will not follow the same program and here is what to remember for the European version of this MicroCon. The appointment is set in Ypres (Belgium) from August 11 to August 13th. It is co-hosted by the Royal Republic of Ladonia and The Grand Duchy of Flandrensis.
Here is the announced program :
Friday , August 11th from 19.30 until midnight
Guests will arrive if not already in Ypres and they will be able to informally meet at the venue where there is a pop-up bar during the week. At 19:30 everybody will gather there to go to the Menin Gate Ceremony for the Last Post.
Every evening at 8pm precisely, the "Last Post" has been sounded since 1928 under the imposing arches of the Menin Gate. This memorial shaped like a Roman triumphal arch displays the names of 54.896 soldiers of the former British empire who went missing. This memorial lists the names from the beginning of the war until 15th August 1917. Because of renovations, the Last Post will be in front of the Menin Gate.
An important rule: the Commonwealth War Grave Commission and Last Post Associations are very strict: only veterans and soldiers are allowed to wear their medals. Please don't wear micronational medals or uniforms during this ceremony.
Guests should wear informal/casual. After the ceremony, the organizers have planned a nice evening at “The Kazematten” were people can get to know each other, have a drink etc. The pub is actually inside the ramparts of Ypres, built around 1680 according to plans drawn up by Vauban, Louis XIV’s foremost engineer for similar structures. During WW1 it was a headquarter for British soldiers who printed their satirical newspaper The Wipers Times in the basement. It's the perfect location for a nice and cozy talk between micronational friends.
Saturday, July 1 is the D-Day . The conference border check-in will be open between 8:15AM and 9AM. Be sure to be on time to prevent long waiting times at the neutral demilitarized checkpoint and keep your passport ready to be stamped while receiving your medal and other memorabilia! Then the conference will start from 9AM to 6PM. The program of the conference is finalized and can be read on the Facebook page of the conference.The organizers remind everyone that you will be able to setup their display table after the opening
of the doors and there will be time for a coffee etc. before the conference starts.
The reception starts at 18.30 hour until 19.30 hour and then we enjoy from a a three-course meal. The end time is set on 11:00PM due to the venue’s availability and increasing prices. After the cleanup of everybody’s display for the people who want to they can do an afterparty at one of the local pubs.
If it is your first MicroCon: be prepared! Conference day is a marathon for all delegates. After this long and nourishing day comes the Diplomatic Reception and the evening Dinner that no-one would ever miss.
Before the Diplomatic Reception starts, there will be some last free time for the people that only attend the conference. Depending on possible delays in the program during the day. For those who only attend the conference this is the last official moment to connect with the other attendees. As not everyone will join the Sunday Battle tour activity. As you need a separate ticket for the Diplomatic Reception and Evening Dinner.
The Diplomatic Reception. You can compare it to the awardsapalooza, a new thing in MicroCon. It has been put in place by the organizers to keep the evening dinner rolling. Awards and honours may be presented during this time instead of during the dinner. Guests will also have a backdrop available for photos. It will be held after the conference and before the dinner. There will be small snacks and bubbles.
For this part, the dress code can only be ultra-formal and wearing regalia will be appropriate (or what you actually wear at the Conference). As the evening is co-hosted by Minister of Foreign Affairs Bertjens Yvan of Ladonia, guests who were granted the Order of the Hesperides must were this high Ladonian order instead of their national one. That is an elementary rule of international protocol! Other guests may of course were their national one. If you’ve got Flandrensis Medals you need to wear those as well.
Let’s move on to the Evening dinner. The event is due to terminate at 11.30PM as most people will attend the Sunday battle tour. So an afterparty can be done at one of the local pubs.
But some have to be at the marketplace again on Sunday at 10.00 hour. There is a vegetarian option: but please answer the Question attendee forms Yvan Bertjens send. The caterer will need to know everyone’s preferences before the 29th of July. The main dish ... Flemish beef stew with Belgian fries, top traditional Belgian cuisine. During the conference and evening event: all drinks are included in your price until 11 pm.
The last unofficial moment of this important gathering of micronationalists will be Sunday, August 13th. Guests will be proposed to join a battle tour. The organizers will announce more details in due time and they want to get it on your radar so far.
For the first ever MicroCon Europe 2023 is already promising with a very nice number of attendees (56) between 23 delegations so far. And for the first time the website Microwiki will have a delegation as well! With special guest speaker Dr. Sandra Petermann, a worldwide authority in her field of Micronationalism. The academic world is represented and documentary makers Slovakia and Poland will join as well.
microcosme.info will be present on site to give you a report on this 2023 edition.
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