I posted this initially on my Facebook page, but I am not really a fan of that place. Safer to keep a copy here where I can come back to it with less issue.
The convention has been canceled. This is the last event the company behind Regeneration Who, Potterverse and Intervention had scheduled to my knowledge. This cancellation is unfortunate and difficult to process for many. I am still trying to decide how I feel about the whole thing. Instant reactions are not often the best reactions.
Running an event like this – any event really – is a lot of work. It’s a lot of logistics and arrangements and contracts and… you get the idea. It takes a team of dedicated people. Events like these can be really magical to those involved and to those making it happen. The key part of that is ‘magic’.
It is exceedingly rare to see events create and capture that kind of magic over and over again. Magic is fleeting, it is ephemeral. The misty parts at the edges of your memories about all the great things going on tend to cover up those hard working corners and the dusty bins containing all the pain and the sweat and the frustrations. Sometimes the best possible thing is to allow the magic to float and drift and remain as a fleeting vision. Perhaps that vision will inspire others and another beanstalk will grow from the magic beans acquired at something we created.
As part of the children’s program team (and then head of the department) it was always my goal to create a place where any of the young fans could create, express and enjoy all the things that their imaginations wanted. When asked to provide a job description for my position to the leaders of the con I told them simply, “Children’s Programming is the creation of a lavish 8 year old’s birthday party that needs to be sustained for an entire weekend. It really isn’t more difficult than that.”
It was more difficult than it sounds. The ideas, the planning, the craft testing and the clean up were a lot of work. It was worth it. Teaching young fans how to imagine and create with their fandom and then act in a way that will allow others to join and follow in their footsteps was vital. Regeneration Who 5 would have been my 14th convention doing this. Over the years of work there was always the hope that we were doing it right, but it was just hope. This year I got the best result I could have hoped for. I was approached by a young fan I knew that had attended many of our events and spent a great deal of time creating and imagining things in our program room to ask me a question. This young fan had passed their 18th birthday – and could they now become a staff member and join the team to help create the magic.
That was the goal. Achievement unlocked. Level up. I could not have been happier.
Now, particularly given current circumstances, I think it’s time to allow others to carry on the magic. I don’t believe I will be part of con staff any more. I want to keep a little of that magic and let the fuzzy edges soften things. I want to see what others come up with. It will take an awful lot to make me reconsider at this point. Change is inevitable. Magic is fleeting.
Things are a mess right now. I have no answers for any of that. There are a lot of angry and hurt people out there. Hold on to the magic and give time the chance to soften the edges. Keep some of the magic within yourself but pass a spark on to others so they can enjoy it too.
Thank you for the opportunity to be part of the team. Thank you to my team – you were amazing (and totally made me look good!). Thank you to all the folks with kind words and encouragement. Please share this post if you feel the need to. I look forward to seeing you out and about in the magical world of fandom.
