What's up with Capricon?

[alicebentley]

Does anyone reading this know who's running the 2005 Capricon? I know the staff changes around every year (in general, a good thing) but I just heard about a policy change they've put in this year that made my jaw drop.

Greg Ketter (from DreamHaven Books in Minneapolis for those who have just joined us) just told me that Capricon returned his check for tables, saying that they wanted more new blood and felt that there were too many book dealers anyway.

This would have been his 25th Capricon. That's right - he's been to every single one. I was trying to work out with other long-timers whether he is or is not the ONLY dealer to have participated so long. I should ask Steve Salaba, who would be one of the few other contenders I can think of.

I think this was a very poor decision on someone's part. Do they really feel that books are no longer part of science fiction? Or that Mad Science (this year's theme) is only about gadgets and sparkly stuff? There were only four book dealers last year anyway - how many fewer can they be planning on!

I wasn't at all sure I'd be able to afford going this year anyway, since for the first time it would mean flying in. Now here's one more big reason not to try too hard.

Comments

[singlemaltsilk.livejournal.com]

My application was rejected, too.

[marykaykare.livejournal.com]

I have passed your question on to erikvolson who has been on recent Cap committees and is, I think, on this one.

MKK

[jennlk]

According to Capricon's website:
In keeping with the Mad Scientist theme, this year we have experimented on the Dealer's Room. We intentionally replaced half of the room with Dealers who have not been to Capricon. We also chose our Dealers with an eye to have as much variety as possible

Based on the list of dealers, it doesn't look too good for books or book dealers.

erikvolson dropped off the Capricon board a few months ago.

[msagara.livejournal.com]

Greg Ketter (from DreamHaven Books in Minneapolis for those who have just joined us) just told me that Capricon returned his check for tables, saying that they wanted more new blood and felt that there were too many book dealers anyway.

...

...

I don't understand. Really, truly, completely don't understand. Is it such a large convention that it isn't trying to sell tables?

[jeffreyab.livejournal.com]

Greg seems to be the only one of the old guard not in the dealers room.

Ray, Larry, Butch and Glen are all there.

[minnehaha.livejournal.com]

Maybe we should have Alicecon and come visit you that weekend.

I looked over the web site in some detail, but there's no list of who is on the concom, nor who is responsible for anything. If you dig really hard, you can find a few data points. Having followed every link on the Capricon web site, I learned that:

They have a book club, and Helen Montgomery is the coordinator.

They have a "Dark and Stormy Planet" contest, and the judges are: Tracey Callison, Eloise Mason (nee Beltz-Decker) and Moshe Yudkowsky.

They have a "featured filker" named Erica Neely and also expect Steve Macdonald, Bill Roper, and Eric Coleman.

It seems that Siobhán M. Murphy is in charge of the art show.

They are run by a group that exists to run Capricon: Phandemonium. Its board of directors includes: Phoenix (Board President), Vicki Ortega, Doyle Blooding, Gretchen Roper (retiring), Brent Warren and the Capricon XXV Chair Deb Kosiba.

I don't know most of these people.

K.

[holzman.livejournal.com]

It simply wouldn't be Capricon if someone on the Con comittee wasn't doing something mind-bogglingly stupid.

It's nice to hear that they're so well set for dealers that they can turn some away, though.

I think I'll continue not attending.

[tanac.livejournal.com]

Sunshine (whose real name I couldn't tell ya for anything) is in charge of the Dealer's room this year - and yes, the intention was to stir things up and bring a lot of new stuff in.

They did have about 15 more dealers apply than there was space for, as a data point.

(I'm running registration this year. just like last year. and next year.)

The chair is Deb Kosiba, who's run capricon before (more than once, iirc).

Just a perspective i'd like to add....

[daddy-guido.livejournal.com]

I was going to stay out of this discussion, but now i find that i cannot.

Many people in response to this thread have made sweeping comments about "this is the future of Capricon" or "this is the way they do things now" etc.

Each year, in an attempt to keep things fresh, a new Chair is selected by the Phandemonium board of directors from a group of proposals presented at Windy. The theory is, that by selecting the chairs with the most exciting ideas, that the con will continue to evolve, and not meet the fate of other midwest cons who get criticized for stagnating, or who lose membership because of internal ruptures.

Deb Kosiba is the chair for 25. Deb has successfully chaired capricon in the past, and come up with some really great and fun ideas to make the con more than just a handful of panels and a consuite. Is Deb perfect? no. Will she (or her concom) make some choices that a few people will regard as "bad" choices? Sure. What Chair hasn't?

Next year this time, you'll likely all be trashing ME, since I'll be the Chair for 26. Let me tell you in advance that I'll accept any suggestions for improvement, and any advice people care to offer, but i'll be making some decisions that i KNOW will piss off some folks, but i ALSO know will make others happy. Like Deb, I'll be attempting to provide the best con experience possible, and i'll be trying to add new members to the convention. Like Deb, any decision that i or my concom make will be intended to improve the Capricon experience for all the attendees, and failing that, at least the majority.

But my decisions will in some cases be different from Deb's. Not necessarily better, (hopefully not worse!) Just Different. So to be clear, Deb's decisions are not the future and ongoing policy of Capricon, just as Dave McCarty's weren't before her, and Cary and Marnie before his, and so on... Each chair tries new stuff. The future chairs evaluate the effect of those changes, and adjust accordingly. No single Chair sets "permanent policy" for the con - only the Board does that, and they do not directly manage the event year-to-year. So. I'm sorry if folks are unhappy with past decisions, but please don't remain ignorant of the fact that Cap is an evolving, growing entity, and through that ignorance deprive yourself (and others) of what is likely to be a new and exciting con, year after year.

Now,another thought for all of you "elders" and all of you "boycotters" and "non-attendees". EVERYONE who has tried their hand at conrunning has pissed people off. The "elders" may not have felt the impact as highly, because today it only takes 2-3 pissed off folks who are well-connected on the internet to generate a huge negative buzz. It only takes minutes. Back when cap first started, if you pissed someone off, you might not hear about it UNTIL THE CON.

These days, the gripe sessions on Sunday are sparsely attended, because anyone with a negative comment has already published it to the GT list/LJ/messageboard/other mailing list/all of their Outlook contacts, etc.

But of all the negative comments I've seen regarding a decision that (right, wrong or otherwise) really only affects a few people, not a SINGLE ONE has suggested a positive remedy for the situation.

Furthermore, none of the complaining parties have offerred to help the convention effort with advice, volunteer time, or the benefit of knowledge that they seem to expect every fan to somehow assimilate in their first year of conrunning through some mystical unexplained process. Cripes. If you're no longer interested in helping or running it or sharing your valuable knowledge, then don't expect the new kids to know everything you know. The only reason i have clue one about "who is Greg Ketter" is because of his business connection to Alice, who i only really got to know at any depth at all after 15 years in fandom, and we lived in the same damn city.

Sorry about the long rant - this has been building up a while.

Peace,

Greg "Guido" Williams