Re: [UUPoly-L] UUPA literature at SF conventions

[Victor Raymond <vraymond@iastate.edu>]

Dear Alan,

SF conventions are a diverse bunch.  Arisia, for example, is a major 
regional convention, getting a broad base of attendees across a wide 
range of interests.  Similar conventions would include:
   * Convergence, usually July 4th weekend, in Minneapolis-St. Paul 
(attendance somewhere around 2500-2700)
   * Norwescon, in Seattle (attendance somewhere around 2000 or more)

...but there are smaller, more focused conventions, handling 
different interests:
   * Wiscon, "world's foremost feminist SF convention" - Memorial 
Day weekend, in Madison, WI (attendance around 1000)
   * Readercon, on the East Coast, fairly small (I've never been, 
but you may have gone)
   * Potlatch, a fundraiser for Clarion West, rotates around the 
West Coast, medium sized
   * ...and many, many others.

The trade-off is between size of convention and likely 
attendees.  Larger cons are great for spreading the word, but the 
vast range of interests ensures that a relatively small number will 
be interested.  The smaller conventions work a little better, *if* 
you pick one with a compatible focus - Wiscon might be a good fit, 
for example.  You probably know about all of this anyway, so I'll 
leave it at one more point:  having programming at the convention 
related to poly themes is the best way to ensure people will pick up 
flyers.  Since a lot of SF speculates about changes in human society 
in the future and in fantasy settings, this is pretty easy to do.

Maybe a discussion here of worthwhile panel topics and how to take 
them to conventions might be a good idea?

Victor

At 04:03 PM 1/21/2008, you wrote:

> I just got back from the Arisia science fiction convention in Boston,
> attendance 2,000. The con had three well-attended poly panels, 50 - 70
> people at each.
>
> On the freebie literature rack by the registration desk, I put out
> several bunches of flyers about different poly groups and events.
> Interesting datum: The UUPA flyer (the one titled "Polyamory in
> Liberal Religion") got picked up by convention-goers quite a bit
> faster than any of the others (a Poly Boston flyer, a general-purpose
> "What is polyamory?" handout, one for the upcoming Poly Living con in
> Philadelphia, and one for Florida Poly Retreat put there by someone
> else).  This despite the fact that SF fandom is highly irreligious (by
> American mainstream standards) and UUism has nothing to do with
> science fiction (though one could argue).
>
> A similar experiment at last year's Arisia had the same result.
>
> This says to me that we oughta routinely get our flyers onto the
> freebie racks at SF cons. Anyone know how to do this by mail? Anyone
> wanna pick up this ball and run with it? Or suggest how I could?
>
> Cheers,
>
> Alan
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Victor J Raymond
vraymond "at"  iastate.edu

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