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On whether or not to have a NASFiC
Sharing a comment I posted on a FILE 770 discussion in reaction to the closing of the Orlando Florida bid for the 2023 NASFiC (North American Science Fiction Convention):
I have helped run a couple of NASFiCs and support continuing to have them, so long as they are scheduled at least two weeks apart from that year’s Worldcon and therefore do not preclude attending both.
One of the arguments for having a NASFiC has always been that international travel is prohibitively expensive for many while others cannot manage the travel for physical or health reasons. As a Hybrid mode of technology + convention planning improves, virtual attendance from a distance and with concurrent language translation may gradually reduce the strength of that argument. But that time is not here yet.
With regard to a national convention, I would rather see a North American one that is inclusive of Mexico and Canada, or an American one that includes Central and South America, though sadly the success of such an effort looks like it would require reversing the current trend of making it harder to cross those borders.
As a U.S. fanhistorian, I would hypothesize that a large part of why we do not have a NatCon already is that the combination of having large regional cons and having up until this century held most of the Worlcons in the U.S. have caused enough of a call on the time, energy, and treasure of U.S.ian conrunners that we haven’t had the capacity for mounting an annual roving national convention as well. But the country is just too big and too poorly connected for fast transit for us to situate a NatCon in one city for the duration, as many smaller countries do.
Many of the overseas conventions this century have still leaned heavily on the predominantly American/UK/Australian “floating Worldcon Committee” of experienced WSFS members dedicated to helping the Worldcon succeed wherever it is hosted. I think an overlap of volunteers from year to year valuably assists in knowledge transfer and continuity, though of course there must be a balance in welcoming new volunteers, ideas, and fannish cultures. I hope that committee members of non-North-American Worldcons will be encouraged to continue the practice of joining other committees so the “Floating Worldcon Committee” becomes more of a worldwide network of collaboration and support.
I have helped run a couple of NASFiCs and support continuing to have them, so long as they are scheduled at least two weeks apart from that year’s Worldcon and therefore do not preclude attending both.
One of the arguments for having a NASFiC has always been that international travel is prohibitively expensive for many while others cannot manage the travel for physical or health reasons. As a Hybrid mode of technology + convention planning improves, virtual attendance from a distance and with concurrent language translation may gradually reduce the strength of that argument. But that time is not here yet.
With regard to a national convention, I would rather see a North American one that is inclusive of Mexico and Canada, or an American one that includes Central and South America, though sadly the success of such an effort looks like it would require reversing the current trend of making it harder to cross those borders.
As a U.S. fanhistorian, I would hypothesize that a large part of why we do not have a NatCon already is that the combination of having large regional cons and having up until this century held most of the Worlcons in the U.S. have caused enough of a call on the time, energy, and treasure of U.S.ian conrunners that we haven’t had the capacity for mounting an annual roving national convention as well. But the country is just too big and too poorly connected for fast transit for us to situate a NatCon in one city for the duration, as many smaller countries do.
Many of the overseas conventions this century have still leaned heavily on the predominantly American/UK/Australian “floating Worldcon Committee” of experienced WSFS members dedicated to helping the Worldcon succeed wherever it is hosted. I think an overlap of volunteers from year to year valuably assists in knowledge transfer and continuity, though of course there must be a balance in welcoming new volunteers, ideas, and fannish cultures. I hope that committee members of non-North-American Worldcons will be encouraged to continue the practice of joining other committees so the “Floating Worldcon Committee” becomes more of a worldwide network of collaboration and support.
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