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Attending Worldcon

Jim Baen’s Universe has come of age. We put a story on the Hugo ballot in our first year, we just put one on the Nebula ballot for our second year. We’ve had a lot of stories get picked up for Best of the Year anthologies. More and more top writers are sending us their best material.

The next step is to win an award one of these years. The Hugo is the most prestigious—and along with voting for the best stories we run, don’t forget that Eric Flint is also eligible for Best Short Fiction Editor.

To nominate and to vote, you must be a member of Worldcon—and if you’re going to pay your dues, you might as well attend science fiction’s biggest celebration of the year. One of the things I’ve gleaned from Baen’s Bar and from a number of private e-mails is that a lot of you have not yet bitten the bullet and attended a Worldcon, so I thought it might not be a bad idea to let you know what’s in store for you, and perhaps encourage you to join and attend.

PARTIES

You’ve probably heard endless tales about all the parties at Worldcon, and indeed, most nights there will be over 50 of them—big ones, little ones, public ones, private ones. There are all kinds of parties—the single events, the pro events, the bid parties, the hospitality suites. You’ll get most of your info from various bulletin boards, and also from the twice-daily (and often thrice-daily) convention newsletter, which will be made available in most public places. Hollywood to the contrary, not all parties feature drugs, nudity, drunken behavior and wild sex, and Worldcon parties are among those that feature none of them. These are just friends visiting with old and new friends who share some of the same interests.

Every group that’s bidding for a future Worldcon will have at least one party, most two, a few every night. These are “open” parties and will be posted/advertised all over the hotels and in the newsletters.

A number of regional conventions will also have open parties to interest you in attending their upcoming cons. Almost any new convention with ambitions of becoming a major feature on the convention calendar will also have an open party to announce its existence.

The winners for the next two years usually have open parties. In fact, next year’s winner traditionally hosts the Hugo Losers Party. Frequently the previous year’s host has an open “thank-you” party.

Then there will be open and semi-open Hospitality Suites, including the Con Suite, which will be run by the host committee and open to all.

There will be a SFWA (Science Fiction Writers of America) Suite. You’ll need a SFWA member to get you in the first time. If you want to return, you can probably pick up a sticker for your badge that will get you in.

There will be an ASFA (American Science Fiction Artists) Suite, usually less crowded and easier to gain entrance to.

There will be pro parties. They’re not exactly open, and not exactly closed. Basically, you’ll need a pro or a well-known fan to get you in, but once inside they won’t have to stay with you or vouch for you:

 Tor always has a party.

 Baen always has a party.

 Eos, DAW, Bantam, and Ace occasionally have parties.

 Asimov’s and Analog will have a party, but it usually consists of renting out the SFWA suite and supplying food and drink for the writers for one evening.

Many of the semi-pro and specialty publishers will have open parties. Just check the daily newsletters for time and location (or look at the elevator walls, which are usually plastered with notices of the night’s parties.)

Almost every special interest group will have a party, some private, most open.

A number of fan clubs, computer networks, and the like will have parties. First Fandom, a last-man organization consisting of anyone who can prove he was active in science fiction prior to 1938, often has a party.

Any foreign group with enough attendees from home will throw a party, usually though not always an open one. The Japanese always have one. So do the Australians. Others have them from time to time, including the British, the Slovakians, the Germans, and the Dutch.

There’ll be 15 or 20 rooms where fans have brought their favorite movies or tv shows, legitimate or bootlegs, and will show them to anyone who wants to watch. This won’t be advertised, but just walk up and down the hotel corridors, and when you find an open door, take a peek in—it’s usually a small party or a group watching videos.

And of course, I’m barely scratching the surface. Despite the 15-to-20-track programming and the Hugos and the masquerade and the dealers room and the art show and everything else, 70% of a Worldcon takes place from 10:00 at night until 4:00 or 5:00 in the morning, once you learn your way around.

STANDING EXHIBITS

There will be a number of standing exhibits, open from 10:00 AM until 6:00 PM or thereabouts. Two are huge, most aren’t; the two big ones are easy to find, while most of the others take some looking for.

 The Dealers’ Room, a/k/a the Hucksters’ Room. It used to sell only books and magazines, but these days it sells games, CDs, toys, clothes, jewelry, videos, medieval weapons, anything associated with sf. Probably a third of the dealers still sell books and magazines, which is a lot, since there will be about 300 tables and a number of booths.

 Autograph sessions—they’ll be announced well in advance—are usually held in or near the hucksters’ room. But those are just the “official” Worldcon autograph sessions. Most of the popular writers will also be signing at dealers’ or publishers’ tables as well, so that they put in from two to five hours signing during the convention, enough time for just about anyone to get their autographs. (And if you see a writer whose work you admire in the hallways, just walk up and ask for an autograph; that’s part of what they’re there for. You’re paying good money to attend, so don’t be shy about asking for anything at all.)

 The Art Show. Just about every major artist from Whelan to Eggleton to Giancola to Maitz to Picacio to whoever will display some paintings here, as will hundreds of minor artists. The hangings will all be in the middle of the room; sculptures and other 3-dimensional pieces will be on tables lining the walls. Almost everything will have a minimum-bid pricetag on it. The auction rules change from year to year, so ask how to bid at the entrance to the art show—but know that 90% of what you see will be sold during the con.

 Kaffeeklatsches. These are one-hour (and occasionally two-hour) periods where you sign up to meet with your favorite writer or artist. They serve coffee and sweets, and usually there are 10 or 12 to a table—the writer plus 9 or 11 fans. Sign up for the kaffeeklatsches you want to attend as soon as you get to the con. It’s always first-signed first-seated.

 Fanzine room. There is always a room devoted to fanzines. Usually it’s a small, unpublicized room, difficult to find, but it’s worth the hunt, because it gives away dozens of fanzines. Not the perennial Hugo nominees, but enough to get you started.

 Fanhistorica room. This doesn’t occur every year, but it’s present more often than not, and will be a room devoted to the history of fandom—books, photos, artifacts, famous (and incredibly valuable) old fanzines, Hugos from previous years, everything you’ll want to know about sf fandom from its origins in the 1930s to the present day. Often old-time pros and fans will lead docent tours of the exhibit.

 Fan lounge. Many Worldcons have a fan lounge. It’ll be somewhere near the dealers and lecture rooms, and you’ll find tables where you can plop down, relax, get soft drinks or coffee, read fanzines (which will be supplied), and meet other fans.

 Costume exhibit. This doesn’t occur at every Worldcon, but when it shows up it’s stunning. It’ll be a display of the greatest masquerade costumes of the past 20 or 30 years, draped on mannequins.

 Photo exhibit. Over the years SFWA’s former attorney, M. Christine Valada, who was also a photographer, took black-and-white portraits of just about every pro who attends Worldcon, and there is a standing display of all of them every year.

 Fan photo exhibit. Encouraged by Valada’s traveling photo show, fandom now has its own portrait exhibit.

There will doubtless be more exhibits, but these are the ones that tend to show up every year, or at least most years. I encourage you to hunt them all up. You do yourself a disservice if you travel all the way to Worldcon, pay your money to become a member, pay even more to stay at the hotels, and then don’t take advantage of all the exhibits that your money is paying for.

SPECIAL EVENTS

Along with the regular programming, every Worldcon has its share of special events.

Hugo Ceremonies. This is where the Toastmaster gets to shine (if he shines at all; alas, some don’t). 15 Hugos will be presented in the pro and fan categories, but that’s not all. Also presented are the Campbell Award for Best New Writer; the Big Heart Award; and the Seiun (Japanese Hugo) for the Best Translated Novel and Best Translated Short Fiction. There will be photo ops for everybody, and you can probably watch the Hugos and the Masquerade in your room on closed-circuit television.

The Masquerade: This is the biggest draw of the Worldcon, but it’s a mere shadow of its former self. All during the 1970s and 1980s the Worldcon masquerade used to draw well over 100 costumes and take at least four or five hours, often longer. Now, thanks to Costume Con and the proliferation of minor costume conventions, the masquerade barely draws 35 to 40 costumes…but it’s still a fun event to go to. And if you’re an author, not much gives you a bigger kick than watching a fan who spent months of effort creating a costume based on one of more of your characters.

Opening Ceremonies: The Toastmaster introduces the Pro and Fan Guests of Honor, who will make brief speeches. You’ll be told where to find everything, and then sent off to do just that.

Pro Guest of Honor Speech(es): There used to be just one Pro GOH, and 90% of the time it was a writer. These days there’s usually a Writer GOH, an Editor GOH, and an Artist GOH, and each will have an hour in which to make a speech.

Fan GOH Speech: It probably draws a bit better than the pro speeches, which is only right and fitting. Unlike the Nebulas, Worldcon is put on by and for fans, a fact that many pros forget or are simply unaware of. Pros are an attraction and their function is to draw more fans to the con, but never make any mistake about who the con is for.

Hugo-nominated movies: These will play free of charge sometime during the con before the winner is announced.

There may be other special events. They can be as diverse as a miniature golf tournament (1991), a pro vs. fan basketball game (1986), a trivia contest (just about every year), the world premiere of a science fiction movie (“A Boy and His Dog” in 1974; “Watership Down” in 1978) or the first peek at a new TV show (“Star Trek” in 1966).

PROGRAMMING

OK, I’ve mentioned 18-track programming and the like, but until you run into it, I don’t think any of you can truly realize the magnitude of Worldcon programming.

A typical hour will have 3 or 4 panels on science fiction, all featuring well-known writers; a pair of panels on fantasy; a panel on horror; a panel or two on science; a couple of panels on the business end of science fiction, from writing to editing to selling to reading contracts; an item or two of children’s programming; a pair of panels on various aspect of fandom, from fan history to publishing a fanzine; a publisher’s editorial staff telling you what they’re looking for this year; a panel of critics evaluating the year’s fiction; and a couple of more panels or speeches on various subjects.

That’s every hour, from 10:00 AM to 6:00 PM. It’ll slow down then, but you’ll still have perhaps four panels an hour from 6:00 PM to 10:00 PM, and maybe two panels an hour from 10:00 PM to maybe 2:00 AM.

While all this is going on, three or four rooms will be set aside for writers to read their most recent works, and at the same time half a dozen authors will be autographing in or near the dealers’ room. And of course there will be from two to four kaffeeklatsches occurring at the same time.

And let’s not forget the free, round-the-clock science fiction movies that will be showing in an auditorium.

That’s it. Every hour. And while all this is happening, the dealers room, the art show, and most of the other exhibits will be open as well.

Yeah, I know, it’s overwhelming. Probably the best thing to do is log onto the Worldcon’s web page after the final schedule is posted—usually two or three weeks before the con—and make your decision as to what items you definitely don’t want to miss. It can take a few hours, and why spend that time at the convention when there are so many interesting things to do?

WHAT TO BRING

OK, so it’s you first Worldcon. What do you pack? What do you bring? What do you leave behind?

Clothing: There is no panel or party where you won’t be accepted wearing a t-shirt, shorts, and sandals…so what else you bring depends to a great extent on what makes you comfortable and where you plan to go when you leave the hotel.

If you’re dining out, and especially if you plan to visit some upscale restaurants, bring along the appropriate clothes. If you plan to use the hotel’s pool, bring along a swimsuit. (The skinny-dipping days of the 1970s and 1980s Worldcons are long gone.) If you’re entering the masquerade, make sure you pack your costume in a way that won’t break or otherwise harm it. If you plan to participate in the Regency dance (yes, every Worldcon has a Regency dance, don’t ask me why), you might bring the appropriate Regency costume.

If you’re on any medication, bring enough to see you through the convention; it’s murder trying to fill a prescription in a strange city on a weekend.

I wouldn’t bother bringing a laptop. First, there’s too much to do (and you’re paying quite a bit to do it) to waste time with your computer—and second, most of the people you want to chat with and send e-mail to are already at the con. (And most downtown hotels in major cities will charge incredibly high connect rates, measured by the minute if not the second.)

Bring any books you want autographed. This is your one chance all year to find 80% of the major authors in the field in one place, and they’re all there for your convenience. Ditto any magazines.

Bring any guide books you may have purchased. Why try committing them to memory?

If you’re into photo memories, bring your camera, or camcorder, with enough film, tape, disks, and batteries that you won’t have to go out to purchase any.

Bring cash and/or credit cards. No one in a strange city wants to cash your checks.

Above all, bring the one item I never do without, the most important single item you can bring (besides money, that is): a small blank notebook—paper or electronic, makes no difference—that fits easily into a pocket.

Why?

Well, to begin with, before leaving home you’ll write down the titles of all the books you’re looking for in the huckster’s room, as well as the dates of all the magazines, to make searching through the dealers’ room a little easier.

You’ll want to write down the room numbers of all your friends—and that could come to a cool 100 numbers right there. Impossible to remember them all.

As you find out when and where the parties are, you’ll want to write down the times and room numbers of each. That’s dozens more numbers and times.

You’ll want to write down those events that you absolutely don’t want to miss. Still more times and places.

You might also write down the addresses and phone numbers of all the restaurants you want to visit (and on a busy summer weekend in a major city, almost all the better ones, inside and outside the hotel, will require reservations.)

If you’re a hopeful writer, you’ll want to write down whatever it is you have sold, or promised to send, to which editor. Even if you’re not, it helps to write down anything you promise to send/sell/trade with other fans.

If you’re trading addresses, either street or e-mail, with new friends, you’ll want to write them down.

So be sure you bring that blank book. You’ll fill it up soon enough.

SAVING AND SPENDING MONEY

Worldcon isn’t cheap. There are a few ways—not many, but a few—of saving money. To wit:

 Car pool to get there. With gas prices going through the roof, and airfares ditto, the cheapest way to get to any Worldcon (at least, any Worldcon on this continent) is to car pool.

 You’ll hear stories of fans sleeping ten and twelve to a room. They are not an exaggeration, but it seems a bit excessive to me. Still, if you’re traveling on a budget, it makes sense to share a room with perhaps 2 or 3 others.

 The price of an attending membership goes up every few months. The initial price is about a third of the at-the-door price. If you’re late buying your membership—and the lead time is two years—there’s a way around this. Surf the net and find someone who has an attending membership and can’t use it; it can be sold and transferred to you prior to mid-July of the year the Worldcon is held . . . after that, it has to be done at the door. (Example: someone who bought his membership early at $80 wants to sell; the price is currently $200 if you buy from the convention; you offer to split the difference, the seller agrees, you get an attending membership for $140, you save $60, the seller makes $60, and everyone’s happy.)

 If you see a second-hand book or magazine you want in the hucksters’ room and it’s too expensive for your budget, make an offer. Half the time you’ll find the huckster is willing to deal.

And now a couple of proper ways to spend money:

 The maid who makes up your room doesn’t work a 7-day week, so for the best service, and just to be fair, leave a buck or two on your pillow every morning when you go out for the day, rather than leaving $10 or $15 in a lump at the end of the week.

 Most parties don’t want your money. But a few hospitality suites will have a bowl out with a note asking for donations. Put a couple of bucks in, or you may never be asked back.

 Okay, that’s pretty much it—a way to vote for your favorite stories, books, editors, artists, movies and fanzines, and mingle with like-minded fans and writers at our grandest annual event.