How to Convention: Guest Interactions
Many conventions offer fans the chance not just to gawk at big-name guests, but to interact with them a little. Here are some of the options you might encounter.
Autographs and photo ops: If you’re at a media convention, you can pay a (often hefty) fee for an autograph or a chance to get your photo taken with a guest. If you don’t have something to bring to autograph, the guest will have headshots or similar to autograph. If you do want to bring something, please remember when selecting the item to consider convention rules, practicality, good taste, and unusual circumstances.
Science fiction conventions often have authors and artists doing autographs for free. You can get more than one item signed, but the consensus (and sometimes an explicit rule) is that you shouldn’t ask for more than three items to be signed at once— if you have more, circulate to the back of the line and give someone else a turn.
Q&A sessions: Sometimes a guest is put up on a stage to take questions from the audience for a while. Sometimes this will involve people having to write down their questions which are handed to a moderator to weed out obnoxious or (in the moderator’s judgement) less interesting ones. But more often, people will get to ask questions directly.
If that’s the case, please do your best to use the microphone if one is provided. And if you’re wondering if your question is a good one, here are some things to consider: Has this person probably been asked this question a hundred times already? Will the answer be interesting to anyone else in the audience? Is it something you genuinely want to know or is it an excuse to use up valuable time telling your own personal anecdote?
Small group encounters: Media conventions occasionally offer the chance to have lunch with a guest, or some similar experience, for an especially large fee. Science fiction conventions may offer small group sessions called kaffeeklatsches or literary beers, which are free but entail a scramble for signups when they become available. These are your chance to have an extended conversation (or, if you’re paralyzed by social anxiety, to at least listen in on one).
Free-form socializing: At science fiction conventions with evening get-togethers, the guests may be found circulating among them. You might be able to step up and join a conversation with them there. Use your judgement as you would approaching anyone who might already be involved in a conversation. Asking for autographs in this context is a no-no; keep that to the scheduled autograph sessions.
In all these situations, please remember that your best behavior and your personal hygiene should not be considered optional. You would think that could go without saying, but last year a well-known voice actor felt it was necessary to post an infographic reminding fans who want to get close to guests to, among other things, bathe.
In Brief
Deadline reports that a documentary is in the works about the beginnings of what is now Comic-Con International, based on Matthew Klickstein’s book See You at San Diego: An Oral History of Comic-Con, Fandom, and the Triumph of Geek Culture.
Spooky Empire (Orlando, Florida, May 17-19) has added Michael Gross as a guest.
Tampa Bay Comic Convention (Tampa, Florida, August 23-25) has added Zach Aguilar as a guest.
FanX Salt Lake (Salt Lake City, Utah, September 26-28) has added Sonny Strait as a guest.
Norwescon 47 (SeaTac, Washington, April 17-20, 2025) has announced its first guests of honor will be Tracy Drain (science), Isis Asare (special), and Paizo (spotlight publisher).
Event Calendar
Weekend of April 5-7
Windy City Pulp and Paper Convention, Lombard, Illinois, USA
Golden State Fur Con: Back to the 80s!! (anthropomorphic), Los Angeles, California, USA
FallsCon 24: Exploring the Mystic Realms (gaming), Wichita Falls, Kansas, USA
ADK Tabletop Day (gaming), Glens Falls, New York, USA
LexiCon (gaming), Lexington, Kentucky, USA
Roll Initiative Con (gaming), Ewijk, Netherlands
Board Games at Berkeley Con, Berkeley, California, USA
Gondreville est ludique (gaming), Gondreville, France
Long Island Tabletop Gaming Expo 2024, Garden City, New York, USA
Baycon 2024 (gaming), Kennford, UK
Havoc XXXVIII (miniatures gaming), Marlborough, Massachusetts, USA
Seven Hills (RPGs), Sheffield, UK
Midwest Gaming Classic (video games), Milwaukee, Wisconsin, USA
aniMUC (anime), Fürstenfeldbruck, Germany
Saluki Con (anime), Carbondale, Illinois, USA
FicZone 2024 (anime), Granada, Spain
CyPhaCon 2024 (media), Lake Charles, Louisiana, USA
FACTS (media), Ghent, Belgium
Comic-Con Prague, Prague, Czech Republic
RodCon (media), Cedar Falls, Iowa, USA
SC Comicon, Greenville, South Carolina, USA
Hill Country Comicon, New Braunfels, Texas, USA
ASU Nerd Con (media), Boone, North Carolina, USA
Fanfaire NYC (media), New York City, New York, USA
Supanova 2024 – Melbourne (media), Ascot Vale, Australia
Bedford Who Charity Con 9 (Doctor Who), Bedford, UK
Weekend of April 12-14
LuxCon 2024 (Luxembourgish national sf con), Hollerich, Luxembourg
Jack Williamson Lectureship 2024: Oh, the [In]humanity, Portales, New Mexico, USA
Springmoot 2024 (Tolkien), Cambridge, UK
221B Con (Sherlock Holmes), Atlanta, Georgia, USA
13 Gears (steampunk), Minneapolis, Minnesota, USA
Chicago Steampunk Exposition, Schaumburg, Illinois, USA
Woods Flock (anthropomorphic), Spencer, Tennessee, USA
Furcationland 2024: Fireside Tales (anthropomorphic), Portland, Maine, USA
CODCON XXVII (gaming), Glen Ellyn, Illinois, USA
DayCon (gaming), Kettering, Ohio, USA
Icon (gaming), Idaho Falls, Idaho, USA
Clocktower Con (social games), McLean, Virginia, USA
Karoshi-Con (anime), DeKalb, Illinois, USA
Riverwalk Anime, San Antonio, Texas, USA
Atlantic Entertainment Expo (media), Fredericton, New Brunswick, Canada
Fan Expo Cleveland (media), Cleveland, Ohio, USA
El Paso Comic Con, El Paso, Texas, USA
Ratha Con (media), Athens, Ohio, USA
CycloneCon (media), Hackettstown, New Jersey, USA
Supanova 2024 – Gold Coast (media), Broadbeach, Australia
IndigiPopX (indigenous media), Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, USA
CabbageCon 2024 (Avatar: The Last Airbender), Columbus, Ohio, USA
PortmeiriCon (The Prisoner), Portmeirion, UK
Dairycon 2024 (Transformers), Fond du Lac, Wisconsin, USA
Weekend of April 19-21
Concinnity 24, Milwaukee, Wisconsin, USA
ConStellation 13: So Say We All, Lincoln, Nebraska, USA
Les Intergalactiques, Lyon, France
Roscon-2024, Moscow, Russia
HAL-CON 2024, Kawasaki City, Japan
Swancon 2024, Perth, Australia
2024 Fandom Fest, Benton Harbor, Michigan, USA
JordanCon (fantasy literature), Atlanta, Georgia, USA
FilKONtario (music), Markham, Ontario, Canada
Furry Down Under 2024: Furbidden Planet (anthropomorphic), Surfers Paradise, Australia
Clockwork Alchemy: Aetheric Ocean (steampunk), San Mateo, California, USA
Tell-Tale Steampunk Festival, Hunt Valley, Maryland, USA
HandyCon 12 (gaming), Milton Keynes, UK
Farmageddon XI (gaming), Farmer City, Illinois, USA
Ragnarok 4.0 (gaming), Kitchener, Ontario, Canada
Rising Phoenix GameCon, Milford, Massachusetts, USA
MEPACON (gaming), Bethlehem, Pennsylvania, USA
D8 Summit Charity Convention (gaming), Dixon, Illinois, USA
Mayhem Gaming Convention, Lebanon, New Hampshire, USA
Jeu au Boute (boardgames), Chertsey, Québec, Canada
TAGCON (boardgames), Pasco, Washington, USA
Nashville Tabletop Day 2024 (boardgames), Nashville, Tennessee, USA
Little Wars 2024: First to Fight (miniatures gaming), Lombard, Illinois, USA
VGM Con (videogames/music), Plymouth, Minnnesota, USA
CoMo Retro Con (retro video games), Columbia, Missouri, USA
J-Tsoon5 (anime), Talinn, Estonia
Naoki Convention (anime), Eschweiler, Germany
Mobile Bay Anime Festival, Daphne, Alabama, USA
Overload (anime), Auckland, New Zealand
Sci-Fi on the Rock 16 (media), St. John’s, Newfoundland, Canada
Sci-Fi Scarborough (media), Scarborough, UK
Yellow City Comic Con, Amarillo, Texas, USA
Fangaea (media), Mission Valley, California, USA
Galactic Diversity & Inclusivity Convention (media/space), Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA
Weekend of April 26-28
RavenCon 17, Richmond, Virginia, USA
Olamot, Tel Aviv, Israel
OmegaCon (relaxacon), Siren, Wisconsin, USA
Ice and Fire Convention (Song of Ice and Fire series), Mt. Sterling, Ohio, USA
Penguicon 2024 (sf/open source), Ypsilanti, Michigan, USA
Malice Domestic 36 (mysteries), Bethesda, Maryland, USA
Maine Cosplay Extravaganza, Portland, Maine, USA
UBCon XXXIII (gaming), Buffalo, New York, USA
San Marino Game Convention, San Marino
Cheyenne Gaming Convention, Cheyenne, Wyoming, USA
DaveCon (gaming), Bloomington, Minnesota, USA
Jeu au Boute (boardgames), Chertsey, Québec, Canada
Fun K-Town (boardgames), Knoxville, Tennessee, USA
Recon 2024: Rapid Deployment Forces (miniatures gaming), Kissimmee, Florida, USA
LVL UP EXPO (video games), Las Vegas, Nevada, USA
LAN All Night IX: The LAN Before Time (LAN gaming), Grapevine, Texas, USA
Oz-Con (anime), West Plains, Missouri, USA
Mang’Azur (anime), Toulon, France
Harucon (anime), Klagenfurt am Wörthersee, Austria
LoboCon (anime), Rohnert Park, California, USA
Castle Point Anime Convention, Seacaucus, New Jersey, USA
Anime St. Louis, St. Charles, Missouri, USA
MondoCon 2024 (anime), Budapest, Hungary
ExpOtaku Vitoria-Gasteiz 2023 (anime), Vitoria-Gasteiz, Spain
Ithacon 2024 (comics), Ithaca, New York, USA
Causeacon (media), Beckley, West Virginia, USA
GAP-CON (media), Mt. Bethel, Pennsylvania, USA
Central Texas Comic Con, Waco, Texas, USA
Chicago Comic & Entertainment Expo, Chicago, Illinois, USA
Fayetteville Comic Con, Fayetteville, North Carolina, USA
Weekend of May 3-5
DemiCon 35: Once More, With Feeling!, Urbandale, Iowa, USA
HELIOsphere, Piscataway, New Jersey, USA
AtomaCon 2024, North Charleston, South Carolina, USA
Garden State Fur the Weekend (anthropomorphic), New Brunswick, New Jersey, USA
ChupacabraCon X (gaming), San Marcos, Texas, USA
WagonCon 7 (gaming), The Dalles, Oregon, USA
Heroicon (gaming), Decatur, Illinois, USA
Zomerspel (gaming), Merelbeke, Belgium
Buckeye Game Fest, Columbus, Ohio, USA
Savage Geek Fest (gaming), Savage, Maryland, USA
Festival Alchemie du Jeu (gaming), Toulouse, France
Congress of Gamers Spring Session, Rockville, Maryland, USA
Gaming Hoopla 2024, Mundelein, Illinois, USA
LoBsterCon XXVI (boardgames), Eastbourne, UK
Richmond Open (miniatures gaming), Doswell, Virginia, USA
Final Boss Con (video games), Rio Grande, Ohio, USA
Mega Spring Meltdown (gaming), Lebanon, New Hampshire, USA
Games Fair 2024, Auckland, New Zealand
Kogaracon (anime), Edison, New Jersey, USA
Pokheimon Festival, Heimsbrunn, France
Northern FanCon (media), Prince George, British Columbia, Canada
Saratoga Comic Con, Saratoga Springs, New York, USA
Pixies Street Con (media), York, South Carolina, USA
Crypticon Seattle (horror media), Seatac, Washington, USA
Coda
Cosmic cleaners: the scientists scouring English cathedral roofs for space dust (The Guardian, hat tip: File 770)
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