EasterCon 2007 Resurected

[Who's Wee Dug]

I was at Novacon over the weekend and one panel was mostly dedicated to the failed Eastercon, there is going on at the moment an effort to hold a con at Easter they were looking at Hotels in Cardiff,London and Nottingham the opps crew and other bods have been setup as yet no details about Guests or cost and it is different people who are organising it,as soon as I know anymore I will post it and the links if I have any.

[I, Brian]

Hm...this could get very confusing - especially if they try and rush an alternative and something falls through again.

[Mark Robson]

Looks like a recipe for disaster to me. Unless someone takes a firm grip of it, then they are setting themselves up for a fall. I'd hate to see another Convention lose lots of money.

[Ian Whates]

Having just returned from Novacon myself, I don't believe for one moment that this will fail. There's a real ground-roots swelling of support for the resurrected Eastercon. A formidable committee has been put together -- all with considerable experience of organising conventions -- co-chaired by Chris O'Shea and Fran Dowd. Chris had done a lot of groundwork in advance of Novacon and there's already a website from which membership is available: Contemplation 2007 – The British National SF Con for 2007.

My main reason for believing they'll succeed is the determination of the committee and virtually everyone else at Novacon that there will be an Eastercon. I honestly don't believe the fan base will allow this to fail. It might be smaller than usual and, dependant on the size of whichever venue is selected, there might have to be a cap on mebership numbers, but Eastercon is going to happen in one form or another. This is the flagship British SF convention, and we can't allow it not to happen.

[SJAB]

I hope they get something going.

[I, Brian]

What gets me is why they should announce the demise of Eastercon - and then announce there's a replacement coming.

Either there is an Eastercon or there isn't. Announcing both possibilities shouldn't have happened. Surely they could have been work on a replacement to existing plans *before* announcing Eastercon as dead.

Remember - there's an existing fan base, but there are also newer ones. It's going to be hard to bring in the new members if they are left uncertain as to what it going on.

Also - if I were with the BFS, I would be capitalising on this right now.

[Ian Whates]

Originally Posted by I, Brian

What gets me is why they should announce the demise of Eastercon - and then announce there's a replacement coming.

Either there is an Eastercon or there isn't. Announcing both possibilities shouldn't have happened. Surely they could have been work on a replacement to existing plans *before* announcing Eastercon as dead.

Brian, in an ideal world, undoubtedly you're right, but don't forget there's a big difference between the way Eastercon and the British Fantasy Cons are organised.

Where as FantasyCon is officially a BFS event, Eastercon is and always has been organised and run by fans, who are rarely involved in the upper echelons of the BSFA itself. The BSF awards are then traditionally presented at Eastercon because it's the UK's largest SF convention.

The reason, I suspect, that there has been no organised hand-over from one proposal to the other, is that they are two entirely different groups of people. Those organising Convoy (the aborted Eastercon) have spent a great deal of time and effort pursuing their plans, which have proved fruitless for a number of reasons, mostly revolving around the chosen venue. I doubt if they possess the means, energy or will to plot a smooth exit strategy after seeing all their efforts come to nought. This must be a terribly depressing time for them right now.

Another, different group of fans have stepped in to fill the breach left by the collapse of Convoy purely and simply because there is a breach that needs filling. Without their willingness to do so, there would be no Eastercon next year, and, amongst other things, that lack of continuity would make life an awful lot harder for those planning Orbital -- Eastercon 2008.

I think those responsible for the new committee should be applauded for what they're doing, and offered all the support that we, as fans, can give them.

[I, Brian]

Whoops - my bad - I meant BFS, not BSF.

ADDED: My point wasn't to berate the existing committee for failing to bring off Eastercon, or the new ones for picking up the gauntlet. It's simply that both announcements may cause confusion. Still, there's time enough to see about getting something else organised.

[Donna Scott]

Well, at least the word can be spread on here, Live journal, amongst the regular goers etc etc. I must admit though, that I still haven't confirmed I'm going myself... mainly due to being skintarooney!