Pocket program

Edited/Updated by Susan, incorporating information previously provided by Rachel and others. (Aug. 2025)

Pocket Program

The Pocket Program is a truncated, quick-reference version of the full programming schedule, but without the descriptions. It is typically accompanied by a helpful map of the hotel convention event spaces, and maybe some other useful information, as space allows.

What to include?

• Programming Grid: A spreadsheet-style grid with all of the programming titles, locations, and times listed, for any programming that has a set schedule (i.e. film room, readings, music, rumpus room).
• Hotel Map(s): Showing clearly labeled programming spaces, and other useful hotel amenities.
• Hours: It's handy to have hours listed for things like the Registration, Art Show, Dealer's Room, Science Room, Volunteers/Info Desk, Consuite/Bar, etc.
• Contact Info: The number for the Code of Conduct committee, and a reminder to call 911 in the event of a true emergency.
• Bozo Bus Info: Adding a note to check the Bozo Bus Tribune (the at-con newsletter) to learn about or contribute schedule changes, surprise programming, and other notifications.
• QR Codes: Not a requirement, but people have found it useful to have QR codes for things like the digital program book, pocket program, a restaurant guide, and Minicon Discord channel.
• MnStf Logo: Branding!
• Credits: Please credit any artwork included in the Pocket Program, and all publications. Below is an example.

Artwork at <locations> by <artist name here>. All contents ©2025 by the Minnesota Science Fiction Society and the respective creators. This work may be redistributed under the Creative Commons Attribution­ Noncommercial­Share Alike License (creativecommons.org/licenses/by­nc­sa/3.0/us/)

Examples of other things we have previously included (optional):

• Late hotel checkout information
• Recycling Information
• Post-Minicon parties (the Dead Dog at-con post-con party; the Dessicated Dodo,
• Mega Moneyduck Game
• Volunteer Information
• Fun Art: GoH art is always the best, but filios and license free clip art is also acceptable.
• Silliness: For funsies.

Here is where you can view a history of Minicon publications.

Layout

Size

Tabloid (11x17). Anything smaller gets to be too difficult to read. Smaller paper requires smaller type. Don't worry, people will also complain about the tabloid size paper, pointing out "this isn't pocket sized," but hey, they can fold it. If the paper was much smaller, the complaints about readability would be much louder.

It has generally worked well to put the Grid vertically on one side, and the maps and information on the other side.

Here is an example of the most recent Minicon 58 Pocket Program.

The Grid

This is arguably the most important piece of the Pocket Program, because while those of us in Publications do our best to provide accurate information across the Program Book and the Pocket Program, there may be times where book has already been printed, and perhaps some scheduling changes have occurred. It's annoying, but not the end of the world. Printing of the Pocket Program doesn't happen until the week of the convention, so last minute changes to the Grid or Maps can happen there.

Here is an example of the Programming Grid created in Google Sheets for the Minicon 58 Pocket Program. Should you be saddled with creating a grid, feel free to save a copy of this and use it as a template. It fits on 11x17 perfectly and is readable.

A note from Rachel Kronick: When Minicon is three or four days (like M50), I've recently set the grid page in landscape orientation, with the various rooms as columns and the timeline as rows.

Time Blocks on the Grid

The Programming head has very helpfully made most of the time blocks consistent. That is, most programming items start and end at the same times. This makes the Pocket Programmer's life much easier, and makes it easier for con members read the schedule. There have been other cons where the Pocket Program was such a mess of different times and locations that the 'grid' was more of a maze. Recently, Minicon has settled on hour-long blocks, with half-hour breaks in between. Most other cons do it this way too.

NOTE: When "Programming Season" begins, make your life (and everyone else's) easier by notifying all departments with schedules to use the standard time format (i.e. half-hour increments at :00 or :30)

The trick, of course, is that some items can't fit precisely into the overall time blocks. Sometimes movies are odd times, and therefore don't fit easily into the main blocks. Most of the gaming schedule doesn't easily fit, etc. What to do?

Suggestions from Susan: I broke the times down in half-hour increments, and shade in the time blocks. If there's an item with a non-standard time (films, usually), I show the start time below the name of the film (see M58). Like Rachel, I have a column for "Other" locations, for items that are one-off events, like a gaming tournament in the game room, or a trivia in the bar, etc. I add the location under the Name of the event.

Suggestions from Rachel: There isn't a totally satisfactory solution to this. What I've recently been doing is to have one column in the main grid for "events going on in other places and time", often labeled "Elseplace" or something equally silly, and another whole mini-grid with the non-block items in their own schedules. This means that, for example, the movie room (often called Cinema Obscura as of late) and the official gaming schedule have had their own sections. I like to give times in both the utmost left and the utmost right columns (that is, repeated left and right), with a color scheme that highly contrasts with the rest of the schedule. This makes the schedule easier to read, I find (see M50).

Maps

More to be added here

Printing!

Because the pocket program is only a single sheet, printing it has a very short lead time (at least compared to the program book). This means that the pocket program can reflect changes made to the schedules, often a lot later than the program book can.

Hopefully, you're working closely with programming and other departments to get as many of the last-minute updates as possible reflected in the pocket program. It's a good idea to send a draft or two to the concomm list and ask for feedback. "With many eyes, all bugs are shallow" and all that.

How long does it take to print? That depends on where you print it, and how much the con is willing to spend. Recently, we've printed the pocket program at Kinko's (AKA FedEx Office). They're supposed to be able to complete any print job in four hours, and can often print the entire run while you wait. If there is a work party, find out when it is. If you're printing through Kinko's, you can probably take the final document to them for printing the day before the pocket program.

That means that -- assuming you're printing through Kinko's and trying to have the finished products ready for the work party -- you should finalize the pocket program a day before the work party. Your personal schedule may change this one way or the other, of course.

Print approximately one copy per con attendee. We can assume that a fair number of people will lose their pocket programs and use more than one, but also some folks will never take one to begin with, so it basically balances out. Check with the con chair to find out what your exact budget is.

We've recently not had Kinko's fold the pocket programs, because a) it saves some money, b) it saves time, c) it gives folks at the Work Party something to do and d) some folks prefer to receive their pocket programs unfolded anyway.

Kinko's is not especially cheap. It is entirely possible to find printers who will do the run for considerably less. However, the con chairs have recently agreed that it's good to have last-minute changes reflected in the pocket program, rather than trying to save money, and I haven't had time to do proofing with other printers.

Past Pocket Programs

A fair number of Minicon pocket programs are on the web:

• M48 Pocket Program (2013)
• M47 Pocket Program (2012)
• M46 Pocket Program (2011)
• M45 Pocket Program (2010)
• M44 Pocket Program (2009)

If you would like versions of any of those documents, please let me (Rachel) know -- I have most of them. I've created the pocket program primarily in Libre Office, with the maps done in Inkscape and occasional tweaking in GIMP.