How to Convention: Some Unusual Function Spaces
From time to time, this space has covered how typical conventions work. But this time, let’s look at some specialized rooms you won’t find at every convention.
Podcast room
A large convention which expects to have a lot of people posting audio or video reports about it may provide a space for people to record their podcasts, vlogs, or such. Usually this space will have to be reserved in advance, usually through some kind of in-person signup.
Quiet room
Another room you may find at large conventions, especially ones with a lot of day-tripping attendees who don’t have a hotel room to retreat to, is a space to escape from the general overstimulation of being at a large convention. Lights are kept dim, conversations need to be hushed, and devices have to be in quiet mode.
Unfortunately, for those who are just tired, conventions usually make a point of mentioning that this room is not intended for naps.
Musical instrument storage
If your convention has a significant filk track, you will have a significant number of people hauling bulky instruments around. In between performances, jam sessions, and open filks, they’ll appreciate having somewhere secure to stash their stuff so they can go get a bite to eat or take in some of the other programming.
Headless lounge
Furry conventions have a lot of people in full-body suits which are heavy, cumbersome, and difficult to stay cool inside. The headless lounge is a space that lets them take a break without having to break character. Only costume characters and their handlers are allowed in, letting them preserve the magic for everyone else.
In Brief
Wiscon, which is currently on hiatus, is urgently seeking co-chairs and apprentice co-chairs so that it can look at running a convention in 2025.
fancon.dev is a new Discord server devoted to improving software used for all aspects of fan conventions. Both developers and users are welcomed.
Larry Niven has replaced Spider Robinson as a guest of honor for Loscon 50 (Los Angeles, November 29-December 1) after Robinson became unable to attend.
Arisia 2025 (Boston, Massachusetts, January 17-20) has added Siobhan Flanagan as its Fan Guest of Honor.
Kawacon 4 Honor (San Antonio, Texas, January 17-19) has added Zeno Robinson as a guest.
COSine 2025 (Colorado Springs, Colorado, January 24-26) has added Dr. Ka Chun Yu as its Science Guest of Honor.
Event Calendar
Weekend of August 23-25
Bubonicon 55, Albuquerque, New Mexico, USA
Dni Fantastyki, Wrocław, Poland
OutsideCon 2024, Burns, Tennessee, USA
Camp Feral!: Business Casual (anthropomorphic), Algonquin Park, Ontario
IndyFurCon: Monsters vs. Mechas (anthropomorphic), Indianapolis, Indiana, USA
DenFur (anthropomorphic), Denver, Colorado, USA
Weekend at the Asylum (steampunk), Lincoln, UK
Northeast Ohio Steampunk Festival, Burton, Ohio, USA
MillCon 3 (music), Peterborough, UK
FallCon 37 (gaming), Calgary, Alberta, Canada
Tacticon (gaming), Aurora, Colorado, USA
Brussels Games Festival, Brussels, Belgium
Norwich Games Con, Norwich, UK
Retro World Expo (gaming), Hartford, Connecticut, USA
Great Escape on the Lake (gaming), Bradford, New York, USA
CrashCityCon (gaming), Roanoke, Virginia, USA
2D Con: Survival (video games), Bloomington, Minnesota, USA
Windblume (Genshin Impact), Mesquite, Texas, USA
Kokorokon (anime), Collinsville, Illinois, USA
Superstar Anime, Virginia Beach, Virginia, USA
Conjutsu (anime), Fairfax, Virginia, USA
PopCult Anime Con, Waltham, Massachusetts, USA
Ganbatte 2024 (anime), Saskatoon, Saskatchewan, Canada
Fan Expo Canada (media), Toronto, Ontario, Canada
Tampa Bay Comic Convention, Tampa, Florida, USA
Dublin Comic Con, Dublin, Ireland
Hub City Comic Con, Lubbock, Texas, USA
Soda City Comic Con, Columbia, South Carolina, USA
Covington Comic Con, Covington, Tennessee, USA
Long Island Doctor Who Convention, Holtsville, New York, USA
Spooky Empire (horror media), Charleston, South Carolina, USA
Everfree NW (My Little Pony), Bellevue, Washington, USA
Weekend of August 30-September 1
Dragon Con, Atlanta, Georgia, USA
CoKoCon 2023, Tempe, Arizona, USA
Bouchercon 2024: Murder and Mayhem in Music City (World Mystery Convention), Minneapolis, Minnesota, USA
Oxonmoot 2024 (Tolkien), Oxford, UK and online
Viencon 2024: Shark House, Best House (relaxacon), America, Netherlands
Big River Steampunk Festival, Hannibal, Missouri, USA
Eurofurence 28: Cyberpunk (anthropomorphic), Hamburg, Germany
Tails & Tornadoes Fur Con: Furries in Space! (anthropomorphic), Tulsa, Oklahoma, USA
Mephit Fur Meet: The Rawring 20's (anthropomorphic), Memphis, Tennessee, USA
FursonaCon: Dungeon Delvers (anthropomorphic), Virginia Beach, Virginia, USA
Megaplex: Terror at Typhon's Keep (anthropomorphic), Orlando, Florida, USA
PhiliFUR 2024: Nostalgia Saga (anthropomorphic), Quezon City, Phillipines
Pacificon Game Expo 46, Santa Clara, California, USA
TCEP 29: Your Route to Fun! (gaming), Sterling, Virginia, USA
SaltCON End of Summer (gaming), Layton, Utah, USA
Gamesfest, Pasco, Washington, USA
WGGCon (gaming), Croton-on-Hudson, New York, USA
PAX West 2024 (gaming), Seattle, Washington, USA
Gateway 2024 (gaming), Los Angeles, California, USA
GrandCon 2024 (gaming), Grand Rapids, Michigan, USA
NOVA Open (wargaming), Washington, DC, USA
ReaperCon 2024 (miniatures gaming), Denton, Texas, USA
Nan Desu Kan 27 (anime), Aurora, Colorado, USA
San Japan 15 / Okashicon (anime), San Antonio, Texas, USA
MatsuriCon 2024: Tricks and Treats (anime), Columbus, Ohio, USA
Saboten Con 2024 (anime), Phoenix, Arizona, USA
Tucson Comic Con (media), Tucson, Arizona, USA
Long Beach Comic Con, Long Beach, California, USA
Meta Con Minneapolis (media), Minneapolis, Minnesota, USA
No Brand Con (media), Stevens Point, Wisconsin, USA
Afro Future Con: Educational Culture Complex (media), San Diego, California, USA
Whooverville 15 (Doctor Who), Derby, UK
Weekend of September 6-8
Kapitularz, Łódź, Poland
Albacon 2024, Clifton Park, New York, USA and online
ArmadilloCon 2024, Austin, Texas, USA
Furry Migration 2024: Lost in Time, Being Found (anthropomorphic), Minneapolis, Minnesota, USA
B-Con 2024 (gaming), Northglenn, Colorado, USA
Tabletop Central (gaming), Savoy, Illinois, USA
Tabletop Scotland (gaming), Perth, UK
Strong Tower Gaming Convention, Waukesha, Wisconsin, USA
QuestCon Orlando / Crucible (gaming), Orlando, Florida, USA
Just added: Council Con 2024, Schenectady, New York, USA
Connecturday (video games), Heredia, Costa Rica
F2 Con (video games), Clarksville, Tennessee, USA
SCG Con Tampa (collectible card games), Tampa, Florida, USA
Fighting Fantasy Fest 5 (Fighting Fantasy gamebooks), London, UK
Tracon (anime), Tampere, Finland
Connichi (anime), Wiesbaden, Germany
Anime Texas, Spring, Texas, USA
Anime 307, Cheyenne, Wyoming, USA
Comic Con Honolulu, Honolulu, Hawaii, USA
Fanboy Expo Orlando (media), Orlando, Florida, USA
Arkansas Comic Con, Little Rock, Arkansas, USA
Colossalcon East (media), Pocono Manor, Pennsylvania, USA
Ottawa Comiccon, Ottawa, Ontario, Canada
Just added: Rose City Comic Con, Portland, Oregon, USA
Cub Con 2024 (media), Valdosta, Georgia, USA
Retro Con 2024 (‘80s media), Oaks, Pennsylvania, USA
Alpha Omega Con (Christian-themed sf media), Whittier, California, USA
Weekend of September 13-15
34th First Annual Ig Nobel Prize Ceremony, Cambridge, Massachusetts, USA and online
Furever West: Furry of the Opera (anthropomorphic), Laramie, Wyoming, USA
FurGiV 2024: Dragon Dance (anthropomorphic), Hanoi, Vietnam
Hawkland Gaming Festival, La Plata, Maryland, USA
Hold the Line (miniatures gaming), Port Clinton, Ohio, USA
Gaming Istanbul (video games), Istanbul, Turkey
Anime Conclave, Metairie, Louisiana, USA
Just added: Anime Houston, Houston, Texas, USA
Anime Fargo 2024: That Time I Got Isekai'd, Fargo, North Dakota, USA
AncientCityCon (media), St. Augustine, Florida, USA
Power Comicon, Florence, South Carolina, USA
Flower City Comic Con: Total Sports Experience, Rochester, New York, USA
Cartoon-A-Paloozah, Temecula, California, USA
Comic Con Freiburg, Freiburg, Germany
London Comic Con, London, Ontario, Canada
Just added: Lagos Comic Convention, Lagos, Nigeria
Incredible Con (media), North Charleston, South Carolina, USA
Popcorn! (media), Sheffield, UK
East European Comic Con, Bucharest, Romania
Silver Scream Con III (horror media), Worcester, Massachusetts, USA
Weekend of September 20-22
Copernicon, Toruń, Poland
P-Con, Fort Worth, Texas, USA
Southern Maine Steampunk Fair, Kennebunk, Maine, USA
Eurofurence 28: Cyberpunk (anthropomorphic), Hamburg, Germany
West Aussie Fur Frenzy: Urban Beats (anthropomorphic), Freemantle, Australia
SIBCON XXVIII (gaming), Butler, Pennsylvania, USA
MegaMooseCon (gaming), Richburg, South Carolina, USA
Spellenfestival Genk (gaming), Genk, Belgium
CuseCon 2024 (gaming), Syracuse, New York, USA
Big Geek Con 2024 (gaming), Saginaw, Michigan, USA
Game Devs of Color Expo, online
Michigan GT (wargaming), Lansing, Michigan, USA
Southern Front 2024 (miniatures gaming), Morrisville, North Carolina, USA
Terra MystiCon (Terra Mystica boardgame), Montréal, Québec, Canada
Ani-Medford (anime), Medford, Oregon, USA
Spa-Con (media), Hot Springs, Arkansas, USA
Baltimore Comic-Con, Baltimore, Maryland, USA
ThunderCon (media), Thunder Bay, Ontario, Canada
Edmonton Expo (media), Edmonton, Alberta, USA
Granite State Comicon (media), Manchester, New Hampshire, USA
Creation Washington D.C. (media), Arlington, Virginia, USA
Ultracon Comic Con, West Palm Beach, Florida, USA
Coda
Famous Arecibo signal probably not aliens (Science News)
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