Worldcon: Glasgow 2005

[Lacedaemonian]

Not sure I can make the event now. My girlfriend convinced me that a few days away in Rome would be money better spent. Saying that it is costing the grand total of £40 for the pair of us to get to rome and back. Apparently the return flight cost a whopping £1.99. Anyway I will have to see how cheap the hotel's are in Rome.

[I, Brian]

I see there is a best website category.

Definitely need to spruce this place up for that.

[Kevin Standlee]

Originally Posted by I, Brian

I see there is a best website category.

That's right. Best Website is not one of the regular, ongoing categories; however, every Worldcon has the right to add one Special Category, good for that year only, and Interaction has decided to add Best Website. (ConJose in 2002 also had a Best Website category.) This decision is good only for the 2005 Hugo Awards; other Worldcons may decide to add a different Special Category, or not to add one at all (most Worldcon do not add a Special Category).

[Kevin Standlee]

In response to those who asked what industry professionals (authors, editors, artists, etc.) will be attending Worldcon, Interaction has just posted its first list of attending professionals to their announcements blog. This is just the first batch of people who have said they expect to attend and participate in programming. There will be many more as we get closer to the convention.

Of course, these lists are subject to change without notice. Everyone buys their own memberships and pays their own way to the convention, and personal circumstances inevitably cause some people to have to cancel at the last minute. However, I hope announcements such as this will give people here a better idea that Worldcon really is a major gathering of both fans and professionals in the field of science fiction and fantasy.

If you are planning to attend Interaction and think you might have something to offer Programming, please have a look at our Program Participants' Page and fill out the questionnaire there. As it says there, "if you don't tell us you are coming, we won't know you want to be involved!"

[Kevin Standlee]

Interaction is holding ConStruction IV, the fourth in a series of committee/staff/volunteer planning meetings, in Glasgow on the weekend of February 4-6, at the Moat House Hotel (the main Worldcon hotel, located next to the Scottish Exhibition and Convention Centre). All of the convention's top managers and many of the area heads and staff will be there.

Worldcons rely extensively on volunteers. Worldcons are among the largest all-volunteer-run events in the world. Hundreds of people donate their time, effort, and money to make the event happen. We can use all the help you can give us. If you're interested in getting involved with helping us put on the Worldcon this year and can get to Glasgow that weekend, I encourage you to drop in and find out what's going on.

[Kevin Standlee]

The list of people who have agreed to be on panels at Interaction continues to grow. Most Worldcons have hundreds of SF & Fantasy professionals attending and participating in the convention programming. We recently added some more names to the Interaction Program Participant List, and we will continue to add names to this list as more people agree to participate, so check that page periodically (or subscribe to the Interaction Announcements Blog) for updates.

[I, Brian]

Okay - will be adding this to the News feature here.

[CherylMorgan]

Just to keep you guys updated on the ever-growing programme participant list, we have recently added the following: Jack Cohen, David Hartwell, Ellen Kushner, Paul McAuley, Sean McMullen, William Meikle, Richard Morgan, Kim Newman, Alastair Reynolds, Geoff Ryman, Pamela Scoville, Delia Sherman, Jo Walton, Sheila Williams, Connie Willis.

The full Programme Participant List hasn't been updated with those yet, but we like to get the word out fast.

By the way, Newman and McAuley will be your hosts for the Hugo Award Ceremony on the Sunday night of the convention.

[Winters_Sorrow]

Cheryl,
Thanks for this - are there still tickets available?
The idea of Kim Newman as a compare has finally tipped the scales from "would love to go" to "must see!"

[Kevin Standlee]

Originally Posted by Winters_Sorrow

Thanks for this - are there still tickets available?

Short Answer: Yes, definitely. Worldcon will not be sold out, even on the day of the event. You can buy a membership online or through the post: See the How to Join Interaction page.

Longer Answer: FYI, Worldcons, like most fan-run science fiction conventions, don't sell "tickets." We sell "memberships," and when you join the Worldcon, you become a member of the World Science Fiction Society -- in fact, that's the only way to become a member of WSFS. Join now and you'll be able to vote on this year's Hugo Awards. (The Hugo Awards shortlist should be announced in a couple of weeks.)

The idea of Kim Newman as a compare has finally tipped the scales from "would love to go" to "must see!"

Great! I hope you'll have a great time at Interaction.

[CherylMorgan]

OK, so we've made Kim Newman fans happy. How about Lord of the Rings fans? Alan Lee, anyone?

[CherylMorgan]

Keeping the announcements coming, we are now absolutely delighted to let you know about our keynote science lecture. Professor David Southwood, Science Director of the European Space Agency, will be attending Worldcon to present a lecture entitled, "Titan and the Imagination, Huygens and Cassini." Professor Southwood will also be participating in other programming events, including being interviewed by Stephen Baxter. More details here.

[I, Brian]

Not bad - when do we find out about booking/setting up tables? I've still no information on that.

[CherylMorgan]

Hi Brian,

If all you want to do is book a table to promote Chronicles Network then you need to write to: fantables@interaction.worldcon.org.uk.

If you want to sell stuff commercially that's another matter, which I should explain more detail off the board.

Email me if you need more info, or if you don't get a response from the address above within a few days.

[I, Brian]

Thank you, and sorry for forgetting to come back to this - I e-mailed and apparently a table has been reserved for the chronicles network.