The failure of FedCon USA was big news this week and it isn’t the first con to go down, however such things are rare in the world of conventions. Today Trekmovie.com presents a brief history of conventions, including a couple of past failures to provide some context. We also take a look forward with a guide to trusted cons and tips for fans to avoid con disappointments.
Sci-fi conventions go back decades
Science fiction conventions first started in both the UK and US in the 1930s. One early attendee was Arthur C. Clarke who attended a British genre convention in January 1937. Star Trek would occasionally receive some attention at generic science fiction during the 1960s and 1970s. In fact, it was at Tricon in 1966 that Bjo Trimble first met Gene Roddenberry who brought episodes of Star Trek to show the audience a few days before the "Man Trap" premiered. The first Star Trek convention was a gathering in New York January 21-23, 1972. It was planned by a group of fans known as "The Committee" which included Joan Winston (eventual author of "The Making of The Trek Conventions") and Al Schuster. Guests included Gene Roddenberry and Majel Barrett.
The popularity of that first Star Trek convention led to many more conventions in various cities around the world. These early Trek conventions were often interactive events, with fan art shows and costume contests. It really wasn’t until the 1990s that "official" Star Trek conventions started. Before this, conventions had to have names like "Star Con" or "Trek Con" because of copyright considerations. In the 1990s, Viacom and Paramount started letting companies such as Vulkon, Slanted Fedora, and Creation Entertainment be considered sanctioned if they met certain guidelines, including the prevention of sales of counterfeit Trek merchandise. Eventually, the license for official conventions would be awarded to Creation Entertainment, a company started in the early 1970s. Today, there are about 20 Star Trek specific conventions held each year in the United States, some local fan events, others by professional promoters such as Creation Entertainment. Big and small, almost all go off without a hitch.
TWO CAUTIONARY TALES
The FedCon USA fiasco brings back memories of past convention failures.
Slanted Fedora
In the 1990s Slanted Fedora tried to bring a new kind of model to Star Trek conventions. Slanted Fedora innovated some of the mainstays of modern Star Trek conventions including "dinner with the stars," guaranteed autographs, theater performances by celebrities like Leonard Nimoy and John DeLancie as Spock and Q. However, there were criticisms over expense, and conventions being too passive an experience. Things started to go south after a much publicized convention where, according to Patrick Stewart, he was promoted as a guest even after he cancelled. Stewart’s issues with Slanted Fedora became public knowledge and soured fans on the company. In the early 2000s cancelled guests and rescheduled events became more and more common. Eventually monetary issues led to Slanted Fedora going out of business, and there was even legal action by the Kansas Attorney General against the company.
1982 Houston Summit
Perhaps the most infamous Star Trek convention of all time is the 1982 Houston Summit Arena event. The actors and some crew from Star Trek II, except for Leonard Nimoy, yet including Kirstie Alley and Harve Bennett, were to appear at this celebration of The Wrath of Khan. While thousands, perhaps tens of thousands, of fans were supposedly going to the event, only a few hundred showed up. The promoters had utilized the money for room reservations and pre-event sales for other purposes, and many fans found they had no reservations and the actors were not paid. Harve Bennett would have none of this and with the help of some of the actors and fans, a convention of sorts was still had. The fans still got their promised three days of entertainment. Like John Billingsley demonstrated at FEDCON USA, Bennett showed that you can make the best of a bad situation as long as fans have an advocate.
CONVENTIONS WITH A PROVEN HISTORY
Although there are examples of cons going bad, there have been thousands of sci-fi and Trek conventions over the last few decades, with only a tiny handful of bad apples in the bunch.
The following list of conventions are established events with a proven history. While there are no guarantees of a good time at conventions, these are companies where you can be assured the event will most likely go on and the celebrities advertised will appear (with the occasional last minute cancellations due to acting schedules).
Creation Entertainment (creationent.com)
The best-known and only ‘official’ Star Trek convention. Creation provides wall-to-wall entertainment and a good selection of A, B, and C level celebrities (with focus on Q&A panels with actors). The annual Summer Vegas convention is the premiere and biggest Trek convention. Prices vary inexpensive to attend the panels to expensive if you want all the autographs, photo-ops and celebrity events.
Vulkon Entertainment (www.vulkon.com)
Smaller and medium sized fan-friendly most Trek focused cons mostly in the Mid-west and South. Provide more direct access to celebrities, with night-time banquets being a highlight. The Summer Orlando con provides selection of Trek stars. Their pricing is comparable to Creation.
Shore-Leave (shore-leave.com/)
A relaxed medium-sized summer convention in Baltimore in July, with a good mix of B level celebs and a big focus on Trek literature. A great place to meet you favorite authors and other celebrities. Pricing is very reasonable with autographing provided at various tables.
FedCon Europe (fedcon.de)
Despite what happened in Texas, FedCon Europe is still the premiere European convention and well regarded by fans and celebrities alike. One of the biggest in the world and certainly largest in Europe is known for its energy and enthusiastic audiences. Reasonable pricing, but gets more expensive once you include autographs.
Comic Con (also runs Wonder Con) (comic-con.org)
The ultimate genre trade show. Panels focus mostly new and upcoming sci-fi and pop culture entertainment (TV, movies, comic books, etc.). Gigantic hall with every vender, often feature exclusive merchandise. Tickets are reasonably priced, with a special area for a handful of signers. Most panels speakers do not sign. Very little fan interaction with celebrities. Trek panels and content varies from year to year.
Dragon Con (dragoncon.org)
The South’s version of Comic-Con, this fan-run convention is both relaxed (celebs sitting in couches chatting with fans), yet is large and well run. A general genre, but provides a special ‘Trek Trak’ with a good selection of Trek stars big and small. Pricing is reasonable for the weekend. Autographs are less organized, but more personal.
Motor City Comic Con (motorcityconventions.com)
Held usually once per year in Detroit, Motor City Comic Con is a general sci-fi con which always features a handful of A or B and C level Trek guests. A good con for autograph collectors as prices are low to get in and you get good access to celebs. Panels provide good interaction as well.
TIPS FOR ATTENDING CONVENTIONS
Conventions are often very expensive and fans should use the same ‘caveat emptors’ you would with any vacation or big purchase. Even when attending big established cons like those listed above, make sure that it is right for you (although all good cons, there are big differences between Creation’s Vegas Con, Comic-Con and Shore-Leave).
For newer and smaller conventions it is a good idea to learn as much as possible before purchasing tickets (especially tickets in advance). There are no guarantees, and most conventions are successful and fun events, yet education is a good way to avoid being disappointed.
- Check forums for the con and other websites (StarTrek.com, TrekBBS, etc.) and ask questions about the con of organizers and past convention goers
- Visit the websites of the actors promoted to make sure the event is listed
- Call the venue to make sure the event is actually booked for that accommodation.
- Save all email communications with conventioneers.
- Know the convention policies regarding refunds or cancelled conventions.
- Check out the companies with better business bureaus.
- Google the name of the actual owners of the convention to see if there are complaints or problems.
If uncertain, don’t buy. You can usually buy tickets at the Star Trek convention door if needed. Be sure to support small, local conventions. These are often personal and rewarding conventions.
I loved slanted fedora conventions back in the day. I was a big supporter. Does anyone know what happened to them?? I know the long legal story but what are they doing now?
1st? Remember Trek-O-Rama? When it came to Lake Charles, La, it was a pretty awesome idea of having a Trek convention here in town; and an even bigger bonus was to see John de Lancie. Unfortunately, the promoter of the event left town before paying for anything leaving the sponsors and venue with the bill :( I hope that never happens again.
I’ve been going to about 2 cons a year…they’re not like they used to be, but I still love them.
Been to Dragon Con a couple of times, although it’s been years. May not go this year, but will absolutely go next year. I know, I know, I’m missing the chance to be the first to know that Quinto’s ear lobes are fake. Still, I think the real fun will come after the movie’s release.
I also haven’t done the overnight thing. I want to. In previous years, there were no Denises, Vulcanistas, Katies, or Spockanellas… just a lot of… um… let’s just say the spandex was tested to its redline limits.
Hoping the cons con-tinue for many many years.
My friends and I always go to the creation cons in Vegas which are a blast. I would attend more local cons if there were some where I live! Most of the best ones seem to be in California.
Cool to see another resident of Louisiana here! I am from Lafayette. I had no iea we have conventions out here!
Bgiles what is your email, I will send you a few cons in our area (since I am so close) or you can email me, my email is contact zone91.com
I’ve been going to cons since I was 13 (bless my mom!) and love them. One of the highlights for me was the Official Huntsville con. I do the Vegas con every year and that’s a good one too especially since family lives in Vegas too. Anyone been to the World Science Fiction cons? Ive been to two of them and really had a good time.
Thats supposed to be contact at zone91.com
I can be reached at bgiles73@yahoo.com
#2 and #6:
WOW!!!! I think I would have to shake my head and clear my mind if I heard there was going to be a convention in Lake Charles again!!!! I am in little ‘ol Eunice, Louisiana, and a Star Trek Convention ANYWHERE in Louisiana is BIG NEWS here!!!!
Tips on picking up at a Star Trek convention. If any, Please let me know! Someone had to say it.
Wow! I see Louisiana is pretty well represented here!
My only Con experience has been through the Motor City Comic Con … I don’t have anything to compare it to… but I’d have to say I’ve always been impressed witht the talent they’ve managed to bring for the 2 annual conventions they run each year.
My most memorable experience …First time… shooting across the border at the Ambassador Bridge NOT knowing I was only 20 minutes away from a full blown Klingon raiding party in the lobby of the Novi Con. centre. Those guys were totally decked out and film acurate. Then 3 dudes with lit up proton packs stood next to them in Ghostbusting gear for a photo op. My geek mind was blown.
4. Awww!
Conventions whether they be Star Trek or other sci-fi related types used to be fan created and were a great deal more fun than the corporate run sterile gatherings that are produced today. The conventions of today are nothing like the cons that were there at the beginning, but they are the only game in town.
It doesn’t seem like there are ever any cons in my state. The closest one to me is Dragon*Con, and that one has me really intrigued but it’s still two states over and something I’ve never done before. I hope to be able to attend *any* con eventually, but it’s really a shame that there aren’t any local ones. =(
Thanks for the article, John, very informative. I’ve been tempted to seek out any nearby cons (I live in L.A., not LA), and I want to find that which best suits my tastes.
Well you know Louisiana is going to have a convention next year. That’s all I can say but its going to be held in Lake Charles.
I’ve been to the Trek and other SF conventions held in Pasadena and Las Vegas run by Creation, and despite what others might say, I’ve been quite satisfied with them. They may be pricey and they may charge for every little thing, but they’re most definitely worth it.
I’ve been to both The FX Show and MegaCon here in Orlando, FL. Both have always been a great time and always delivered on their promises.
Starland in Denver has been putting on great cons for almost 30 years in the Denver area. http://starland.com/sf-sc/sf08/
One of the good things about the Australian convention scene is that there are still smaller fan run conventions, like The Hub Productions, or Friends of Science Fiction, operating alongside the big boys of the Antipodean con-scene, Armageddon and Supanova.
So we’ve got the smaller, more intimate events, that cost more, but you can get a decent amount of one-on-one time with the guests and then we’ve got the bigger ones.
That said I attended my first SDCC last year and got hooked on that, am going again next year and in 2010, when I also hope to attend the Creation Star Trek convention.
This year I was also in LA for Wizard World… boy was that boring…
I actually forged press credentials back in High School and faxed all of them to the Creation Entertainment people so I could score an interview with Nana Visitor, which I still have on tape. Man was I devious! However, I think winning the trivia contest may have blown my cover a bit…
Thank you TrekMovie.com for that great piece on the conventions.
I’ve been attending the Creation conventions since the early 90’s and for the most part, have enjoyed them very much. I especially enjoy listening to the actors. I think Creation does a great job of getting the actors for the events and are a well-organized machine.
I just wish they would inject more fun and interactive activities for the loyal Trek fans instead of running up the price on everything. I attended the Las Vegas convention last year, and there were some fun moments, but it just seems as if the bottom line for Creation is to live up to the Ferengi, which is to say that the main goal is money and making as much of it as possible.
It’s one thing to charge admission for the event itself. But then, if you want to go to a dinner with a star, a separate expensive fee for that. Fans get an opportunity to take a picture with a star, but the whole exercise is so superficial. I witnessed fans being ushered into a room for a phony two second smile with a star and out the room again. And the fees that are charged for those photos and autographs are insanely ridiculous.
Hey, if getting a signed autograph and auctioning off on e-Bay is your thing, more power to you. I just think it takes away from the spirit of the word “fun”. I would rather save that money and invest in Star Trek: The Experience, which by the way, I don’t recall the emcee’s at Creation hyping or promoting at the event last year.
I helped run and organize a small sci-fi convention in West Michigan for ten years called Babel Conference (Babel Con for short). We had a nice small intimate con. We were also responsible for a few firsts that other cons picked up on.
We had scripted comedy routines during the costume shows that were terribly popular thanks to the creative genius of two very funny guys. Jay Barron and Dave Marshall… together they rooted through the local ST fan club and assembled a talented cast of ensamble players that made the segments inbetwen the costume categories wildly entertaining.
The con also had the first video room that used large projection televisions to broadcast their film room programming instead of the video monitros that most conventions placed around the parameter of the seating areas. They also were the first convention to broadcast the sound in 5.1 Dolby Stereo thanks to the tech heads in the group.
They also featurd the typical dealer’s room, art shows and even had a zine reading room. It was inexpensive and a lot of great friendships were forged through the efforts of folks like Tim Eldred, Steve Harrison, Jim Emelander, Jerry Fellows, Tom Mattingly and a host of others. These guys were on the ball and always put out a quality convention and made sure everyone was happy.
I sure wish those guys would get back together and bring the Babel Conference back.
25. Probably because the fate of STTE has been up in the air, on top of the fact that Creation doesn’t make any money sending people to spend their money elsewhere.
A couple friends of mine used to run small conventions here in Northern Nevada. They were my first experience with the “convention circuit” and they were a lot of fun. Especially the last one – Robert O’Reilly was the featured guest (and this was back in the late 1990’s before his character took off again in DS9), and they organized a “troop inspection” by Chancellor Gowron as a part of the costume contest. Good times, good times.
My only experience with Slanted Fedora was their last big bash in 2001 down in Las Vegas. I had a lot of fun, met some great folks, but also ran headlong into SF’s tendency to double-bill customers or charge them for items they did not order. When I heard they got nailed by the government, I wasn’t too surprised.
Creation is…okay. It just seems that if you’ve been to one, you’ve been to them all. The programming doesn’t seem to vary beyond who the headliners are. Never been to the Vegas one or to Grand Slam, so maybe I just need to experience one of the big ones.
Best tips I could offer?
– Batteries and film – make sure you have enough, and if you need more wait until the end of the day so you can go to the local Wal-Mart.
– Have a couple bottles of water and some sort of quick-energy snack with you. A lot of the venues aren’t well ventilated.
– Take the time to chat with some of your fellow con goers. One of the most interesting discussions I had was with a French couple – simply because our perspectives on Trek’s “message” were colored by our own national backgrounds.
M-5#25- It only takes a few seconds to get the picture at these conventions. The money paid is for the picture itself, not for the opportunity to chat up your favorite celebrity. I love the pictures I have, and consider it money well-spent.
thanks for the motor city comic con shoutout. it is a blast. the dealers side of things as kinda gone downhill lately, but if you’re with the right people you can really have a good time. MCCC is very laid back and has a great home made feel. the saturday night parties are always hot as well.
went to vegas last summer and had a great time. i love the cheesy music video salutes (“Maniac” set to footage of Q!!) and the costumes are insane! Nothing like drinking beer with a bunch of Klingon women in Vegas!! I’m sad about the thought of The Experience closing as my greatest memory of last summer’s Vegas Con was drinking 2 warp core breaches and having an in depth Trek conversation with the in character Borg guy. Also met 2 great British Trek fans over dinner at Quarks… in my Warp Core soaked mind, for a minute there making friends with Trekkers from another country, I thought that this was what Trek was all about… friendship and the human adventure…
#19 Aren’t you the guy who made the freakin awesome TNG/Roddenberry tribute and posted it on youtube? Then it won an award at some convention?
#31 that be me!
And if you are interested…here is the video
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uABUSAk2BcE
If you want a fun convention, try Polaris in Toronto, Ontario, Canada! Formerly known as Toronto Trek. They changed their name because they stopped being Trek-only, many years ago. Besides the usual Q&A with the stars, autographs and photos, they also have many other tracks of programing, an art show, art auction, model contest, a dance after the masquerade, author book readings, author signings and even a Con Suite where the attendees can drink free pop and eat some munchies while hanging out with old friends and making new ones. I’ve been attending this con since TT3 and it has always been lots of fun and well attended. It is also reasonably priced!
http://www.tcon.ca/polaris/modules/tconguests/
I went to many a Slanted Fedora production in Kansas City over the years, and had good and bad experiences.
Dave Scott, the man behind Slanted Fedora had some incredible ideas, some of which are now copied by other conventions. Things like dinner with the stars, guaranteed autographs included with admission, and the like.
What he did wrong: Promoting acts months (and in some cases a year) before to get advanced sales, without a firm commitment from the act. Changing event dates with little advance notice. Stiffing hotels or not booking a large enough space (dealers room with 5 foot isles and you had to go through it to get to the main show room), poor venues (rubber chicken dinners, mirrors and lights behind the stage, dealers room videos so loud that they were overpowering the show room sound system) Not returning phone calls, overcharging attendees.
As the demise began, he infamously bounced a check to Patrick Stewart, followed by CBS/Paramount revoked his marketing license, effectively preventing them from booking actors under contract to current series (at the time Star Trek: Enterprise). We started seeing the same guests over and over, but there are only so many times you can see certain celebrities.
His company was reported on by Kansas City area television consumer advocates multiple times, and ultimately ending up with an action by the Kansas Attorney General in September 2003. That case and the political damage that followed, ultimately resulted in Slanted Fedora going out of business in the fall of 2004.
I’d always wondered what had ever happened to the Slanted Fedora conventions. I had wanted to attend one because it sounded like they had a lot of good and unique ideas, but then they suddenly disappeared off the convention map. Now I know why…
Thanks for the good article!
i really want to go to FedCon Europe , next year .
Hello fellow cajuns from Louisiana.
If your interested. There will be a sci-fi con in Baton Rouge on July 19th and 20th,2008. Its called Babelcon. Its a great little convention.
This year the guest are : Suzie Plakson , Richard Hatch, and J.G. Hertzler. Their website is : http://www.babelcon.org.
Also, if you are interested in collecting anything Trek or other. One of my best friends is the owner of Paper Heroes in Lake Charles. Its a really great store. I’ll have to ask him about that convention in Lake Charles next year. I’m sure he will be involved.
Take care and I hope to see some of you at Babelcon.
Nothing comes to Pittsburgh anymore.
#38… I ‘met’ JG at Shoreleave several years ago. Probably one of the nicest guys, that when even with the line for autographs, he had his ‘Q&A’ session, and instead of just shirking the people in line, he walked down the line and autographed the books.
I enjoyed Shore-Leave for about 3 years, in the late 90’s, and always enjoyed the Friday Night Author Meet and Great. Talked with Michael Jan Friedman and even came in 2nd for a part in one of his books (The Valient).
Currently, I participate as part of the staff for a convention closer to home, that does not keep to a specific show or genre, it is a Multiple Reality Science Fiction and Fantasy Convention, known as MARCON in Columbus Ohio, the Friday-Sunday of Memorial Day weekend, who a couple years ago, had Rod Roddenberry as one of it’s Guest of Honors.
The theme for next year (2009) is “British Invasion”, but a rumor is that we may have a large contingent of Invaders from Q’onoS.
So, #39, I hope to see you at MARCON then, and bring your friends.
Yep, I was a survivor of not only FedConUSA but also the ’82 Houston Summit–I see you took notes, Anthony! :-) — which was an add-on to normal HoustonCon, and which also had the nickname Ultimate Fantasy (ads in Starlog, no less) .. and which infamously came to be called the “Con of Wrath.” It was my first-ever out-of-state con and the biggest to boot, even with the falloff. Just “memorable” all around–waiting to get into a room, the free-for-all “press conference” Harve and actors saved….
Outside of Trek, in Firefly Land, there was Flanvention, an infamous Dec. 2006 implosion where promoters of the Burbank/LA con that had gone over well came back a year later and then cancelled the day of–with fans in town at the LAX-area hotel… and the dealers and actors on hand carried the show anyway.
And many more smaller ones, too. I was once one of three (3) guests (no actors) at a con in an Arkansas Ozarks resort community, had lots of corporate sponsors–and I swear to god there were more guests than paid attendees (2). I mean, really–2?
Oh–two quibbles, guys: Licensed Trek conventions came in with “Enterprise” in 2001, not “the 90s”–and as for your GOOD cons list, you need to include veterans Tulsa Trek Expo, and Starfest in Denver (starland.com) which goes back to the ’70s!
Sorry, John T.–I just realized you did this one all alone and I had thought it was a group effort. Great job–my “quibbles” were only meant to add to it!
I haven’t been to a Star Trek conention in several years, mainly due to my schedule being so packed. I am hoping to go to one this year, but we’ll see.
My first convention was a Creation event in 1989… in fact, it was one week before the fourth season of TNG began. George Takei was the guest at the con. After his session, he did autographs, and actually invited me to sit down and talk to him while he was doing the autographs. I was 11 at the time. It was a very enjoyable time.
Shortly thereafter, Starbase Indy got started, which I attended for several Thanksgivings in a row. I finally gave up on it when I went to Seminary.
When I heard that a Thanksgiving Weekend con had been revived in Indy (by Slanted Fedora), I made a decision to go. I came in straight from work on Friday, so I was in my clerical collar. Jack Donner (Tal from TOS: The Enterprise Incident) had played a priest in some vampire movie, so Dave Scott (Mr. Slanted Fedora himself) thought I was in costume. When I explained to him that I was a real priest, I think he thought I was pulling his leg. When he came over to me after the opening session, he asked for proof that I was a priest, so I showed him my ID badge from work. He then asked if I would offer Mass on Sunday.
How many priests can say they have offered Communion to a Klingon and a Romulan?
Rob+
All I can say is that Creation Net does an AWFUL, AWFUL, AWFUL, AWFUL job accomodating those of us in wheelchairs and/or the handicapped.
I REALLY enjoyed a loud mouth worker practically yelling at me that I could not get my picture taken with Robert Piccardo (although I paid for my tickets for the convention and specifically wrote in HANDICAPPED in every space available) because they decided to take his pictures in a different room which had 3 steps going up into the room and he could not walk 10 feet to accomodate me. I was so embarrassed, I had 100+ people in line gawking at me.
To make things worse, I had a handicapped space all set for me. I wrote in HANDICAPPED/WHEELCHAIR when ordering the tickets and ecen calle twice prior to the convention just to make sure I was set. I was shocked upon arrival to see they put me IN THE MIDDLE OF THE CENTER AISLE !!!!
I made it to my aisle only smashing into about 4 people on the way in, however, after the first break when people moved thier chairs, I COULD NOT GET BACK INTO THE ROOM !
I had to listen to Anthony Montgomery and SULU himself from outside the room (they of course closed the doors) so I tried to push my head against the wall so I could listen in. All I wound up hearing was Bob Piccardo singing something I couldnt make out.
HUGE HUGE HUGE HUGE KUDOS to Suzie Plakson who remembered my wife and I from the previous year when she was autographing outside of Quarks during the Xmas break in Las Vegas.
Suzie sat and talked to me for over 45 minutes, let me listen to her CD player and gave me an 8×10 glossy photo after she saw the (insert expletive here) Creation pulled on me.
This was my very first trip into public in a wheelchair, I was so excited. I had not left my home in nearly 4 years except to go back into the hospital. I cried when we arrived at the convention I was so excited.
Creation Net was the first and ONLY place to ever make me feel handicapped and ruined the entire event for me. It took us 3 1/2 hours to drive to the convention and I could only stay for a little over 2 hours due to the restricted access.
I asked several people to help me move the chairs and I was told “We’ll see what we can do during the next break” and nothing happened. I could not get my wheelchair in between the rows to get to the center aisle. With the attendance only being 20% (MAX) of what the room could have held, I even asked if they could make a path down one side and I was willing to sit alone all the way in the back. They said “Sir, you have to sit in your designated seat”. This, as I said, was putting me in the middle of the room, alone, in between the columns of chairs. RIDICULOUS !
I write this here because every Trek fan that is handicapped I have met does not want to complain, they would rather be left out and lose $40.00 LIKE I DID on the pictures that they REFUSED to reimburse me for. NICE HUH?
I thought I should have gotten my $40 back for the photos (they claim no refunds !) and at least some portion of the tickets I could not use to see the speakers.
But hey, at least they send me weekly email alerts for more conventions that they will take my money for and leave me out in the hallway all alone again…..
Im sorry to be rough here guys but I have held this in for over a year now and FINALLY I find a spot (maybe not the right spot) to write what its like for those of us that are handicapped.
My advice, stay away from Creation Net !
I’m going to my first convention this year and I’m going to Shore Leave. It’s the closest covention to me as I live in VA. Has anyone else here gone to Shore Leave. I’m excited that I’m actually able to go this year. If anyone has some stories to tell I want to hear what I should expect. Just shoot me an email: tara0909@netzero.net
#2, #6, #11, #38—Not a current resident (I live in Houston, Tx), but I was born in Houma and my wife is from Thibodaux. We both still have family there and visit quite often.
I’ve never been to a convention, but I’d like to do so at least once. It sounds like Vegas might be the way to go. Any other suggestions?
I danced a little dance when Slanted Fedora folded and brought legal action. I had some wonderful times at Slanted Fedora shows, but never because of the people who ran it. They were arrogant money lovers who were very bad to the people attending their cons.
I never had any personal bad issues with them beyond simple rudeness – which I can deal with. But I was witness to several bad exchanges. Yes, Trek fans can be assholes to. But that wasn’t the case here.
I will say that Creation Cons are run well, and despite their little hiccups are handled gracefully. But they’ve kind of lost their soul and become a series of lines and tickets to buy things. I miss the Creation of old which was just a little more laid back and a chance to enjoy Trek. That’s nothing against Creation or it’s people now, just a personal preference.
The last ones I attended were the NYC ones from 1973-78. Fed”CON” USA was going to be the first one since then, but now it looks like I will be waiting a little longer to go to one of these events.
I’m thinking of going to the one in Plano, TX in Oct. This one has been going on for a few years and it looks pretty good …..
I used to go to conventions in my teen years; at first, they were fun with lots of interesting presentations and nifty things in the dealer’s room but eventually they became a bit too commercial, especially Creation. It seemed that the fans were forgotten in order to make a buck.
SDCC, however, is still fun to attend even though it’s getting more and more packed with bodies.
Long-time lurker, first time poster.
My college friends and I were at the first Con in New York City in January 1972. They expected 500, and 5000 of us showed up! The fire marshals kept threatening to close the place down but I think they were rather frightened of what we might do. I have a treasured photo with Gene Roddenberry and Isaac Asimov among my many wonderful memories of that weekend. The next year, I had the pleasure of meeting two fine gentlemen, Jimmy Doohan and George Takei. I’ve attended a number of the excellent Denver conventions with my son and daughter since then. If you’ve never been to one, give yourself a reward as we await Trek’s latest incarnation of the human adventure.