FedCon, the German convention which provides European Star Trek fans their biggest annual party, is coming to the United States to give their American counterparts a taste of what they've enjoyed for the past 16 years.

The organization's first event on this side of the ocean will take place June 13-15, 2008, in Dallas, Texas. Several Trek stars are already signed up as special guests, including Jonathan Frakes, Connor Trinneer, John Billingsley, Billingsley's wife Bonita Friedericy ("Rooney"), and Menina Fortunato (Orion Slave Girl "Maras"), with more expected. It will be held at the Hyatt Regency DFW, located on the grounds of that international airport between Dallas and Fort Worth.

Called FedCon USA, the convention is a collaboration between Dirk Bartholom? (pronounced "Bartholomew"), the German owner of FedCon, and Tim Brazeal, the American owner of TrekUnited and co-owner of SciFiStudios.com. Marc B. Lee, who has emceed FedCon-Germany for the last 15 years, will perform the same duties at the Dallas event. Lee is also known around the States for his involvement with other event organizers such as PlanetXpo, Lightspeed and Dragon*Con.

Lee said the Dallas FedCon is an "experiment" to see if an American convention can capture the same showmanship, style and "flavor" as the European con. "I've always been pushing the conventions in Europe to the fans here in the States, because it's something they've never seen before. And we just want to give them an eyeful of what's different than your typical convention here."

What is the "eyeful" that will distinguish the Dallas FedCon from other U.S. conventions? For one, according to Lee and Brazeal, there is a great deal of production value put into the show, particularly in the opening and closing ceremonies — lights, smoke, stunts, and whatever other creative ideas can rouse the audience as the celebrity guests are introduced. The opening and closing ceremonies are themselves unique — while many cons have something along those lines, at FedCon they are can't-miss events that bring a unifying spirit to the convention and all its attendees.

Another important aspect of the FedCon experience is that actors generally are committed for the whole weekend, and not just for their time on stage, which also elevates the spirit of the event. "In most American conventions the actors show up hours before their contracted appearance and are basically back on the plane after they've fulfilled their duties," said Lee. "You'll notice that our actor guests, and behind-the-scenes guests, interact a little bit more with the fans at our European shows than they do here in the States." On top of that, "At FedCon there's always non-stop partying — and the actors are usually involved in that." For instance, in Germany earlier this year, 1,500 fans crowded the dance floor while Anthony Montgomery led them in a rap song, with Jonathan Frakes and Avery Brooks on the floor "pretty much jammin' along with them," Lee said.

Brazeal further commented on what the attraction is. "The first time I went to FedCon in Germany," he recalled, "I remember walking through the door, and you can just feel the atmosphere of camaraderie and excitement. After you're there 30 minutes, you've already made a lot of friends, and it's just a really friendly, upbeat atmosphere." He likened FedCon to Atlanta's Dragon*Con, "but without the enormous crowds." He continued, "And it's a no-pressure thing, you know — you can walk around and not be nickel-and-dimed to death like you are at some conventions. Dirk goes out of his way to make sure the fans are treated as well as they can possibly be."

Lee qualified, though, "We're not here to be the competition. We're just here to be an alternative. There are so many great conventions here in this country, but this is an experiment for us, to bring our style of conventioneering here and then let the fans be the judges of whether they like it or not."

"FedCon" is short for "Federation Convention," reflecting its origins as a strictly Star Trek-oriented affair. But in recent years the organization has diversified into other sci-fi and genre properties such as Stargate, Battlestar Galactica, Buffy, etc. But Star Trek is still "approximately 75 percent" of their programming, Lee said.

Brazeal, who was born and raised in Texas but currently hails from Tennessee, said that Dallas was chosen as the first venue for FedCon USA for a variety of strategic reasons, such as its proximity to several major cities (3-5 hours drive from Houston, Oklahoma City, Shreveport, etc.) and the number of fans and fan clubs that are perhaps underserved by existing convention organizers. He said they're shooting for an attendance of 1,000, but the venue can handle about 3,000.

It is the goal of Brazeal, Bartholom? and Lee to re-create the atmosphere of the European FedCon, though the event may have to grow into that over time. "It'll be a process," Lee said. "We don't expect exactly the same flavor as Germany at our first convention, but we're going to try to come as close as we possibly can."

However, "Once we get the people there and they see that there's a little bit more production value to this, there's a little bit more fun and excitement, I think they're gonna be hooked," said Brazeal. He knows they will have succeeded if fans respond the way he does at FedCon: "When Sunday rolls around, I'm like, 'I don't wanna go home, man!'"

Economy weekend packages start at $99, and Gold packages, which include exclusive seating and autographs, start at $269. Visit FedConUSA.com for complete details.

While the Dallas FedCon debuts in June, the traditional Germany event precedes it by a couple of months. FedCon XVII will take place April 18-20, once again in Bonn. Guests currently booked include LeVar Burton, Brent Spiner, Marina Sirtis, Roxann Dawson, Rene Auberjonois, and John de Lancie, along with stars from Battlestar Galactica, Babylon 5, Firefly and others. And of course, the indomitable Marc Lee will be presiding! Visit www.FedCon.de for info.