Southwest Leather Conference
"The Quest: Journey Into the Elemental"

January 11-13, 2008 in Phoenix, AZ

ABOUT SWLC

Now in its sixth year, Southwest Leather Conference has become known as "The Leather Family Gathering of Heart and Spirit." Gathering over 600 Leatherfolk and BDSM Lifestylers from all over North America, SWLC offers a deep, meaningful and creative experience of Leather and BDSM through the exploration of the interpersonal and spiritual dynamics of Leather & BDSM Relationships and SM Practices. SWLC also provides a vehicle for regional leather clubs, organizations, leather families and individuals to gather and celebrate the tribe of which we are all a part.

THIS YEAR'S THEME: THE QUEST

What is a quest? A call to adventure. A journey towards a goal. A seeking or pursuing of something important. A time of initiation and transformation. An encounter with the self and others. As each of us embarks on our individual quests, we find common threads that bind us all together, with our paths ultimately crossing at Southwest Leather Conference.

1) OFFERINGS ALL WEEKEND
WORKSHOPS
Join us on Friday, Saturday and Sunday at any of our 30+ workshops, presented by the finest educators from our local and national Leather & BDSM Communities. Our workshops fall into four track offerings this year: The Physical Path, The Relationship Path, The Spiritual Path, and The Elemental Path. More details can be found on our website.

PRESENTERS
Our confirmed presenters so far include Master Alex Keppeler, Master Archer and Elegant, Master Bert & slave nadine, Master Bob & slave jan, Master Conrad, Master Harold, Master Jim & slave marsha, Master Larry & slave barb, Master Scott & slavegirl ronda, Master Skip & slave Rick, Master Steve, Master Z of Dallas, boi moe, Daddy Eric & boy earl, Elwood, Justin Tanis & slave catherine, Kitten, Lady Hilary & the Marine, Pup Tim & boy TK, slave Alia Al'Barakah, SlaveMaster, Wayne Brawne, and more to be announced!

TITLE CONTEST ACTIVITIES
SWLC produces three title contests: U.S. Daddy/boy, Southwest Master/slave, Southwest Bootblack. On Friday and Saturday
afternoons, conference attendees may attend the judges' interviews as well as our contestant's mini-workshop presentations. You can also get your boots blacked by our SW Bootblack competitors. Contestant speeches, on-stage questions and sashings will take place on Saturday Night. Interested in competing? Please see below for more information.

SOUTHWEST LEATHER ART EXHIBITION
Marvel and appreciate the different forms of art in the Second Annual Southwest Leather Art Exhibition, where artists from all over North America will share their expressions of heart and spirit with their creative works. Please see below for submission information.

LIVING LEATHER PRIDE QUILT
SWLC attendees, fly your flags! Take part in the "Living Leather Pride Quilt" by bringing a banner from your club, family, tribe,
business, or other leather/bdsm affiliated organizations and hang them from your room's balcony. Be a part of creating a beautiful display of living leather pride! When making your hotel reservation, be sure to request a room that faces the "inner pool atrium."

OUR FIRST EVER CIGAR TENT!
Tired of standing on the stairs outside to enjoy your tobacco? Not so anymore! This year, SWLC will provide a Cigar Tent featuring tables, chairs and a cash bar (alcohol available only in the evenings). So be sure to bring your favorite tobacco with you, in whatever form you desire.

VENDOR ALLEY
Step into our Vendor area, brimming with books, clothes, jewelry, toys and more! Please see below on how to become a vendor at SWLC.

SILENT AUCTION
Bid on hundreds of items in our Silent Auction, provided by our contestants and other members of the community. Please see below about how to donate items for our Silent Auction.

HOSPITALITY SUITE
Refresh yourself in between meals with light snacks, sodas and bottled water. Not meant for full meals. Special times have been set aside for: boy & girl gathering; MAsT Gathering, SWLC RPR Team Gathering and more.

BOOTBLACKING
Get your boots blacked by our Southwest Bootblack Contestants at the east end of out registration are.

II) FRIDAY OFFERINGS
* MY SECOND BIRTHDAY BUFFET DINNER
This year, SWLC wishes to honor the physical aspects of our growth and well-being. Many of us have come to realize that our spiritual and mental growth can be limited by an unhealthy physical body. As such, a special dinner was created to celebrate those of us who wish to embrace healthy living. Many of us have made the hard choice to make the necessary changes that will bring improvement to our quality of life. Some have achieved their goals; some are just starting; and others are still deciding whether to commit to this physical journey.

"My Second Birthday" is a phrase commonly used to describe the day that we choose to reclaim our physical lives: to change our lives for the better. Whether you are a cancer survivor, live with HIV, or have chosen sobriety; whether you have had weight loss surgery, quit smoking, taken up yoga, or simply love and support those of us who have faced such challenges, we welcome you to join us at this special dinner of celebration on Friday evening. The menu will include low-calorie, low-fat, high-protein, and low-sugar gourmet food choices in both standard sizes for "regular" eaters and small portion sizes for the bariatric patient. Water, ice tea, and coffee will be included. Tickets are $20.00 per person and can be purchased (or added to your current registration) on the Conference Extras page at www.regonline.com/swlc2008. Interested in sharing your story? Please see Section V below. More details can be found on our website.

OPENING CERMONIES
Dress as you are or in your leather-rubber-fetish attire for our Opening Ceremonies, featuring an introduction of current
titleholders in the house, introduction of this year's US Daddy/boy, SW Master/slave and SW Bootblack Contestants and contest judges. A cash bar will also be available.

THE OASIS
In the spirit of "Primal Within-Espiri" and within the Quest of our event this year … Welcome to Oasis! Our Friday night event – free for all attendees -- will feature several invited guests sharing their ritual SM passions. Inspired by leather initiation traditions,
we will also have "Stations of the Cross" set up in additional areas for attendees to sample sensations of SM and Power Exchange, hosted by some of our tribe's skilled elders.

III) SATURDAY OFFERINGS
MORNING STARTS
Start your morning with Meditation, Yoga or a Friends of Bill Meeting.

* SATURDAY BBQ BUFFET LUNCH
Join us in the hotel indoor atrium for a BBQ lunch buffet.
TITLEHOLDER STEPDOWN SPEECHES & RECEPTION
Join us in showing our appreciation for our titleholders' efforts over the past year. Our current Titleholders are: Daddy Eric & and boy earl, U.S. Daddy/boy 2007 and boi moe, Southwest Bootblack 2007

CONCLUSION OF TITLE CONTESTS & SILENT AUCTION
On Saturday Night, join us in your formal leather-fetish-rubber attire for a night of entertainment featuring a formal Color Guard, entertaining emcees, and the conclusion of our three title contests, including contestant speeches, on-stage questions and finally, the announcement and sashings of our 2008 Titleholders! Also included is a cash bar, raffle ticket sales for Sunday's prize giveaways, and the announcement of the Silent Auction Winners.

* OUR FIRST EVER "ON-SITE PLAY PARTY"
Join us at our – first ever – on-site Play Party! This Saturday Night Event is going to be hot and sexy and not to be missed! Watch with us as this very special event unfolds.

IV) SUNDAY OFFERINGS
LEATHER TRIBAL REVIVAL
Lead by Pup Tim, join us on Sunday Morning for a multi-denominational service featuring Buddhist, Christian, Jewish, Muslim, Pagan and several other traditions presented by members of our SWLC Family. The Revival will also include the "Leather Tribal Revival Choir," lead by slave Alia and made up of SWLC attendees and staff.

*BRUNCH, COMMUNITY SERVICE AWARDS, RAFFLE, & KEYNOTE SPEECH
Join us for a relaxing buffet brunch in the hotel atrium, where members of the community will be recognized for their outstanding work in our community. Raffle winners will also be announced and the morning will end with a special message from our Keynote Speaker, to be announced soon.

* DANCE OF SOULS
Take part in our signature closing ceremony, the Dance of Souls. This powerful tradition of SWLC is a Fakir Musafar-inspired hook pull experience, where interested attendees transform into "modern primitives" by participating as flesh dancers, spirit dancers, drummers or witness bearers. Dancers are pierced with hooks, bells or balls and take part in an ecstatic dance, tethered together or separately. This Native-American flavored ritual celebration provides a unique experience for those interested in concluding the weekend in a space of unity and transformation.

* POST-DANCE DINNER BUFFET
Details coming soon.
(* Not included in Basic Registration. Requires separate purchase)
V) OPPORTUNITIES TO GET INVOLVED
BE A CONTESTANT IN ONE OF OUR TITLE CONTESTS!
SWLC is seeking people of all genders and orientations to run in our three title contests, established to recognize and honor the
dedication, spirit and service that the very best in the community exemplify. Our three title contests are: U.S. DADDY/BOY, SOUTHWEST MASTER/SLAVE and SOUTHWEST BOOTBLACK. Our titleholders honor their titles by being a valuable resource for the bdsm and leather community through education of the Daddy/boy or Master/slave lifestyles or through the art and skill of bootblacking. Full details and submission guidelines can be found on our website.

SUBMIT ARTWORK FOR THE SOUTHWEST LEATHER ART EXHIBITION
This year, any artist can submit artwork for consideration into our exhibition, no matter your location. Artwork does NOT have to be Leather-SM-Kink-Erotic in nature, though those subjects are very welcome! SWLC is about heart and spirit and we want to showcase the artistic expressions of that in its many forms. Deadline for submission is October 31, 2007. A pre-selected panel will review all submitted artwork, with selected pieces to be displayed during the conference. If interested in contributing your creations for this event, please see our website for full submission guidelines and application.

MY 2ND BDAY DINNER: SHARE YOUR STORY WITH US!
How have you chosen to celebrate life? Tell us your story and send us a photo! Are you on a journey of physical change? Are you building muscle? Taking up clog dancing? A bariatric patient? Please send us your story and a "Before" and "After" photo, or
an "On the Journey" photo if you're still working on it, to slave Alia, our hostess for the dinner, at alia@southwestleather.org and specify if we can use your stories and photos on our website and/or within printed material for the conference.

BECOME A VOLUNTEER!
SWLC would not happen without the time and effort given by our volunteers. The SWLC Community Mission is to provide service opportunities within the conference for people interested in being on the team that makes it happen. Many volunteer opportunities are available and discounted registration is granted based on the number of hours a volunteer completes with rates as follows: 8 hours of service at $62.00; 4 hours of service at $75.00. SWLC's Volunteer Opportunities fall into two categories:

(1) On-Site Volunteers put in their service hours at the conference itself in a variety of areas including: Security, Registration,
Greeters, Workshop Monitors, Hospitality Suite, Airport Transportation, Event Set Up/Tear Down Crew, Dungeon Monitors, Art Exhibition Monitors, Silent Auction Monitors, and Dance of Souls Logistics Crew. Positions are assigned by girl debra, SWLC Volunteer Advocate. If interested, please see our website for more details.

(2) Regional Promotion Representatives put in their service hours before the conference by promoting SWLC online. RPRs will be given the tools to find and join online groups in their assigned territory and will post four pre-written press releases over four months to said groups. RPR Positions are assigned by slavegirl debbie, SWLC Marketing Team Lead. If interested, please see our website for more details.

DONATE ITEMS FOR OUR SILENT AUCTION!
We are currently seeking items for our Silent Auction. If you would like to donate any leather-bdsm-fetish related items such as leather apparel, gear, toys, flags, books, jewelry, etc., please contact slaveMistress Bonnie at bmw736@aol.com

SPONSORSHIPS & ADVERTISING
SWLC presents a beneficial opportunity for Leather & BDSM organizations and businesses to help support SWLC. Our Sponsorship and Advertising opportunities will help you reach a wide audience, as we expect over 600 people (including staff and presenters) at our conference in January 2008. Various sponsorship packages include a combination of free registrations, on-stage banner, free ad in our progam/run book, a link on our website and on-stage recognition. This year, you also have the option to pay for a Sponsorship or Advertisement in our Program Book when you register for our conference. Deadline for artwork is November 17, 2007. Please visit our website for prices, details, and guidelines.

VENDORS
SWLC is pleased to offer a wide selection of clothing, toys, furniture and other delicious diversions at our vendor market. With over 600 attendees, SWLC's vending opportunities offer a way to reach a wide audience. Vending at SWLC is not assigned on a first come, first served basis. Vendors are selected specifically for their diversity of product(s) and compatibility with our conference type and population. Please visit our website for full details, prices, and guidelines.

VI) CONFERENCE REGISTRATION
THERE IS LESS THAN A WEEK LEFT TO REGISTER AT OUR EARLY BIRD RATE!
SWLC is pleased to offer registration fees at the same rate as the past two years!! There are two ways to register:

1) To pay by Visa, Mastercard or e-check online, register at www.regonline.com/SWLC2008
2) To mail in a check, please go to our manual registration page at http://www.southwestleather.org/swlchome/index.php?categoryid=17
Early Bird Registration $ 88 August 19 through October 7
Standard Registration $ 115 October 8 through December 9
Late Registration $ 135 December 10 through
Conference
Minimum age for entry to our event is age 21. You must register using your legal name as it appears on a government-issued photo ID, such as a state driver's license, state ID, military ID, or passport. However, you may use a nickname or scene name for your conference badge. Upon check-in, your ID will be checked for verification of your legal name used in your registration and proof of age. All attendees to Southwest Leather Conference must sign a release and waiver upon check-in at registration, again using the legal name under which you registered. Please see website for more details.

VII) HOTEL RESERVATIONS
Back by popular demand and because of their outstanding leather-friendly customer service, we are proud to call home The Crowne Plaza Phoenix Metrocenter, offering SWLC attendees the special rate of $99.00 per night, plus tax, for up to four persons per room. This price applies to rooms booked from Wednesday, January 9th, through Monday, January 14th for anyone who may wish to arrive early or stay later. Reservations must be made prior to December 10th, 2007 in order to receive this special rate. As the hotel will fill up completely with Conference attendees, if you wait too long you might end up staying at one of our nearby (and more expensive) overflow hotels.

In order to protect our room block, we will only honor hotel reservations with an accompanying paid SWLC registration. After
registering for SWLC, reserve your hotel room by calling the hotel's toll-free reservation line at (888) 797-9878. Hotel reservations cannot be made online or via the national reservation line. If you want to be a part of our "Living Leather Pride Quilt," be sure to ask for a room facing the "inner pool atrium." If participating in the Dance of Souls on Sunday, you may wish to stay an extra night as the dance does not break up until around 7 PM.

Please see hotel page on our website for travel tips, hotel cancellation policies and other important information.

VIII) SWLC CONTACT INFORMATION
For specific questions about Registration, Hotel, Events, Volunteer Program, Vending Opportunities, Sponsorships, Advertising, Publicity, Marketing, Payments, Refunds, Presenters, Contests, Judges, etc., visit the FAQs page on our website.

ISN'T THIS JUST ANOTHER 'SAME OL' LEATHER CONFERENCE?
Not at all. SWLC provides a space and time where all of us from different backgrounds, lifestyles and beliefs come together …. and become a tribe. SWLC appeals to many people with many interests. Whether you're into SM, Master/slave, Daddy/boy, or you're on a journey of self-exploration, SWLC offers something for everyone. Find out more at http://www.southwestleather.org