What's the difference between "open to the public" and being a registered participant?
A registered participant (attendee) is allowed to attend all three days of the Convention (8am to 11pm; Friday, Saturday and Sunday), plus Thursday Move-In (8am to 10pm). Activities include presentations, seminars, roundtable discussions, contests, games, door prizes and many experiences unique to a LEGO® Fan Convention. The full attendee receives a Convention Packet contaning a personalized brick name badge, a program of activities, some exclusive hand outs, coupons and other fun stuff. The fee is $50.
"Open to the public" means we invite everyone to view our exhibition of hundreds of hobbyist-built LEGO® models involving hundreds of thousands of LEGO® pieces. Also, there will be a building zone, a Brick Bazaar (where LEGO® stuff may be purchased), door prizes, and other give-aways. The public times are Saturday and Sunday from 11am to 3pm. For this, there is a modest fee of $7 per person (children under 4 are free).