QWOC Con Questions

[jhameia]

So my Brass Lotus Society aspirations keep coming back and I really want a con that's headed by radical QWOC. I know there was Think Galactic Con but it's a book group now? I think location is a pretty big deal... when I lived in Hamilton I thought it would be easy for me to organize something, esp with the surrounding POC communities. And there's also the timesuck and energy issue, which I think is the biggest problem.... how to build a con for people exhausted by the outside world, when one is exhausted too?

Gotta think on this more. Especially since I don't have experience with con organizing.

If you do, what do you think are the biggest challenges of putting together a con?

Comments

[februaryfour]

Can't see the original post about BLS, but con organization tends to be tough when people don't realize that they have to organize EVERYTHING. Logistics will make or break you.

[jhameia]

Yeah, that's one of the things re: energy that I worry about a lot. How do people juggle it? I've seen con chairs who worry themselves ragged, especially for the first year or two.

[februaryfour]

They build committees full of people they can trust, but they still worry and they still run themselves ragged. I've only been president of my honors society for one semester (one more to go) and it's not a huge thing on the outside, but I didn't realize just how much work went on behind the scenes just organizing a Meet-N-Greet. Next semester I get to spearhead the Meet The Firms recruiting event that is the only outlet for public accounting recruiting at our business school. I've got a subcommittee focused on this, but we may end up expanding it.

If you want to organize a con, I STRONGLY recommend volunteering on ConCom somewhere.

[jhameia]

Yeah, I was thinking about that myself (volunteering). I've done a bit of organizing as president of the drama society in my undergrad years but the rules and scale are different, afaict.

[oyceter]

You might want to ping ladyjax on this... she ran Bay Area Slash Con (BASCon) for ten years iirc.

[jhameia]

Thanks! I forgot she was on DW.... I should try to use DW a lot more since I need to break up with Tumblr (not because it sucks, but because it's a huge timesuck).

[kate-schaefer.livejournal.com]

Biggest challenges in putting together a convention for the first time:

Identifying your goals (small, big, medium; weekend-long party, academic track, passionate discussion among like-minded people, guests of honor/no guests, video program, art show, competitive masquerade, games)
Figure out how many people are needed to achieve each goal
Figure out how many people you have available to work on the con
Recruit those people, making sure they have the same vision you do
Identify a date and facility
Create a realistic budget with a known break-even point (number of memberships sold at a particular rate to be able to cover all expected expenses)

There is a lot of useful info in the Conrunners' Wiki (http://www.conrunner.net/wiki/index.php?title=Main_Page). The most useful thing you can do for yourself before organizing a new convention is work on an existing one, which will give you an idea of the work involved and help you get in touch with people who know how to do the work.

[fantasyecho.livejournal.com]

Thanks, Kate!!

polymexina and I were thinking of volunteering to chair WisCon one year, and it's a thing I still want to do.

[zizi-west.livejournal.com]

I think that Kate's suggestions are important things to consider. In addition to my "main/primary" job (each different job requires a great deal of dedication, energy, and commitment so I'm reluctant to call either job a second job) I plan/produce/curate an annual event which draws a cumulative audience of about 1,500 people over several days. I've worked on it for ten years, and each year we face new challenges and learn how to improve of change with the times. The event is not a con, but it does involve guest presenters, volunteers, and a great deal of audience contact -- I think it's fair to say that we love our audiences and try to make them feel appreciated, just as we do our guests.

I can't go into much detail about the event here for reasons of personal privacy. However, there are a few things which came to mind when I read your post:

*Audience/member logistics (pass sales, audience survey forms for gathering data to improve next year, welcoming and greeting, troubleshooting)

*Location: we're able to keep our own events to 1-2 buildings, but it's useful to compile a list of local resources for out-of-town guests. Where's the nearest drugstore, hospital, library with free Internet access? Ask a local person who knows which bus stop is the safest, or which supermarket is less expensive to compile the list.

*Local business partnerships: Hotel discount codes, referrals to public transportation or small business /independent operators of car services (this could be especially useful to PoC operating independent transportation businesses). Can you reach out to local businesses to request in-kind donations for an opening night reception, and make sure that their food/floral arrangements/other item is prominently displayed where many people will know about it?

* Disability access: we still need to improve on ASL, etc. but we never hold an event in a building without wheelchair access. Is there an ASL interpretation training program at a community college or university in the town where you will have your con? If so, can you offer students in interpreter training programs an opportunity to get some field experience? Can you work with their professors/instructors to ensure they will get credit, or will be paid for their work? What sort of documentation is required, and can you delegate the documentation to specific con staff person?

*Partnerships and/or relationships: Working together with local nonprofit groups or local higher ed contacts. Can you collaborate to pay part of the travel & lodging fees for guest presenters? Can you partner with a local nonprofit group? We've managed to form good relationships with HIV/AIDS organizations, health organizations, QPoC groups, educators, and other local groups. We try find mutually beneficial ways to work with community groups; as we have a modest ad budget the word of mouth generated by these relationships has been VERY helpful. In return, we try to let our audience know about the important work these groups are doing via our various social media platforms.

* Documentation: can you spare volunteers/paid people to concentrate only on collecting image release signatures , taking photos, videotaping, audio recording? Even when things get hectic (as they will) , does everyone remember to leave these people free to concentrate ONLY on audio, video, etc. instead o trying to pull them into unplanned volunteer duties? This has happened to me while working tech -- I only look as though I am not busy, while I am actually watching a monitor or standing by to assist the lead tech person. Folks really don't understand and then get annoyed with you because they think that you aren't "busy".

All of this may seem obvious, but as I've learned it can be easy to forget some of this early in the planning process! Hope it's useful.

[fantasyecho.livejournal.com]

Thanks for this list too <3 (Missed you this year!) This is one of the reasons why I wish I was still in Hamilton, where I'd be able to scope out some of these considerations on my own.

[zizi-west.livejournal.com]

You're very welcome! Regretfully I had to miss the con this year but perhaps next time.
I can certainly empathize with needing to spend some time in a location to make event planning & logistics easier. Sometimes it takes years to learn about resources, people who could help but haven't been asked because you haven't met yet, etc.
No matter when the QWoC con comes to fruition -- one year or a few years from now -- I hope that it goes well!