What is a
Convention
and Similar Definitions
Con
A convention. A place where fans
gather to talk over their hobbies and have fun. They're usually held at hotels or
convention centers, but may be held in a private home. They are held all over the world.
A con can have ten people, a few
hundred people, or tens of thousands of people (The World Science Fiction and Fantasy
Convention had over 35,000 people attend last year.).
It might be a closed convention,
where only people who have a prepaid membership may attend, or it may be an open
convention, where a one, two, or three day pass may be purchased at the door.
Many conventions revolve around one
type of fandom, such as Star Trek, or a group of related fandoms, like horror shows, or
they may be multimedia conventions, which have a wide variety of fandoms in attendance.
Some conventions are only open to
people of certain age groups, and some are open to everyone from babes in arms to
great-grandmothers. Adult and slash conventions are called that because there may be
material on display unsuitable for young children, or even teenagers, to see. General
conventions may restrict materials of certain types from being shown by banning them
altogether or setting aside certain rooms or areas just for those materials.
Conventions vary a lot, it's always
better to check with the convention committee instead of just showing up at the door
expecting to be let in.
There are many things going on at a
con. Here's a short list of what you might find: fans (of course), dealers, dealers' room,
guests, autograph lines, filking, panels or discussion groups, art show, art auction,
costume contest, door contest, music videos, program videos, photo taking rooms,
professional dealers, fan dealers. There's more, of course, but I can't list it all.
Con Committee, Con
Com, or Convention Committee
The people who actually host the
con. This is usually a group of friends, the members of a fan club, or just a group of
people who all want to host a convention. Each person performs different functions or
oversees different areas of the con, like the dealers' room, registration, or security.
These people actually work throughout the convention, making sure everything runs smoothly
and that all the events are on time. These people are not paid for their time, but are
volunteers, so be nice to them because they're fans, too.
Dead Dog Party
This is the last party of the
convention. It's usually held in the con suite, or room, or maybe just in the bar. At the
very end of the convention, when most people have gone home, the remaining people get
together, usually with the con committee, to talk about the convention. They might discuss
what was good and what went wrong, hash out ideas for next year, whatever comes to mind.
There're munchies and drinks at the party. It's just a relaxing evening before everyone
has to go back to the mundane world.
Art Show
That's where all the fan produced
art is displayed. The art may be for viewing only, or may be up for bid and sold at the
art auction. Fan art is varied. The art on display might be in the form of paintings,
sketches, ceramics, glass, cloth, metal, and just about any material you can think of.
Prizes are usually given at the art show for the best pieces of art, and a time is set
aside for the fen to vote on their favorite pieces of art.
Art Auction
This is where the art from the art
show is sold. Bidding can be fast and furious at an art auction. In addition to the
auctioneer(s) there may be what are called runners. Runners are people who hold the art
currently being bid on, and take around to different people (bidders) in the room so they
may have a closer look.
Paying for the art you've bought
varies from con to con, you might want to check with the con committee ahead of time to
make sure they accept credit cards and the like.
Before you buy your art, make sure
you have a way to get it home. It's now your property, so if it doesn't fit into your
suitcase, or you can't find a suitable box for it, you're hung unless you have a friend
who lives within driving distance of the con who can send it to you.
Costume Contest
Exactly what it sounds like. The
people who want to participate in the contest must make their own costumes or have someone
help them make a costume. The themes of the contests vary according to the type of con it
is, and whatever theme has been decided on for that convention as well as the age of the
participants, and other types of categories
There are different types of
contests. The ones that come to mind are the hall contest and the costume show contest.
The costumes worn for the hall
contests usually cannot be entered in the costume show contest -- it would be unfair for
someone to win twice for the same costume.
Costumes can be simple or
elaborate; thrown together literally as you're packing to run for the plane or taking
months and months of planning and work. They can be silly, scary, romantic, sexy, or
whatever. Sometimes a group will get together and have a theme all their own.
Door Contest
Some conventions have a contest to
see who can decorate their hotel door the best or most originally. It's lots of fun to see
how creative folks can be, usually everyone votes in several categories for their favorite
doors.
Genre
The television program, movie,
book, etcetera that the fan is interested in. Also the medium an author or artist works
in.
Fan Art
Art by and for fans. Any kind of
art you can think of: drawings and paintings in just about any medium, ceramic, clay,
shadow boxes, cloth, including shirts, tote bags, and jackets, metal, like bronze
castings, and on and on and on.
Dealer
Anyone who sells anything at a
convention. Also called a huckster.
Dealers' Room
The dealers' or hucksters' room is
a large room set aside at conventions for the sole purpose of selling what the fans want
to buy. This can be anything from a hand monogrammed handkerchiefs to a very real batlith
(sp). There are zines, art prints, t-shirts, bronze castings, staffs, photographs of your
favorite television and movies stars. Anything!
Music Videos
A musical and video montage from
any television program, or movie. The themes can be about the characters in the TV show or
movie, may concentrate on a particular actor or actors in many rolls, or may have many
different actors doing similar things. The videos can be sad, funny, or romantic. I love
to watch them, and wish like heck I were skilled enough and had the equipment to produce
them. They're usually shown at cons, but copies can sometimes be bought from the folks who
produce them.
Program Videos
Tapes of the fans favorite movie or
TV show, shown at cons. These may be professional tapes, or gotten off the television.
Guests
The people involved in making a
movie or television program: actors and actresses, directors, producers, writers, costume
designers, set designers, writers, etcetera. Folks we all know and love, who come to cons
to sign autographs, give lectures, and have their pictures taken with the fans.
Panel
A panel or discussion group does
exactly that. At a con, a group of fans get together to discuss a certain topic. They may
either have an informal discussion in someone's room, or a formal one in a special room
set aside for panels. The panel usually has a panel team, sometimes the team has a
moderator, who keeps the discussion on topic and provides additional information to the
people in the audience. The topic of a panel can by just about anything from a favorite
character to how to write a better story.
Usually, the con committee will
survey the people attending the convention to find out what kinds of panels they want to
attend. After a list is made, it's sent to the attendees to vote on their favorites. Then
panelists are found, and a schedule is made up so everyone knows when their favorite
topic(s) will be discussed, and can plan their time accordingly.
[General
Definitions] [Zine And Story
Definitions]
[Convention Definitions] [Newbie's Convention Guide]
[Do's And Don'ts At Conventions And On Sets]
[A List of Conventions To Go To]
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