January 15, 2017:  Year 7; Edition 02
REGISTRATION for NOVA OPEN 2017
COUNTDOWN: 

FEBRUARY 1ST - 7:00PM (US EST)
Many events sold out quickly last year - Expect More!
Prep for registration . . . 
especially for 
SuperNOVA, First 400 and our New Dwarf NOVA
NOVA Open 2017 CONVENTION DATES: August 31 - September 3
In This Issue:
Message may be clipped; if so, click "View entire message" at bottom of page on left
The NOVA Open is Happy to Report:
"The Rumors are True!": Games Workshop is Coming!

Games Workshop (GW), led by its Community Team, will be attending the NOVA Open (Aug 31-Sept 3)! We had the pleasure of a recent conversation confirming a few of the many plans being rolled out for NOVA Open 2017.

If you've ever attended a NOVA Open, you know most GW events take place in its 23,000-square foot Independence Center. In 2017, players will have the pleasure of being introduced to GW staff, demos, specials and other exciting new products in the foyer of the hall's entrance. Expect live streaming throughout the weekend, prize support of big events, and the possibility of finding a GW staffer playing across the table from you!

GW will begin publishing its NOVA Open presence ahead of registration, which opens February 1, 2017, at 7:00pm EST. On the heels of this news, the NOVA Open is looking forward to the resurgence of its sold out 256-player 40K GT. If you're one of those who want to be a part of the wave that GW will be rolling across the U.S. this year, sign up for your favorite GW game at the NOVA Open on Feb.1!

Andy Smilie and Eddie Eccles, of the GW Community Team, have confirmed that Duncan Rhodes will be with them at NOVA Open 2017. All three will be participating in the NOVA Open seminar programs with presentations and Q&A sessions about Games Workshop, the company's, current plans and - who knows (?) - maybe they'll give us a look behind the curtain! Anyone who knows anything about miniature artwork at GW is aware of Duncan Rhodes and his Warhammer TV instructional videos ... one of which accompanied the 2016 Archaeon donation to the NOVA Open Charitable Foundation. Not only will Duncan be present and available for conversations in the Foundation Lounge, but discussions about his seminars are underway - and the NOCF has been assured of another magnificent donated piece for its 2017 online raffles!

NOVA Open swag (SuperNOVA, First Four Hundred and the new Dwarf NOVA Upgrade) can sell out before midnight on Feb 1. If you have any interest in finding out whether GW is participating in those programs, jump in early.

Look for more announcements in the coming weeks and months: Sign up to follow the news > NOVA Open bimonthly newsletters, NOVA Open and NOCF Facebook pages and Twitter feeds!

NOCF Raffles The Burning of Prospero 
Drawing to be held at LVO in February


The NOVA Open Charitable Foundation opened its first online raffle of 2017 today with The Burning of Prospero!

There are many special highlights everyone should know about this HOT new offer from the NOCF Artist Consortium:
  • The entire Burning of Prospero $315 Horus Heresy Boxed Game Set is included:
    Burning of Prospero Background in a 16-page book
    32-page Rulebook
    15 Psychic Power Cards
    5 Double Sided Board Tiles Representing the Buildings of Prospero
    36 Warp Energy and Willpower Cards
    24 Dice - an assortment of D6, D8, D10 and D12's
  • All 37 models have been painted, photographed and posted on our website 
  • Gorgeous!! These models have been painted by eight members of our talented Consortium who, combined, have won 4 Slayer Swords, 70 Golden Demon awards, and 15 Crystal Brush awards in their many years of painting: 
    Chris Borer
    Damon Drescher
    Rich Erickson
    Jeff Jenkins
    Celso Mendez, Jr.
    David Pauwels
    Brian Sobb
    Dave Taylor
  • This short 27-day online raffle will end with the winner being drawn at the 2017 LAS VEGAS OPEN on Sunday, February 5, 2017 at 3:00pm PST. Many thanks to Frankie and Reece for the invitation and support!
  • The online raffle of this extremely popular game set comes with tremendous odds for all those who wish to participate - only 1000 tickets will be sold! If every participant purchased just two tickets, the winner's chances would be 1:500 . . . Winning at Las Vegas has never been this easy!
  • We are once again grateful to KR Multicase for once again stepping up to provide the foam and transport case for this models and game accessories for this NOCF offer. They never let us down!
  • TNT Laserworks, another returning sponsor of NOCF raffles, is providing this Burning of Prospero offer with standard 30K Thousand Sons and 30K Space Wolves templates which will be included for the winner.
  • As always, with our online raffles, you need not be present to win; we will ship to the winner anywhere in the world. If you are attending LVO, however, you will have the distinct advantage of seeing this excellent production of "Burning of Prospero" live and in person!
Questions? Write to us: novaopencharities@gmail.com


2017 NOVA Open Schedule
 

The 2017 Draft Schedule is being finalized as we speak, as are the final schedules and class descriptions for our amazing line-up of hobby seminars this year. 

Look for a news splash in the next few days to give you time to review these and plan your perfect NOVA Open weekend for the opening of registration on February 1st!

How to "Win" at the Feb 1 Launch
 
SuperNOVA sold out in under 5 minutes last year.  First 400 Convention Access Passes come with NOVA's Premium Swag Bag - and they were gone shortly thereafter.  Players have asked us to come up with other ways to secure cool stuff when they register.  We have - but it takes a little pre-planning to be ready to snag all these goods when registration opens on Feb 1, so we've found a couple ways to help you out:  
  1. A Flyer: "IMPROVE YOUR CHANCE TO WIN AWESOME SWAG!" Click on the   image below and study the three ways you might be able to guarantee your shot at a SuperNOVA, First 400 or new CAP Upgrade (the Dwarf NOVA)
    http://bit.ly/2iy5CSK
     
  2. An Infographic: "FIND THE BEST ROUTE FOR REGISTRATION"
    Click on the image below to navigate the best route you can take to have the best chance at winning NOVA Open swag.
Make sure your account is up-to-date and that you have quick and easy access to it.  When the launch goes live, the first thing you should do is add your pass to your cart and check out.  You have three choices here:  
  • Convention Access Pass (First 400 will be guaranteed NOVA's Premium Swag Bag)
  • SuperNOVA Access Pass (Only 100 of these passes are available)
  • Convention Access Pass + Dwarf NOVA Upgrade 
Best chance for Swag: Once you have your pass, go back into your account and start adding games, events, and seminars before they sell out!
 
If Swag is not more important than registering for events likely to sell out, add your pass and registrations to cart - and then check out.
 
NOVA Open has worked with Paypal to ensure last year's crash doesn't happen again. If they let us down, don't fear - we've worked in a few backup tricks to make sure no one loses out - and this is what you'll see:
 
"Congrats! Your purchase is secure and your tickets are reserved."
 
Relax. You can return to the store and buy other things before they are gone while we work with Paypal to secure payment. Whatever you do, though, do not delete the cart with your pass in it - if payment is still pending, we'll work with you to finalize the sale. Hakuna Matata!
2017 NOVA Open Games and Events

What game and events are on your NOVA Open radar this year? Study the list below to help prepare for registration on Feb 1!

Primers can change up until and after registration, and leads are highly responsive to commentary and input.  E-Mail  customerservice@novaopen.com  with your thoughts or questions.  

We'll track changes in the newsletter and within each draft primer doc, so you're always aware of any tweaks and updates moving forward.

Click any event title to see the Primer.  Images link to their specific event page on  www.novaopen.com.

AIRBRUSH COMPETITION  - Miniature Figure Art is an increasingly central component of the NOVA Open. Central to its growth is presenting an ever-increasing number of opportunities for artists and aspiring artists to learn, compete, and participate in the NOVA Open. This drive for an increased emphasis on art led to the development of a unique new activity for the NOVA Open 2015, now entering its third year. This Live Action Speed Painting Contest will see both established and aspiring artists compete with the opportunity to show off their skills to convention-goers in a live setting, receive adjudication and tips after completion from world class artist/judges, such as Roman Lappat and James Wappel, and compete to win GREX Airbrushes. It is designed to be a fun and exciting juried live art event with cool prizes! Twenty contestants will compete throughout the weekend at airbrush stations with overspray panels and support items. Painters will be provided with one pre-built tank and a selection of Vallejo Model Air Paints with which to demonstrate their skills within a set time format. The models will be judged by the NOVA Open Capital Palette judges, with advice and tips available after adjudication. First, Second, and Third Place winners will receive a GREX airbrush; all contestants will take away their own painted tanks (or can donate them to the NOVA Open Charitable Foundation for auction).






BLOOD BOWL  -  Gather round Blood Bowl fans. There's a few extra things to discuss this year.  We are saddened to announce that due to the over-abundance of excited players and greedy fans the supply of squigs has been severely reduced from previous years. I know we were all looking forward to seeing lots and lots of Living Ball kickoff events but it has been moved away from the center of the KO table. A moment of silence for the squigs that made last year possible.

We're looking forward to having lots of newcomers to the game join us this year. The event Primer will be updated to include specific caveats and gotcha's to watch out for regarding differences between the older CRP/Living Rulebook and the new BBowl2016 GW release. If something isn't quite clear or you need confirmation on something please contact us early and often with any questions!

A note to any new players: It may not be unique to the NOVA Open, but we try to go above and beyond to make every effort to be certain you have what you need. If you're still on the fence about playing rules, timing, or even what team you want to play let us know! We can provide everything you need to play: Boards/dugouts, Dice, Pens, Paper, counters, and even TEAMS! We want everyone to have a good time and the more, the merrier.  Next up: BB2016 and you.

http://www.novaopen.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/01/NOVA-Open-2013-Art-Competition-Capital-Palette.pdf


CAPITAL PALETTE  -  The NOVA Open (NOVA) Convention invites hobbyists and artists to proudly display their work in Capital Palette: a juried, open forum award miniature art competition. A 3-judge panel will award gold, silver, and bronze accomplishment awards for 6 divisional categories based on the criteria listed below (see Judging Criteria). In an open forum competition, there can be multiple gold, silver, or bronze winners in a category (or no winners), and each exhibitor's work is individually evaluated and receives the level of award the judges feel that their work merits, without regard to the awards given to other pieces in the exhibition. Modelers can thus judge the progress of their work from show to show, without worrying about what other modelers may create.

Additionally, the panel will select one model in each category as the Best in Category winner, and one of the Best in Category finalists as the overall Best in Show winner. Convention attendees will select a Fan Favorite from among all submissions that have earned Final Round standing on the last day of the NOVA Open.


   
  

DARK AGE  - Cool Mini or Not once again returns to NOVA Open and will be hosting a wide array of Dark Age and Wrath of Kings events. Moreover, they've upped their dedicated event staff, with a focused Dark Age lead joining the NOVA Open volunteer staff. Stay tuned to the newsletter for more tidbits going forward, and check out the primer and event schedules for info on what events are happening, what they involve, and when they occur!


FIRESTORM ARMADA -  Firestorm Armada is back with the Second U.S Nationals, Beginners Tournament, and the Continuation of our Narrative mega battle Assault at Alexandria. Our Build and Play has been expanded this year to include an Advanced Build and Play which gives you a chance to add Cruisers or Destroyers to you Fleet. So come on out and see if you the top Admiral this year.








GUILD BALL -  Guild Ball by Steamforged Games enters  NOVA Open 2017 with a full lineup of awesome events! Steamforged staff and their pundits will be running competitive and casual events throughout the weekend.  

On Thursday you can get into the Non Standard (Region Cup) and qualify for the East Coast Finals or play a game of Extra Time, Multi-Ball. The action continues on Friday with a Championship qualifier and Oh Captain, My Captain.  Saturday only gets more  exciting  with the first ever East Coast Championship and Homeland; then Sunday Steamforged ends it with an amazing doubles tournament. Each night, take the opportunity to play in their Social event - Welcome to the Pitch. Prove that your team has what it takes to take be the best of all the Guilds in the Empire of the Free Cities!

To learn more about the NOVA Open's Guild Ball Events, visit the  Guild Ball page  at novaopen.com. It should be up and running soon! Answer the call of the pitch and register today!


INFINITY - Infinity events will once again be an exciting part of the NOVA Open experience. Moreover, we're seeing expansion of our volunteer event staff and a reinvigorated series of events offered over the course of the weekend! Stay tuned going forward to learn more and more about Infinity at NOVA 2017, and don't miss out on the events you most want to sign up for on Feb 1!


LORD OF THE RINGS - Still showing off perhaps the coolest terrain at NOVA and the very best Lord of the Rings terrain at any con worldwide, the Lord of the Rings events at NOVA Open are some of the best and most internationally-attended you'll come across in the states! Event formats range from competitive to narrative to casual, and include all sorts of exciting gaming and hobbying opportunities. Plus, it's pretty cool to play on picture perfect recreations of some of Middle Earth's most iconic scenes and battlefields!


MALIFAUX - Malifaux is an increasingly fun and busy aspect of the NOVA Open experience, with 2016 including everything from the US National Championships to weekend-long Shifting Loyalties campaigns and a fantastic team event. All of this and more is like to return in 2017, and the primer includes tons of cool information about activities and events to look forward to. Make sure you sign up fast, as most of these events sold out quite quickly last year, and NOVA stands to fill even faster in 2017! Test fate and come on out to flip cards and show off your awesome crew at NOVA's Malifaux events!


 
STAR WARS: ARMADA - Fantasy Flight Games will once again be joining us for Star Wars events at NOVA. Moreover, there's so much excitement about the different event offerings, we're planning a special splash newsletter in the coming few days to focus on FFG's 2017 NOVA Open activities in particular! Stay tuned for more, and make sure you check the website regularly for schedule, gaming, and other activity updates. Moreover, we expect FFG events to sell out at an alarming rate on Feb 1 - make sure you're prepared to register!


 
STAR WARS: DESTINY - Fantasy Flight Games will once again be joining us for Star Wars events at NOVA. Moreover, there's so much excitement about the different event offerings, we're planning a special splash newsletter in the coming few days to focus on FFG's 2017 NOVA Open activities in particular! This includes the addition of Star Wars Destiny gaming to NOVA. Stay tuned for more, and make sure you check the website regularly for schedule, gaming, and other activity updates. Moreover, we expect FFG events to sell out at an alarming rate on Feb 1 - make sure you're prepared to register!


 
STAR WARS: IMPERIAL ASSAULT - Fantasy Flight Games will once again be joining us for Star Wars events at NOVA. Moreover, there's so much excitement about the different event offerings, we're planning a special splash newsletter in the coming few days to focus on FFG's 2017 NOVA Open activities in particular! Stay tuned for more, and make sure you check the website regularly for schedule, gaming, and other activity updates. Moreover, we expect FFG events to sell out at an alarming rate on Feb 1 - make sure you're prepared to register!


 
STAR WARS: THE CARD GAME - Fantasy Flight Games will once again be joining us for Star Wars events at NOVA. Moreover, there's so much excitement about the different event offerings, we're planning a special splash newsletter in the coming few days to focus on FFG's 2017 NOVA Open activities in particular! This includes the addition of Star Wars: The Card Game to NOVA. Stay tuned for more, and make sure you check the website regularly for schedule, gaming, and other activity updates. Moreover, we expect FFG events to sell out at an alarming rate on Feb 1 - make sure you're prepared to register!


Horus Heresy
WARHAMMER 30K - The NOVA Open hosted 30K events for the first time in 2016 and they practically blew the doors off the con. Epic quantities of gorgeous armies, warlord titans, and incredibly social and fun community gaming occurred, and we needed to expand the event sizes two separate times to account for sell-outs and overruns. The 30K team, which also spearheads 30K events at AdeptiCon, is proudly returning with even more cool gaming, more cool terrain, more awesome titans and minis, and more event space! That won't keep it from selling out at an equivalently rapid rate, so make sure to check the primer and schedule, plan your weekend, and register on Feb 1!


WARHAMMER 40K -  Warhammer 40K activities are a core legacy element of the NOVA Open. This year will see substantial improvements across the board, as always, in response to survey response and the shifting nature of the community. In conjunction with the ITC, we've worked to make our respective event missions interchangeable with each others' events. As a result, you'll see NOVA Open's popular mission format blend into the ITC's standard mission catalog for the 2017 season. Our collaboration is also enabling NOVA to potentially include some of ITC's best missions in our format for this year, with scoring normalized sufficiently for them to be easily integrated into our tournament format for the GT. The long and short is you'll see closer ties and collaboration between NOVA and the great dudes with FLG and the ITC, ensuring a smoother and more seamless (and improved!) gaming experience for attendees of both event types nationwide (also means less army meddling between events). 

Furthermore, the Narrative is seeing yet another year of awesome evolution in response to feedback and the great time folks had last year. In addition to event improvements, they're offering a limited number of "ala carte" seats for one-off Narrative games throughout the weekend, enabling those who sign up fastest the opportunity to custom-tailor their weekend con schedule around the Narrative games they most wish to participate in, while still attending key seminars or other activities.

Finally, the Trios event will be back for its 7th straight year. Last year saw a massive increase in attendance, and by far our best Trios Team Tournament yet. Check the primer for details on this unique event format, and make sure to grab your buddies and get ready for one of the best and most classic ways to kick off your NOVA Open experience on Thursday, August 31.

A Note on Rumors.  We're aware of rumors in the community of a new edition of 40K coming sometime this year or next. While NOVA's dealt with new editions dropping before the convention in the past, we'll continue to work with the community and other event organizers to present the best possible event for what we know, rather than what the community rumor mill is forecasting. If GW confirms a new edition with a release or advertising of such, we'll of course rapidly adjust to make sure any game changes are well-addressed in our primers, event pathing, and more! We successfully executed a similar quick-turn amendment in the aftermath of mid-summer's releases of both 6th and 7th editions, and don't anticipate any new challenges if the rumor mill turns out to be accurate! 

We're especially excited, once again, to be joined in person by Games Workshop this year. Expect some cool prize support, GW swag in your swag and SuperNOVA Bags, and awesome coverage by the GW Community Team. Don't Miss Out! Sign up for the events you want on February 1, and we can't wait to see you later this year! For those who are attending the LVO and AdeptiCon, we also wish you the very best of luck and hope you have a fantastic team. I'm sure we'll see many of the same great 40K community's faces at all events, and can't wait for the outcomes of an awesome 2017.


Age of Sigmar
WARHAMMER AGE OF SIGMAR - Since the release of the General's Handbook and more, Age of Sigmar is taking the gaming world by storm. Last year's event rapidly sold out at nearly triple its 2015 size, and we expect a similar increase this year. Based on conversations with the GW Community Team members attending NOVA this year and feedback from other conventions, we're increasing the size cap of our GT to 100 and planning awesome terrain, tables, and more accordingly! Furthermore, we still have the awesome Sigmar Narrative event that laced through the weekend last year, enhanced further by the passionate development and brainstorming of our fantastic Age of Sigmar leads. We fully expect these events to sell out once again, so make sure you take time to study the primers and event schedules, and be ready to register on Feb 1! 


WARMACHINE/HORDES - Warmachine/Hordes is a long-running event series at NOVA, entering its 7th year in 2017. Last year saw a stacking of several big Privateer-hosting events around the same time of year, yet NOVA still sold out across its full breadth of WM/H events, and sees an increase in table space and focus for 2017. We typically see over 100 unique participants for WM/H activities, and that may grow even more. Our event leads were incredibly invigorated by last year's awesome crowd, and put a lot of time into offering an even better event schedule, while keeping locked in on all the very well-received activities offered in '16. With some talk of Privateer possibly being present in even better force, make sure you take a hard look at the schedule and get yourselves ready to register for all your Iron Kingdoms needs at NOVA!


WRATH OF KINGS -  Cool Mini or Not once again returns to NOVA Open and will be hosting a wide array of Dark Age and Wrath of Kings events. Moreover, they've upped their dedicated event staff, with a focused Wrath of Kings lead joining the NOVA Open volunteer staff. Stay tuned to the newsletter for more tidbits going forward, and check out the primer and event schedules for info on what events are happening, what they involve, and when they occur!


X-WINGFantasy Flight Games will once again be joining us for Star Wars events at NOVA. Moreover, there's so much excitement about the different event offerings, we're planning a special splash newsletter in the coming few days to focus on FFG's 2017 NOVA Open activities in particular! Stay tuned for more, and make sure you check the website regularly for schedule, gaming, and other activity updates. Moreover, we expect FFG events to sell out at an alarming rate on Feb 1 - make sure you're prepared to register!

2017 Seminar Line-Up

The 2017 seminar line-up is coming together with returning professional instructors and as well as new professional instructors, but the list of classes and list of instructors is still under development.  

We are making changes to our seminar descriptions to ensure attendees better understand the scope of each class.  This includes describing the focus of the seminar as either hobby or display painting.  Hobby painting will help students meet and exceed tabletop appearance judging standards while display painting will help students make that single model stick out and prepare them to enter a competition.  Both types of classes will help improve and refine anyone's painting.  Hands on classes will be another main theme for 2017 seminars.  This allows students to practice in real time.

You can see some of seminars being offered here.
 

2016 Sponsors Have Returned

Are you interested in working with the NOVA Open to advertise a kickstarter or to promote your game?

Contact partnerships@novaopen.com for information.
Vendor Space is Limited

If you are interested in vending at the NOVA Open, contact us at partnerships@novaopen.com. There is limited space currently available. 

If there is a vendor you would like to see at the NOVA Open 2017, let them know you support their products and share the email address with them. 

We will respond to all inquiries as quickly as possible.

Support the NOCF 
Using AmazonSmile

With every purchase you make, you could help the NOVA Open Charitable Foundation (NOCF).  AmazonSmile has made it easy for everyone to support the NOCF.  By simply choosing  the NOVA Open Charitable Foundation as your preferred charity, a  percentage of every purchase made goes straight to the NOCF!
Remember, only purchases at AmazonSmile, (not www.amazon.com or the mobile app,) support charity.  Special thanks to our newest NOCF Board Member, Chris Michaels, for setting this up.

Volunteers Always Needed

Would you like to be a part of the NOVA Open Volunteer Staff?  If you would like to help run the convention, we would love to have you!  Please consider volunteering your time in any of the following areas:

Administration (needed throughout the year) 

Students looking for internships in Vienna, VA 

Support monthly/bi-monthly terrain builds in McLean, VA

Writers needed for NOVA Open VIP interviews as well as writing articles for the bi-monthly newsletters Contact: adrienne.scales@novaopen.com

Want to be a judge at the convention? 

Volunteers are always appreciated at the convention.  You can support the following areas; photographers, Lemonade raffle, silent auction, check-in, and night watch. Contact: owen.beste@novaopen.com

The NOVA Open's continued success is because of our amazing volunteers.

2017 Internship Opportunities

The NOVA Open is seeking spring and/or summer interns. If you're looking for opportunities to build career skills in event planning, social media, content and media writing, graphic design, marketing, business development, budget and accounting, contact  laurie.brandt@novaopen.com.   

Internships are a great way to utilize your skills while helping bring the 2017 NOVA Open to life.

Expectations would be approximately 20-25 hours per week (9-2, five days a week) on site in the Tysons Corner area (own transportation required).  The NOVA Open has had over 20 interns successfully pass through its internship program while at school; we've provided letters of recommendations and served as references for successful hires thereafter.  

If you know of anyone (son, daughter, children of friends) who might benefit, please feel free to share this opportunity. 
   
Social Media Links - Follow Us
    
Stay up to date with all the most recent news from the NOVA Open by following us on social media and subscribing to our newsletter! We update frequently on not only important NOVA Open information, but from our sponsors/vendors and the gaming community as well.

Twitter: @NOVAOpen
NOCF Twitter: @NOVACharity
Newsletter:   sign up
   
2017 Hotel Block Open: Book Early - No Risk!
    
The NOVA Open room rate rate is available for ten (10) nights.  Book your trip to Washington D.C., as early as the Saturday before and stay in town until the next Tuesday after NOVA Open. Turn your trip into a vacation. The room quality/rate being extended to our guests by the Hyatt is the best deal in the Metro DC area at that time of year. We encourage you to extend your stay. Visit the monuments on the Capitol Mall and tour the Smithsonian's museums. Hyatt shuttles and the Metro make it easy. Thanks for your interest in the NOVA Open and we look forward to seeing you this year!

BOOK NOW


 

LOOK WHAT THE HYATT'S DOING FOR THE NOVA OPEN'S GUESTS:

  • Entire Hyatt Event Space in Use
  • Ever Increasing Number of Vendors in Regency Foyer!
  • Room Rates at $95
  • More Double rooms available in the NOVA Open Block
  • Cell Reception Available in All Areas of Hotel
  • 50% off In-Room Wi-Fi . . . Free In-Room Wi-Fi for Gold Passport Members - Sign Up Today
  • 50% off Valet Parking
  • 20% off Breakfast, Lunch, and Dinner at the Hotel Restaurant, Cinnabar - Show Your Convention Badge!
  • $4 Hyatt-Selected Beer for NOVA Open Guests THROUGHOUT THE ENTIRE EVENT