Convoy cancelled

[watervole]

Hm. I perceive life is going to be interesting...

A large proportion of the members of an Eastercon join at the previous Eastercon. So, Orbital won't get those members in that way. Being a con chair is 'interesting' in the Chinese sense.

However, the somewhat better news is that orbital_2008 is already at 324 full atttending members (and 383 if you count toys, beeblebears, children, pre-supports, etc), so I suspect many of the people we would have got at Convoy have in fact joined already. We'd normally only expect half that many members this far ahead of the convention.

Those of you who haven't joined, why not sign up now and book your hotel room at the same time? (228 people are booked into the hotel already)

http://www.orbital2008.org/

Meanwhile, if you're wondering how you can meet up with your friends next year, there's Redemption 23-35 Feb at the Hinckley Island. It's more TV based than an Eastercon, but with a five track programme, we try to cater to all tastes. If you want to come and you'd really like to see a panel on deconstruction in modern SF literature, just volunteer to run it.

If your tastes run to the Clangers and Bob the Builder, volunteer to run a panel.

If you think Torchwood/Battlestar Galactica/Dr Who/'insert programme name here' is the best thing since sliced bread, you know what to do - all together now - volunteer to run a panel!

http://www.conventions.org.uk/redemption/

(volunteers, in any department, just leave a note here and I'll pass it onto the relevant committee member.)

Comments

[kremmen.livejournal.com]

No Eastercon? I'd have thought that inconceivable. ... which oddly enough is the name of 2007's Swancon (http://www.swancon.com), which is usually held over Easter and hence the reason I've never been to an Eastercon.

Sounds like England needs bigger hotels and some cities that aren't busy over Easter. (One wedding wiping out the weekend?! I've seen weddings at hotels here during cons a number of times.)

[watervole.livejournal.com]

A wedding is a killer in many hotels becasue it will occupy one of the main function rooms. An Eastercon is usually using all of the function space in a hotel due to the broad nature of the programming. Losing the main hall for a day is pretty disastrous. Smaller events can co-exist with weddings.

Eastercons have very peculiar requirements in terms of function space. Like a Worldcon, they use a big mix of large and small rooms. Not all hotels have an apropriate mixture. There are bigger hotels that are simply too expensive. Orbital 2008 looked at several in London that were simply too expensive in terms of either function space cost or bedroom costs.

Weddings are willing to pay more. Redemption changed hotel because our old venue could make more money from one wedding than from having us for a three day convention. Fans aren't willing to pay that kind of money.

The only alternatives are places where fans simply don't want to go. The Adelphi is one. Another is probably the Birmingham International. Great function space, affordable prices, but in the middle of nowhere outside Birmingham. It's also so big that there would be lots of other people in the place and it makes a big difference to the atmosphere of an Eastercon if you can have exclusive use of the social space near the function rooms. At the hotel we'll be using, we have all the function space on the second floor, so we can be ourselves without anyone else passing through. That's a big plus for anyone who likes to dress up, be it historical costumes, TV costumes or corsets.

[kremmen.livejournal.com]

There are similar(ly awful) aspects to trying to find con venues here. However, it seems to me that UK hotels are (proportionately to population) tiny, so it makes sense that the few large ones would be horribly expensive.

Perth's downtown area is highly business oriented and therefore completely dead (to the extent that it's hard to find restaurants that bother to be open) over Easter, which makes for a number of rather empty hotels, which are therefore quite happy to have a con and be full rather than empty.

The Radisson Edwardian is a good con hotel.... and very convenient to those outside the UK, of course. My first UK con, Telefantastique 2, was there. The airconditioning doesn't cope if it's over 35 degrees, but you're unlikely to have that problem. :)