With the closing of the registration period (extended an extra week due to high demand), we now have a pretty good sense of Pelikan’s Hub locations for 2018 as well as the number of registrations at each location.  The analysis that follows is derived from data taken from Pelikan’s Hubs page (as of 7/23/18 at 9:00pm EST) and should not be taken as absolute since it is subject to some fluctuation between now and the big event.  Still, it gives us a significant insight into how this fifth anniversary event is shaping up.  Most of the cities that participated last year are again included in this year’s festivities with at least two dozen new cities added to the roster, a roughly 23% increase.  The Hubs event continues the steady trend in annual growth that we’ve seen year after year.  Each year has been larger than the one before with more countries, more cities, and more people participating.  For 2017, Pelikan reported that there were 145 individual Hubs spread across 43 countries with 3600 registered participants.  Based on the currently available data, this year’s event will span 178 cities spread out amongst 44 countries with over 4700 participants.  Thus far, that represents roughly a 31% increase in attendance over last year and an astounding 425% increase since the inaugural year.  Whereas events were few and far between the first year, the access that fans now have to a local Hub has grown exponentially.  The United States is again host to the largest number of registrations with Canada, Australia, Taiwan, and Germany rounding out the top 5.  This year’s gathering is set to take place on Friday, September 21, 2018 at 6:30pm local time with Pelikan expected to release additional details about the event as we get closer to the date.  If you cannot attend this year’s event, you can easily follow along with the world-wide festivities via the hashtag #pelikanhubs on the various social media sites.  To further synthesize the data, I’ve developed a series of maps and graphs to help depict the information.  Read on to see what cities are involved and to learn about how your location stacks up with some of the others.

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The 2018 Pelikan Hubs event has been anticipated by fans across the globe ever since last year’s highly successful gathering.  With just a little over three months to go, Pelikan has officially opened up registration.  This year hits a milestone as it marks the fifth anniversary of this pen and ink centric happening.  The Hubs event has shown consistent growth over the past four years with 2017 coming in as the biggest year to date, a record that’s very likely to be bested once again.  You may recall that there were 145 individual Hub locations spread across 43 countries with 3600 registered participants last year.  That represents roughly a 38% increase over the attendance for 2016.  If you are reading about this for the first time and wondering what the heck a Pelikan Hub event is, let me enlighten you.  The Pelikan Hubs is a fan driven gathering of Pelikan aficionados from across the globe who meet on the same local date and time.  With no specified agenda, anything goes meaning no two hubs are quite alike.  Throughout all of this, Pelikan acts in a supporting role, providing the necessary organization and a few supplies, allowing the hub master and their attendees to free form an evening of festivities.  For those who cannot attend, the various locations can be followed on social media via the hashtag #pelikanhubs.  My local Philadelphia hub has always been a good time, attended by a growing and diverse group of fans.  You can read about my past adventures here (2017), here (2016), and here (2015). One thing for certain is that there is usually no shortage of Pelikan eye candy.  With a minimum of five people required to constitute a Hub, locations get selected based on a registered pool of online applicants.  During the sign up process, you can nominate your city for inclusion if it is not already listed.  Hub locations will be finalized sometime around July 9th.  Once the participating cities are chosen, a Hub master is selected, by special application, to act as your local point of contact and organizer.  It is the Hub master who designates a centrally located meeting place and distributes some Pelikan swag to all of the registered guest in attendance.  Read on for all of the details for this years Hub.

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Pelikan’s Hub locations for 2017 are now available on their website.  The data doesn’t reveal any big surprises and many of the same cities that we’ve seen in the past have again emerged as Hub locations.  Others are absent, making room for a few new venues.  Based on the available data, the fourth annual Hubs event continues to show steady growth.  Each year has seen the inclusion of more countries, more cities, and significantly more participants when compared with the year prior.  Based on the available data from Pelikan’s Hubs website (as of 7/7/17), this year’s event will span 131 cities spread out amongst 39 countries with 2999+ participants.  Thus far, that represents roughly a 42% increase in attendance with time still left to register.  For those not yet aware, this year’s gathering will take place on Friday, September 22, 2017 at 6:30pm local time.  No details have been announced yet but prior years have included some excellent Pelikan swag for participants.  Even though the locations are set, online applications for Hub Masters are being accepted until July 12th and general applications will remain open through July 17th.  That means time is quickly running out if you want to be included in this year’s festivities.  Attendance is by application only so even if you are unsure of your availability, I would urge you to submit an online application to secure your place and do the same for any friend/spouse/pen loving stranger that you intend to bring with you.  Registration forms can be found here.  If you cannot attend, you can easily follow along with the world-wide festivities via the hashtag #pelikanhubs on the various social media sites.

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It’s that time of year again, time for Pelikan to announce their fourth annual Pelikan Hubs event.  Each year, the Hubs event has grown in attendance and I’m sure that the 2017 festivities will prove to be no different.  Pelikan Hubs 2016 took place in at least 109 cities spread across 37 countries with roughly 2600 fans registered to attend.  That represents nearly a 51% increase over the prior year!  For those of you unfamiliar with the concept, the Hub event is a shared gathering of Pelikan fans from across the globe.  The event is facilitated for fans by fans with Pelikan acting in a supporting role.  While these gatherings take place in 30+ countries, each Hub occurs at the same date and time locally.  For those who cannot attend, each Hub is encouraged to upload photos to their favorite social media sites with the hashtag #pelikanhubs.  There is no agenda and anything that the group can imagine is fair game ensuring that no two Hubs are quite alike.  I have had tremendous fun over the past three Philadelphia events and the diversity of attendees adds to the wonderful dynamic.  Participants have ranged from novice to expert and those looking for their first Pelikan pen to those with hundreds.  Hubs get selected based on a pool of online applicants.  A minimum of five people are required to make a hub and you can nominate your city when signing up.  Hubs will be chosen sometime around July 12th.  Once the cities are selected, a Hub Master is chosen (by application) to act as the local point of contact and organizer who designates a centrally located meeting space in the appointed city.  After that, all that is left to do is to gather and enjoy each other’s company.

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While a month later than last year, Pelikan has finally announced their 2016 Hubs locations and have begun the process of notifying attendees and the location’s chosen hub masters.  Many of the cities listed should be familiar, having hosted past events, but there are several new comers this year as well.  A small hiccup resulted in a conspicuously absent London, United Kingdom but this was quickly rectified today.  Each year, the Pelikan Hubs project has grown.  Pelikan Hubs 2015 included 72 cities spanning 29 countries with approximately 1400 participants, a 56% growth over the event’s first year.  Year three proves to be even bigger in scope and participation.  While final numbers are subject to change, we are currently looking at 111 cities spanning 38 countries with 2116+ registered participants as of the time of this post.  That is a 51% increase in the number of participants over last year.   This year’s gathering will take place on September 16, 2016 at 6:30pm local time.  Pelikan really stepped up their efforts last year to improve upon the previous hub event so I anticipate some neat things in store for attendees but details have yet to be announced.  Even though locations and hub masters have been chosen, online applications will continue to be accepted through July 30th for those interested in participating (a link to register can be found at the bottom of this post).  You’d better hurry though as there are only three days left to register at the time of this post.  Attendance is by application only so even if you are unsure, I would urge you to submit an online application to secure your place.  Please do the same for any friend/spouse/pen loving stranger that you intend to bring with you.  For those of you who cannot attend, don’t forget to follow along via the hashtag #pelikanhubs on social media.

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