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

[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.