Dreaming about making cons better
My friend wouldyoueva asked on Facebook what we would do to improve SF conventions. She's probably thinking Worldcons because she's on a bid committee. Here are my ideas so far. Have any great ideas yourself? Comment here and wouldyoueva will see them. Who knows, the ideas might even come to life some day!
We need teen and young adult panels that are actually aimed at those groups and not the children's programming crowd, and the panelists should actually know the subject material, according to Lydia. Then we might have a prayer of holding on to the current generation still coming with their parents, and the next one, too. She and her friends see SF cons as geezer zones and anime cons as where their generation hangs out.
Serve something in the con suite besides soda and chips, which get boring, especially the chips. The variety would draw more people in to see what interesting stuff is being brought out and help people, in particular newbies, get to know each other. Weird snacks are a great conversation starter.
If there's room in the con suite, like there is at Balticon, have some open mike times and let people put on unscheduled miniconcerts, poetry readings, whatever, with someone on staff to tell people when their time is up so no one hogs the stage.
And finally, my biggest peeve about cons: get the pros out and interacting with the folks who made them what they are today and not hide out in some Top Sekrit pro party. "Meet the program participants" parties are done at some cons. Or maybe there could be somewhere in the con suite or another area where they can "hold court" and chat with folks, autographing prohibited. Some pros are better than others at being out and about, but many of them treat their fans as unwashed masses who should only get to see them on a panel or talk to them for 30 seconds at an official autographing.
I'll probably have more ideas after I sleep on this endeavor.
We need teen and young adult panels that are actually aimed at those groups and not the children's programming crowd, and the panelists should actually know the subject material, according to Lydia. Then we might have a prayer of holding on to the current generation still coming with their parents, and the next one, too. She and her friends see SF cons as geezer zones and anime cons as where their generation hangs out.
Serve something in the con suite besides soda and chips, which get boring, especially the chips. The variety would draw more people in to see what interesting stuff is being brought out and help people, in particular newbies, get to know each other. Weird snacks are a great conversation starter.
If there's room in the con suite, like there is at Balticon, have some open mike times and let people put on unscheduled miniconcerts, poetry readings, whatever, with someone on staff to tell people when their time is up so no one hogs the stage.
And finally, my biggest peeve about cons: get the pros out and interacting with the folks who made them what they are today and not hide out in some Top Sekrit pro party. "Meet the program participants" parties are done at some cons. Or maybe there could be somewhere in the con suite or another area where they can "hold court" and chat with folks, autographing prohibited. Some pros are better than others at being out and about, but many of them treat their fans as unwashed masses who should only get to see them on a panel or talk to them for 30 seconds at an official autographing.
I'll probably have more ideas after I sleep on this endeavor.