Frequently Asked Questions

All you have to do is follow this link:

http://www.trybooking.com/ZYA

and fill in the details!

Registered memberships cost $60 (plus booking fee).

Make sure you bring along your printed tickets to the event.

There is a limit of 150 registered members and the first 50 will be entered into a special competition organised by LEGO Australia to celebrate 50 years of LEGO bricks in Australia. Don't miss out!

Registered memberships will NOT be available at the door. All memberships must be purchased by 6pm on Thursday 19th January. NO EXCEPTIONS.

Brickvention 2012 has a limited number of memberships available. We are expecting to sell out of these prior to the start of the convention. To this end, we will not be selling memberships at the door. All memberships must be purchased prior to the event so we can ensure your badge brick is available and that we have adequate supply of other convention items.

Convention memberships must be purchased by 6pm on Thursday 19th January. NO EXCEPTIONS.

Although it varies from year-to-year, this is what you can expect for your $60:

1) entry to the convention day of Brickvention. You can only attend this day if you are a registered member. This includes competitions and exclusive presentations by LEGO professionals.
2) the Brickvention Model for the year. In 2011, it was a model of the Eureka Tower.
3) an exclusive minifigure commemorating the event.
4) the Brickvention Year brick.
5) a name brick (optional if you already have one).
6) a recent issue of Brickjournal.
7) access to display space on the Public Expo days (optional). This also gives you entry into the "Best in Show" competition.
8) the Build-in-the-bag competition set.
9) any other special bits and pieces we can find for you.

A copy of the file has been sent out to all registered attendees. If you did not receive the email, then it can be found in the files section of the following yahoo groups:

Brickvention-news

Brickvention-info

Alternatively, there is a copy available at this location.

Please complete the MOC card as per the instructions. Print out the page in colour, cut out the card and bring along with you to Brickvention. We are supplying the stands for the MOC Info Cards

Registrations are now open! Follow this link to the Brickvention 2012 registration page at trybooking.  Registered memberships cost $60 (plus booking fee). Make sure you bring along your printed tickets to the event. Due to venue size, there are only 150 registrations available.

All registrations must be completed by 6pm on Thursday 19th January. NO EXCEPTIONS!

Brick Badges

Due to problems with our original brick engraver, a number of the brick badges did not arrive in time for Brickvention 2011. Most of these did arrive after the event but were not distributed. We still have these badges. If you are one of the people who missed out or have not received their brick badge please contact us as soon as possible and we will make sure it is put aside for you at Brickvention 2012. If you are unable to attend Brickvention 2012 and still wish to receive your brick badge, please contact us at info@brickventures.com to confirm your address details.

Brickvention 2011 Model (Eureka Tower)

Every year Brickvention gives its members a specially designed set. In 2011 we gave everyone a Lego-fan designed model of the Eureka Tower. Unfortunately, a rush of members at the door meant that we ran out of models before the start of the event. We have had additional copies of the model made for those who missed out. These will be available at Brickvention 2012. If you are unable to attend Brickvention 2012 and still wish to receive your Eureka Tower set, please contact us at info@brickventures.com to confirm your address details.

Brickvention welcomes people who wish to sell LEGO and related objects at our event.

To be able to sell, one must be a registered attendee. There is a $100 deposit plus 5% of the table takings (deposit is deducted from the takings).

Selling space is limited and peference is given to those who have previously had sellers' tables. All tables are 750mm x 2400mm in size.

PLEASE NOTE: All sellers' tables have been allocated for Brickvention 2012. No further tables are available.

Even if you can't make it on the Friday, you are still most welcome to display on the Saturday and Sunday. It will still cost the same as if you were attending on the Friday, however, as this cost covers the venue hire. You will also still receive the show bag which includes your name badge (if requested), Brickvention 2012 model and Build-in-the-bag set.

You can either deliver your model to the venue on the Thursday afternoon/evening or early (before 9.00am) on the Saturday morning.

Unfortunately not. Our display space is very limited and is allocated to those who are registered attendees. You may bring along items to show the model makers but there will be no space available to put it on display.

Here are some things to consider if you wish to display a MOC at Brickvention:

1) You must be a registered member.

2) Your MOC must be family-friendly and not offensive to anyone.

3) You must not claim to work of others as your own.

4) If your MOC includes water or smoke, it needs to be cleared with the committee prior to being displayed.

Registered convention attendees are allocated space to display their MOCs. Your display space is as big as you need it to be for your creations. The tables are all 750mm x 2400mm, but you do not need to restrict your MOC to these dimensions.

If you are planning on bringing a MOC, make sure you have measured its size and allowed room around the display for easy viewing and access. Please provide your dimensions in length, width and height.

Build in the Bag

Build in the Bag is one of the most popular competitions at the Brickvention convention. It involves trying to be the fastest person to build a LEGO® set inside a sealed bag.

Rules:

1. Each contestant will be provided with a sealed plastic bag containing all the parts required to build a LEGO® set, along with the instructions to build it.
2. Upon commencment, each contestant endeavours to build their model as quickly as possible without opening, tearing, or otherwise damaging the bag containing the parts.
3. The winner (s) is the fastest person to complete their model.

Important information:

• All sets chosen for this competition will have been tested to ensure construction is possible under these rules.
• Sets chosen may not have originally come with all the parts in a single bag. It is quite conceivable that a set may have been selected which contains parts in more than one bag, and which has had all parts required sealed into a new bag.
• Where stickers are shown in instructions, these do NOT have to be attached, although it would be interesting to see someone attempt to apply these throught the small holes in the bags... 

Previous LEGO models used:

Please note: illustrated models may have no connection whatsoever with actual models used in upcoming event...You have been warned.

Speed Build 

Speed Build is a challenging game where you test your skill as a speed builder of a LEGO® set against other competitors.

How it works:

Operating throughout the Friday convention day, anyone who wishes to have a go can attempt to build the set (or part of the set) while being timed. A prize will be awarded to the fastest people to build the set.

Previous sets used: 

Fastest time: 9 minutes 45 seconds.

Dirty Brickster 

Dirty Brickster is a kind of a white elephant gift exchange game and is somewhat similar to Kris Kringle. 

Rules:

Each participant brings exactly one wrapped gift. Each gift should be LEGO® or LEGO®-related, cost about $20, and be worth $20-$30 *to the recipient*. Hence, no "junk" (clones, bag of useless parts, worn parts, etc.).

When the Dirty Brickster begins:

1. Participants sit in a circle with the gifts piled in the center and draw numbers.
2. In the order of the numbers, each participant chooses a gift by either (1) unwrapping one or (2) by stealing a non-locked gift.
3. In the event that a participant's gift is stolen, he has the same choices, except that he may not steal back the gift that was just stolen from him.
4. Gifts are automatically locked after being stolen for the third time.
5. After the participant with the last number chooses a gift, all gifts have been unwrapped.

The participant with number 1 may at that time elect to steal any non-locked gift, beginning a new round of theft. After that, the Dirty Brickster is over.

Etiquette:

• Participants should not shake or unnessarily handle a wrapped gift until they have chosen to unwrap it.
• When a participant steals a gift, those assembled generally chant "Dirty Brickster! Dirty Brickster! Dirty Brickster!" to the delight of all.
• Non-locked gifts should be held on the participant's lap, in plain view of all.
• Locked gifts should be kept beneath or behind the participant's chair (unless you don't mind it being stolen)

Timed Sort is a great competition to test your ability to quickly sort various colours of 1x1 square plates.

Each incorrectly sorted plate results in a time penalty. The winner is the person who has sorted the plates in the fastest time.

There will be a Timed Sort competition as part of the Brickvention convention day.

Brikwars

Brikwars is a LEGO® based war-game, in which participants take turns to try and eradicate their opponents in the most entertaining manner possible.

More information on this enjoyable pastime can be found by clicking on the link below.  

Yes! Tickets are only available online. We recommend booking your tickets as soon as possible as they are likely to sell out.

Click on the link on the left hand side to book tickets.

Make sure you bring along your printed tickets to the event!

Saturday 21st and Sunday the 22nd from 9.30am  -  5.30pm are the Public Expo days, allowing the general public of all ages to watch LEGO® builders at work and view LEGO® creations and displays.

You will need to pre-purchase tickets for this display.

   Adults - $10 (plus booking fee)   
   Children - $6 (plus booking fee) 

   Children under 3 are free

Please click on the link on the top left hand side of this website to purchase tickets.

Make sure you bring along your printed tickets to the event!

Australia Post offers a Prepaid Visa card that can be used for all online purchases. These can be loaded with an amount of your choice as used to pay for anything for which you would normally use a credit card. Even if you are unable to obtain a regular credit card, you can purchase a Load&Go card from Australia Post. Details of the Load&Go card can be found at: Australia Post Load&Go

If you choose this option for payment, please ensure that you allow for the booking fee when loading money on to your card.

Due to the overwhelming response for tickets and long queues at Brickvention 2011, we have moved to an online pre-sale ticketing system which can only accept credit cards as payment.

To this end, we are unable to accept money orders or cheques as payment. If you do not have access to a credit card, Visa debit card or similar, we recommend the use of the Australia Post Load&Go card which can be used for online purchases. Details of this card can be found at the Australia Post website.

For Brickvention 2012 we have moved over to a pre-sale online ticketing system. This is to prevent the long queues that were created by the heavy demand for Brickvention 2011.

We anticipate that tickets will sell out prior to the start of the event. To this end, we encourage everyone to purchase their tickets online so as to avoid disappointment.

As the tickets are available for purchase online prior to the event, we cannot guarantee that there will be tickets available at the door.

We apologies for any inconvenience this may cause.

Unfortunately, no. The displays are still being set up, refined and checked on the Friday and it becomes problematic for our model makers to have people wandering around whilst this is happening. In between setting up, our model makers are attending conference sessions and participating in activities and will not be available to answer any questions.

We have extended our Public Expo hours for 2012 in the hope of enabling more people to attend. Our display hours on the Saturday and Sunday are now from 9.30am to 5.30pm.

Yes! There will indeed be pass outs for the Saturday and Sunday Public Expo days. You will receive a hand stamp upon request when you exit. This will enable you have lunch or visit other parts of city before returning to the display.

Yes, there will be! There will be lots of different sellers selling new and vintage LEGO. You'll be able to buy sets, minifigs, parts, books and many other LEGO themed products.

Look out for our special Brickvention Merchandise stand.

During the Public Expo days on the Saturday and Sunday there will be a Coffee Cart, selling light refreshments, inside the Swanston room of the Town Hall. If you wish to have something more substantial, you are invited to obtain a pass-out so you can enjoy the many cafes/restaurants located near the venue. We request that no external food be brought into the venue.

Brickvention 2012 will be located at: Melbourne Town Hall, corner of Swanston St and Collins St, Melbourne :

Saturday 21st & Sunday 22nd January are the Public Expo days, allowing the general public of all ages to watch LEGO® fan builders at work and view LEGO® fan creations and displays. - registration is not required for the Public Expo but you will need to pre-purchase tickets. See the box on the left hand side of the screen to purchase tickets.

Friday 20th January includes sessions intended for AFOLs (Adult Fans of LEGO®) 18 years of age or older. Younger convention attendees are welcome to come with a registered adult, but keep in mind many of the activities outside of the Public Expo Days are targeted toward adults. There is an additional cost to attend this event.

The Public Expo days will run from 9.30am  -  5.30pm on Sunday 21st and Sunday 22nd  January, 2012.

In response to requests from Brickvention 2011, we have introduced entry sessions for Brickvention 2012. This allows us to stagger the entry so as to avoid over-crowding and to give everyone a chance to see the display.

If possible, we would prefer people to arrive within 30 minutes of their session time. If you miss your session entry time, we will arrange entry as soon as is convenient.

Brickvention is the premier convention event for the Australian LEGO® Fan Community.

Brickvention is a 3 day event for AFOLs (Adult Fans of LEGO®) Like other conventions, it offers workshops, presentations, special events and challenges.

The event celebrates the coming together of the fan community that has evolved as a result of the Internet and exploring and developing the LEGO® hobby.

Brickvention occurs annually on or near the Australia Day weekend in January.

The Brickvention 2012 Public Expo will be held on Saturday the 21st and Sunday 22nd January 2012. Both the Saturday and Sunday are display days and are open to the public. Tickets are available from our website (see the box on the left of the screen).

Prior to the Public Expo there will be a convention aimed at Adult fans of LEGO®. This will be held on Friday January 20th.

The Melbourne Town Hall is located on the cnr of Swanston St & Collins St. There are several carparks in the immediate area - they are as follows: 

City Square Car Park (operated by City of Melb)  

City Square -  is approx $30 for weekend daily maximum - right next door to venue.

Flindersgate (operated by Secure)

Flindersgate - is approx $16 max on weekends - is opposite Fed Square buildings (approx 5 mins away from venue).

Scots Church (operated by Wilsons)  

Scots Church - is $6/hr for a max charge of 4hrs ($24) on weekends.

Federation Square (operated by Wilsons)

Fed Square - is $13/day on weekends - also is a little bit further away from venue. 

All of the above carparks are opened 24hrs on weekends (with Fed Square closing at midnight).

Melbourne has many hotels in the CBD and the inner city. Unfortunately, many of these sell out of rooms very quickly due to a large number of people visiting the city over summer. A small number of hotels still have rooms available and you can find some bargains on the following websites:

Lastminute.com

wotif.com

hotels.com

booking.com

Expedia.com.au

LEGO bricks are actually designed to stick together really well without glue. For the most part, our model makers prefer not to glue their models. Quite often the bricks are re-used to create other models so it is not convenient to have them glued together. Instead, our model makers spend a lot of time and energy ensuring their models are strong and sturdy.

No! Absolutely not! LEGO® is perfect for creating detailed models and original pieces of art. Perfect for all ages.

Brickventures is the incorporated body that oversees the running of Brickvention and the Melbourne LEGO User Group (MUGs), and MUGs Junior.

The commitee is comprised of Adult fans of LEGO who are passionate about building with LEGO and sharing their creations with other people.