Pemmi-Con at Costume-Con 39
I walked down to the nearest Starbucks this morning to get breakfast, and learned that is closed weekends. I'm glad to learn that today so that I can make plans for tomorrow. It's a huge hardship; the next-closest one, which is open on weekends, is only about 350 meters farther away.
Around 10 AM, I went down and found which table was for Pemmi-Con, then set up our sales table.
This was where I spent most of the day, talking to people about the 2023 NASFiC. There were the usual sorts of challenges, including people who had a vague idea of where Canada was, and even if they did, had no idea where Winnipeg was. In a few cases, they sort of had heard of Minneapolis, and in that case I could say, "Go north from there." An additional challenge specific to Costume-Con was that there were people who were completely unfamiliar with SF/F conventions; Costume-Con is all they know. There were people who had never heard of Worldcon, or even of the Hugo Awards, making it challenging for me to even explain what NASFiC was. One person said, "I can't go to this one, but how about next year's Pemmi-Con?" They were boggled by the concept of a one-shot, different-city/different-organizers convention like Worldcon, NASFiC, Westercon, and yes, Costume-Con. (I suspect those people think all Costume-Cons are run by the same people, but I didn't ask.) However, there were still plenty of people who know what a NASFiC, or at least a Worldcon, and I engaged for most of the day.
One advantage of being at a fan table in a high-traffic area (in this case, in the hallway outside the Dealers' Room) is that most of the convention comes to you at one time or another.
When I was sufficiently with it, I could get pictures of people as they passed. I was taken by how she had coordinated her mask with the rest of her outfit.
I would have had more photos, but I somehow had my finger over the lens for the rest of them!
Spike Parsons, who is Pemmi-Con's promotions and publicity person and put together the table material, joined me later in the day until we closed around 6 PM. We packed things up and I took stuff back to the room, then I went out to get dinner. I returned to the burger place from which I got take-out last night and instead of one of their "regular" burger packages, built one up from parts, so to speak, this time with the pre-seasoned patty. I may try and lamb or salmon burger next time
Last night, I wanted some milk, and ended up spending $5 for a tiny container from the hotel gift shop. This evening, I bought a half-gallon for $4 from a convenience store and iced it down in one of the hotel room's two sinks. I figured that even if I end up throwing half of it away, it's still a better deal.
This evening's event at the convention was the Single Pattern Contest and Social. By the time I finished my dinner and changed into my costume (my "Sheriff of Westercon" duds from Tonopah, which really is just my summer clothing with the tin star I wore during last year's convention), things were almost over. I sneaked in the back of the room and listened to Chris Garcia announce the winners, then snapped this photo.
Most people headed off to the parties, but to be honest, I'm already uncomfortable enough without more crowding. Besides, my hours don't fit the parties anymore. I wish I'd remembered to go by the Con Suite and get a couple of bottles of water, though.
Tomorrow morning is the Big Event: Adam Savage will be appearing from 9 AM and doing autographs and pictures thereafter. We only have him in the morning, and he's doing us a big favor by coming by. I hope to be able to see him. Then for me it's back to the Pemmi-Con table for most of the day. Rather than wearing my Winnipeg t-shirt, however, I'm planning to wear my WSFS uniform. More about that tomorrow.
Around 10 AM, I went down and found which table was for Pemmi-Con, then set up our sales table.
This was where I spent most of the day, talking to people about the 2023 NASFiC. There were the usual sorts of challenges, including people who had a vague idea of where Canada was, and even if they did, had no idea where Winnipeg was. In a few cases, they sort of had heard of Minneapolis, and in that case I could say, "Go north from there." An additional challenge specific to Costume-Con was that there were people who were completely unfamiliar with SF/F conventions; Costume-Con is all they know. There were people who had never heard of Worldcon, or even of the Hugo Awards, making it challenging for me to even explain what NASFiC was. One person said, "I can't go to this one, but how about next year's Pemmi-Con?" They were boggled by the concept of a one-shot, different-city/different-organizers convention like Worldcon, NASFiC, Westercon, and yes, Costume-Con. (I suspect those people think all Costume-Cons are run by the same people, but I didn't ask.) However, there were still plenty of people who know what a NASFiC, or at least a Worldcon, and I engaged for most of the day.
One advantage of being at a fan table in a high-traffic area (in this case, in the hallway outside the Dealers' Room) is that most of the convention comes to you at one time or another.
When I was sufficiently with it, I could get pictures of people as they passed. I was taken by how she had coordinated her mask with the rest of her outfit.
I would have had more photos, but I somehow had my finger over the lens for the rest of them!
Spike Parsons, who is Pemmi-Con's promotions and publicity person and put together the table material, joined me later in the day until we closed around 6 PM. We packed things up and I took stuff back to the room, then I went out to get dinner. I returned to the burger place from which I got take-out last night and instead of one of their "regular" burger packages, built one up from parts, so to speak, this time with the pre-seasoned patty. I may try and lamb or salmon burger next time
Last night, I wanted some milk, and ended up spending $5 for a tiny container from the hotel gift shop. This evening, I bought a half-gallon for $4 from a convenience store and iced it down in one of the hotel room's two sinks. I figured that even if I end up throwing half of it away, it's still a better deal.
This evening's event at the convention was the Single Pattern Contest and Social. By the time I finished my dinner and changed into my costume (my "Sheriff of Westercon" duds from Tonopah, which really is just my summer clothing with the tin star I wore during last year's convention), things were almost over. I sneaked in the back of the room and listened to Chris Garcia announce the winners, then snapped this photo.
Most people headed off to the parties, but to be honest, I'm already uncomfortable enough without more crowding. Besides, my hours don't fit the parties anymore. I wish I'd remembered to go by the Con Suite and get a couple of bottles of water, though.
Tomorrow morning is the Big Event: Adam Savage will be appearing from 9 AM and doing autographs and pictures thereafter. We only have him in the morning, and he's doing us a big favor by coming by. I hope to be able to see him. Then for me it's back to the Pemmi-Con table for most of the day. Rather than wearing my Winnipeg t-shirt, however, I'm planning to wear my WSFS uniform. More about that tomorrow.