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There will be an ASFA (American Science Fiction Artists) Suite, usually less crowded and easier to gain entrance to.
There will be pro parties. They’re not exactly open, and not exactly closed. Basically, you’ll need a pro or a well-known fan to get you in, but once inside they won’t have to stay with you or vouch for you:
Tor always has a party.
Baen always has a party.
Eos, DAW, Bantam, and Ace occasionally have parties.
Asimov’s and Analog will have a party, but it usually consists of renting out the SFWA suite and supplying food and drink for the writers for one evening.
Many of the semi-pro and specialty publishers will have open parties. Just check the daily newsletters for time and location (or look at the elevator walls, which are usually plastered with notices of the night’s parties.)
Almost every special interest group will have a party, some private, most open.
A number of fan clubs, computer networks, and the like will have parties. First Fandom, a last-man organization consisting of anyone who can prove he was active in science fiction prior to 1938, often has a party.
Any foreign group with enough attendees from home will throw a party, usually though not always an open one. The Japanese always have one. So do the Australians. Others have them from time to time, including the British, the Slovakians, the Germans, and the Dutch.
There’ll be 15 or 20 rooms where fans have brought their favorite movies or tv shows, legitimate or bootlegs, and will show them to anyone who wants to watch. This won’t be advertised, but just walk up and down the hotel corridors, and when you find an open door, take a peek in—it’s usually a small party or a group watching videos.
And of course, I’m barely scratching the surface. Despite the 15-to-20-track programming and the Hugos and the masquerade and the dealers room and the art show and everything else, 70% of a Worldcon takes place from 10:00 at night until 4:00 or 5:00 in the morning, once you learn your way around.
STANDING EXHIBITS
There will be a number of standing exhibits, open from 10:00 AM until 6:00 PM or thereabouts. Two are huge, most aren’t; the two big ones are easy to find, while most of the others take some looking for.
The Dealers’ Room, a/k/a the Hucksters’ Room. It used to sell only books and magazines, but these days it sells games, CDs, toys, clothes, jewelry, videos, medieval weapons, anything associated with sf. Probably a third of the dealers still sell books and magazines, which is a lot, since there will be about 300 tables and a number of booths.
Autograph sessions—they’ll be announced well in advance—are usually held in or near the hucksters’ room. But those are just the “official” Worldcon autograph sessions. Most of the popular writers will also be signing at dealers’ or publishers’ tables as well, so that they put in from two to five hours signing during the convention, enough time for just about anyone to get their autographs. (And if you see a writer whose work you admire in the hallways, just walk up and ask for an autograph; that’s part of what they’re there for. You’re paying good money to attend, so don’t be shy about asking for anything at all.)
The Art Show. Just about every major artist from Whelan to Eggleton to Giancola to Maitz to Picacio to whoever will display some paintings here, as will hundreds of minor artists. The hangings will all be in the middle of the room; sculptures and other 3-dimensional pieces will be on tables lining the walls. Almost everything will have a minimum-bid pricetag on it. The auction rules change from year to year, so ask how to bid at the entrance to the art show—but know that 90% of what you see will be sold during the con.
Kaffeeklatsches. These are one-hour (and occasionally two-hour) periods where you sign up to meet with your favorite writer or artist. They serve coffee and sweets, and usually there are 10 or 12 to a table—the writer plus 9 or 11 fans. Sign up for the kaffeeklatsches you want to attend as soon as you get to the con. It’s always first-signed first-seated.
Fanzine room. There is always a room devoted to fanzines. Usually it’s a small, unpublicized room, difficult to find, but it’s worth the hunt, because it gives away dozens of fanzines. Not the perennial Hugo nominees, but enough to get you started.
Fanhistorica room. This doesn’t occur every year, but it’s present more often than not, and will be a room devoted to the history of fandom—books, photos, artifacts, famous (and incredibly valuable) old fanzines, Hugos from previous years, everything you’ll want to know about sf fandom from its origins in the 1930s to the present day. Often old-time pros and fans will lead docent tours of the exhibit.
Fan lounge. Many Worldcons have a fan lounge. It’ll be somewhere near the dealers and lecture rooms, and you’ll find tables where you can plop down, relax, get soft drinks or coffee, read fanzines (which will be supplied), and meet other fans.
Costume exhibit. This doesn’t occur at every Worldcon, but when it shows up it’s stunning. It’ll be a display of the greatest masquerade costumes of the past 20 or 30 years, draped on mannequins.
Photo exhibit. Over the years SFWA’s former attorney, M. Christine Valada, who was also a photographer, took black-and-white portraits of just about every pro who attends Worldcon, and there is a standing display of all of them every year.
Fan photo exhibit. Encouraged by Valada’s traveling photo show, fandom now has its own portrait exhibit.
There will doubtless be more exhibits, but these are the ones that tend to show up every year, or at least most years. I encourage you to hunt them all up. You do yourself a disservice if you travel all the way to Worldcon, pay your money to become a member, pay even more to stay at the hotels, and then don’t take advantage of all the exhibits that your money is paying for.
SPECIAL EVENTS
Along with the regular programming, every Worldcon has its share of special events.
Hugo Ceremonies. This is where the Toastmaster gets to shine (if he shines at all; alas, some don’t). 15 Hugos will be presented in the pro and fan categories, but that’s not all. Also presented are the Campbell Award for Best New Writer; the Big Heart Award; and the Seiun (Japanese Hugo) for the Best Translated Novel and Best Translated Short Fiction. There will be photo ops for everybody, and you can probably watch the Hugos and the Masquerade in your room on closed-circuit television.
The Masquerade: This is the biggest draw of the Worldcon, but it’s a mere shadow of its former self. All during the 1970s and 1980s the Worldcon masquerade used to draw well over 100 costumes and take at least four or five hours, often longer. Now, thanks to Costume Con and the proliferation of minor costume conventions, the masquerade barely draws 35 to 40 costumes…but it’s still a fun event to go to. And if you’re an author, not much gives you a bigger kick than watching a fan who spent months of effort creating a costume based on one of more of your characters.
Opening Ceremonies: The Toastmaster introduces the Pro and Fan Guests of Honor, who will make brief speeches. You’ll be told where to find everything, and then sent off to do just that.
Pro Guest of Honor Speech(es): There used to be just one Pro GOH, and 90% of the time it was a writer. These days there’s usually a Writer GOH, an Editor GOH, and an Artist GOH, and each will have an hour in which to make a speech.
Fan GOH Speech: It probably draws a bit better than the pro speeches, which is only right and fitting. Unlike the Nebulas, Worldcon is put on by and for fans, a fact that many pros forget or are simply unaware of. Pros are an attraction and their function is to draw more fans to the con, but never make any mistake about who the con is for.
Hugo-nominated movies: These will play free of charge sometime during the con before the winner is announced.
There may be other special events. They can be as diverse as a miniature golf