The Con Suite

zanzjan

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Yay, first Worldcon! :heart: Have you done cons before? If not, there's usually a first-worldcon orientation that might be useful to stave off some of the overwhelm.

Also when I finally have my schedule I'll try to arrange an AW meetup that involves food, and will post details here. :)
 
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recoveringandroid

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Yay, first Worldcon! :heart: Have you done cons before? If not, there's usually a first-worldcon orientation that might be useful to stave off some of the overwhelm.

Also when I finally have my schedule I'll try to arrange an AW meetup that involves food, and will post details here. :)

I've done a few PAXes and some Burning Mans (which, side note, I am DEFINITELY referring to as a con from now on)! I might go to the orientation anyway just to be sure I don't overlook something I'll regret at Worldcon. And woo!! MEETUP!! \o/
 

K_Remington

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This won't just be my first Worldcon, but my first CON con. Awaiting my deflowering with the same nervous excitement as high school prom. Hopefully fewer tears this time.
 

greendragon

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Words of advice for con-goers, first time or vets:

Shower daily, at least.
Hydrate a lot more than you think you need to.
Carry snacks/drinks so when you're stuck in line for two hours, you don't get hangry.
Be respectful of others. This includes celebrities, fellow con-goers, especially those with special needs. i.e., If someone in a wheelchair needs on the elevator, help them out!
Enjoy the wonder!
 

zanzjan

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Words of advice for con-goers, first time or vets:

Shower daily, at least.
Hydrate a lot more than you think you need to.
Carry snacks/drinks so when you're stuck in line for two hours, you don't get hangry.
Be respectful of others. This includes celebrities, fellow con-goers, especially those with special needs. i.e., If someone in a wheelchair needs on the elevator, help them out!
Enjoy the wonder!

I think this is called the 1-3-5 rule: every day, get 1 shower, eat 3 meals, get at least 5 hours sleep.

I would also suggest that, con crud being a very real phenomenon, if you are going to forage for snacks in the con suite of a convention, go for stuff that's either individually wrapped or that you just saw the con suite gopher put out. Because not everyone is good about using utensils to serve themselves, or washing their hands regularly.

And if you get overwhelmed... it's okay. It happens. Pick a quiet spot and people-watch or read for a bit, or if you need quiet conversation with random people, the con suite can be good for that. If you can find me among the thousands of people and need a very-slightly-familiar person to talk to, do please say hi. I have massive social anxiety, so I get it that others do too :)
 

Maryn

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When you all meet up, please take a picture or two to share here, okay?

Maryn, who liked attaching faces to names
 

zanzjan

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i will even have a stash of AbsoluteWrite ribbons with me, if folks need a motivation to say hello
 

Maryn

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Cool! I always thought it would be neat to attend a con wearing some AW-identifying badge that only fellow AW people would recognize. Like being in a secret society or something, like when Masons spot one another at the train station, which happened once when I was waiting to board.

Then I thought about my introversion and decided that even being in a secret society, I would not enjoy a con and should attend only if my career makes it a useful tool. (Which it has not. Whew!)

Maryn, who didn't used to be this bad
 

greendragon

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When I was active in the Fodor's Travel forums, they actually had bright orange luggage tags that would do exactly that - indicate to other travelers that you were a fellow forum-user. I actually met (and have had drinks/dinner with) a few Fodorites due to that, as well as regular meet-ups.
 

Maryn

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That's pretty cool. I can see working that into some story, at least one set in the present.
 

K_Remington

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Heading out tomorrow — excited!

If anyone wants to meet for grub or grog, let me know :).
 

Stytch

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I'm kicking the dust off this thread to see what happens. What's good this year?
 

Cobalt Jade

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Pretty sure I'm going to Norwescon in April, in Seatac.
 

Richard White

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My remaining convention schedule (so far):

Awesome Con (26-28 Apr - Washington DC)
ConCarolinas (31 May - 02 Jun - Charlotte, NC)
Shore Leave (12-14 Jul - Baltimore, MD)
Monster Mania (4-6 Oct - Baltimore, MD)
Archon (12-14 Oct - St. Louis, MD (technically Collinsville, IL))
 

Stytch

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My remaining convention schedule (so far):

Awesome Con (26-28 Apr - Washington DC)
ConCarolinas (31 May - 02 Jun - Charlotte, NC)
Shore Leave (12-14 Jul - Baltimore, MD)
Monster Mania (4-6 Oct - Baltimore, MD)
Archon (12-14 Oct - St. Louis, MD (technically Collinsville, IL))

I've been thinking about trying ConCarolinas this year, because it's close-ish to me (closer than most others). Have you been before? What's the vibe for writers looking for networking/contacts as opposed to geeks just going for fun? I could go as either either, but I might dress and plan differently if I go just for fun.
 

Richard White

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This is my first time going to ConCarolinas, so outside of the reports I've gotten from other authors, I don't have much I can answer here. I did ConGregate a couple of years ago and StellarCon years before that, so I've had good times at the NC conventions. I suspect since I'm a late addition to the show, it'll mostly be a schmooze con for me. I'll take a few books in case I can get a signing session, but this will be more a "let's get a feel for the con and see if it's a working convention (aka, I try to get a table there and actively sell) or more a "let's go have fun doing panels convention" (which are always fun but generally money-losses for me).
 

Liz_V

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Hi folks - Chiming in to say I'll be at Narrativity, which is a brand-new con happening in Minneapolis, July 12-14. Small, single-track programming, in-depth discussions on writing and how to do it better. We're open to all genres, but primarily focused on fantasy and science fiction.

I'm going because I'm running the thing, for my sins. ;) But I'd be going anyway; it should be a terrific time.
 

TurbulentMuse

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All Con in Dallas TX is rising from the ashes of last year’s cancellation this March! There’s always a lot of wonderful sci-fi/fantasy content including a ton of steampunk activities!

https://www.all-con.org/
 

MythMonger

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TBRcon is having a virtual conference this week. I've never been to a con before, so I thought this might be a good way to get some of the experience. I've really enjoyed their streams on Global SFF and World Building so far.

Harlequin will also be on a panel about neurodivergence in a couple of days.

https://fanfiaddict.com/tbrcon21/
 

zanzjan

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I will be at Worldcon in DC in December, just as an FYI. Hope to see some of you there!
 
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