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The con was great, and I had a blast. Thanks so much to the committee for organising a great con. Here's some dot-point notes:
- Richard Morgan was a great guest of honour. I thought he was really friendly and approachable, and he was an engaging speaker/panelist.
- I didn't see as much of Trudi Canavan, but she seemed very nice. Unfortunately she was extremely quiet, so I couldn't hear her 90% of the time she spoke.
- I ran four panels (Lost, Top 10 TV Shows, 2008 in Film and Changing the Heroes), and in my opinion they all went really well. I'm very pleased about that.
- I bought some stuff: Seasons 1 & 2 of Lost on DVD, The Complete Conan Chronicles (for $15!), 4 issues of Borderlands, From Hell, New Ceres Nights and Angel Rising.
- I nominated for the WASFF board but missed out. I didn't mind though, as this year was really a case of being spoilt for choice. You could've picked just about any six of the twelve nominees and ended up with a great board, and I think those who made it on are all very capable, hardworking folks who'll do a wonderful job. I'll probably nominate again next year.
- I found that the programme was a little front-loaded for me personally, as I attended a stack of stuff on Thursday and Friday but had trouble finding more than one or two things of interest on the remaining days. Saturday was especially problematic - with the art show and market day each taking up a full room, the programming ended up being very light. I think the only panel I attended was the one I was running.
- There was a fairly good balance of topics throughout the programme, although I still feel that there aren't enough panels on specific fandoms. There was a late surge to include more of these types of panels just before the con, but after scanning through the programme I still only noticed around 15 panels where the topic involved a specific author, TV series, film director, comic character, etc. When panels about actual specific SF fandoms are outnumbered by those on OT subjects and meta-fandom, I think that's a bit of a problem, particularly when several of the meta/OT ones are rehashing stuff from previous years. I did my bit with the Lost and Heroes panels, and I intend to do the same sort of thing next year (currently formulating concepts for an Aeon Flux panel/presentation). I'm really hoping more people do the same.
- Pocket programme was a fantastic idea.
- The masquerade really shouldn't have ended at 10:30pm. I have nothing against geek singalong and singstar, but there was another room available at those times, and I really think they could've got by without the top-level AV equipment the masquerade utilises. For many people, the masquerade is one of the major highlights of the con, and having it come to a grinding halt 90 minutes earlier than usual was a massive letdown for everyone there. That being said, the setup for the masquerade was excellent, so major kudos there for a job well done.
- I received several complements on my DJ set, which was lovely. I always have such a great time DJing, and it's really nice to know that people are enjoying it.
- I was asked to be programme coordinator for one of the 2011 bids. I was awfully flattered, but I don't think I'll programme another SwanCon any time soon (if at all). I might convene one, but that project is still a long way off.
- I'm really excited about the winning 2011 bid. A very professional bunch of people and a very impressive bid.
- It was great to see such strong support for children and parents.
- The art show boasted perhaps the most impressive field of entries I've ever seen at a SwanCon.
- I have a really strong desire to watch a bunch of classic SF TV series I haven't yet seen before next year's con - Edge of Darkness, Quatermass, selected Doctor Who, Blake's 7, Starcops, etc.
- I introduced two new people to SwanCon, and as far as I can tell, they both really enjoyed it and intend to come again next year.
I can't think of much else to write at the moment. Might post more if I realise I forgot anything important.
- Richard Morgan was a great guest of honour. I thought he was really friendly and approachable, and he was an engaging speaker/panelist.
- I didn't see as much of Trudi Canavan, but she seemed very nice. Unfortunately she was extremely quiet, so I couldn't hear her 90% of the time she spoke.
- I ran four panels (Lost, Top 10 TV Shows, 2008 in Film and Changing the Heroes), and in my opinion they all went really well. I'm very pleased about that.
- I bought some stuff: Seasons 1 & 2 of Lost on DVD, The Complete Conan Chronicles (for $15!), 4 issues of Borderlands, From Hell, New Ceres Nights and Angel Rising.
- I nominated for the WASFF board but missed out. I didn't mind though, as this year was really a case of being spoilt for choice. You could've picked just about any six of the twelve nominees and ended up with a great board, and I think those who made it on are all very capable, hardworking folks who'll do a wonderful job. I'll probably nominate again next year.
- I found that the programme was a little front-loaded for me personally, as I attended a stack of stuff on Thursday and Friday but had trouble finding more than one or two things of interest on the remaining days. Saturday was especially problematic - with the art show and market day each taking up a full room, the programming ended up being very light. I think the only panel I attended was the one I was running.
- There was a fairly good balance of topics throughout the programme, although I still feel that there aren't enough panels on specific fandoms. There was a late surge to include more of these types of panels just before the con, but after scanning through the programme I still only noticed around 15 panels where the topic involved a specific author, TV series, film director, comic character, etc. When panels about actual specific SF fandoms are outnumbered by those on OT subjects and meta-fandom, I think that's a bit of a problem, particularly when several of the meta/OT ones are rehashing stuff from previous years. I did my bit with the Lost and Heroes panels, and I intend to do the same sort of thing next year (currently formulating concepts for an Aeon Flux panel/presentation). I'm really hoping more people do the same.
- Pocket programme was a fantastic idea.
- The masquerade really shouldn't have ended at 10:30pm. I have nothing against geek singalong and singstar, but there was another room available at those times, and I really think they could've got by without the top-level AV equipment the masquerade utilises. For many people, the masquerade is one of the major highlights of the con, and having it come to a grinding halt 90 minutes earlier than usual was a massive letdown for everyone there. That being said, the setup for the masquerade was excellent, so major kudos there for a job well done.
- I received several complements on my DJ set, which was lovely. I always have such a great time DJing, and it's really nice to know that people are enjoying it.
- I was asked to be programme coordinator for one of the 2011 bids. I was awfully flattered, but I don't think I'll programme another SwanCon any time soon (if at all). I might convene one, but that project is still a long way off.
- I'm really excited about the winning 2011 bid. A very professional bunch of people and a very impressive bid.
- It was great to see such strong support for children and parents.
- The art show boasted perhaps the most impressive field of entries I've ever seen at a SwanCon.
- I have a really strong desire to watch a bunch of classic SF TV series I haven't yet seen before next year's con - Edge of Darkness, Quatermass, selected Doctor Who, Blake's 7, Starcops, etc.
- I introduced two new people to SwanCon, and as far as I can tell, they both really enjoyed it and intend to come again next year.
I can't think of much else to write at the moment. Might post more if I realise I forgot anything important.
