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111-625: Worldcon , officially the World Science Fiction Convention , the annual convention of the World Science Fiction Society ( WSFS ), is a science fiction convention . It has been held each year since 1939 (except for the years 1942 to 1945, during World War II ). The members of each Worldcon are the members of WSFS, and vote both to select the site of the Worldcon two years later, and to select

222-473: A Closing Ceremony to formally mark the end of the convention. Depending on the convention, this can be a major gathering of most of the membership, or it may be lightly attended or dispensed with entirely as members are occupied with packing up and checking out of the hotel. A Dealers' or Hucksters' Room is available, where merchants sell wares which may be of interest to fans. These include books, action figures , prop replicas and t-shirts. Similarly, there

333-400: A "talent show" rather than the "fancy dress ball" that the term suggests (although British fandom sometimes uses the term "fancy dress"). Anime fans might refer to the masquerade as cosplay , but there are notable and subtle distinctions between the terms. Some conventions feature award ceremonies, in which the best works and most notable individuals are recognized for their contributions to

444-594: A Worldcon site outside North America is selected, WSFS administers a parallel site selection process for the NASFiC, voted on by WSFS members at the Worldcon (or NASFiC if there is one) held one year prior to the prospective NASFiC. With the 2014 Worldcon being held in the United Kingdom, members at the 2013 Worldcon in San Antonio chose Detroit to be the site of the 2014 NASFiC and Spokane, Washington, as

555-572: A broad range of science fiction in media, such as Toronto Trek , and then there are conventions focused on a single body of work, such as " Celebration ," the official Star Wars convention; "Galaxyfest," the yearly event in Vulcan, Alberta dedicated to Star Trek ; and BotCon , the official Transformers convention. Most media conventions are commercial shows run for profit, though some are organized by non-profit fan groups similar to general science-fiction conventions. From comics and media fandom,

666-534: A category of "popular culture" conventions has emerged, such as Comic-Con International and Dragon*Con , featuring a wide range of "pop culture" events ranging from animation , drive-in movie theaters, old-time radio, horror movies, and cowboy celebrities . These events have become much larger than traditional SF conventions; nearly a hundred thousand people attend Comic-Con in San Diego each year. Although not all of them are commercial ventures, they tend to suffer

777-444: A combination of official and unofficial events, including concerts, dances, formal invitational dinners, and fandom-themed room parties. Additionally, other convention committees hold room parties in order to promote their own convention and to increase their membership. A bid party is a room party held to influence the choice of the location of a future convention (such as Worldcon) by advertising its advantages. Some conventions have

888-461: A convention may have an Artist GoH, Editor GoH, Filk or Music GoH, a Toastmaster, and Special Guests. A Memorial Guest of Honor (as at Readercon ) or Ghost of Honor (as at Worldcon 2008/Denvention 3 ) is a deceased individual who is selected as a focal point of the festivities. Potlatch , however, has an annual Book of Honor instead. Conventions provide a forum for fans to see first-hand and meet their favorite authors and artists. They also serve

999-607: A different version. A conference committee in the United States Congress is a temporary panel of negotiators from the House of Representatives and the Senate . Unless one chamber decides to accept the other's original bill, the compromise version must pass both chambers after leaving the conference committee. This committee is usually composed of the senior members of the standing committees that originally considered

1110-804: A few fans have also worked professionally or semi-professionally in the field. At a small number of cons, there is a category for "Attending Professionals", professionals who are paying full con price to enter but also get a special name badge that proclaims them to be professionals in whatever field they are involved in. Panel-led discussions, or Panels , usually fill up the daytime hours of most conventions with typically one-hour discussions of topics related to science fiction , fantasy , and fandom in general. Some conventions have well-attended, scheduled panels starting as late as midnight. Panel members (even professionals) are not customarily paid for their appearance, although many North-American conventions waive membership fees for program participants or rebate them after

1221-522: A fundraiser, but led to Tibbits' personal bankruptcy. ) The precise time and place of the first science fiction convention is a matter of some dispute. The idea and form was clearly anticipated in Robert Bloch's short story about a large convention of writers, "The Ultimate Ultimatum" ( Fantasy Magazine , August 1935), "It was a big convention. Lovecraft was there." Sometime in 1936, a group of British fans made plans to have an organized gathering, with

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1332-490: A genuine Film Room, for presentation of actual movies on film instead of video. Game Rooms are also available at some conventions for attendees to play a variety of genre games, including collectible card games like Magic: The Gathering , role-playing games like Dungeons and Dragons , miniatures games like Warhammer 40,000 , and board games like The Settlers of Catan . Easy, fast-playing card games, e.g. Apples to Apples , are popular as they don't require

1443-429: A large project's development team could be organized to solve some particular issue with offsetting considerations and trade-offs. Once the committee makes its final report to its parent body, the special committee ceases to exist. A committee that is a subset of a larger committee is called a subcommittee . Committees that have a large workload may form subcommittees to further divide the work. Subcommittees report to

1554-456: A large time commitment or deep knowledge of rules, thus allowing casual gamers to join in. At North American conventions, a convention hospitality suite or consuite is often provided as a room reserved for light refreshments, a quiet conversation, and a place to briefly rest. The refreshments typically include coffee, tea, juice or soda, and light meals appropriate for the time of day. Depending on local liquor distribution and liability laws ,

1665-599: A meeting hall in Newark, NJ and designated itself as "The First National Science Fiction Convention." It was at this event that a committee was named to arrange the first World Science Fiction Convention in New York in 1939; formalizing planning that had begun at the Third Eastern. The "First National", which included the participation of a number of well-known New York editors and professionals from outside fan circles,

1776-454: A national Science-fiction organization or club. Before the age of inexpensive travel, regional conventions arose to attract fans from broad geographical areas. The oldest of these is Westercon , whose meetings are held on a rotational basis among regions in the western United States and Canada . Eurocon is held each year somewhere in Europe, often in eastern European countries where fandom

1887-430: A particular country, region, or special interest. Nearly every weekend of the year now has at least one convention somewhere and some conventions are held on holiday weekends where four or more days can be devoted to events. Worldcon, or more formally The World Science Fiction Convention, is a science fiction convention that has been held each year since 1939 (except for the years 1942 through 1945, during World War II). It

1998-490: A particular task or to oversee a specific area in need of control or oversight. Many are research or coordination committees in type or purpose and are temporary. Some are a sub-group of a larger society with a particular area of interest which are organized to meet and discuss matters pertaining to their interests. For example; a group of astronomers might be organized to discuss how to get the larger society to address near Earth objects . A subgroup of engineers and scientists of

2109-458: A planned program of events in a public venue in early 1937. However, on October 22, 1936, a group of six or seven fans from New York City , including David Kyle and Frederik Pohl , traveled by train to Philadelphia , Pennsylvania , where for several hours they visited a similar number of local fans at the house of Milton A. Rothman . They subsequently declared that event to be the first "science fiction convention." This small get-together set

2220-417: A point of pride. Most cons vary from the above outline in one or more important ways, and many have their own unique cultural characteristics. For example: Most cons will tend to evolve many of their own idiosyncrasies along these lines. To fans, these are often part of the charm each convention offers. A peace-bond is a conspicuous lock, tie, or mark which makes or identifies something unusable, such as

2331-480: A smaller group, but simply permit the assembly's full meeting body to consider it with the greater freedom of debate that is allowed to committees. These forms are to go into a committee of the whole , to go into a quasi-committee of the whole, and to consider informally. Passing any of these motions removes the limitations on the number of times a member can speak. The Standard Code of Parliamentary Procedure has informal consideration, but does not have "committee of

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2442-608: A specific provision in the charter or bylaws of the entity (i.e. a board cannot appoint an executive committee without authorization to do so). Members of the executive committee may be elected by the overall franchised membership or by the board, depending on the rules of the organization, and usually consist of the CEO and the Vice Presidents in charge of respective directorates within the organization. However formed, an executive committee only has such powers and authority that

2553-406: A weapon may be disabled or secured in the way as real weapons. Peace-bonding helps security control the use or abuse of real weapons at a convention or other event: anything that looks like a weapon but which is not peace-bonded is immediately deemed to be suspicious. SF writer C. J. Cherryh writes on her website, "I was a witness of pre-peacebonding times, was narrowly missed, and assure you this

2664-418: A weapon, and shows that the owner's intentions are purely peaceful. At some conventions, attendees carry real weapons or costume props that appear to be weapons. To forestall concerns about mis-use of real weapons at such events, the security team "peace-bonds" anything that might look like a weapon. The event's "weapons policy" may offer objective criteria to determine what looks like a weapon. For example,

2775-521: A weapons policy may require a peace-bond for anything that a reasonable person might recognize as a weapon from a short distance in dim light. Real weapons, if allowed, are disabled, secured, and marked. For example, bright orange zip ties may be used to hold a sword in a scabbard or to hold a pistol in a holster. Simulated or costume props may require conspicuous marks, such as bright ribbons or zip ties, to show that security has deemed them safe to be carried. Simulated weapons or props which can be used as

2886-399: Is a general pattern to which most adhere. Most conventions have Guest(s) of Honor (GoH) . These guests are to some extent the headliners of the convention. A convention may have as many Guests of Honor as the convention committee wishes. Along with Author and perhaps Fan Guests of Honor (fans who are not necessarily celebrities but have made a significant contribution to the fan community),

2997-440: Is a good idea. Read the convention weapons policy." Ad hoc committee A committee or commission is a body of one or more persons subordinate to a deliberative assembly or other form of organization. A committee may not itself be considered to be a form of assembly or a decision making body. Usually, an assembly or organization sends matters to a committee as a way to explore them more fully than would be possible if

3108-540: Is a new phenomenon. A North American Science Fiction Convention (NASFiC) is held in North America in any year when the Worldcon is outside of North America. DeepSouthCon is held in the Southern United States , with a focus on Southern culture in science fiction. Local conventions, which are offshoots of the main regional conventions, draw fans from the immediate area in which the convention

3219-512: Is an attempt to ease people back into the real world outside of the convention and can be an effective method of warding off the depression which is often associated with the end of a major event. A dead dog party can last until the following morning. Many con-goers take pride in being interesting and unusual, and naturally many cons are highly idiosyncratic. Cons often have activities, running jokes, organizational methods and other features that not only differentiate them from other cons but are often

3330-547: Is being held, though these have very few attendees who have traveled from afar to attend the main convention. Some local conventions, including events run by student groups from high schools or colleges, draw their attendance solely from the student body and campus neighborhood. Others, such as those run by UK universities, may draw from a wider audience than just the university itself. Some conventions are focused on (audio-visual) "media", that is, science fiction on film and television. There are general media conventions covering

3441-462: Is clear what is being discussed). The level of formality depends on the size and type of committee, in which sometimes larger committees considering crucial issues may require more formal processes. Minutes are a record of the decisions at meetings. They can be taken by a person designated as the secretary. For most organizations, committees are not required to keep formal minutes. However, some bodies require that committees take minutes, especially if

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3552-720: Is exhibited for sale. This naturally leads to a wide variety of types of artwork, from professional illustrations to outsider art , with many amateur works. The subject matter is tailored to the interests of fandom, i. e. many spaceships , dragons , unicorns , vampires , cat girls etc. Art shows often permit sales by artists, these sales constituting a significant source of income for some artists. Traditionally, many conventions have had video rooms in which genre-related audiovisual presentations take place, typically commercial Hollywood movies , genre television show episodes, and anime . If there are multiple media rooms, each one may have themed content. Larger conventions may also have

3663-792: Is for all attendees at the same convention (occasionally excepting Guests of Honor) to wear badges of the same design, but each Worldcon's badge design is unique to that convention. In order for convention staff and members to identify quickly the function of other staff at the convention, Worldcons use ribbons of differing colors which are attached to convention badges to signify different roles and responsibilities. Often there are ribbons to signify rank, division, and department or specialized functions; ribbons are also used to identify program participants, other noteworthy members (for example "Past Worldcon Guest of Honor", "Hugo Award Nominee", etc.), or classes of members ("Dealers", "Artists", "Party Hosts") who are interacting with convention staff. Some members of

3774-433: Is granted its scope and powers over a particular area of business by the governing documents. Standing committees meet on a regular or irregular basis depending on their function, and retain any power or oversight originally given them until subsequent official actions of the governing body (through changes to law or by-laws) disbands the committee. Most governmental legislative committees are standing committees. This phrase

3885-409: Is made with instructions and the motion is agreed to, the chairman of the committee in question will immediately report the bill or resolution back to the whole House with the new language. In this sense, a motion to recommit with instructions is effectively an amendment. In Robert's Rules of Order Newly Revised ( RONR ), the motion to commit has three variations which do not turn a question over to

3996-558: Is meeting celebrities, such as stars of science fiction TV show and movies, anime voice actors , etc. There are frequently very long lines of people waiting for autographs at commercial events; while famous actors like William Shatner of Star Trek are paid tens of thousands of dollars per convention, minor and obscure bit players pay to set up booths to sell autographs and memorabilia. Commercial events also tend to have less small-scale programming; panels will more often be composed of famous actors, directors, etc. on press junkets, where

4107-441: Is often an Art Show where genre-inspired art is displayed and usually made available for auction or purchase. Smaller conventions may simply have an informal Dealers' Row , a section of hotel rooms from which dealers sell goods, while larger conventions may have both an official dealers' room and an unofficial dealers' row. The Art Show is generally an open art exhibition ; that is, it is open to all comers and all art submitted

4218-572: Is owned by the World Science Fiction Society (WSFS), an unincorporated literary society whose purpose is to promote interest in science fiction. WSFS has no standing officers, only small standing committees , and a large membership composed of the members of the current Worldcon. Its main activities are running the selection (voting) process for the annual convention and various awards. The conventions themselves are run by non-profit, volunteer fan organizations, who bid to host

4329-466: Is that they be made up of qualified and knowledgeable people representing the best interests of the membership. In the case of business entities, their directors will often be brought in from outside, and receive a benefit for their expertise. In the context of nominations for awards, a nominating committee can also be formed for the purpose of nominating persons or things held up for judgment by others as to their comparative quality or value, especially for

4440-542: Is the annual convention of the World Science Fiction Society (or WSFS), an unincorporated body whose members are defined as "all people who have paid membership dues to the Committee of the current Worldcon" (i.e., that are either upcoming or currently under way). These members of WSFS vote both to select the site of the Worldcon two years in advance and to select the winners of the Hugo Awards , which are presented at

4551-601: Is used for conventions which tend to be less about programming, and more about socializing within the fan community; this is quite different from "sercon" (SERious CONstructive discussion of science-fiction topics) conventions. An important distinction can be made between commercial events (often called "shows") – those run by dedicated companies who specialize in con organization, or by local for-profit firms – and volunteer-run cons. Usually run for profit, commercial events tend to charge for "tickets" or "admission" rather than having "memberships". A primary focus of commercial events

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4662-587: Is used in the legislatures of the following countries: Under the laws of the United States of America, a standing committee is a Congressional committee permanently authorized by the United States House of Representatives and United States Senate rules. The Legislative Reorganization Act of 1946 greatly reduced the number of committees, and set up the legislative committee structure still in use today, as modified by authorized changes via

4773-441: Is usually called "membership", thus emphasizing that the fans themselves are the ones who make up the con, rather than the staff who run commercial cons. A community of fans who run such conventions has developed, and many of them share their best practices and keep convention-running traditions alive, including at specialist con-running conventions such as SMOFcon . Although wide variations exist between different conventions, there

4884-663: The 1939 World's Fair , the first " World Science Fiction Convention ," in New York City . Subsequent conventions were held in Chicago in 1940 and Denver in 1941. Like many cultural events, it was suspended during World War II . Conventions resumed in 1946 with the hosting of the World Science Fiction Convention in Los Angeles, California . The first Worldcon held outside the United States

4995-888: The COVID-19 pandemic , it was a virtual event (accessed by internet only). The first Worldcon to be held outside the US was the sixth , in 1948 in Toronto , Ontario, Canada, and the first outside North America was the 15th World Science Fiction Convention , in 1957 in Bayswater, London . The first held in a country where English was not the primary language was the Heicon '70, the 28th World Science Fiction Convention held in Heidelberg , West Germany. The 2007 Worldcon in Yokohama, Japan ,

5106-532: The European Parliament at a second reading. Although the practice has fallen out of favour in other Australian Parliaments, the Parliament of South Australia still regularly appoints a "Conference of Managers" from each House to negotiate compromises on disputed bills in private. In organizations, the term "conference committee" may have a different meaning. This meaning may be associated with

5217-618: The Prometheus Award , and others. Each Worldcon committee selects a number of guests of honor (or "GoHs") for the convention. Typically there is an author (aka "Writer" or "Pro") and a fan guest of honor. Many conventions also have artist, editor, and science guests, and most have a toastmaster for major events, such as the opening and closing ceremonies and the Hugo award ceremony. A few conventions have had two or even three author guests. While other conventions may select guests on

5328-530: The United Kingdom , contend that the Philadelphia meeting was a convention in name only, whereas other fan historians point out that many similar gatherings since then have been called "conventions" without eliciting any disagreement. Regardless of what gathering is held to have been the first science fiction convention, American fans had organized sufficiently by 1939 to hold, in conjunction with

5439-820: The "Permanent Floating Worldcon Committee" who volunteer for many Worldcons in different years; this group offers a measure of institutional continuity to otherwise disparate legal organizations. Recent Worldcons have had budgets running in excess of a million dollars. The main source of revenue is convention membership, but Worldcons also collect fees from exhibiting dealers and artists and advertisers in publications, and some conventions manage to attract sponsorships of as much as 5% of total income. The main expenses are facilities rental and related costs, then (if possible) membership reimbursements to program participants and volunteers, then publications, audiovisual equipment rental, and hospitality . Traditionally, all members (except for guests of honor) must pay for their membership; if

5550-616: The 1969 and 1984 conventions and by having the 2005 convention not select any. To ensure that the Worldcon is relocated to different locations, the WSFS constitution requires that the proposed sites must all be at least 500 miles (800 km) away from the site of the convention at which the selection vote happens. When a Worldcon is held outside of North America, a North American Science Fiction Convention (NASFiC) may also be held within North America that same year. Since 1975, whenever

5661-648: The Hugo Awards, and for amending itself. The business meeting also empanels a number of ad hoc committees to deal with review of amendments and with certain administrative functions. The only permanent ("standing") committee of WSFS (as opposed to the Business Meeting) is the Mark Protection Committee (MPC), which is responsible for maintaining the society's trademarks and domain names . Historically, most Worldcons were held in

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5772-741: The United States, these are usually organized as 501(c)(3) non-profit corporations, while in the United Kingdom, they are usually operated by companies limited by guarantee . The local organizers may be standalone, one-time committees (organized to hold the one event and then disbanded afterwards), or they may be organized by an existing local group. A few groups, such as MCFI in Boston, SFSFC (San Francisco Science Fiction Conventions, Inc.) in northern California, and SCIFI (Southern California Institute for Fan Interests Inc.) in southern California are permanent corporations established to manage Worldcons (or other one-off or rotating conventions) in different years in

5883-634: The United States; however, beginning in the later part of the 20th century an increasing number of them have been hosted in other countries. In 2017, the 75th World Science Fiction Convention ("Worldcon 75") was held in Helsinki, Finland ; the 2018 Worldcon was held in San Jose, California , and the 2019 Worldcon was held in Dublin . The 2020 Worldcon was scheduled to be in New Zealand ; however, due to

5994-661: The Vril-Ya, a subterranean race of winged superhuman beings. The event at the Royal Albert Hall featured elements similar to those of later science fiction conventions (in particular modern commercial events), such as special guests (although apparently none directly related to the novel or science fiction generally), special events and other performances, set pieces and special effects (such as flying "Vril-Ya" mannequins), costumes (essentially what later came to be called cosplay ), and stalls selling merchandise related to

6105-488: The Worldcon membership. Worldcons through 1970 were selected one year in advance, from 1971 through 1986 two years in advance, from 1987 to 2007, three years in advance, then from 2008 to the present, two years in advance again. For example, during the 2011 Worldcon in Reno , San Antonio was selected to host the 2013 Worldcon. The rules changes to lengthen or shorten the period were implemented by selecting two future Worldcons at

6216-423: The assembly is considering a partial report of the committee. Otherwise, it requires a majority vote with previous notice ; a two-thirds vote ; or a majority of the entire membership . Under The Standard Code of Parliamentary Procedure , the assembly that has referred a motion or a matter to a committee may, by a majority vote, withdraw it at any time from the committee, refer it to another committee, or decide

6327-446: The basis of current popularity, Worldcons typically select guests of honor as an acknowledgement of significant lifetime contribution to the field; while these are often well-known figures, some committees choose lesser-known figures precisely because the committee feels the guest's accomplishments deserve more recognition from the community. Selection is treated by authors, fans, and others as a recognition of lifetime achievement. As such,

6438-425: The basis of their chosen guests (so as to avoid having someone chosen by a losing bid feeling that fandom had voted against them personally), so bids do not reveal who their guests are until after the vote, and losing bids generally never reveal who they invited. This is usually treated with the same discretion as the Hugo Awards, where only a few people might know in advance who the guests will be. The name "Worldcon"

6549-471: The broad range of events (masquerade, dances, video room, etc.) that one would normally find at a general-interest convention. The World Horror Convention is an annual gathering of professionals of the World Horror Society and other interested parties. Up till 2009, all World Horror Conventions had been held in the United States or Canada, usually alternating between the east and west sides of

6660-442: The case if they are in different parts of the country or the world. The chairman is responsible for running meetings. Duties include keeping the discussion on the appropriate subject, recognizing members to speak, and confirming what the committee has decided (through voting or by unanimous consent ). Using Roberts Rules of Order Newly Revised (RONR), committees may follow informal procedures (such as not requiring motions if it

6771-533: The chairperson and the staff. "Departments" operate a specific convention function, while "divisions" coordinate the work of several departments. Department heads (sometimes called "area heads") have one or more deputies plus a large staff, or they may have no staff at all. Most Worldcons have between five and twelve division heads who form the convention executive group. Attendees are issued a convention badge , displaying each attendee's name, membership number and (if desired) " fannish " nickname. The customary practice

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6882-434: The committee may be performing a variety of current or past roles and could have a large number of ribbons attached to each other hanging from a badge. Extending this tradition, other groups and individuals create more special ribbons for use at the convention; these may be serious or silly. Convention badge ribbons are important memorabilia for some people, and become valuable years later because they evoke memories of events at

6993-403: The committee might include building a business case for the project, planning, providing assistance and guidance, monitoring the progress, controlling the project scope and resolving conflicts. As with other committees, the specific duties and role of the steering committee vary among organizations. A special committee (also working, select, or ad hoc committee) is established to accomplish

7104-407: The committee reports its recommendations back to the assembly, the referred motion may be removed from the committee's consideration by the motion to discharge a committee. In the United States House of Representatives , a motion to recommit can be made with or without instructions. If the motion is made without instructions, the bill or resolution is simply sent back to the committee. If the motion

7215-413: The committees are public ones subject to open meeting laws . Committees may meet on a regular basis, such as weekly or more often, or meetings may be called irregularly as the need arises. The frequency of the meetings depends on the work of the committee and the needs of the parent body. When the committee completes its work, it provides the results in a report to its parent body. The report may include

7326-540: The company which produces a particular movie or TV show to run a convention about a particular movie or show. They have been known to aggressively go after fan-run conventions via their legal teams. Volunteer cons, on the other hand, tend to be smaller in scope and more intimate in character. Panels may be more lightly attended; however, it is the fans themselves who mostly take part in the panels. Although there are frequent autograph sessions, they tend to be less of an attraction for volunteer cons. Admission to volunteer cons

7437-470: The conferences, or conventions , that the organization puts together. These committees that are responsible for organizing such events may be called "conference committees". A standing committee is a subunit of a political or deliberative body established in a permanent fashion to aid the parent assembly in accomplishing its duties, for example by meeting on a specific, permanent policy domain (e.g. defence, health, or trade and industry). A standing committee

7548-582: The convention "Opening Ceremonies" are often held, where organizers and marquee guests are introduced and speeches might be made. Sometimes, conventions will have a skits, musical performances, video clips, or other samples of the convention as part of the Opening Ceremonies. A costume contest called a masquerade is often held where persons go on stage and compete for nominal prizes based on their skill in assembling and presenting genre-inspired outfits. This, however, would be more accurately labelled

7659-470: The convention makes an adequate surplus after covering operating expenses, full or partial membership reimbursements are paid back to volunteers after the convention. Most Worldcons have a small surplus, which the rules of WSFS suggest be disbursed "for the benefit of WSFS as a whole;" typically at least half of any surplus is donated to future Worldcons, a tradition termed "pass-along funds". Because of their size, Worldcons have two layers of management between

7770-553: The convention, and may be displayed in exhibits at future conventions. Science fiction convention The Royal Albert Hall has asserted that the Vril-Ya Bazaar and Fete , a charitable event held at the Hall in 1891, was the world's first science fiction convention. The event was a multi-day fundraising bazaar themed around the popular 1871 science fiction novel The Coming Race by Edward Bulwer-Lytton , which involves

7881-420: The convention. Some program items are set presentations by experts. Science speakers are among the most popular program items at many conventions. Slides (either photographic or computer ), video clips, or handouts might be used for such presentations. Readings and "kaffeeklatsches" are program items where a single author either reads from their work or has an informal discussion with fans. The first night of

7992-670: The convention. Often these are performances by filkers , though other musicians may also appear at a con. A convention may have one or more auctions. The Art Auction is an event where the most popular items from the art show are sold to the most interested buyers at the convention. Many conventions also have auctions for charities, either formal or fannish; the latter would include auctions on behalf of TAFF (the Trans-Atlantic Fan Fund ) or DUFF (the Down Under Fan Fund ). Evening entertainment often includes

8103-438: The convention. The rules for venue selection are deliberately drafted to ensure the convention occurs in a different city each year. Fantasy is usually considered alongside science fiction at conventions (the terms were used interchangeably for most of the period from 1926–1966). Conventions that are nominally science-fiction conventions, such as Worldcon , are also fantasy conventions in all but name. World Fantasy Convention

8214-546: The country. The 2010 convention was held in Brighton in the UK , the first time it took place outside North America. The Horror Writers Association 's Bram Stoker Award ceremony has been held in conjunction with the convention for the last few years. A National Convention is usually held annually in a number of countries. The British Eastercon is the oldest of these. National conventions are often run by, or in association with,

8325-678: The discretion of the individual convention committee. This has often included the national SF awards of the host country, such as the Japanese Seiun Awards as part of Nippon 2007 , and the Prix Aurora Awards as part of Anticipation in 2009. The Astounding Award for Best New Writer and the Sidewise Award , though not sponsored by the Worldcon, are usually presented, as well as the Chesley Awards ,

8436-477: The event's theme and named using the Vril-Ya language as presented in the novel. However, the event was not contemporaneously referred to as a science fiction convention and was primarily a fundraiser for the London Massage and Galvanic Hospital, one of a number of such events held with other, non-science fictional, themes put on by the hospital's founder Dr. Herbert Tibbits. (The event not only failed as

8547-503: The event. The WSFS constitution itself is discussed and amended by the annual general meeting, known as the "business meeting", held at the Worldcon, usually as three morning sessions on successive days. All attending members of the Worldcon may attend, participate, and vote at the Business Meeting, although in practice only a small number of the members actually do so. The WSFS constitution includes rules for site selection, for

8658-629: The field. Worldcon has several award ceremonies, most notably the Hugo Awards , but also the Sidewise Award for Alternate History and other awards. VCON in Vancouver, BC features the Elron Awards for dubious distinctions in science fiction, including an annual award for John Norman author of the Gor series. Just as art shows display the visual aspect of science fiction, many conventions include concerts or other music-oriented events as part of

8769-419: The governing documents of the organization give it. In some cases, it may be empowered to act on behalf of the board or organization, while in others, it may only be able to make recommendations. Governments at the national level may have a conference committee . A conference committee in a bicameral legislature is responsible for creating a compromise version of a particular bill when each house has passed

8880-421: The interests of authors, editors, and other publishing professionals, providing opportunities for networking, promotion, and a convenient location for contract negotiations and other business meetings. At traditional science-fiction conventions, there is little or no distinction made between the "pros" and the "fans". Many professionals in the field began as fans, and may still consider themselves fans; and more than

8991-596: The legislation in each chamber. Other countries that use conference committees include France, Germany, Japan, and Switzerland. In Canada, conference committees have been unused since 1947. In the European Union (EU) legislative process , a similar committee is called a ' Conciliation Committee ', which carries out the Trilogue negotiations in case the Council does not agree with a text amended and adopted by

9102-434: The matter is to be referred, and if the committee is a special committee appointed specifically for purposes of the referred motion, it should also specify the number of committee members and the method of their selection, unless that is specified in the bylaws. Any proposed amendments to the main motion that are pending at the time the motion is referred to a committee go to the committee as well. Once referred, but before

9213-445: The membership in the committees may change. A nominating committee (or nominations committee) is a group formed for the purpose of nominating candidates for office or the board in an organization. It may consist of members from inside the organization. Sometimes a governance committee takes the role of a nominating committee. Depending on the organization, this committee may be empowered to actively seek out candidates or may only have

9324-461: The methods used, the facts uncovered, the conclusions reached, and any recommendations. If the committee is not ready to report, it may provide a partial report or the assembly may discharge the committee of the matter so that the assembly can handle it. Also, if members of the committee are not performing their duties, they may be removed or replaced by the appointing power. Whether the committee continues to exist after presenting its report depends on

9435-455: The orderly mechanism of rule changes. Examples of standing committees in organizations are; an audit committee, an elections committee, a finance committee, a fundraising committee, a governance committee, and a program committee. Typically, the standing committees perform their work throughout the year and present their reports at the annual meeting of the organization. These committees continue to exist after presenting their reports, although

9546-406: The panels are held in very large rooms with very high attendance. The largest cons (in terms of attendance) tend to be commercial ones. Commercial events tend to be more likely to be about comics, manga, anime, and popular visual media than volunteer cons, and they also tend to attract the younger generation, but this is not absolute by any means. Some commercial conventions have official licences from

9657-430: The parent committee and not to the general assembly. When the entire assembly meets as a committee to discuss or debate, this is called a " committee of the whole ". This is a procedural device most commonly used by legislative bodies to discuss an issue under the rules of a committee meeting rather than the more formal and rigid rules which would have to be followed to actually enact legislation. " Central Committee "

9768-556: The power to act independently unless the body that created it gives it such power. When a committee is formed in a formal situation, such as committees in legislatures or for corporate bodies with by-laws, a chairman (or "chair" or "chairperson") is designated for the committee. Sometimes a vice-chairman (or similar name) is also appointed. It is common for the committee chairman to organize its meetings. Sometimes these meetings are held through videoconferencing or other means if committee members are not able to attend in person, as may be

9879-484: The power to receive nominations from members and verify that the candidates are eligible. A nominating committee works similarly to an electoral college , the main difference being that the available candidates, either nominated or "written in" outside of the committee's choices, are then voted into office by the membership. It is a part of governance methods often employed by corporate bodies, business entities, and social and sporting groups, especially clubs. The intention

9990-575: The purpose of bestowing awards in the arts, or in application to industry's products and services. The objective being to update, set, and maintain high and possibly new standards. A steering committee is a committee that provides guidance, direction and control to a project within an organization. The term is derived from the steering mechanism that changes the steering angle of a vehicle's wheels. Project steering committees are frequently used for guiding and monitoring IT projects in large organizations, as part of project governance . The functions of

10101-449: The question itself. Organizations with a large board of directors (such as international labor unions, large corporations with thousands of stockholders or national and international organizations) may have a smaller body of the board, called an executive committee , to handle its business. The executive committee may function more like a board than an actual committee. In any case, an executive committee can only be established through

10212-498: The same drawbacks as commercial shows (long lines, overcrowding, etc.) due to the sheer size of the events. There are many conventions focused on particular special interests within science fiction. For example, Wiscon , in addition to being the Wisconsin Science Fiction Convention, is focused on feminist SF/fantasy and gender , race , and class issues/studies. Diversicon concentrates on

10323-452: The same geographical area. Like most non-media science fiction conventions, all Worldcons are managed entirely by volunteers, with no paid staff. Senior committee members typically devote hundreds of hours (not to mention thousands of dollars in travel expenses in some cases) in preparation for a particular convention. While each convention is managed separately by the local committee, an informal and self-selected group of volunteers constitute

10434-589: The site of the 2015 Worldcon . In 2020, The 78th Worldcon was held in Wellington, New Zealand . However, due to the COVID-19 pandemic , organizers announced during March 2020 that it would be a "virtual" con with attendees and panelists using video technologies to participate. In 2021, The 79th Worldcon took place in Washington, D.C. In 2022, the 80th Worldcon would be held in Chicago, Illinois. This

10545-596: The stage for a follow-up event held in New York, in February 1937, where "30 or 40" fans gathered at Bohemian Hall in Astoria, Queens . Attendees at this event included James Blish , Charles D. Hornig , Julius Schwartz , and Willis Conover . This event came to be known as the "Second Eastern" and set the stage for the successful Third Eastern held in Philadelphia on October 30, 1937, and the subsequent Fourth Eastern held on May 29, 1938, which attracted over 100 attendees to

10656-474: The suite may serve alcohol. At conventions in the rest of the world, the hotel or convention centre bar typically offers the same social function. At conventions in the United Kingdom , the provision of cask ale is usual. Many conventions have a "dead dog party" in the evening of the last day of the convention, after closing ceremonies. This is the traditional winding-down party where the remaining attendees are unlikely to have huge amounts of energy. This party

10767-447: The tradition is to award it only to those who have been making significant contributions for at least 20 years. Guests of honor generally receive travel expenses, membership, and a small per diem from the convention, but no speaking fees. In order to announce guests immediately after site selection , Worldcon bid committees select one or more guests before the site selection vote. Fans consider it inappropriate for bids to compete on

10878-405: The type of committee. Generally, committees established by the bylaws or the organization's rules continue to exist, while committees formed for a particular purpose go out of existence after the final report. In parliamentary procedure , the motion to commit (or refer ) is used to refer another motion—usually a main motion—to a committee. A motion to commit should specify to which committee

10989-434: The vastness of human diversity. Filking conventions such as Ohio Valley Filk Fest , FilkOntario, and GaFilk gather those interested in science fiction-related music . Costume-Con gathers people from around the world who are mainly interested in science fiction, fantasy, and historical costuming. Penguicon combines science fiction with technology, particularly Linux and open source software. The term " relaxacon "

11100-451: The whole assembly or organization were considering them. Committees may have different functions and their types of work differ depending on the type of organization and its needs. A member of a legislature may be delegated a committee assignment , which gives them the right to serve on a certain committee. A deliberative assembly or other organization may form a committee (or "commission") consisting of one or more persons to assist with

11211-405: The whole" or "quasi committee of the whole". In Robert's Rules of Order Newly Revised , the motion to discharge a committee is used to take a matter out of a committee's hands before the committee has made a final report on it. A committee can use this motion to discharge a subcommittee. The vote required is a majority vote , if the committee has failed to report at the prescribed time or if

11322-543: The winners of the annual Hugo Awards , which are presented at each convention. Activities and events at the convention typically include (but are not limited to): The World Science Fiction Society administers and presents the Hugo Awards , the oldest and most noteworthy award for science fiction. Selection of the recipients is by vote of the Worldcon members. Categories include novels and short fiction, artwork, dramatic presentations, and various professional and fandom activities. Other awards may be presented at Worldcon at

11433-645: The work of the assembly. For larger organizations, much work is done in committees. They can be a way to formally draw together people of relevant expertise from different parts of an organization who otherwise would not have a good way to share information and coordinate actions. They may have the advantage of widening viewpoints and sharing out responsibilities. They can also be appointed with experts to recommend actions in matters that require specialized knowledge or technical judgment. Committees can serve several different functions: Generally, committees are required to report to their parent body. They do not usually have

11544-407: The world either as one-time or annual events. At these conventions, fans of science fiction come together with the professional writers, artists, and filmmakers in the genre to discuss its many aspects. Some cities have a number of science-fiction conventions, as well as a number of special interest conventions for anime , media, or other related groups. Some conventions move from city to city, serving

11655-581: Was Torcon I in Toronto in 1948; since then, Worldcons have been held in Britain , Germany , the Netherlands , Canada , Australia , Japan , Finland , and Ireland although the majority of Worldcons are still held in the United States . Since the first conventions in the late 1930s, such as the first Worldcon , hundreds of local and regional science fiction conventions have sprung up around

11766-586: Was a milestone in the evolution of science-fiction conventions as a place for science-fiction (SF) professionals, as well as fans, to meet their colleagues in person. On January 3, 1937, the British fans held their long-planned event at the Theosophical Hall in Leeds . Around twenty fans, including Eric Frank Russell and Arthur C. Clarke , attended. To this day, many fan historians, especially those in

11877-400: Was announced at the 2020 Worldcon, chosen by the members of the 78th Worldcon. Jeddah , Saudi Arabia was the other competing site. A group of writers and officers of the Worldcon have signed an open letter against Saudi Arabia's bid to host the 2022 World Science Fiction Convention, citing human rights abuses and discriminatory laws. Chengdu , China hosted the 81st Worldcon in 2023. It

11988-454: Was begun in 1975, and has since been held on an annual basis. The World Fantasy Convention, however, is less oriented toward the fan community, and is primarily a professional gathering (for writers, editors, publishers, etc.). Many of those who attend "World Fantasy" also attend Worldcon. However, this convention is more focused on authors and publishing, with a much higher proportion of authors in attendance; as such it does not usually include

12099-533: Was held in Glasgow , Scotland in 2024. The 83rd Worldcon will be held in Seattle , Washington in 2025. Jeddah, Saudi Arabia reasserted its bid for 2026, but the bid has since been replaced by one for Cairo , Egypt, which will be bidding against Los Angeles . As WSFS itself is an unincorporated society, each Worldcon is organized by a separate committee (usually) legally incorporated in the local jurisdiction; in

12210-722: Was the first to be held in Asia . Other non-US Worldcons held in the 21st century have included the 2003 Worldcon in Toronto, Ontario, Canada, the 2005 Worldcon , held in Glasgow, Scotland ; the 2009 Worldcon , in Montreal , Quebec , Canada; the 2010 Worldcon , in Melbourne, Australia ; the 2014 Worldcon , in London, United Kingdom and the 2017 Worldcon , in Helsinki, Finland . Sites for future Worldcons are determined by voting of

12321-804: Was the second Worldcon to be held in Asia after the 65th Worldcon in Japan in 2007. Over 100 authors, including Hugo winners and Uyghur writers, signed an open letter calling for the hosting to be reconsidered due to ongoing human rights violations in the Uyghur region . The choice of location was also criticized due to the effects of the Chinese government's censorship regime and the exclusion of authors publicly critical of human rights in China such as R. F. Kuang , Xiran Jay Zhao , and Neil Gaiman . The 82nd Worldcon

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