Traditional con models are facing a few challenges.
First, fans no longer have to pay to fly to another city and stay at a hotel to find their community - they just have to flick on the internet. When I discovered fandom 20 years ago it was a wonderful revalation because I felt like I'd found 'my people.' Someone who is 15 now, probably got the same feeling the first time they found a mailing list about their favourite subject. They didn't have to pay for the privilege.
Second, con models like SupaNova and GenCon are a real challenge. Imagine you're a 20 year old uni student and you're choosing between spending $150 for a four day con or you could go to a SupaNova and spend $30 to get in and a $100 on stuff - books, dvds, comics, games, whatever - and still come out ahead.
I was impressed that Swancon managed to fit many communities within the one con, which meant gamers felt comfortable as did cos-players and Dr Who fans etc. So I don't think it's that cons are necessarily irrelevant to fans. It's just that they have more options to express their fandom these days.
But fan guests matter. And surely offering a membership to a con (which is no cost to the committee) and paying for a few nights at a hotel won't break the bank. The fans at Swancon added a vibrabcy to the con and even if I didn't interact with all of them, I spoke to some and enjoyed having them there.
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First, fans no longer have to pay to fly to another city and stay at a hotel to find their community - they just have to flick on the internet. When I discovered fandom 20 years ago it was a wonderful revalation because I felt like I'd found 'my people.' Someone who is 15 now, probably got the same feeling the first time they found a mailing list about their favourite subject. They didn't have to pay for the privilege.
Second, con models like SupaNova and GenCon are a real challenge. Imagine you're a 20 year old uni student and you're choosing between spending $150 for a four day con or you could go to a SupaNova and spend $30 to get in and a $100 on stuff - books, dvds, comics, games, whatever - and still come out ahead.
I was impressed that Swancon managed to fit many communities within the one con, which meant gamers felt comfortable as did cos-players and Dr Who fans etc. So I don't think it's that cons are necessarily irrelevant to fans. It's just that they have more options to express their fandom these days.
But fan guests matter. And surely offering a membership to a con (which is no cost to the committee) and paying for a few nights at a hotel won't break the bank. The fans at Swancon added a vibrabcy to the con and even if I didn't interact with all of them, I spoke to some and enjoyed having them there.