Visions (convention)

Visions was a British TV/media convention held in Chicago that featured actors from Robin of Sherwood, Blake's 7 and Doctor Who. 
While is was a fan con, its main focus was actor guests.
Its original title was "A British TV Celebration."
Many 1995-1999 fan comments at a forum can be read here: and .
From a fan in 1993: 
==1990==
Visions '90 was held November 23-25, 1990. 
From a flyer posted to rec.arts.drwho in September 1990: "VISIONS '90 (Formerly A BRITISH TV CELEBRATION)- November 23-25, Hyatt
Regency O'Hare, Chicago, IL Guests: Jon Pertwee, Michael Keating, Sally
Knyvette, Sylvester McCoy, Sophie Aldred, Jason Connery, John Peel,
Fraser Hines, Mark Ryan, Terry Walsh, Dave Rogers, Eric Hoffman.
Invited but not confirmed: Patrick MacNee, Brent Spiner, Linda Thorson,
Michael Praed, and Brian Clemens. Tickets $40/3 days, $30/Sat. and Sun.,
$20/1 day. Cabaret: $20. Luncheon, panels, art show, costume contest,
gaming tourneys, video room. Hotel: single/double/triple/quad $65; must
receive reservation at least 21 days in advance of arrival to guarantee
rate. For tickets/info, contact: Her Majesty's Entertainment, [address redacted]."
==1991==
Visions '91 was held November 29 - December 1, 1991. 
Guests were Sally Knyvette David Jackson, Steven Pacey and Paul Darrow. It was Darrow's first (only?) American con appearance in 1991.
Activities listed in a 1991 flyer posted to rec.arts.drwho: "A charity auction (to benefit Lambs Farm of Libertyville, a live-in facility for mentally and/or physically challenged adults), two video rooms (the program will be the same in each room, however, video room 2's show times will be three hours later than video room 1), a masquerade ball (on Friday night, with a DJ, and judging will take place before the DJ's first set), art show & auction, and a cabaret (which will include Tom Baker's rendition of Dickens' classic, "A Christmas Carol").
Other items of interest include: a brunch raffle (chances for this event will be sold at the registration desk; the brunch will occur late Sunday morning & winners will be asked to pay one-half of the cost of their meal), autographs & photographs (though Mr. Baker will not be signing autographs in person, he will be signing the program books ahead of time so that when you register you will automatically get his autograph -- an opportunity to greet him and have a photograph taken with him will be made available each day) and, of course, a dealers room (which the promoters describe as "tremendous!")."
 
===1991: Con Reports===
 
==1992==
Visions '92 was held November 27-29, 1992 and was billed as "A British/American Television Celebration." Gareth Thomas was a guest.
An electronic progress report detailing some of the proposed activities was posted to rec.arts.tv.uk here. Among the proposed activities were: an art show, a masquerade. 
"This year's Masquerade will accommodate those of you who have audio needs. We will also be able to turn on and off stage lights, but we can't handle fancier lighting requests. Remember, presentations are limited to one minute."), fan run panels, a fan run dealer's room, and a charity auction benefiting Lambs Farm and the Make-A-Wish Foundation."
===1992: Con Reports===
==1993==
Visions 93 was held November 26-28, 1993 and was billed as "Celebrating 30 Years of Doctor Who." 
Two guests were Jan Chappell and Jacqueline Pearce.
An electronic progress report detailing some of the proposed activities was posted to alt.fan here. The members of The Federation (video collective) celebrated their 10th year at Visions '93 by showing some of their fan produced videos.
===1993: Con Reports===
==1994==
November 25-27, 1994
Paul Darrow and Sheelagh Wells were guests. This con featured the first American appearance of the Blake's 7 blooper tape.
===1994: Con Reports===
==1995==
Visions 95 was held November 23-26, 1995 and was billed as "A Convention Dedicated to Unusual Television." An electronic progress report detailing some of the proposed activities was posted to rec.arts.tv.uk here. Among the proposed activities were: celebrity luncheon, fan led panels, a variety show, two video rooms - one for aired episodes and one for "fan-made versions of Doctor Who, Red Dwarf, Star Trek: The Next Generation, The Prisoner, Mystery Science Theater 3000, and Monty Python's Flying Circus."
"...Paul Darrow and Gareth Thomas attended their first con together in America [at Visions] (at that time, it was only their second con appearance together ever)." comment by Joyce Bowen in Avon Club Newsletter #67 
 
Convention photos by Paula Gross are archived here.
Image:visions95flyer.jpg|flyer
1995 Farewell Audio Files
===1995: Con Reports===
==1996==
Visions '96 was held November 28 - December 1, 1996 and was billed as "The Unconventional Television Convention." An electronic progress report detailing some of the proposed activities was posted to rec.arts.drwho and can be viewed here. It was the conventions 7th year.
Visions '96: The Unconventional Television Convention
===1996: Con Reports===
==1997==
Visions '97 was held November 27 - 30, 1997 and was billed as "The Unconventional Television Convention." An electronic progress report detailing some of the proposed activities was posted to rec.arts.tv.uk here.
Guests:
* Babylon 5:	Julie Caitlin Brown (Na'Toth)
* Jeff Conway (Zack Allen)
* Patricia Tallman (Lyta Alexander)
* Adam "Mojo" Lebowitz (CGI & FX artist)
* Doctor Who:	Peter Davison (Doctor #5)
* Frazer Hines (Jamie)
* Blake's 7:	Sally Knyvette (Jenna Stannis)
* Sheelagh Wells (make up artist and friend of B7 fans everywhere)
* David Maloney (Producer)
* 2001 A Space Odyssey:	Gary Lockwood (Frank Poole)
* ST Voyager:	Jeri Ryan (7 of 9)
* Starlog Magazine:	Dave McDonnell
* Joe Nazzaro ("also the husband of Sheelagh Wells with whom he co-authored "Blake's 7 the Inside Story" and another friend to Blake's 7 fans everywhere").
===1997: Con Reports===
 
 
==1998==
Many fan comments at a forum can be read here: more recent; and less recent.
.
In 1998, members of the Doctor Who Alliance of North America posted a list of panels that may be of interest to Doctor Who fans at alt.drwho.creative and can be read here. Among the panels listed:
*International Fandom. An examination of how global fandom has changed over the years, particularly with the advent of the Internet. FRIDAY 11:30am
*Doctor Who Internet Fandom Gathering. Meet your fellow Netizens... Users of the rec.arts.drwho & alt.drwho.creative newsgroups, the DRWHO-L, Allen Road & Doctor Who Alliance mailing lists, IRC users and AOL/CompuServe online members, come hook up and put faces to those names you've seen forever! SATURDAY 9:00am
*The Future of Dr. Who Fandom In North America. Doctor Who fandom in the U.S. and Canada is maturing as the long days continue since the show's cancellation. How is this fandom progressing; what can be done to keep it going? We'll give you the lowdown on the current state of affairs with Who fandom through clubs, conventions, the Internet and local fandom, and show you some of the ways we're changing it for the better, including the new Doctor Who Alliance of North America. SATURDAY 1:15pm
*Missing Episodes: Is the Truth Out There? Is it true that some episodes were found in a church? Was the Jon Pertwee episode 'Invasion' mistakenly destroyed with a Patrick Troughton serial? Why did the BBC destroy many of the episodes in the first place? A discussion of the many stories (and even more rumours) surrounding the missing episodes of DOCTOR WHO. SATURDAY 2:30pm
*Who Fandom: The Next Step. How can you become an active participant in fandom by more than just sitting through convention panels? We'll look at a variety of ways, such as fan fiction, fan videos, telesnap reconstructions and video projects, and more. SATURDAY 3:45pm
*Making a Fan Video: A Survival Course. This panel will present some key points to understand and remember when considering the creation of a fan video. The concepts presented are important for any video - dramatic or comedic, Doctor Who or Star Trek or Buffy - because they encompass the creative and technical aspects of the process. SUNDAY 9:30am
*Dr. Who On The Internet: A Guide To Getting Started. Our panel will tell you where to find the information you are looking for on the 'Net and the World Wide Web, including the low down on the best websites, mailing lists, newsgroups, IRC, the online services and more. SUNDAY 10:45am
*Into the Canon's Mouth! Just for fun... a huge roundtable debate on the Doctor Who novels, Virgin version versus the BBC. A two-hour free-for-all; come have fun and join the caucus! SUNDAY 12 noon
*Note: another panel, "Filking a Mystery" will involve some Doctor Who but we were unable to get hold of the moderator by press time.
A 1996-1998 fan forum can be read here.
==1999==
Panels both about Doctor Who and Battlestar Galactica had been planned. The 1999 convention was canceled. Notice posted here.
== References ==
Category:Multimedia Conventions
Category:1990 Conventions
Category:1990s Conventions
Category:Conventions in United States