Worldcon: Glasgow 2005

[Kevin Standlee]

If you haven't been following Sailing the Clyde, the Interaction blog, you may have missed the recent announcement of a whole bunch more program participants. This increase is typical of a Worldcon, which will generally have a couple hundred program participants, but of course nearly all of them are paying their own way to the convention (including buying their own memberships), so they tend not to confirm attendance until fairly late in the game.

Memberships to the convention are, of course, still available from Interaction's How To Join page.

[Mark Robson]

Am now all paid up and looking forward to Worldcon. Have also booked a table in the dealer's room, so I hope that any of you who are going to attend will drop by for a chat. If I try to sell you a book before I know who you are, I apologise in advance. Best advice - get in the first word... if you can!

[marv335]

reading the attendees list, it looks like Pterry will be there, i may have to get a ticket!

[Kevin Standlee]

Originally Posted by marv335

reading the attendees list, it looks like Pterry will be there

Indeed, Terry Prachett likes attending Worldcons. He was one of the Guests of Honor of last year's Worldcon in Boston, Noreascon 4.

Originally Posted by marv335

i may have to get a ticket!

While those of us organizing the convention would be delighted if you bought a membership (see Interaction's Membership Page), it's only fair to say that many people who bought memberships but are now unable to go are selling them. (It appears to be mostly Americans who have been hammered by the tanking of the US dollar and now can't afford the travel. As I am flying from California myself, I'm sympathetic, as I watch the cost of my trip roughly double. ) You should be able to pick up a membership from someone for less than it would cost to buy one now or at the door. One of the most common places for people to announce memberships they have for sale is Interaction's LiveJournal -- just scroll backwards through the entries and you'll see many posted. Some of those on offer have since sold, and people do not always follow on that the membership is sold, so may have to try several times before you find one still available. Many memberships still have their Hugo Award Voting rights available, so if you buy a membership now, you'll still have an opportunity to vote on this year's Hugo Awards.

And, just to be clear, don't be put off by us calling the thing you have to buy to attend the event a "membership." Worldcons and most other fan-run science fiction conventions with which I'm familiar don't sell "tickets" -- they sell "memberships" that include admission to all events. In fact, when you buy a membership to Interaction, you become a member of the World Science Fiction Society. (Actually, that's the only way to become a member of WSFS.)

[CherylMorgan]

We've just added over 200 more programme participants to our list, including Anne McCaffrey.

[Winters_Sorrow]

I'm getting damn tempted to fork out for the Worldcon now.
It's not often its in the same country as me.

Argh! what to do!!??

[CherylMorgan]

There are quite a few Americans offering half-price memberships for sale over on our Live Journal because they've found they can't afford the air fare. I know 50 quid saving isn't much compared to the cost of getting to Glasgow and hotel bills but it helps.

[Mark Robson]

For any of the Worldcon Staff:

The huge number of participants makes me wonder what the criteria are in order to 'participate'. I'm already booked into Worldcon and will have my own stand in the dealer's room, but have not registered as a participant. As my next two books are to be published by Simon & Schuster (UK) in the near future, does this qualify me to take part in anything different to 'Joe Public'?