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hello and welcome again to Complaining About How Conventions Fail to Reach Potential New Members time!
Today we're going to start with some things that many convention committees (concoms) seem to not realize about younger/more diverse fans, whilst also bemoaning lack of same
Today we're going to start with some things that many convention committees (concoms) seem to not realize about younger/more diverse fans, whilst also bemoaning lack of same
1. Many potential attendees have never been to a con (online or in person) AND don't know anyone who's been to a con
2. Or they may have gone to anime cons, for-profit comic cons, &/or sff cons in other countries, which function differently from NA sff cons
2. Or they may have gone to anime cons, for-profit comic cons, &/or sff cons in other countries, which function differently from NA sff cons
(Quick aside that even within North American sff cons with similar focuses, expectations vary. Some cons have music events, some don't. Some cons are sff lit-focused to the extent that TV shows aren't allowed as panel topics. Some cons have hall cosplay, others have no costumes.)
3. Potential attendees may also have heard about instances of harassment and racism at cons, and be (rightfully!) wary
4. Potential attendees of any age/background may be short on cash and be put off by a lack of clarity about costs
4. Potential attendees of any age/background may be short on cash and be put off by a lack of clarity about costs
You need to look at your con and con info (website, program guide, and so on) in terms of barriers to entry. EVERY barrier--and they add up--means you lose potential attendees or alienate first-timers, who won’t come back.
Barriers to entry for a convention include obvious things like cost, distance, and technology, but also many other things that may not occur to you, since they are not barriers for you. So if you want your con to thrive, you have to put in the work.
Here are a few things you can do to make your convention more welcoming to prospective first-timers:
1. Explain every opaque con jargon phrase (and/or just replace it with clear language). Things like filk, BOF, concom, roses & thorns, Dead Dog party, con suite, etc.
1. Explain every opaque con jargon phrase (and/or just replace it with clear language). Things like filk, BOF, concom, roses & thorns, Dead Dog party, con suite, etc.
Example: "The con suite is open from 10 AM to 10 PM" is not an explanation. Not long ago I found out that a friend who's been going to cons for *years* didn't know what a con suite was, even though they were very short on cash and would have benefited from it.
Example cont'd: You should also say whether your con suite offers full-on meals or only snacks, because norms for that vary wildly among conventions. And if it's OK to eat and not donate, say so plainly. You may be thinking "why don't they just ASK?", but...
...asking questions about these things can be extremely fraught for marginalized fans, because it makes them vulnerable to being marked as outsiders, being laughed at, receiving (intentionally or accidentally) patronizing "help," and so on, either in person or in advance.
2. Explain your types of programming. For example, many con cultures don't have music programming. If yours does, explain what it is and add links to the performers’ work on Youtube, Soundcloud, etc. Typically I’ve never heard of the performers at sff cons.
3. Beyond definitions, tell attendees what to *expect* from something like a music circle: It's informal, you don't know who will play or what types of things they will play, you can/don't have to perform or sing along, you can bring an instrument, here are our turn-taking norms
4. Find a way for some of your concom members to attend/volunteer at cons that are very unlike yours, whether because of demographics, theme, location, or type of con
4. Give your program guide and URL to willing non-congoer friends/relatives/co-workers.* Ask them to mark EVERYTHING that they don’t understand/raises their eyebrows. Then fix those things!
*Remember not to ask for free labor from marginalized people; offer something in exchange
*Remember not to ask for free labor from marginalized people; offer something in exchange
Anyway, this is a huge subject, and it overlaps with the much larger issue that is the lack of diversity on concoms and programming, but hopefully some of these thoughts were useful! Happy Monday, everyone.
Since folks asked!
filk: fandom-themed music
BOF: "birds of a feather", casual interest group meetups
concom: convention committee (the organizers)
roses & thorns (among other idiomatic names): end of con feedback time
Dead Dog party: end of con party
con suite: room of free food
filk: fandom-themed music
BOF: "birds of a feather", casual interest group meetups
concom: convention committee (the organizers)
roses & thorns (among other idiomatic names): end of con feedback time
Dead Dog party: end of con party
con suite: room of free food
Related to the above thread: I notice that @boskonenews (online, starts today) actually has a feedback session at the end of the FIRST day of the convention 
