Looking for other ways to add professional and career elements to your convention? I've been contacting a few conventions to find out just what they're doing in that regard.
Tigercon, an event in Towson, Maryland (north of Baltimore), is a friendly university convention that had two neat additions you may want to use for your own convention:
First, if you want some pro guests, see about getting patronage from a larger convention to help set you up. You may easily make some contacts or get some new ideas – and even find if you have some local or other guests that may be interested in helping out.
Secondly, keep cultural education in mind especially if you're, say, an anime convention. People have interests in learning about other cultures, it helps add to the overall feel if you want to add more educational tracks, and you can often get help from local establishments, universities, and cultural centers.
Thanks to the folks at Tigercon – and if you're in the area, check it out!
-Steven Savage