Hope you had a safe 'n' reasonably sane Fourth of July. I'm still at CONvergence, a gathering which I've been lying to say is in Minneapolis, Minnesota. We're actually in Bloomington, which is about nine inches away.
I need to think up terms to differentiate two kinds of conventions I attend. One would be like the Comic-Con International in San Diego — a professionally-run event that has trade show overtones and underpinnings. To some extent, San Diego evolved out of the other kind I'm about to describe, and it took a bit of attitude adjustment for me to accept that transformation. At Comic-Con, there's a huge exhibit hall loaded with commerce, ranging from amateur dealers selling boxes of old comics…all the way to major entertainment corporations with expensive floor displays to promote product. There are panels (I'm now hosting 17 at the one later this month) and parties and such…but the spine of the event is companies and individual attendees trying to advance on their livelihoods.
There's little of that at the other kind, which would be typified by CONvergence or by the con where I found myself last Independence Day, a gathering of "furry" fans in Pittsburgh called Anthrocon. At neither of those gatherings were the organizers paid, even though they worked their buttockal areas off. The underlying idea is/was just, "Hey, it would be so great to have this event — for us and folks like us — so let's put it on!" While there are some dealers here selling stuff (mostly books and crafts) and while there may well be folks advancing their careers, that's not at all the reason for CONvergence. It's here because a lot of people thought there should be CONvergence and set about to make that happen.
Everything here is born of that generosity but nowhere is it more obvious than around the pool. There's a huge indoor one here at the Sheraton Bloomington, with an adjoining "party" area. Surrounding it is an atrium of hotel rooms and the bottom two floors have what I guess they call "cabana" rooms, which are perfect for parties. Congoers long ago booked all those rooms and in each one, especially during the evening, you'll find a themed party or event run at considerable personal expense just to please other congoers. There's one room full of belly dancers; another, where folks make and pass out sno-cones; another which dispenses pizza. A big fave is The House of Toast, a cabana room where its proprietors make toast all night, slather on any of about eighty toppings you choose, and hand you a lovely edible treat. It's free toast…how cool is that? (You can tip if you like, and most do, but the point is that they set up this elaborate concession just for fun.)
The most impressive rooms are probably the Star Trek ones and despite my microscopic interest in that franchise, I had to admire the enterprise (ahem) involved. Some folks rented these cabana rooms well in advance, took detailed measurements, then went off and constructed elaborate sets to turn their suites into Star Trek locations. In them, there is no trace of anything Sheraton — even the bathrooms are hidden behind faux walls — so you walk in and you're in the Transporter Room or wherever. I apologize that I don't know sufficient Trek lore to describe what they did…but folks who do are stunned by the replication…and even a non-Trekker like myself can tell that hundreds of man-hours and thousands of dollars have been expended to do something just to delight others.
There is also liquor — free-flowing and free — and for those who don't partake, the convention has two suites that do nothing but dispense gratis soft drinks. It all contributes to a wonderful atmosphere. The whole bloomin' Sheraton is full of CONvergence attendees. I'm told Northwest Airlines has a handful of rooms for its crew but otherwise, the place is crammed to the rafters with creative, fun people with an interest in science-fiction, fantasy, comics and/or certain related areas. I should have stressed the word "creative" because that's the atmosphere in the halls, which are festooned with clever signs and costumes and decorations. And I haven't even made it yet to the many rooms showing both classic movies and films made by members of the convention.
And why do they do all this? Just for fun. That's really the best part of it.
I do not mean to suggest, in speaking of these two kinds of conventions, that one is better than the other. I enjoy both and am glad we have both varieties…and of course, the mindsets are not mutually-exclusive. But the impressive thing about the Comic-Con in San Diego or the gathering I attended in New York earlier this year, is how much of the industry is present — how many deals and careers are made. Here at CONvergence, it's more about how many friendships are made. This is going to be a great con-going July for me because I get to attend what must be the best in each category. Plus, I got free toast. Doesn't get much better than that.