Robert J. Sawyer

Hugo and Nebula Award-Winning Science Fiction Writer

What is wrong with Canadian fandom?

by Rob - April 6th, 2009.
Filed under: Conventions.

So, we have six major general-interest regional science-fiction conventions left in Canada: VCON in Vancouver, Con-Version in Calgary, Pure Speculation in Edmonton, KeyCon in Winnipeg, Ad Astra in Toronto, and Con*Cept in Montreal.

And, incredibly, three of them are on the same weekend in 2009! VCON, Pure Speculation, and Con*Cept are all the first weekend in October. Don’t you guys talk? I know there’s a Canadian con-runners mailing list, for Pete’s sake.

VCON and Pure Speculation are definitely close enough physically that there are significant numbers of people who would have attended both — and there are crazy folk like me who will go to any major Canadian con if scheduling permits regardless of its location.

This just makes zero sense, guys. No wonder con attendance is shrinking coast-to-coast.

The Robert J. Sawyer Web Site

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