My last convention was like a time machine. It brought me a few years back – but in a totally positive way. Medalikon – as the convention is called – reminded me of the times when I was new to the convention-going. This feeling was evoked not only by the event itself but also by the way I was participating in it.
Warsaw Comic Con – first Comic Con in Poland
The majority of Polish conventions are made by fans for fans and they aren’t run for profit. Still, with fandom being relatively big, it was only a matter of time when commercial cons would appear. Warsaw Comic Con that took place in the first four days of June was the first to happen, but not the first that had been planned.
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Eurocon 2017 (U-con) in Dortmund
For many years I had been thinking that Eurocon is a very important convention. Still for quite long time I had the incorrect impression of why it is so. Its importance is not related to the size of the con – nor to prestige it gives. The strength of Eurocon lies in the very centre of its idea – to share the „fandom way” with fans from other European countries. Although U-con (Eurocon 2017) was quite small, it allowed for the fans to meet and share their interests.
Convention bigger on the inside – Whomanikon 2
This is the most difficult post till today. It’s the case because of two reasons – it is the first time I’m writing about convention which I was running myself and secondly I am not a Doctor Who fan – I’m just helping my friends to organize this convention. So how did Whomanikon 2 go?
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Pyrkon 2017 convention of many queues
Pyrkon is the biggest Polish convention – last year there were over 40 000 people. This year the number of participants has not been yet announced but I really doubt it will be significantly smaller. Being so big has some perks but also some disadvantages. All in all Pyrkon is doing a great job promoting SF/F and overall geekiness, however for me this edition wasn’t as good as the previous ones.
Luxcon – convention of multilingual fandom
Luxembourg is a small country but it seems there is a lot of fans there. Luxcon was visited by ~5000 people (including organization team, volunteers and vendors). It is a vast amount of people and for me, the convention was more similar to media cons/multigenre conventions than to standard SF conventions. I was surprised by many things and for sure I need some time to think it over. Still, here is what happened at the convention.
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Lajconik – RPG and Polish legends
Lajconik is a small convention devoted to tabletop Role Playing Games. For the first time it took place in 2011 and in the beginning it was not held regularly. Over last few years it has taken place around March/April. 2017 was not an exception and I again got a chance to participate in this lovely convention. I like it very much for a few reasons but the most important one is the atmosphere.
KONgres 2017 – first Polish convention for conrunners
In February I have attended Conrunner 4. My first convention in March was KONgres – the first ever Polish convention created for conrunners. Comparing those two events is simply inevitable. Still my perception of KONgres is deeper than of Conrunner – I am deeply involved with Polish fandom and hence I knew much more people there and I was more involved in the programme. Continue reading “KONgres 2017 – first Polish convention for conrunners”
Conrunner 4 – meet the other conrunners
Fandom is about community and conventions are about meeting people who share your interests. Running conventions is a tough but very rewarding job. From time to time it is good to meet other conrunners and exchange experiences. Conrunner 4 was a great occasion to do so – it was an opportunity to learn something new, share thoughts and meet terrific people. And all this in just one weekend.
Fantastika 2016 – Swecon 2016
Fantastika 2016 was and will remain a very special convention to me. It was my first convention abroad other than Eurocon and Worldcon. It is also the first (and I certainly hope not the last) step to understand how the fandom works in different countries. Of course, I read about fandom in multiple countries, I looked for reviews and con reports, and I attended Eurocons, which usually gives you a grasp of the local fandom; and yet I still do believe that actually participating in a local event is what gives you a better understanding of the con-lore in a given country. I know that visiting one convention won’t give me a full picture, but one needs to start somewhere. Continue reading “Fantastika 2016 – Swecon 2016”