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Convention Idea: Cover Part-Time Businesses

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The roundup of convention resources is here.

Plenty of people think about starting a fannish business.  Of course such events rethinks you can try at conventions.  Certainly they're useful and of interest.

Let me suggest that, if you're going to do such an event at a convention, you consider something a little different.

Do a panel or series of panels on starting part-time fannish businesses.  How to run something on the side, on your weekends, along with your regular job, etc.

There are several advantages:

  • It's less daunting to people than panels on starting one's own business without doing it part time.  You'll get better attendance.
  • It is frankly easier to staff – you'll find more people qualified to speak on these issues.
  • It's a nice compliment to more "intense" business and career panels.
  • You'll have more diverse choices of subjects to cover as well, considering the many manifestations of part-time businesses.
  • It's often less formal.  Admittedly if we're talking conventions, some of your attendees will be doing gender-bent Watchmen costly, but you know what I mean.

Next time you want to talk business at a convention, talk part-time.

– Steven Savage

Convention Idea: A Range of Talent

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The roundup of Pro Fan Panel Ideas is here.

When you select a panel of people for your profane panels, workshops, etc. one of the questions that you'll face is what level of experience do you want.  Do you want an experienced pro – with the risk that others may not even understand them?  Do you want a newer pro – with the risk they don't know enough?  Do you want a student on their way there – but of course they have less credibility?

Let me toss out an idea for profan panels: provide a range of experience when appropriate.

Put an old salt, a new careerist, and a student on the same panel – or some other range of skill and experience.  Let them talk together, fight it out, or cover different areas of knowledge.  Either way, try a range.

Why?

  • It lets you give a variety of views.
  • It lets you give a variety of experiences relevant to people.  The new student may not be experienced but they know what current students are facing now.  The old hand may not get what it's like to start out today, but they know what current professionals are facing.
  • It gives you great cross-fertilization of ideas.  People of different levels of experience can put their minds together and come up with great panel ideas and sessions with less groupthink.
  • It also lets you spread or reuse panel resources.

So don't just focus on one experience level in your profan panels – go for a wide selection at once!

– Steven Savage

Convention Idea: Put It Online!

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The roundup of convention ideas is here.

You've got your career events at your conventions.  Teachers and experts and progeeks are speaking.  You've got workshops and gameshows and lectures.  You've got it all.

What about after?

Well in your mind after probably means "cleaning up after the con and wondering why someone left their Keyblade in a potted plant."  But, post-con-cleanup trauma, what are you doing with the panels and workshops and career events you had?

What about putting them and their materials online so others can benefit them and attendees can review them.

Consider how you can extend the value of your career events:

  • If the presenters had handouts, ask them to put them online or give you copies.  That way you can link to them from the website (in fact, you could do this before the con).  Observe proper copyright statements of course.
  • Did you film some of the events?  Can you stream them, put them online, make them available as podcasts?  Again, watch for copyright issues, but consider it.
  • Is there work that was done during workshops, panels, and other career events?  Can you post it online or post photos of it so people can see – and learn – from the results?

Think of all the materials involved or produced by your career events.  With proper procedures and approvals, you can put them online.  With them available to the world you can help those who attended – and those who didn't – easier.  It also promotes those kind enough to give your convention their time and effort to do those events.

It might even inspire events for next year, or build an archive to enrich the experience of the attendees in the years to come.

– Steven Savage