Hey, it's a convention!

[netmouse]

The SFRA meeting is not exactly a standard SF convention, being more academic and having no consuite (if there are parties, I'm not in the loop to know about them), yet it has a similar feeling of community and I am enjoying it. The bar was a decent gathering place post the formal program last night though I am sick to death of the notion that bars must have multiple TVs playing various sports all the time. A few of us snuck into the quieter closed restaurant part to discuss our panel coming up today and after a short discussion the waiter let us get away with that, which was nice.

I am participating in a roundtable on science fiction archiving this afternoon, representing the Science Fiction Oral History Association. Right now I'm at a panel on awards and the value of them. Very interesting.

Side note: Lawrence, Kansas: very pretty town. I wish I had more time to explore it.

My travels yesterday were uneventful. It's been a long time since I most recently traveled on Southwest Airlines, and I find I'm still fond of their efficiency. Hopefully tomorrow's travel is a similar experience.

Comments

[shsilver.livejournal.com]

Interesting. When we ran SFRA in Skokie a few years back, it definitely had a con suite.

[netmouse.livejournal.com]

After you posted that, I double-checked, but in fact the fellow behind the registration desk didn't even know what a consuite was. Once I explained, he confirmed there was not one.

There have been some interesting conference running choices here that people have been commenting on, not in a loud complain-y way, but indicating it ought to be done differently. Someone said ten minutes' break between session was clearly not enough time, the lunch hour (11:50-1) was similarly overly short, and at the awards ceremony (which started at 7 with an hour and a half dinner on your own marked before it ont he schedule) they had a cash bar before and during the ceremony (which didn't start until at least 7:30), followed by a reception after (we got to the food between 9 and ten pm) at which they served cheese, veggies, mozzarella sticks, and little egg rolls (at a single-sided buffet table, so of course a long line, and nothing dessert-like except the fruit garnishing the cheese and veggie platters and the sweet-and-sour sauce for the egg rolls.