From: fafhrd@lunacity.com (David Medinnus)
Newsgroups: rec.arts.sf.fandom
Subject: Re: Why 10-Fan Quorum? (was Re: Anime Expo December Update)
Date: Thu, 17 Dec 92 15:16:56 PST
Organization: LunaCity BBS - (Clan Zen Relay Network) Mountain View, CA

higgins@fnala.fnal.gov (Bill Higgins-- Beam Jockey) writes:

> In article <1992Dec17.012352.3561@nic.csu.net>, shogun@sutro.SFSU.EDU (Mike M
> > 				Anime Expo '93
> > 		Oakland Convention Center/Parc Oakland Hotel
> > 				July 2-4, 1993
> [...]
> 
> > Q: What kind of panels will Anime Expo have?
> > 
> > We will try to give each major attending company one panel to show
> > off all of their new products [...]  The second key feature of our panels i
> > that we will be doing focuses on each of our GoH's.  
> 
> So far, makes sense.
> 
> > One new feature
> > will be the "fan-made panels".  If 10 fans want to put on a panel and
> > can take care of the logistics, we will provide the forum and the
> > equipment for it, just contact us in advance so that we can put it in
> > our schedule.
> 
> As a sometime organizer of programming for ink-and-paper SF
> conventions, I find this really strange.  
> 
> Ten people is too many for a panel... some number between three and
> five is usually right to keep a discussion going for an hour or so.
> 
> Does Mike mean that fans with a good idea have to collect signatures
> on a petition or something before they can get a panel to happen?
> 
> Where I come from, if somebody wants to hold a panel, he contacts the
> program department head (or other functionary.)   The PDH(ooF) makes a
> decision about whether the idea is good, whether it's likely to
> interest a suffficient number of attendees, whether appropriately
> knowledgeable and articulate people are available to serve as
> paneslists, whether there's a room available at the appropriate time, 
> etc. and accepts or rejects the idea.  There is an
> informal rule:  "if the panel is your idea, you get to be on it,"
> but it's not followed in every case.
> 
> And what does "take care of the logistics" mean?
> 
> > Q: What will you guys be showing?
> > 
> > We will also be running from four to five video programming tracks
> > with one information channel.
> > 
> > For obvious reasons, we can't advertise what will be shown at the con.
> 
> Wrong.  The reasons aren't obvious to me.  (But then I am naive in the
> ways of anime!)  Maybe somebody will have the patience to explain this
> to me.
> 
> > Q: What will be the attendance?
> > 
> > Official estimated attendance at Anime Expo '92 was more than 1,700.  
> > This year, with better publicity, BART access, and a year's worth of
> > momentum, Anime Expo '93 is shooting for 3,000 to 5,000.  If the rush for
> > memberships becomes too strong, we may have to put a cap on convention
> > membership at 8,000.  
> 
> Urk!  
> 
> Good luck-- it's a huge job!
> 
>      O~~*           /_) ' / /   /_/ '  ,   ,  ' ,_  _           \|/
>    - ~ -~~~~~~~~~~~/_) / / /   / / / (_) (_) / / / _\~~~~~~~~~~~zap!
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>  |       |     Bill Higgins   Fermi National Accelerator Laboratory
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>      ~         SPAN/Hepnet:      43011::HIGGINS 

Actually, unless I very much miss my guess, AX '93 does not have any 
experienced programming staff, as in the SF Bay Area they are few and far 
between. Which sounds like a slam, but it's not...like any con with a 
department which no one has done before, they're learning it the hard 
way, by doing.

Which is the way most of us learn con jobs, anyway....:)

------------------------------------------------------------------------------
David Medinnus -> (fafhrd@lunacity.com)
                                LunaCity BBS - Mountain View, CA 415 968 8140