Elizabeth Barrette (ysabetwordsmith) wrote,
Elizabeth Barrette
ysabetwordsmith
  • Mood: busy

SF Cons and the Economy

This article discusses how the economy is having a negative impact on science fiction conventions.

We couldn't afford to attend any conventions this year, and likely won't next year either. This is frustrating personally, and it's not good for my career. I like networking and I usually get some good leads at a con. In the past, we've usually managed at least one per year, sometimes several. This would've been a perfect time to talk about cyberfunded creativity; that's just begging for a panel.
Tags: economics, science fiction
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  • 17 comments
msminlr

msminlr

November 24 2008, 11:43:48 UTC 12 years ago

While I sympathise with you personally, having been on a restricted convention budget myself for a few years, I really can't muster the sympathy for an event like the ones cited in that article.

Back to you personally, are there no nearby fans for you to carpool / roomsplit with?
ysabetwordsmith

Thoughts

ysabetwordsmith

November 24 2008, 18:31:07 UTC 12 years ago

There aren't a lot, and they're as broke as we are. We often do carpool and share rooms. We're just at a point where that's not sufficient.
msminlr

Re: Thoughts

msminlr

November 24 2008, 22:54:11 UTC 12 years ago

Little Rock was like that for quite a while.
Since one of our group was able to replace his clunker with a relatively new minivan, though, that has changed LOT. Six of us recently went to FenCon in Dallas, with 4 of the group in a roomsplit.

Deleted comment

ysabetwordsmith

Yes!

ysabetwordsmith

November 24 2008, 18:30:01 UTC 12 years ago

That's exactly it. I miss the atmosphere and the face-to-face company.

We're thinking about trying WindyCon again.
haikujaguar

haikujaguar

November 24 2008, 13:27:27 UTC 12 years ago

On the other hand, gas prices have plummeted, so car travel is cheaper again, and hopefully air travel will follow. :)
ysabetwordsmith

Thoughts

ysabetwordsmith

November 24 2008, 17:54:03 UTC 12 years ago

That helps with everyday expenses. We're just not making enough to justify much in the way of roadtrips, though.

I'm leery of the low prices, though. I think the last spike made a lot of people realize how dependent they are on gas, and they didn't like it. A lot of people cut back on their usage and looked for alternatives. That's not going to make the oil companies happy; I think they're trying to convince people that the spike was a fluke and they should go back to treating gas as a negligible expense. But it's not, really. It's a finite resource and the world is running out of it. We should be seeking alternatives. Personally, if I want to go anywhere, I have to take a car; but suburban and urban folks have other options and should exploit those.
haikujaguar

Re: Thoughts

haikujaguar

November 24 2008, 20:37:03 UTC 12 years ago

It is true. I do a lot of walking these days, even to do local errands, but the truth is that it just takes a lot longer. I can do it because I don't work full-time; otherwise, spending an hour walking to the grocery store is just too much when you only have, say, four hours between when you get home from work and when you go to bed.

That's poor city design, but the truth is that modern cities are designed for travel-by-car, not travel-by-foot. And while there are a lot of disadvantages to that, having just gotten back from Chicago I can at least say that there's a lot more room for greenspace in cities designed for car traffic rather than foot traffic. Not sure how that works, but it seems to be so.
ysabetwordsmith

Re: Thoughts

ysabetwordsmith

12 years ago

  • New comment
themaskmaker

themaskmaker

November 24 2008, 14:34:31 UTC 12 years ago

It's been years since I've been able to afford a con, myself.
morningdove3202

morningdove3202

November 24 2008, 19:36:24 UTC 12 years ago

I haven't be able to afford a convention since my first kid was born.....

Is there such a thing as a family friendly sci-fi convention?
haikujaguar

haikujaguar

November 24 2008, 20:38:36 UTC 12 years ago

There are some, but you have to investigate each separate con to see if they have daycare, children's activities, strong policies on display of adult items in the dealer's room or art in the art show, etc. I've seen some really family-friendly conventions... and some really horrible ones. And there's no discernible pattern. :/
ysabetwordsmith

Hmm...

ysabetwordsmith

November 24 2008, 21:28:19 UTC 12 years ago

Did you check whether the con-com in general, and programming chair(s) in general, had kids?
haikujaguar

Re: Hmm...

haikujaguar

12 years ago

  • New comment
ysabetwordsmith

Re: Hmm...

ysabetwordsmith

12 years ago

  • New comment
daev

daev

November 25 2008, 02:45:59 UTC 12 years ago

This post of yours just convinced me to become a member of Arisia. How to get there and how to pay for it are still undecided, but I don't want to see SF cons disappear just because I wouldn't go!
ysabetwordsmith

Wow!

ysabetwordsmith

November 25 2008, 07:35:54 UTC 12 years ago

That's really great of you. I hope you have fun.
fayanora

fayanora

November 25 2008, 15:01:58 UTC 12 years ago

Too bad you don't live in Portland, there's a con every year here at the same hotel downtown... OryCon! Though I have been unable to attend any cons since my first OryCon last year. :-(

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