YBMCU%CUNYVM@sri-unix.UUCP (01/31/84)
From: YBMCU@CUNYVM (Ben Yalow)
For those who may be interested, the person doing fan programming at
Boskone 21 is planning a panel on electronic vs "traditional" fanzines.
He currently has a number of people who are currently active on sfl,
but might be interested in finding a few more. He isn't on the net,
but can be reached either by phone or by messages to me.
He is: Moshe Feder
(212) - 445-4614
I can be reached at
BITNET: YBMCU@CUNYVM
ARPA: G.CUNYVM=YBMCU@BERKELEY
(or maybe YBMCU%CUNYVM.BITNET@BERKELEY)@RUTGERS.ARPA:SELINGER@RU-BLUE.ARPA (03/04/85)
From: Marla (Selinger@Ru-Blue) <SELINGER@RU-BLUE.ARPA> "Boskone 22...had more people than they wanted...2300." "What really stunned me was the reason NESFA was charging a uniform $22.00: greed." At last year's Boskone, I had heard that NESFA was charging everyone the full price admission (regardless of 1 or 3 days) *with the intent* of trying to keep the number of con-goers down. Not the best way of trying to limit numbers, I must admit; but last year's con did have too many people there for the size of the hotel. I suspect it will take a few years for Boskone to find a hotel with the proper size and karma for a permanent site. The Copley Marriot did not seem very thrilled to have us there. "I also was informed several times that the lousy film/video schedule was deliberate, because they didn't want riff-raff (no not him!) off the streets coming in just to see the movies." Hmm, I had thought the quality of this year's schedule was far below last year's. If true, this reason is inexcusable. That's what BADGES are for! To keep the riff-raff out, or at least to get $22 out of him first! Well, I'll give them one more try next year... Marla
ddb@mrvax.DEC (DAVID DYER-BENNET MRO1-2/L14 DTN 231-4076) (03/07/85)
One solution to a high at-the-door price is to pre-register... cons really
like you to pre-register so that they have a good idea of what sort of problem
(i.e. crowd control) they have facing them.
Many cons have dropped one-day registrations. Given that cons are run by
volunteer labor, usually by non-profit groups (those that don't have club-
houses don't have such big expenses to cover...), and that one-day registrations
are considerable trouble (all badge-checkers have to recognize multiple
classes of badges, not to mention the record keeping), it seems perfectly
reasonable to me to drop them. What bothers me about the story is the
statement that they claimed to have them, but they cost the same as a full
registration; that seems like a deliberate insult to those wanting them.
Relations with the hotel were an interesting tangle. On the one hand, for
the first time I can remember Boskone managed to get the hotel to extend
checkout time for con members. It's about time, this is one of the things
that makes the biggest difference to me at a con. I'm often not up by
the usual checkout times.... On the other hand, hotel security was rude
and surly, the bellhops were rude and surly, and the restaurant managers
were rude and surly. On balance, I'd rate it "mediocre", composed of equal
parts "good" and "bad". It might have been better to have a lower
standard deviation....
Film program -- personally I approve of their reputed policy of de-emphasizing
the film program. I do not attend films at SF-conventions; I view them as
social functions. If there's nothing better to do than sit in the dark
watching flashing lights on a screen, I rank it as a complete failure.
Many people that I like, and like to see at conventions, like to watch
films, at conventions and elsewhere. However, MOST of the class of people
I DON'T like to see at conventions seem to find the films the main attraction.
(I doubt most of them can read...). On balance, therefore, while regretting
the loss to people who like films AND books, I find conventions better if
they reduce the film program to the more esoteric and unusual items.
{If you consider the above a flame, you have a socialization problem. THIS
is a flame; the difference should be obvious.}
-- David Dyer-Bennet
-- ...decwrl!dec-rhea!dec-mrvax!ddbbrust@hyper.UUCP (Steven Brust) (03/08/85)
> From: Marla (Selinger@Ru-Blue) <SELINGER@RU-BLUE.ARPA> > > > > "I also was informed several times that the lousy > film/video schedule was deliberate, because they > didn't want riff-raff (no not him!) off the streets > coming in just to see the movies." > > Hmm, I had thought the quality of this year's schedule was far below > last year's. If true, this reason is inexcusable. That's what BADGES > are for! To keep the riff-raff out, or at least to get $22 out of him > first! > > Well, I'll give them one more try next year... > > Marla I have some sympathy with a desire to a convention that is short on attendence by those who are fans only of media SF. It would seem that a way to do that would be to cut out the film program. Having a bad film program would seem foolish. -- SKZB
GALLOWAY@USC-ISIB.ARPA@caip.RUTGERS.EDU (02/21/86)
From: Tom Galloway <GALLOWAY@USC-ISIB.ARPA> Knowing that at least half a function room of SF-L readers were at Boskone, and knowing that some of you may have left before the gripe session Sunday, here's your chance to let your opinions on Boskone be known to next year's Chairman. Mail any comments, whether positive or negative, to Galloway@isib.arpa, and I'll forward them to next year's Chair. If you really feel committed to changing something about Boskone, feel free to volunteer to work on the con; we're always looking for new people and/or ideas. tyg -------
daemon@caip.UUCP (02/25/86)
From: "pugh jon%b.mfenet"@LLL-MFE.ARPA Could someone who went to Boskone give some highlights for us left coasters that didn't get to go? That is assuming there was anything to highlight. Jon