No Genericon for me...

[seawasp]

I was informed by Mr. Dominic Difranzo of Genericon:

...the group wants to go with almost all new guest this year and focus on different areas of guests for the convention. So I'm afraid we won't be able to formally have you as a guest for this year's Genericon. This isn't an easy decision  to make, but we feel its the right one for the convention.

Well.

Okay, I've been one of their guests for like seven years running, always accommodating as far as I know (at least, if I gave anyone any problems, no one ever mentioned them to me, which would be rather foolish because it would deprive me of any chance to improve), MC'd their cosplay by request multiple times, and never cost them much -- heck, I didn't even go to the dinner a couple of times.

I can't help but feel rather put out by this one.  I've had conventions say "sorry, we can't fit you in as a guest" -- like Worldcon, for instance -- but a small local con deciding that a guest who can provide his own transport, lodging, etc. and ask no more than a table to sit at seems... shortsighted at best.

Good thing I did a LOT of panels and stuff at Albacon; looks like I'm down to *ONE* convention a year now, barring a sudden increase in funds and free time allowing me to trek off somewhere else.

So those of you thinking about dropping by Genericon to see me (I know there were a couple)... ain't happenin. Though if you come up anyway you can always visit.

Phooey. :(

Comments

[hms42]

:(

I am glad I did get to see you last weekend at Albacon.

[zanzjan.livejournal.com]

That does seem very odd, but I'd hesitate to spend too much effort trying to deduce motive from it. IME, con-com politics are best left uncomprehended and unknown, in a Lovecraftian otherwise-it-could-destroy-your-sanity kind of way.

[rezendi.livejournal.com]

IAWTC.

[howardtayler.livejournal.com]

Agreed. Convention committees have weird bouts of schizophrenia and amnesia because they are, ultimately, committees.

Also, remember Christ's comment about his reception in Nazareth: "A prophet is not without honor save in his own country."

[nuranar.livejournal.com]

No prophet is accepted in his hometown. :) Good observation - some people are taken for granted.

[seawasp]

Genericon, being run by RPI university, is probably worse than others because it tends to have complete turnover every 4 years.

[shanejayell.livejournal.com]

That seems... kind of dickish.

[martianmooncrab.livejournal.com]

well, gee, if you didnt do something really interesting, or with lime jello, whats the sense of it all?

[ricdavis.livejournal.com]

I am but an infrequent con goer. I can however see that a convention that always invites the same guest, year in, year out, may look to the con going public as if it is a little stale.

The public have no idea you're a free guest, and may want a little variety in the guests at a con, not realising that having you as a guest each year isn't using up a slot in the con's budget for a novel guest.

[dragoness-e.livejournal.com]

*snorts*

Dragon*Con regularly has some of the same local guys every year, like half of Baen's sci-fi stable and many of the same Goth & Filk bands, but no one seems to think they are stale. Hell, I show up just to see and hear Emerald Rose play "Evening at Bree", and John Ringo entertain in panels. I'd be disappointed if they weren't there.

Note that Dragon*Con is one of the more successful cons around...

[howardtayler.livejournal.com]

Dragon*Con also has 40,000 attendees. I suspect Genericon has less than 1/10th that, and maybe less than 1/20th. Smaller events do look stale with the same faces. Larger events have lots of repeat guests because everybody who is anybody decides to be there.

[howardtayler.livejournal.com]

I should clarify: Smaller events CAN look stale with ALL THE same faces. Lots of small events have a core group of local professionals who always show up. Pushing those people away is rarely a good idea.

But I can see how changing the face of the emcee, toastmaster, etc. might be critically important year over year. It just needs to be handled well.

[seawasp]

My brain freezes at the idea of a convention as I understand conventions with 40,000 attendees. That's 2/3 the size of the city I did most of my growing up in. I can't see that it's possible, although obviously if it happens it must be; Otakon became too F'ing huge at around 2,000 people.

Genericon has about 500-600 attendees, and Albacon I think was between 150 and 200 this year. The largest convention I've ever been to was almost certainly Worldcon in Boston, which had something like 5-6k.

[dragoness-e.livejournal.com]

Well, I would avoid Saturday at Dragon*Con; that's when all the single-day attendees show up and it's a complete zoo. The Con was spread out over 5 hotels in downtown Atlanta; 4 of those are interlinked by pedestrian walkways above the streets, and to a mall with a food court, so it's not too bad. Once you get off the main concourses/out of the Dealer/Exhibitor Halls and into the individual panels, the crowds disappear and it's fairly comfortable.

Alas, they are losing one of the hotels they usually use (it has been bought by one of the local universities to serve as college dorm space), so I don't know what they will be doing next year.

I have pictures from this year's Dragon*Con at http://dragoness-e.livejournal.com/tag/dragoncon, if you want to see what some of it looks like.

[tetsujinnooni.livejournal.com]

I've got an innate distrust of the sausage factory that is the Genericon concom... but I have a slight window into their variability, as well. Their stated goal sounds like a great way to screw up their con, rather than refresh it.