# Things I've learned from Science Fiction Conventions **URL:** \ **Category:** Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share\ **Created:** [November 6, 2012, 3:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/things-ive-learned-from-science-fiction-conventions/640095 "2012-11-06T15:53:46Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![Lynn\_Bodoni](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/e47c2d/32.png) [@Lynn\_Bodoni](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lynn_Bodoni)\ **Post date:** [November 6, 2012, 10:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/things-ive-learned-from-science-fiction-conventions/640095/21 "2012-11-06T22:36:06Z")
> [@](#): > > Freaking the mundanes is fun! This activity does not have to be limited to cons. My husband and I were out driving around several months ago, and saw a couple of cosplayers who looked like they were headed to the latest superhero movie opening. My husband boggled. I said “Oh, it’s just cosplayers”. Then I had to explain what cosplaying is. Then he wanted to know how I knew this stuff. Then I asked him if he really, really wanted me to explain, because I WOULD. He said that he’s probably happier not knowing. He’s been married to me for 35 years. And I can still freak him out. ---
**Author:** ![Andy\_L](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/c67d28/32.png) [@Andy\_L](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Andy_L)\ **Post date:** [November 6, 2012, 10:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/things-ive-learned-from-science-fiction-conventions/640095/22 "2012-11-06T22:38:36Z")
> [@RealityChuck](#): > > From the fan side: > Cons are not about science fiction or fantasy – it’s what you talk about when you run out of anything else. > The program is only a small part of the con. But if the programming is no good, the con won’t be, either. > Don’t miss a chance to go to a party. > You can wear unusual t-shirts at a con ([like this one](http://www.awit.com/shopping/images/P/OWD19017-Salvidore.jpg)) and people will get the joke. > Follow the wombat’s rules: At least four hours sleep and two real meals a day. Try as many activities as you can - Victorian dancing, filk singalongs, trivia contests, readings by people you’ve never heard of, watching an interpretative dance inspired by Underdog, etc., the art show, etc. You never know who you might end up having a great time meeting… behind the table (or mike) or in the chair next to you. ---
**Author:** ![Giraffe](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/giraffe/32/129_2.png) [@Giraffe](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Giraffe)\ **Post date:** [November 6, 2012, 10:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/things-ive-learned-from-science-fiction-conventions/640095/23 "2012-11-06T22:43:15Z")
> [@Czarcasm](#): > > If mixed properly, chocolate vodka and Mountain Dew tastes like a Tootsie Roll. I think the only reasonable definition of “mixed properly” with these two beverages is “left on the store shelves”. Also, why don’t we have a barfing smiley yet? ---
**Author:** ![Ethilrist](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ethilrist/32/4604_2.png) [@Ethilrist](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ethilrist)\ **Post date:** [November 6, 2012, 10:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/things-ive-learned-from-science-fiction-conventions/640095/24 "2012-11-06T22:51:22Z")
Two tips I remember from How To Survive Moderating a Panel: 1. This hasn’t killed anybody. Yet. 2. My, what a lovely tablecloth. ---
**Author:** ![Czarcasm](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/czarcasm/32/4050_2.png) [@Czarcasm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Czarcasm)\ **Post date:** [November 6, 2012, 10:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/things-ive-learned-from-science-fiction-conventions/640095/25 "2012-11-06T22:53:20Z")
> [@Ethilrist](#): > > Two tips I remember from How To Survive Moderating a Panel: > > 1. This hasn’t killed anybody. Yet. > 2. My, what a lovely tablecloth. 1. If you need audio-visual equipment, bring your own. Even if the con has promised it, some other panel is running long and won’t give it up. ---
**Author:** ![Cat\_Whisperer](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cat_whisperer/32/4839_2.png) [@Cat\_Whisperer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cat_Whisperer)\ **Post date:** [November 6, 2012, 10:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/things-ive-learned-from-science-fiction-conventions/640095/26 "2012-11-06T22:59:56Z")
> [@silenus](#): > > Never try to out-drink Spider Robinson when he’s on a roll. > > Pay attention to your surroundings.\Or watching Harlan drop his pants in public. Or Sharing an elevator with Dr. Demento. Or… Those three examples don’t surprise me at all. It’s surprising how not surprised I am. 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![Balance](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/ccd318/32.png) [@Balance](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Balance)\ **Post date:** [November 6, 2012, 11:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/things-ive-learned-from-science-fiction-conventions/640095/27 "2012-11-06T23:24:37Z")
1. In the wee hours of the morning, the most wired of the con attendees are still wandering around, looking for stuff to do after most of their friends have collapsed. If you are running an open-ended event, they will continue to show up until you forcibly close the doors. 2. Quickly cleaning up after your group and/or putting things back where they were before you got the room scores points with the staff of both the con and the hotel. 3. Just because someone looks like the Star Wars kid doesn’t mean he can’t actually wield that staff/sword/bat’leth/whatever with astonishing speed and skill. 4. It is amazing what you can build out of stacks of chairs late at night. > [@RealityChuck](#): > > You can wear unusual t-shirts at a con ([like this one](http://www.awit.com/shopping/images/P/OWD19017-Salvidore.jpg)) and people will get the joke. …that’s an unusual t-shirt? ---
**Author:** ![Andy\_L](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/c67d28/32.png) [@Andy\_L](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Andy_L)\ **Post date:** [November 6, 2012, 11:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/things-ive-learned-from-science-fiction-conventions/640095/28 "2012-11-06T23:32:45Z")
> [@Czarcasm](#): > > 1. If you need audio-visual equipment, bring your own. Even if the con has promised it, some other panel is running long and won’t give it up. And low-tech is sometime best - I use old-fashioned plastic transparencies, because a projector for that doesn’t have software or hardware incompatibilities (though if the light burns out, I have a problem). ---
**Author:** ![Andy\_L](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/c67d28/32.png) [@Andy\_L](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Andy_L)\ **Post date:** [November 6, 2012, 11:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/things-ive-learned-from-science-fiction-conventions/640095/29 "2012-11-06T23:34:39Z")
> [@Ethilrist](#): > > Two tips I remember from How To Survive Moderating a Panel: > > 1. This hasn’t killed anybody. Yet. > 2. My, what a lovely tablecloth. Heh. Note that if you suggest a panel idea, you’re quite likely to be named the moderator. ---
**Author:** ![RealityChuck](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/realitychuck/32/195_2.png) [@RealityChuck](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RealityChuck)\ **Post date:** [November 6, 2012, 11:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/things-ive-learned-from-science-fiction-conventions/640095/30 "2012-11-06T23:41:01Z")
> [@Balance](#): > > …that’s an unusual t-shirt? In the mundane, world, yes. No one gets the joke. Everyone at the con does. ---
**Author:** ![RealityChuck](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/realitychuck/32/195_2.png) [@RealityChuck](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RealityChuck)\ **Post date:** [November 6, 2012, 11:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/things-ive-learned-from-science-fiction-conventions/640095/31 "2012-11-06T23:58:51Z")
> [@Czarcasm](#): > > 1. If you need audio-visual equipment, bring your own. Even if the con has promised it, some other panel is running long and won’t give it up. If you need AV or special equipment, tell programming as soon as you know it. The earlier we know, the more likely we’ll have it. Other things I’ve learned from running programming: Rule of thumb: Panels are best with 3-6 participants. Less than three, and it’s hard to keep going. More than six and people get short shrift (I was on a panel of 8 with Gene Wolfe once; he barely got a chance to talk). (This doesn’t apply to people who want to to a solo presentation.) Have the silliest panels late at night. Everyone wants to be on a Saturday panel. Mix it up. It’s better to have attendees say, “Gee, there are two great panels opposite each other,” than “There’s nothing I’m interested in for the next two hours.” Make sure program participants have a slot to get lunch and dinner. Try not to give anyone more than two panels in a row without a break; three in an absolute pinch (and if you know the participant doesn’t mind). Don’t put readings next to the video room. Don’t have two panels on the same general subject opposite each other (e.g., two panels on SF movies). The more program participants, the better off you are. Don’t be afraid to contact big names for GOH. We got Larry Niven, for instance, to come to Albacon (with around 200 attendees) by just asking him. Other big names at the con included Anne McCaffrey (who had to bow out at the last minute due to health), Mike Resnick, David Drake, Terry Brooks, and Peter David. GOH etiquette: Ask only one person for each GOH slot. If turned down, ask your second choice. Do not ask anyone not currently at the top of the list. Regular guests: since they only get a free membership, ask away. Don’t be afraid to contact anyone: writers never mind an invitation. ---
**Author:** ![silenus](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/silenus/32/166_2.png) [@silenus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/silenus)\ **Post date:** [November 7, 2012, 12:18am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/things-ive-learned-from-science-fiction-conventions/640095/32 "2012-11-07T00:18:14Z")
> [@Andy\_L](#): > > Try as many activities as you can - Victorian dancing, filk singalongs, trivia contests, readings by people you’ve never heard of, watching an interpretative dance inspired by Underdog, etc., the art show, etc. You never know who you might end up having a great time meeting… behind the table (or mike) or in the chair next to you. QFT. If we hadn’t shown up early for a _Buffy_ panel at Comic-Con one year, we would never have discovered [Hard & Phirm,](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IKQPVp1Pd5o) who had the room before the sing-along. **RC** - I met Niven for the first time at a con that had to be smaller than that. I think he showed up just because he was in the neighborhood that day! ---
**Author:** ![zoid](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/zoid/32/336_2.png) [@zoid](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/zoid)\ **Post date:** [November 7, 2012, 12:56am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/things-ive-learned-from-science-fiction-conventions/640095/33 "2012-11-07T00:56:11Z")
Things I have learned from this thread… 1. I am a mundane (I had no idea) 2. FAR more planning goes into a Con than I would have ever guessed 3. I really want to go to a Con 😃 ---
**Author:** ![Beastly\_Rotter](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/45deac/32.png) [@Beastly\_Rotter](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Beastly_Rotter)\ **Post date:** [November 7, 2012, 3:03am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/things-ive-learned-from-science-fiction-conventions/640095/34 "2012-11-07T03:03:56Z")
Make sure you let your parents know what time you will be home. If staying over with friends, make sure there will be a responsible grownup there at all times. ---
**Author:** ![ExTank](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/35a633/32.png) [@ExTank](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ExTank)\ **Post date:** [November 7, 2012, 3:54am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/things-ive-learned-from-science-fiction-conventions/640095/35 "2012-11-07T03:54:51Z")
My “Con” experience is somewhat limited, having attended a few Star Trek cons in the early 90s, and twice at a local run literary con (for sci-fi/fantasy authors) in Dallas in the early 00s. But here goes: I never had enough money; a winning lottery ticket would’ve helped. Some. Do not go drink-for-drink with John Steakley (R.I.P.). David Drake is a super nice guy. Volunteers can get mad props from staff and Guests of Honor at small Cons. And we get into\* everything\*, for _free_! Eh. It’s all I got. ---
**Author:** ![Morgyn](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/morgyn/32/3041_2.png) [@Morgyn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Morgyn)\ **Post date:** [November 7, 2012, 4:26am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/things-ive-learned-from-science-fiction-conventions/640095/36 "2012-11-07T04:26:44Z")
If you’re working security and there’s a troop of Boy Scouts also staying at the hotel that weekend, keep an eye on the Boy Scouts. They can cause more trouble and damage than the entire con membership, and if you’re not careful, the con \*will \*be blamed. Elevators will be slow and crowded. Be prepared to wait. A book is handy. So is a Fluxx deck. Time is … flexible …in con space. The best “seat” for masquerade can be had by volunteering to be a spotter in front of the stage. ---
**Author:** ![Taomist](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/53a042/32.png) [@Taomist](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Taomist)\ **Post date:** [November 7, 2012, 4:44am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/things-ive-learned-from-science-fiction-conventions/640095/37 "2012-11-07T04:44:52Z")
> [@silenus](#): > > Never try to out-drink Spider Robinson when he’s on a roll. I am a lightweight, but I would LOVE to drink with the man. 😛 ---
**Author:** ![Balance](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/ccd318/32.png) [@Balance](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Balance)\ **Post date:** [November 7, 2012, 6:27am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/things-ive-learned-from-science-fiction-conventions/640095/38 "2012-11-07T06:27:40Z")
> [@RealityChuck](#): > > In the mundane, world, yes. Makes me glad I don’t live there. 😃 ---
**Author:** ![Czarcasm](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/czarcasm/32/4050_2.png) [@Czarcasm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Czarcasm)\ **Post date:** [November 7, 2012, 10:03am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/things-ive-learned-from-science-fiction-conventions/640095/39 "2012-11-07T10:03:27Z")
The rules go out the window at the Dead Dog Party. ---
**Author:** ![Corcaigh](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/eb8c5e/32.png) [@Corcaigh](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Corcaigh)\ **Post date:** [November 7, 2012, 11:59am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/things-ive-learned-from-science-fiction-conventions/640095/40 "2012-11-07T11:59:05Z")
[QUOTE=Balance;15669111 4) It is amazing what you can build out of stacks of chairs late at night. [/QUOTE] Yes. And also mattresses. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/things-ive-learned-from-science-fiction-conventions/640095.md?page=1) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/things-ive-learned-from-science-fiction-conventions/640095.md?page=3)