Worldcon question

[stephbg]

I'm assuming that Worldcon has a panel programme of some sort. Since I've only ever been to Swancons, can anyone provide a compare-and-contrast with Swancon panels? Bigger audiences therefore less interactive? Fewer fan panellists? That kind of thing. TIA

Comments

[strangedave.livejournal.com]

The most important thing about Worldcon programs is that they have many streams, so you can't generalise much -- all sorts of things can lurk in the 5th or 6th stream of programming, including some awesomely cool and weird things. Some of them have MUCH bigger audiences, all star panels, and relatively little audience interaction, but some of them, particularly the ones that are more about fandom than SF are quite a lot like Swancon panels. The main difference is they have a LOT more authors to use, so a lot of panels will tend to get filled with authors with less fans. But there are whole streams that are mostly fans.

The fans that are on panels tend to be ones with experience on panels, and usually some qualifications, rather than newbies.

I've been a Worldcon panellist a bunch of times, at a few worldcons. There will be some individual Worldcon differences.

[stephbg.livejournal.com]

Ta. That's about what I expected. Since I'm not the right kind of author, nor wildly experienced on panels, and am less than keen about fandom panels it looks like my Worldcon panel ambitions just fell through the cracks ;-)

[kevin-standlee.livejournal.com]

I wouldn't conclude that immediately. You're better off talking to the programming people at the Worldcon in question than making that assumption. Remember, every Worldcon is a one-shot event. It's not run by a single organization that moves from town to town annually. It's a giant one-time-only convention, set up to run once by a single committee. Each committee is different, and each Worldcon varies from the others in some way.

To see how much variety there is, check out the programs of the various past Worldcons, which are linked from the Worldcon.org web site. Notice how different each convention is and how each takes a different approach to their event.

[kremmen.livejournal.com]

As an example, here's Nippon 2007's programme. That's a small (i.e. non-US) Worldcon. US ones can get up to 25 streams.

[kevin-standlee.livejournal.com]

Well, I've never been to a Swancon, so I can't give you a direct comparison, but I've been to a lot of Worldcons and to a lot of "local" conventions (BayCon and SiliCon in the SF Bay Area, Norwescon in the Seattle area, OryCon in the Portland area, etc.), and I personally don't think there's a significant difference between a panel at a local con and a panel at a Worldcon. Oh, you can sometimes get huge-turnout events where it wouldn't be practical to have the small-scale interactivity you would when the audience and panel have about the same number of people, but because a Worldcon can cover so much variety, you can certainly find all types of panel type event. The biggest thing a Worldcon has is a larger pool of "talent" from which to draw, and more program items to provide. The essential format of the convention doesn't change, though; there's just more of everything.

[mortonhall.livejournal.com]

Were you looking at the Australian Worldcon or a different one?

If it's the Australian one then you have an in with the Divisional Head of Programming who will do their best to find you *something* that you can be on :)

[callistra.livejournal.com]

*snicker*
:-)

Post it so we can talk about it, Steph!

[stephbg.livejournal.com]

Nothing specific emerges from the usual simmering morass of panel ideas. Frankly I think it was just my ego wondering if I was good enough for the "international stage".

[callistra.livejournal.com]

We talked about that feeling in the worldcon panel at swancon, remember?
:-)
We all feel that way!

[stephbg.livejournal.com]

I missed that panel--I was a little busy--but it's nice to know we share the same regional concerns :-) Are there any notes/reports/recordings of that panel around?

[callistra.livejournal.com]

Dammit, I thought you were there for a bit before you headed off to make/find/porridge..
No, no recordings of that one.

[emma-in-oz.livejournal.com]

Cough, I think that for instance there will be an arty stream in which you might want to participate.

[stephbg.livejournal.com]

*runs screaming*