SHareCon 2021?
With everything going on in the world - especially in the US - this seems like the ultimate Pollyanna move. Maybe we're just channeling the spirit of Ro whose famous motto, "WE CAN DO THIS," got us in more trouble than we have time to explain. But we're seriously considering how we might manage a face-to-face SHareCon (our Starsky and Hutch slash con) this year.
Yeah, I know it's crazy. I know it's unlikely. But you can't plan a four-day convention at the last minute. You have to reserve meeting space in advance. And you all need to make plans, too.
Because we have a good relationship with the Homewood Suites BWI Airport hotel, Gabby, the sales manager who was so cooperative in 2019, would love to have us back. We discussed the possibilities of an in-person con. You can see their updated management changes on their website.
We have reserved the weekend of October 15-18. The hotel doesn't require a deposit, another reason why we can risk it, and there's no penalty if we cancel later.
So, how can we manage a con? We would want to have all our normal activities: panels, vid shows, dance party, eating together both at and outside of the con. But our meeting space is indoors and not spacious enough for social distancing. Membership is usually around 50; it's cramped. Spending four days masked for con activities is unrealistic.
We can only hold this con in person if Covid has been subdued by societal changes and vaccinations. If cases are still raging, the con can't happen. It’s that simple. We'd only hold the con if most of society is "back to normal." That means safe travel, including airplanes, safe meetings, safe shopping, safe restaurants, safe hugging, etc. You get the picture.
And, to run our con safely, we'll have to require vaccination for in person-attendance.
Since we don't have a crystal ball, it's impossible to know how serious the pandemic will still be by October. Will vaccines be more readily available and accepted? Will the case load drop because of it? If so, will life begin to open up, go back to some semblance of normal? This is January - what might April, May, or June be like? We simply don't know.
But as things change - or if they do not - we can respond in kind. We have reserved the dates. We don't need to reserve rooms now, and can cancel the meeting space in late August if need be.
Okay, that's the pie in the sky version. What happens if we can't hold an in-person con? Then we'd like to host a virtual con starting that weekend. So, we'll still need ideas for panels and other activities that will enable everyone to participate. And we'd plan an in-person con for 2022.
So put your fannish thinking caps on. We're going to need your input for SHareCon 2021! One way or another, we want to make this happen but we can’t do it without you.