Question for my fandom peeps - I need answers! :)

[cybermathwitch]

Hey all, I've got a question for you.

When you think about cons - not the BIG ones like DragonCon or ComicCon, but the small ones that are fandom specific, like ScaperCon was, or like I imagine VividCon would be like, what do you expect? Or, alternately, what have they been like?

Several friends of mine (and I) are putting together a Whedonverse-themed con (as I've mentioned at least briefly) and some of the people who haven't really done cons before are worried about what people might be expecting, vs. what we're planning. I've only really had experience w/ ScaperCon, so I'd love y'all's feedback on this one.

Thanks!

Comments

[dualbunny.livejournal.com]

I've only every been to VVC, but part of what I like about it is the small scale. As far as programming goes, it's one vidshow and one panel up against each other during each hour time-slot, so you have to make choices, but they're not overwhelming. And then of course the social-get-together aspects like the dance-with-vids. It's a great mixer and the whole con is small enough that you can meet a lot of who's there.

I like the coziness, but I suppose there are some people that expect all cons to be huge things?

[cybermathwitch.livejournal.com]

Well, we're certainly not trying for huge or anything - what do you generally expect in regards to things like food, accomadations, alcohol, etc? Do you expect the con to provide a bar, or to provide concessions?

[dualbunny.livejournal.com]

Well, again, I can't speak for anything but VVC, but based on that:

-- They do a "con suite" room that's open during the day where they have soda and snack food/candy/baked good type things. It's nice, though I don't generally avail myself of it much. I know other people like it. They also have the hotel cater appetizers/finger foods for Club Vivid. That's a included with the con registration. You can also buy a ticket to have a pizza lunch on one afternoon, but all other food is up to the con-goers.

-- Having the con in a hotel seems to be the generally accepted way of doing it, so there's usually a restaurant there if people don't want to go further to forage.

-- Alcohol, I guess I don't expect the con to handle much. VVC started doing a bar during CVV. The first year it was cash, and the lines were huge, the second year they did wristbands you paid for ahead of time, and they got another bartender too. It's a nice option, but I don't think the sucess of CVV depends on it. The restaurant in the hotel is another popular place to get alcohol if people don't want to track down there own elsewhere.

If the con provided some snack-type options during it, that'd be cool by me. The rest is bonus options I think.