We'll shortly be sending out programming letters to those who've expressed interest. We're planning an afternoon costume reception. It won't be a masquerade, but it'll be a place for people in costumes to be seen, and for those who like seeing costumes to see lots of them. There'll be places for people in less mobile costumes to stand around and be admired, while more mobile types can meet and mingle. There's a lot to be said for a few really hot panels held in a great big room with a large audience.
People work harder when they've got a bigger audience.
There's a sense of occasion. Real convening happens when people have surprising conversations, discover interests they didn't know they had, find common ground with people they never understood before. We've gotten all too good at building conventions that allow everyone to tidily sort themselves out into razor-thin subgroups practically the moment they arrive at the hotel. Boring boring boring boring boring.