Schmacky: Think we have a different understanding of convention. 100-200 people coming together for one day in one place to discuss, exchange information, show fan-art, and as well have time to just hang out I wouldn’t call a meet-up. Even not if it’s just fans and no more or less prominent guests
Places, rooms to meet in whatever form in bigger groups always costs money, no doubt there. Agreed guests always at least should get travel and overnight stay paid. Don’t even expect cast and crew to do things for free. Advantage for Vancouver is, that there are some of crew and cast living there (no, not talking of those staying there while filming), that might help to start. On the other hand I think a satisfying and good convention not always needs stars – it can be about the fandom.
Yup, even a small convention costs money, although not all necessarily thousands of thousands. But it sure should have solid financial planning and find funding besides selling tickets. But to me it sounded like you were hinting to better leave organizing a convention no matter what size to professionals – and that is what I disagree about.
And I think that VancityFilming is no fool. Yes, it is a crazy idea, if you’ve never organized anything alike before, but right now it’s an idea and someone looking, if there is interest, people wanting to take the risk and the challenge to organize it. If there are people let them makes plans and see what it takes. If they decide it’s not doable, then there is no shame. If they make it happen than we all will applaud.
If it is not about meeting the big names but about the fandom itself, people sharing an interest and wanting to socialize beyond web and social media (some call that in real life, as if internet isn’t real at all), local meet-ups, non-recurring or recurring is something that could be of interest, more interest even. In Germany I think so called “Trekdinners” still are alive in some places (sort of regular’s table, recurring local meet-up, but they do organize talks and discussion to specific issues of Star Trek and beyond as well). If you want to do more than socialize but are satisfied to meet just fans take a look eventually at the concept of BarCamps.
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