Conference ideas

Signage around LeakyCon acknowledged guests' desire "to be in a place they can geek out to the greatest extent possible," show operator Melissa Anelli said. "And the more we gear the event towards making that happen, towards having silly fun with them, towards making sure they are having a great time, the better the event becomes."

One of the pop-up events that generated the most interest from attendees and on social media was a reenactment of the final scene from the second season of Sherlock, with actor Maxwell Glick playing the part of Dr. Watson.

At the end of the opening ceremonies, a makeshift gospel choir sang a parody rendition of “Love Is an Open Door” from Frozen. The 40 choir members were LeakyCon attendees who had responded to a request on Twitter for “choir geeks” to bring their robes and attend a rehearsal.

Organizers invited attendees with band experience to bring their instruments to LeakyCon so they could be part of the event’s pep band, which gave about 15 “pop-up” performances during the five-day convention.

Some of the pop-up moments consisted of static decor, such as cutouts of the Weeping Angels from the sci-fi series Doctor Who that were placed around the event as other types of “angels”—in this case a “sweeping angel.”

The Esther Earl Charity Ball took place the final night of the convention. The dance party is named for a young woman with cancer who attended the first LeakyCon in 2009 but died the following year.

The Four Seasons Hotel Washington, D.C., serves blocks of peanut brittle that guests can break apart with hammers.

Each custom logo s’more kit, $4.50, from Candy With a Twist contains all the ingredients—including a branded marshmallow—needed to put together the campsite snack. Kits can be shipped throughout the United States and Canada.

Save money on an open bar by serving signature cocktails instead.