Over the past Memorial Day weekend I was once again invited to be a participant in the annual science fiction convention put on by the Baltimore Science Fiction Society. I’ve been attending for a long time, and I’ve been a panelist for at least a decade, and probably more. Providing a standard “con report” just doesn’t seem to be… fair? True? I’m not sure I can give a point of view that somebody who does not regularly attend conventions would really find usable. I see things that many con goers would not, simply because I am so familiar with how things work. I miss things that a newcomer might crash into just based on experience.
I was having a discussion with another panelist comparing this convention to another that we have both attended in the past. The ‘other’ convention did not fare well in the comparison.
I don’t think that I’ll be going to The Other Con this year, or perhaps again at all. My last trip there was a less than ideal experience. It isn’t worth my time, effort and treasure to go and put myself through a bunch of nonsense for such minimal returns. I have thought The Other Con to be dying for many years. Most of the people I know who used to attend have moved on to other things. They are not moving toward newer, more modern thinking in order to attract a more youthful audience. This will kill them eventually. Of course this death has been long predicted and has yet to come to pass.
In that aspect, I think Balticon is doing the right things. This year seemed to have a more youthful feel to the attendees, and attendance numbers did look stronger (pure speculative observation on my part). There were V-tubers and panels about virtual games. There was still science and art and publishing, along with costuming and music and so many other things – and that was all good in my opinon. There were thriving conversations and lots of camaraderie that I hadn’t seen there for a while.
The Other Con – I think they have a team of people that have not grown, nor changed in many decades. They demand that others bend to their plan, but have no real plan. Panel timing is a great example. Balticon has now given a half hour between panels for moving around and clearing the room. It means (potentially) fewer panels, but it helps all the guests and panelists feel better about things like that.
I try not to rant and rave about things going wrong. Fandom is a small community and, in the end, a volunteer one. I have worked on many a con staff and understand how difficult the behind the scenes world is. That being said, I know The Other Con can do better… and they chose not to. It’s the choice that bothers me more than the problems.
Please don’t get my wrong. I do understand that Balticon has its issues. Yes, I know about things in the past that are the source of bad feelings and enmity toward people there. I can’t say it’s a perfect con and I support my friends that have (much as I have with The Other Con) to just not go there anymore.
My weekend in Baltimore was bittersweet. It was the first time I’d gone to a convention since Beck’s passing. I was able to connect with old friends and discuss all the glorious memories we had made there in the past. There were some new friends and interesting experiences. There were the panels too! Some panels were good, others were disappointing – and one was a complete panel no-show. Terribly disappointing because I really wanted the details from that one.
I’m going to post about each of the panels I was on individually. Hopefully folks will get something good out of my notes. All in all, it was a good weekend. I hope they ask me to participate again next year.
