Apply as a program host
At Tracon, for over 20 years now, there has been a varied and interesting assortment of events and activities ranging from academic lectures to entertainment shows! These wonderful events do not manifest out of nowhere, but instead they are presented by you, who apply to organize events at Tracon!
By giving a presentation, you’ll get to share your interests, visions and ideas about anime, manga, role playing games, cosplay, and a myriad of other topics pertaining to such interests with our visitors!
The theme of Tracon 2026 is Written in the Stars. The signs of the sky are a central part of our myths and storytelling. What do prophecies and fates tell us about our stories? Are our heroes’ paths predetermined or will they find their own path? Can a predetermined fate be defeated? How does fate determine the steps of our heroes? Come tell us how prophecies appear in your favorite series, or have adventurers fight their fate in role-playing games!
In addition to presentations, we are also looking for participatory activities, such as games (i.a. board games, card games, miniature games, tabletop-RPGs, Live RPGs), competitions, tournaments, and workshops, as well as music performances, dance performances, and other kinds of shows! We are also always interested in new and innovative event formats!
For reference of the kinds of events and activities we have previously had at Tracon, you can visit the Kompassi website, and look up schedules of past years. You can also find videos of past events held at Tracon on our YouTube channel! A majority of the events are in Finnish, as we have yet to have had that many English-speaking presenters at our convention, but you have the power to change that! Do not let traditional views of convention activities limit your imagination, for we are open to new event concepts!
As a program host, you gain perks by either giving a presentation, hosting a conversation circle, or hosting a total of at least four hours of a game, be it RPG-related or other! Depending on the kind of event you organize, these perks may include a badge that will serve as your entry ticket for the entire weekend, food tickets, access to the Green Room, access to the Dead Dog sauna (held immediately after the event), or even to the volunteers’ thank you party, which is held at a later date!
Regarding bigger performances (more than ten performers), the event organizers’ perks must be negotiated with the Program Team of Tracon due to the cost of tickets for a large number of performers. However, we at Tracon promise at minimum a day ticket for each performer of such large groups. Performers can upgrade their day tickets into weekend wristbands for an additional price.
N.B. The perks described above do not apply to people hosting meetups.
Tracon has access to a large outdoor area in Sorsapuiso, i.e. the park next to the Tampere hall, where you can host all kinds of entertainment in specialized tents, as well as a large live stage, or in the park overall! Sorsapuisto is a public access area, so the Tracon Live! Stage is a fantastic place to be seen and heard!
Accessibility
All of the Tampere Hall’s conference facilities and public areas, except for the men’s changing room (on floor 0), are wheelchair-accessible.
In case you cannot stand for long periods of time, there are always chairs or benches available for use. The spaces of the Tampere Hall can also be adjusted to fit your needs (e.g. by reserving enough space for a wheelchair).
The convention has an optional accessibility badge you can use to communicate your special needs to others. You can read more about the accessibility badge in our article All about the accessibility badge.
Do you have specific needs for accessibility that make you wonder whether you can apply for this role? Do not hesitate to ask us about them! We want to create a good convention experience for you.
Learn about the accessibility of the Tampere Hall.
A Guide to making a presentation
A good presentation starts with a vision!
People aren’t interested in watching a presentation, that simply tells what happens in the work you wish to speak of! People come to see presentations because they are interested in the presenters’ thoughts, and well-thought-out opinions!
Your subject matter should be limited in a way that you’ll be working with some interesting angle to your interest! (e.g.“The history of the Dwarves of Middle-Earth”, “Knighthood versus Shadows, the moral alignments of Paladins and Rogues”, or “From DBZ to MHA, the many faces of shounen protagonists!”)
Planning is a part of the presentation!
You have an idea, excellent! Now it’s time to ponder, how to make it into a full presentation! Can you come up with examples of what your idea consists of? Write them down and start planning the structure of your presentation on, for example, Microsoft Word! All presentations must start from somewhere, and with even a basic start, you can get right to work!
In case you need help or advice on planning your presentation, you can email us at ohjelma@tracon.fi. Our Program Managers will be happy to give you some advice!
Length matters!
Please mind the length of your presentation! Your presentation is preferably a bit too short, rather than a bit too long, for the latter would mean that you would have to cut your presentation short when your time runs out. However, this does not mean that you should leave it too short on purpose! Consider doing a practice run at home, and using a timer to measure how long it takes for you to go through your entire presentation. If your presentation seems too long, you can consider if there are parts that could be condensed or be left out entirely!
The durations of event slots at Tracon are 45, 75, and 105 minutes in length! Consider the length of your presentation and pick a slot accordingly! N.B. There is a 15-minute change-over time between each event that is not included in the lengths of the event slots.
If you are going to hold a workshop or a game, its duration can be longer than what is listed above.
The minimum duration for shows held on the Tracon Live! Stage or at the Small Auditorium is 30 minutes.
A good presentation is in the visuals!
Use reasonable amount of text! People are going to watch your presentation in hopes of visual examples! If you’re holding a presentation, there’s no need to have text that you can speak out loud within the slides you’re presenting! While you can’t avoid text altogether, it is recommended that your slides do not contain more than a handful of words!
No repeats!
Please note that if you have already given the same presentation you are offering to Tracon at another convention, it will probably not be accepted as a repeat. If you wish to give a presentation on a topic you have given a talk on before, we expect a fresh, new angle!
N.B. In case you plan on hosting a tabletop role-playing game, a live role-playing game, a board game or a workshop, repeats are, in general, welcome. However, you should mention the fact that your game is a repeat in your application form.
Hosting a role-playing game
Do you have a passion for hosting a game, and a wish to share the joy of playing with new people? You’re welcome to apply as a game host at Tracon! You can read more about what being a game host entails on our page regarding role-playing games! As a game host, you gain the same perks as presenters!
Please note, that the information regarding hosting a game may not yet be translated into English. Therefore, your best bet is to contact us directly about the possibility through ohjelma@tracon.fi.
Meetups
Are you interested in setting up a meeting about a subject that you’re interested in, and meeting other people who share said interest? You can reserve a meetup time in Tracon and come find new friends!
Please note that hosting a meetup doesn’t give volunteer benefits at Tracon.
Apply as a program host
Apply to host a programme at Tracon with a fitting form below:
Hope to see you at Tracon!