Quote:
Originally Posted by DixieGal
August 6-10, 2009
It's do-able. Now tell me, what goes on at Worldcon?
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The same thing that goes on at most other SF cons.
There are two general types of cons, that tend to get conflated by folks who don't know better. One type is the media con, oriented toward TV, Films, and the like. These tend to be commercial, for profit operations. They pay an assortment of actors and actresses from genre shows to appear, and fans fork over substantial amounts of cash to attend and meet them. Star Trek cons are the prototypical example.
The second type is what is referred to here. SF cons in this context are literary conventions, oriented around books (though normally with programming covering SF and fantasy in other forms as well.) They are non-profit operations, organized and run by local fan groups under 501(c)(3) tax exempt status, and managed by unpaid volunteers. There are local conventions held once a year in most large cities, such as Arisia and Boskone in Boston, Lunacon in New York, Balticon in Baltimore, and CapClave in DC. The very first such con happened in the early '30s, when a group of New York City fans took the train down from NYC to Philadelphia, to meet with a Philadelphia fan group. The first WorldCon was held in NYC in 1939. People who were active back then are entitled to membership in
First Fandom, which requires activity in SF fandom in 1938. A few such folks are still around, including Dave Kyle and Frederick Pohl.
They normally have Writer, Artist, and Fan Guests of Honor (whose travel, hotel, and expenses are paid by the con, but who do
not get a speaker's fee), as well as a variety of other professional guests, including writers, artists, editors, agents, and other folks connected with the field.
Activities include speeches, panel discussions, workshops, autograph sessions and kaffeeklatsches. Cons generally also have an Art show and a Dealer's Room, and may have a Masquerade, film program, Anime, and other activities. Oh, yes. And parties...
The WorldCon travels around. Fan groups in particular areas will decide they'd like to host one and bid for the privilege, promoting their effort at other cons. The winning bid is selected by the members of the WorldCon two years prior to the one being bid for. Putting one of these things on is an
extensive undertaking. People who want to do it typically start planning and promoting their bid 7 years or more in advance.
The WorldCon attracts between 5,000 and 8,000 attendees these days, and the last I knew it was the second largest volunteer run convention in the world. (The largest was the
Pittsburgh Conference, a specialty laboratory sciences convention, attracting about 25,000.)
Think of a con as a weekend long party for several hundred or several thousand of your closest friends, and you'll have the idea.
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Dennis