Dragon*Con 2011

[Dogs Playing Poker]

The first round of Dragon*Con meetings are just around the corner, so I figured I'd start a thread about Atlanta's premiere SF/Fantasy con. I have a really good feeling about this year's event, and am very glad that I'll have a few more days rest between it and ProgPower

 

[sh0kr0k]

Howdy Derek/Formerly Ruthven! My main interest is always the music acts (durh) but I doubt I can stay in ATL for that long. I really wish they weren't a weekend apart :-\ So is it wrong of me to wish they don't bring someone I want to see??

 

[Dogs Playing Poker]

So is it wrong of me to wish they don't bring someone I want to see??

It depends on if their presence (or absence) makes my job more difficult.

Luckily for me, Charlaine Harris has been booked. Not sure if you like her stuff or not, but her attendance definitely makes my job easier.

 

[Cheiron]

Likely going to skip it this year. Might go for one day if they have a really good panel going and if reports on the lines are tame.

 

[BenMech]

wOOt.

 

[Sumeet]

I enjoyed it last year, and will likely return any future year it's on a weekend adjacent to ProgPower. I can extend my vacation by that much, but not by an additional intervening week!

 

[Pellaz]

Yeah, although it would make life for Derek and me a living HELL (again ), I wish D*C and PPUSA were on adjacent weekends so y'all could make an extended vacation of it.

Gotta say I was surprised to see Anne McCaffrey added to the guest-list, but quite pleased as well. I had the privilege of working with her back at Dragon*Con in 1989 (at the Omni Hotel) and have always had a soft spot for Pern, particularly the Harper Hall books.

 

[Kazi]

I've never been to Dragon*Con before, but I would like to go if I can get some friends together. If nothing else it would make for some great photo opportunities.

 

[Pellaz]

I've never been to Dragon*Con before, but I would like to go if I can get some friends together. If nothing else it would make for some great photo opportunities.

I'm not sure exactly how Dragon*Con evolved into the pre-eminent costume event in the U.S., and I can't point to a particular year when it started, or a specific show or movie that triggered it, but there it is...and I'm not complaining. Every year I see some drop-dead amazing costumes...and many of them aren't even entered in any of the costume contests. (!)
A search for "DragonCon costume photos" on Google would probably turn up thousands of photos very quickly.

Here's hoping you can make it!

 

[freakchylde]

Have they allowed for pre-purchase of individual weekend passes? That was my big hang-up.

 

[Corsair]

I think there needs to be some kind of "beginners guide to enjoying Dragon*Con" because the one time I went was a confusing, isolating and chaotic experience, and I think maybe I was just doing it wrong.I mean if you've never been before and you don't have a lot of friends who can/will go with you, it helps to have some kind of...something to make sense of the madness of it all.

Yeah. I felt like an outsider in an evemt catering to the outsider. :\
But I hope to go again at some point and maybe some pointers from more experienced goers would help.

 

[Dogs Playing Poker]

I think there needs to be some kind of "beginners guide to enjoying Dragon*Con"

Here are a couple of unofficial ones. I haven't looked over them in detail so I want to emphasize that they do not necessarily reflect the thoughts of convention, etc., but they probably have some good tips here and there.

How Stuff Works: Dragon*Con Survival Guide.

Dragon*Con Wiki

 

[Pellaz]

Something else you can do as a first-timer is to hang out in the consuite (hospitality suite) and listen out for conversations or topics that might interest you, then 'latch' onto a like-minded person or group.
A more extreme suggestion: volunteer to be on staff. It sounds cheesy to say this, but it's a great way to see things (sometimes "behind the scenes") and meet people.

Lara, don't think they're offering 'pre-purchase' yet, but it's a good idea.