I attended my first science fiction convention, Aggiecon 20, in 1989. I didn't actually see much of it, being a worker in the dealers room, but I did some gaming and met Octavia Butler in passing. The next year I ran the dealers room, and in 1991 I ran the whole shebang, with Aggiecon 22 being somewhat successful, relatively speaking. Since then, I've attended every intervening Aggiecon in some form or fashion, even the Michael Moorcock year in which I wrecked my truck and was only able to stumble in for an hour or so.
That's something like 19 consecutive conventions, a streak unbroken until this year. Aggiecon 39 was held this past weekend. I didn't attend. I wasn't invited. From what I hear, a number of the so-called "regulars" weren't there either. The current group of students in charge seem inclined to turn it into a media convention, with writers relegated to an afterthought. I have to question the long-term viability of a convention that bills an actress such as Ellen Muth from the defunct TV series Dead Like Me as the main attraction, but it's their con and they can run it as they please. I obviously have a lot of emotional investment in that con, and hate to see it fade away after all the attempts by the university administration to kill it over the years, but the fact is, Aggiecon's been long since replaced by Armadillocon, Apollocon and even ConDFW as conventions I look forward to attending the most every year. The reverse used to be the case.
Not that I'm suffering over here, mind you. I got a lot of yard work done Sunday. The Wife and the girls spent Saturday at a Girl Scout retreat while the Bug and I did a bunch of male bonding stuff. The Wife and I watched a few episodes of Tell Me You Love Me via Netflix (not for everyone, but we're quite taken with it) and I finally got to see Hollywoodland. And I also finished part 9 of MEMORY, which was no small feat.
So it's not like I was sitting at home, pining for a last-minute call from the convention. But a snub's a snub, and I'm probably taking it a little more personally than I should. I suspect I'll get over it.
Now Playing: The Beatles Abbey Road
Considering some of the problems the organizers had to overcome this year, they did a pretty good job. I'm surprised there was a convention at all. Maybe next year they'll be back on track.
ReplyDeleteWhile I am completely sympathetic with your viewpoint (and you were not the only regular author snubbed), to a certain degree there were exceptional extenuating circumstances this year. Keeping in mind that the current crop of Cepheids will cycle out within two or three years, I hope you will give AggieCon another shot in the future - as always, it is a convention that is constantly re-inventing itself, sometimes for the worse, as you noted, but also sometimes for the better.
ReplyDeleteI broke a 30 year record by not going this year. I've hit every one since 1978, but this year AT Campbell invited us to visit him in Austin instead. After the shoddy treatment they gave Martha as a guest so that she finally cancelled on them, we decided a nice weekend shopping in Austin would be better, and it seems like we were right.
ReplyDeleteI really hope they can salvage Aggiecon, but I worry, especially with their continuing contempt for what it used to be and refusal to ask for help when they need it.
Sorry you were not there, Jayme. I always enjoy visiting with you. Maybe next year. We had a few takers for the SF Collection tour this time, despite working outside the con management.
ReplyDeleteSee you next year.
Hal
Hey, I'll go if they invite me. But I'm not going to stand outside their door, hat in hand, begging to be let in. Like I said, I'm deeply attached to Aggiecon, and love going if only to catch up with old friends at the Monkey House, Hal's Special Collections and the like.
ReplyDeleteI hadn't heard about "extenuating circumstances" with the con this year, but from my experience, there are *always* extenuating circumstances. Back in the summer I sent them my regular offer to help out in any manner possible. As usual, there was no response. Which doesn't surprise me, but makes it darn hard to conjure sympathy when they run into problems and don't ask for help.
I still say going the media route leads to ruin. Stellar Occasion and Dallas Fantasy Fair couldn't make a media con work, and they had better PR and a huge population base to draw from. I've seen Aggiecon plunge into the red with darn near every media guest brought in. I've voiced my concerns about this to con staff in recent years, who've laughed off my worries with "Aggiecon has plenty of money." Somehow, that doesn't reassure me.
A big problem with this con was a complete lack of evidence that any work was being done on it. I saw no publicity. The con's website lacked basic information and was rarely updated. Those of us who don't live in the Bryan/College Station area had to face the possibility of a long drive to a con that might not even be happening. Those concerns, in addition to my writer friends being treated poorly be the con, made my decision to skip it easy.
ReplyDelete