How to Convention: Spotting a Disastercon Before It Happens
Ever since the explosive growth of Star Trek conventions in the 1970s, there have been people making overly ambitious plans for big conventions. It can look very simple: all you need to do is rent a space, invite some big stars, run a few ads, and money will come pouring in, right?
And so there is a long-established tradition of people trying to jump into running conventions and being undone by either far lower attendance than expected, or the million little logistical details they didn’t anticipate, or both. The latest failure is the romantasy con A Million Lives Book Festival, but odds are that there will be another one or two in the next year, if not quite so high-profile.
So how do you spot what might be the next one, and not become one of those people spending thousands of dollars to meet almost no one? Three things can help you evaluate a convention which is trying to start big:
Do the people in charge of it have experience with running big fan events? If it’s planning to be a big convention, there need to be multiple people with experience as event staff, or at least one with significant high-level experience with the type of event it is. Experience in running corporate events may not translate well.
Does the organization running it have the up-front funds it needs? Convention center venues, elaborate accessories, and big star lineups imply significant early costs. If the organization is a small business or a single person clearly hoping that massive badge sales will cover it all, this is a good sign that they have overcommitted and things will be downsized between
Does the convention management seem aware of the wider world of fandom? Is the con scheduled the same weekend as a well-known convention in the same city? Has it picked a name already in use by an established con? Does it claim to be the first of its kind when a quick online search can find you other examples?
If you’re trying a first-time convention, look for one starting small. Those are the ones much more likely to endure and grow with your support.
In Brief
A belated bid has been received to hold Westercon 79 in 2027, again combined with BayCon. It arrived late due to a misunderstanding about the deadline for bids.
Trek Long Island (Hauppauge, New York, May 30-June 1) has announced that James Kerwin can no longer attend due to his work schedule.
Florida Supercon (Miami, Florida, July 18-20) has added Veronica Taylor, Eric Stuart, Dan Green, and Megan Hollingshead.
ATL Comic Convention (Atlanta, Georgia, July 18-20) has added Paul Williams.
Tampa Bay Comic Convention (Tampa, Florida, August 1-3) has added Chris Bartlett.
Terrificon (Uncasville, Connecticut, August 8-10) has added Elizabeth Tulloch, Tyler Hoechlin, Bob McLeod, and Stephanie Phillips.
Tucson Comic-Con (Tucson, Arizona, August 29-31) has added Dave Barclay and Amber Lee Connors.
FanX Salt Lake (Salt Lake City, Utah, September 25-27) has added Ian Somerhalder, Nikki Reed, Lisa Ortiz, Freema Agyeman, and Billie Piper.
Portland Retro Gaming Expo (Portland, Oregon, October 17-19) has added Michael Cranford and Summoning Salt.
Otafest (Calgary, Alberta, May 15-17, 2026) has added Kira Buckland.
LACon V, the 2026 Worldcon (Anaheim, California, August 27-31, 2026) has added Tracy Drain as a special guest.
Event Calendar
Weekend of May 23-25
Balticon 59, Baltimore, Maryland, USA
WisCon 47 (feminist sf), online
Fargo CoreCon 15: Halfoween, Fargo, North Dakota, USA
Satellite 9, Glasgow, UK
Na meji nevidnega, Ljubljana, Slovenia
Jodiworld Convention 2025 (Jodi Taylor), Coventry, UK
ConFuzzled: Fashion Week (anthropomorphic), Birmingham, UK
AnthrOhio2025: Of Fae and Fur (anthropomorphic), Columbus, Ohio, USA
PrairieCon 44 (gaming), Brandon, Manitoba, Canada
KublaCon (gaming), Burlingame, California, USA
ReCon (gaming), Kernersville, North Carolina, USA
Rocky Top Game Con, Knoxville, Tennessee, USA
Gamex 2025 (gaming), Los Angeles, California, USA
TableTopCon 2025 (gaming), Southport, Australia
Winsome Choose Some (Winsome Games), Carnegie, Pennsylvania, US
BGG.Spring (boardgames), Dallas, Texas, USA
Enfilade 2025 (miniatures gaming), Tacoma, Washington, USA
Oldenburger Rollenspiel Convention (RPGs), Oldenburg, Germany
PaizoCon Online 2025 (Pathfinder/Starfinder RPGs), online
FanimeCon: Fan Prix (anime), San Jose, California, USA
Thy Geekdom Con (anime), Oaks, Pennsylvania, USA
Animazement (anime), Raleigh, North Carolina, USA
Mizucon (anime), Miami, Florida, USA
Anime North, Toronto, Ontario, Canada
ExpOtaku A Coruña (anime), A Coruña, Spain
Animefest 2025, Brno, Czechia
MomoCon 2025 (anime), Atlanta, Georgia, USA
Sabaku Con 2025 (anime), Albuquerque, New Mexico, USA
MCM London Comic Con, London, UK
Cherry Capital Comic Con, Acme, Michigan, USA
CaperCon (media), Sydney, Nova Scotia, Canada
Anime Boston, Boston, Massachusetts, USA
Comic Con Baltics, Vilnius, Lithuania
Peter Cushing Celebration, Whitstable, UK
Weekend of May 30-June 1
Fantasticon 2025 (Danish national sf convention), Copenhagen, Denmark
Swancon 49, Perth, Australia
Tremendicon, Springfield, Missouri, USA
ConCarolinas 2025, Charlotte, North Carolina, USA
Scheibenwelt Convention (Discworld), Witzenhausen, Germany
Das Frühlingsfest der Filksmusik 2025 (music), Hanstedt, Germany
Mephit Mini Con 26: The Roaring Twenties (anthropomorphic), Freusburg, Germany
Steampunk Alchemy Fest, Budd Lake, New Jersey, USA
Chicago Steampunk Exposition, Schaumburg, Illinois, USA
ChupacabraCon XI (gaming), San Marcos, Texas, USA
UK Games Expo (gaming), Birmingham, UK
Mega XP (gaming), Mexico City, Mexico
Y-Con 2025 (gaming), Yarmouth, Nova Scotia, Canada
LinCon (gaming), Linköping, Sweden
CORGSCon (retro video games), Columbus, Ohio, USA
Bak-Anime, Bakersfield, California, USA
Anime Riverside 2025, Riverside, California, USA
FedCon 33 (media), Bonn, Germany
ColossalCon (media), Sandusky, Ohio, USA
Hall of Heroes Comic Con, Elkhart, Indiana, USA
Fantasy Basel (media), Basel, Switzerland
Great Mills Comicon, Great Mills, Maryland, USA
Armageddon Expo Auckland Winter (media), Auckland, New Zealand
Fan Expo Dallas (media), Dallas, Texas, USA
Etna Comics 2025 (media), Catania, Italy
Trek Long Island 3 (Star Trek), Hauppauge, New York, USA
Purgatory 9 (Supernatural), Düsseldorf, Germany
Weekend of June 6-8
Cymera 2025 (sf writing), Edinburgh, UK and online
Oz-Stravaganza 2025 (Wizard of Oz), Chittenango, New York, USA
StratosFur: All-Star League (anthropomorphic), Houston, Texas, USA
Once Upon a Time (steampunk), Dortmund, Germany
FlamingoCon #29 (gaming), Delray Beach, Florida, USA
OttoCon IV (gaming), Pleasant Valley, New York, USA
Spielfest Wien (gaming), Vienna, Austria
SaltCON Summer (gaming), Layton, Utah, USA
Just added: MoonCityCon 2025: ...For Meeplekind (gaming), Springfield, Missouri, USA
CoBo Brettspiel Convention (cooperative games), Halberstadt, Germany
SoCal Gaming Expo (video games), Ontario, California, USA
North Texas RPG Con (vintage tabletop RPGs), Irving, Texas, USA
Sand Wars 2025 (historical miniatures), Chandler, Arizona, USA
KimoKawaii 4 (anime), Conroe, Texas, USA
Just added: DoKomi (anime), Düsseldorf , Germany
Anime Blues Con, Memphis, Tennessee, USA
Oz Comic-Con: Melbourne, Melbourne, Australia
SWFL SpaceCon (media), Cape Coral, Florida, USA
EM-Con (media), Nottingham, UK
North Country Comic Con, Watertown, New York, USA
Argentina Comic Con, Buenos Aires, Argentina
Phoenix Fan Fusion (media), Phoenix, Arizona, USA
3 Rivers Comicon, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, USA
Los Amigos MOTU Convention VII (He-Man), Neuss, Germany
Vampire Fan Weekend (Vampire Diaries), Whippany, New Jersey, USA
Weekend of June 13-15
Norcon 31, Oslo, Norway
YetiCon, The Blue Mountains, Ontario, Canada
Pyrkon, Poznań, Poland
4th Street Fantasy, Minneapolis, Minnesota, USA
StokerCon 2025 (horror), Stamford, Connecticut, USA
Robert E. Howard Days, Cross Plains, Texas, USA
Tolkien Tage 2025, Geldern, Germany
Cosplay World, Richmond, Virginia, USA
CastleCon 14 (anthropomorphic), Horb, Germany
Game Con Canada, Edmonton, Alberta, Canada
Board Game Fest, Chavdar, Bulgaria
NordCon (gaming), Hamburg, Germany
ATG Expo (gaming), Waco, Texas, USA
Q-Con 2025 (gaming), Belfast, UK
Bayou Wars 2025 (miniatures gaming), D’Iberville, Mississippi, USA
AnimeCon 25, Birmingham, UK
Just added: Bold Matsuri (anime), Jacksonville, Florida, USA
Just added: Anime El Paso, El Paso, Texas, USA
Desucon 2025 (anime), Lahti, Finland
Just added: ExpOtaku Zaragoza 2025 (anime), Zaragoza, Spain
Geekworld (comics/gaming), Viernheim, Germany
Space Coast Comic Con, Cocoa, Florida, USA
Sci-Fi Valley Con (media), Altoona, Pennsylvania, USA
Metropolis Superman Celebration, Metropolis, Illinois, USA
Weekend of June 20-22
MisCon 39: Hive of Scum and Villainy, Missoula, Montana, USA
LibertyCon 37, Chattanooga, Tennessee, USA
Soonercon, Norman, Oklahoma, USA
GarchingCon 13 (Perry Rhodan), Munich, Germany
Airikas Traum 19 (music), Erbach, Germany
Cosplay America, Cary, North Carolina, USA
Argentina FurFiesta, Buenos Aires, Argentina
Arcon 41 (gaming), Oslo, Norway
Diversão Offline (gaming), São Paulo, Brazil
Wellycon (gaming), Wellington, New Zealand
Origins Game Fair 2025, Columbus, Ohio, USA
Finn-Con@MDC (anime), Miami, Florida, USA
Wie.MAI.KAI (anime), Flörsheim am Main, Germany
OMG!con 2025 (anime), Owensboro, Kentucky, USA
Anime Festival Orlando 2025, Orlando, Florida, USA
SugoiPopCon 2025 (anime), Fishkill, New York, USA
Heroes Convention (comics), Charlotte, North Carolina, USA
Mississippi Comic Convention, Jackson, Mississippi, USA
Metrotham Con (media), Dalton, Georgia, USA
Sci-Fi-London 25 (film festival), London, UK
Spooky Empire (horror media), Orlando, Florida, USA
Coda
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