I don't think you want to change them. But when you say "market them properly," you seem to be wanting at least in part to attract an audience that doesn't understand them and might be expecting something different than what they're going to get.
I think that marketing a convention properly means letting people know that the convention is occurring, what's likely to happen there, and what guests or other notable attendees are likely to be there. If you're marketing to a specific niche market, then I can see emphasizing some things (Rob Shearman to a media market, Ken McLeod to a bookstore). However, if you're marketing the convention to a general audience, I think that all convention aspects should be in the marketing.
I certainly want the convention to make back its costs and maybe have a bit extra (to donate to the fan funds, say :-> ). I also think that we should be trying to find new people who will enjoy our conventions and the things that make us fans. But I don't think that their being unfamiliar with some of our traditions, like honoring a fan as fan guest of honor, should mean that we hide those aspects to make it possibly more palatable to them.
Finally, as I said previously, my view is that choosing a fan guest of honor means not just paying their expenses and putting them on panels and in publications at the con, but also letting the world know that you are doing so.
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I think that marketing a convention properly means letting people know that the convention is occurring, what's likely to happen there, and what guests or other notable attendees are likely to be there. If you're marketing to a specific niche market, then I can see emphasizing some things (Rob Shearman to a media market, Ken McLeod to a bookstore). However, if you're marketing the convention to a general audience, I think that all convention aspects should be in the marketing.
I certainly want the convention to make back its costs and maybe have a bit extra (to donate to the fan funds, say :-> ). I also think that we should be trying to find new people who will enjoy our conventions and the things that make us fans. But I don't think that their being unfamiliar with some of our traditions, like honoring a fan as fan guest of honor, should mean that we hide those aspects to make it possibly more palatable to them.
Finally, as I said previously, my view is that choosing a fan guest of honor means not just paying their expenses and putting them on panels and in publications at the con, but also letting the world know that you are doing so.