Comments | ericavdg: Dreaming about making cons better

ericavdg

Dreaming about making cons better

Sep 06, 2011 00:46

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 ( Read more... )

cons, worldcon

Comments 11

Wow. flaviarassen September 6 2011, 04:54:23 UTC

Totally fab ideas - everyone of them should be mandatory!!

Re: Wow. ericavdg September 6 2011, 17:22:46 UTC

See the long comment I made to everyone who commented on this post.

wrenn September 6 2011, 12:58:36 UTC

"somewhere in the con suite or another area where they can "hold court" and chat with folks,"

A space to resurrect the old 'Koffee Klatches'

ericavdg September 6 2011, 17:23:09 UTC

See the long comment I made to everyone who commented on this post.

dianec42 September 6 2011, 15:13:38 UTC

I wholeheartedly agree, on all three counts. Sadly I'm not feeling sufficiently creative to come up with any more ideas.

Teen and young adult panels may be a little hard to get off the ground. Some help will definitely be needed from people who have, or are, teenagers. :-)

There was nothing in the Reno con suite that I was willing to eat. Weird is good, healthy (fruits and veggies anyone?) would be even better.

Reno had kaffeklatches (sp?) and something called "Literary Beers" but they were very much off to the side. It was pretty much impossible to run into a pro by accident.

ericavdg September 6 2011, 17:23:25 UTC

See the long comment I made to everyone who commented on this post.

sodyera September 6 2011, 16:10:36 UTC

I like these ideas. The challenge is implementing them.

One of my most disheartening convention moments ever was when I tagged along with a pro author to a boozy "pro's-only" suite. She advised me off the cuff that if I was ever going to be successful I had to "stop hanging around science-fiction fans."

ericavdg September 6 2011, 17:23:39 UTC

See the long comment I made to everyone who commented on this post.

ericavdg September 6 2011, 17:21:50 UTC

Thanks for all the feedback ( ... )

flaviarassen September 6 2011, 20:05:56 UTC

Brenda Clough is also very accessible. She's really sweet about it, too - we had caught her as she was going to lunch, & by the time we'd gotten to where we were eating, just inside the hotel, the party had doubled in size because she kept inviting people to join us!

But I digress! You are right about your ideas - but you knew that, already!

Doze were da days sodyera September 7 2011, 15:38:26 UTC

Yep, I remember listening to Niven chat with just folks in the middle of a hotel lobby. Terry Pratchett had me in stitches just chatting with somebody at a Maplecon in Montréal, even though I don't remember a single word he said. I have fond memories of Katherine Kurtz at Darkovers, even when she's surrounded by acolytes in church-order garb. That's the kind of pro I wanna be, not sequestered in the SFWA suite so I can schmooze with my peer group. I think SF fans should be my peer group. I don't tend to enjoy the company of people under the influence of alcohol, anyway.