Westercon 74 Day 1: Early Start and Opening Ceremony
As the Keeper of the Keys (of the Tonopah Convention Center), on account of being the person who locked the doors late last night after we finished set-up, I also had to be there shortly after 7 AM to let the people who needed to run the online/hybrid programming in the Gold Room. Consequently, I got maybe three hours' sleep last night.
The first online panels (with the Gold Room being the place people could watch the panels at the convention) were at 8 AM. The Main Hall, however, was not scheduled to open until 10 AM. I unlocked the doors so Program Operations could get started in the Gold Room, posted signs about the 10 AM doors-open, and returned to the Belvada. Back in my room, I prepared breakfast for Lisa and me and watched the first online panel of the convention on my computer. I commented that it might be the only program item I see except those on which I'm a participant.
After the program was over, I once again moved the printer and paper and program books down to Registration in the lobby of the Belvada Hotel. Lisa headed for the TCC to work on Hospitality preparations. I joined her and others working on their parts of the convention later. I also directed people who had not yet registered (and had neither read the website or the signs on the doors of the TCC) down to the Belvada for Registration today.
Shortly after 10 AM, I personally opened the doors of the Main Hall, and the biggest single portion of Westercon 74 was under way.
We purchased the orange banner seen here for Westercon, and the TCC hung it for us for no additional charge. (I held the ladder for Cameron, our TCC rep, who has been a dream with which to work.)
I took this picture with the banner behind me. I hope future Westercons display it as well.
Here's how I was dressed, and how I will be dressed, for most of Westercon 74.
Others have a Chair ribbons (to be fair, so do I), but how many people have a Chair star? Incidentally, I paid for this myself; the convention did not buy it.
Between 10 AM and 2 PM, I did make numerous trips between the Belvada and TCC, moving things from one place to another and occasionally being called in to make some Chair-level decisions, some of which I didn't want to do, but That's Why I Get Paid the Big Bucks, isn't it? *eyeroll* But things had settled down from the frenzy of setup, and I remembered to sit down as often as I could.
As the 2 PM Opening Ceremony neared, I made myself available sitting on the front of the stage. Note "Kuma's Korner" behind and to my right. Kuma Bear and other stuffed friends have a space of their own here. Also, around this time I authorized Registration to issue membership badges to any stuffed member with at least a Supporting membership.
The "Dave Kyle says you can't sit here" pillow is displayed on one of the seats on stage. You can also see a corner of the screen on which we're displaying a slide show most of the time. Lisa has been working very hard on the slide show, and from the reactions of people, it was a good decision and I congratulated her for her work assembling hundred of slides, some of the funny, silly, and other interesting, but always entertaining.
I don't have pictures of the Opening Ceremony, but Lisa did record it. However, it's part of a much longer recording, and I do not have time to edit out the OC itself. It started with a video based on the opening of the television show The Wild, Wild West with a montage of pictures of Tonopah ending with a picture of me standing in front of the SMOF-mobile (my minivan). The screen then raised, I walked out, and welcomed people to The Wild, Wild Westercon.
After a few introductory remarks, I introduced our guests of honor, Kevin Andrew Murphy and Myrna Donato, each who talked briefly about their experience of being named a Westercon Guest of Honor.
It was then time for the formal opening of the convention: the use of the Gavel of Westercon to ceremonially call the convention to order. This would ordinarily be my job, but because I'm only the driver of the convention and the real reason we're here is because Lisa Hayes fell in love with Tonopah and worked tirelessly on bringing the convention here, I asked her to join me.
Lisa and I, joined by Kuma Bear, jointly brought the gavel down, signalling that the prologue was over and the convention was seriously started. Lisa talked about how Convention Hospitality, centered on the Main Hall, was a major focus of the convention. I pointed out that in the days of wild west, a period in which Tonopah was a late participant, it was the villains who work masks. After nothing, "My, how times have changed," I encouraged every member of Westercon 74, who I'm calling "fellow cast members" in a show we put on for each other, to "Be a hero" and wear a mask.
I felt much better after Opening Ceremonies were over, but there was still an afternoon ahead and some serious programming. Continuing immediately onward after the Opening, we invited the head of the very late-submitted bid for Utah in 2024 Westercon, James Galway, to give a presentation and take questions. That led to people who hadn't read the announcements about how Anaheim was awarded Westercon 75 in 2023 to ask questions as well. I carefully explained the process whereby Anaheim was selected, and made it clear that, based on multiple precedents, no further action by the Westercon Business Meeting was required. In addition, I explained that if no eligible bid (including Utah's write-in bid) does not win the site selection election, the Business Meeting on Sunday could select a site by a 3/4 vote, or alternatively could decide not to decide, in which case the decision on the future site would be up to the board of Director of LASFS.
Lisa, who is at least as worn out from short sleep during setup as I am, went back to the hotel and got a few hours of sleep because she's on the night shift. (Westercon is open All Night Long.) Just before she retired for the afternoon, Lisa and I (and Kuma Bear) cast our 2024 Westercon site selection ballots. By rule, Site Selection administrator Sharon Sbarsky marked Kuma's ballot "No Preference," so everything was on the up-and-up.
After Lisa retired, I stayed up and dealt with some things like getting a new version of the convention program grid online. For a short time, I thought it possible that there were going to be so many changes that we'd need to print a new grid, but it was not as bad as I thought. The convention newsletter, the Tonopah Telegraph could handle communicating changes to the members, and the signs on each programming room are apparently up to date.
Speaking of the newsletter, as Registration shut down at 7 PM, Sharon came over to the Belvada where Registration had been to use the big printer to print that late edition of the Tonopah Telegraph. We printed more issues than yesterday because the first issue ran out and we had to print more.
Registration will move from the Belvada to the lobby of the TCC on Saturday, so we did some equipment shuffling. Rick Kovalcik and Fred Moulton helped me move the big printer, boxes of program books, and spare paper to the TCC, where most of it went to Operations where it will reside for the duration of the convention.
With the equipment moved, our hotel room has a lot more space.
Lisa returned to the TCC after her extended nap. I was fading. She and I took a dinner break: she took a short bath while I went to the Sweet Dixie food truck for another dinner. Alas, they are sold out of the excellent catfish, but they still have lots of good stuff, and I could call ahead and they had it ready for me when I arrived.
After dinner, Lisa headed back to the TCC and got ready for bed. I'd love to spend more time hanging around with people in Hospitality, but I'm on the point of collapse now and need a bunch of sleep to recharge. Tomorrow should be better.
About half of our pre-registered attending members have collected their badges as of the close of registration this evening. (We do have a process for dealing with people arriving after Registration closed, issuing them temporary badges for the night after checking their vaccination credentials; they will turn in the temporary badges for actual ones the next day.) I still do not know how many people will attend the convention, but I'm pleased that we have six past Worldcon chairs in attendance (including me). While there are many familiar faces, there are others I don't recognize, and that's great!
Today's pedometer count: a mere 13,315 steps. I'm slacking off. I shudder to think what it would have been if I had not arranged to have a room in the Belvada on the lowest possible floor to minimize the trip times between facilities that I knew would be coming.
Now, it's time for some sleep.
The first online panels (with the Gold Room being the place people could watch the panels at the convention) were at 8 AM. The Main Hall, however, was not scheduled to open until 10 AM. I unlocked the doors so Program Operations could get started in the Gold Room, posted signs about the 10 AM doors-open, and returned to the Belvada. Back in my room, I prepared breakfast for Lisa and me and watched the first online panel of the convention on my computer. I commented that it might be the only program item I see except those on which I'm a participant.
After the program was over, I once again moved the printer and paper and program books down to Registration in the lobby of the Belvada Hotel. Lisa headed for the TCC to work on Hospitality preparations. I joined her and others working on their parts of the convention later. I also directed people who had not yet registered (and had neither read the website or the signs on the doors of the TCC) down to the Belvada for Registration today.
Shortly after 10 AM, I personally opened the doors of the Main Hall, and the biggest single portion of Westercon 74 was under way.
We purchased the orange banner seen here for Westercon, and the TCC hung it for us for no additional charge. (I held the ladder for Cameron, our TCC rep, who has been a dream with which to work.)
I took this picture with the banner behind me. I hope future Westercons display it as well.
Here's how I was dressed, and how I will be dressed, for most of Westercon 74.
Others have a Chair ribbons (to be fair, so do I), but how many people have a Chair star? Incidentally, I paid for this myself; the convention did not buy it.
Between 10 AM and 2 PM, I did make numerous trips between the Belvada and TCC, moving things from one place to another and occasionally being called in to make some Chair-level decisions, some of which I didn't want to do, but That's Why I Get Paid the Big Bucks, isn't it? *eyeroll* But things had settled down from the frenzy of setup, and I remembered to sit down as often as I could.
As the 2 PM Opening Ceremony neared, I made myself available sitting on the front of the stage. Note "Kuma's Korner" behind and to my right. Kuma Bear and other stuffed friends have a space of their own here. Also, around this time I authorized Registration to issue membership badges to any stuffed member with at least a Supporting membership.
The "Dave Kyle says you can't sit here" pillow is displayed on one of the seats on stage. You can also see a corner of the screen on which we're displaying a slide show most of the time. Lisa has been working very hard on the slide show, and from the reactions of people, it was a good decision and I congratulated her for her work assembling hundred of slides, some of the funny, silly, and other interesting, but always entertaining.
I don't have pictures of the Opening Ceremony, but Lisa did record it. However, it's part of a much longer recording, and I do not have time to edit out the OC itself. It started with a video based on the opening of the television show The Wild, Wild West with a montage of pictures of Tonopah ending with a picture of me standing in front of the SMOF-mobile (my minivan). The screen then raised, I walked out, and welcomed people to The Wild, Wild Westercon.
After a few introductory remarks, I introduced our guests of honor, Kevin Andrew Murphy and Myrna Donato, each who talked briefly about their experience of being named a Westercon Guest of Honor.
It was then time for the formal opening of the convention: the use of the Gavel of Westercon to ceremonially call the convention to order. This would ordinarily be my job, but because I'm only the driver of the convention and the real reason we're here is because Lisa Hayes fell in love with Tonopah and worked tirelessly on bringing the convention here, I asked her to join me.
Lisa and I, joined by Kuma Bear, jointly brought the gavel down, signalling that the prologue was over and the convention was seriously started. Lisa talked about how Convention Hospitality, centered on the Main Hall, was a major focus of the convention. I pointed out that in the days of wild west, a period in which Tonopah was a late participant, it was the villains who work masks. After nothing, "My, how times have changed," I encouraged every member of Westercon 74, who I'm calling "fellow cast members" in a show we put on for each other, to "Be a hero" and wear a mask.
I felt much better after Opening Ceremonies were over, but there was still an afternoon ahead and some serious programming. Continuing immediately onward after the Opening, we invited the head of the very late-submitted bid for Utah in 2024 Westercon, James Galway, to give a presentation and take questions. That led to people who hadn't read the announcements about how Anaheim was awarded Westercon 75 in 2023 to ask questions as well. I carefully explained the process whereby Anaheim was selected, and made it clear that, based on multiple precedents, no further action by the Westercon Business Meeting was required. In addition, I explained that if no eligible bid (including Utah's write-in bid) does not win the site selection election, the Business Meeting on Sunday could select a site by a 3/4 vote, or alternatively could decide not to decide, in which case the decision on the future site would be up to the board of Director of LASFS.
Lisa, who is at least as worn out from short sleep during setup as I am, went back to the hotel and got a few hours of sleep because she's on the night shift. (Westercon is open All Night Long.) Just before she retired for the afternoon, Lisa and I (and Kuma Bear) cast our 2024 Westercon site selection ballots. By rule, Site Selection administrator Sharon Sbarsky marked Kuma's ballot "No Preference," so everything was on the up-and-up.
After Lisa retired, I stayed up and dealt with some things like getting a new version of the convention program grid online. For a short time, I thought it possible that there were going to be so many changes that we'd need to print a new grid, but it was not as bad as I thought. The convention newsletter, the Tonopah Telegraph could handle communicating changes to the members, and the signs on each programming room are apparently up to date.
Speaking of the newsletter, as Registration shut down at 7 PM, Sharon came over to the Belvada where Registration had been to use the big printer to print that late edition of the Tonopah Telegraph. We printed more issues than yesterday because the first issue ran out and we had to print more.
Registration will move from the Belvada to the lobby of the TCC on Saturday, so we did some equipment shuffling. Rick Kovalcik and Fred Moulton helped me move the big printer, boxes of program books, and spare paper to the TCC, where most of it went to Operations where it will reside for the duration of the convention.
With the equipment moved, our hotel room has a lot more space.
Lisa returned to the TCC after her extended nap. I was fading. She and I took a dinner break: she took a short bath while I went to the Sweet Dixie food truck for another dinner. Alas, they are sold out of the excellent catfish, but they still have lots of good stuff, and I could call ahead and they had it ready for me when I arrived.
After dinner, Lisa headed back to the TCC and got ready for bed. I'd love to spend more time hanging around with people in Hospitality, but I'm on the point of collapse now and need a bunch of sleep to recharge. Tomorrow should be better.
About half of our pre-registered attending members have collected their badges as of the close of registration this evening. (We do have a process for dealing with people arriving after Registration closed, issuing them temporary badges for the night after checking their vaccination credentials; they will turn in the temporary badges for actual ones the next day.) I still do not know how many people will attend the convention, but I'm pleased that we have six past Worldcon chairs in attendance (including me). While there are many familiar faces, there are others I don't recognize, and that's great!
Today's pedometer count: a mere 13,315 steps. I'm slacking off. I shudder to think what it would have been if I had not arranged to have a room in the Belvada on the lowest possible floor to minimize the trip times between facilities that I knew would be coming.
Now, it's time for some sleep.