tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11303103.post4576168392319113388..comments2024-03-20T03:12:56.498-05:00Comments on Lou Anders: OmegaCon: If You Build It, They Will ComeLou Andershttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00694362734492222851noreply@blogger.comBlogger14125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11303103.post-67850458258499087382008-03-21T00:10:00.000-05:002008-03-21T00:10:00.000-05:00Anne, you have my permission. Hell, I'm probably g...Anne, you have my permission. Hell, I'm probably going to post something similar in the SFWA Forum, just so next year's guests will know what to expect.<BR/><BR/>Send me the e-mail address of the Star Chamber when you get a chance.<BR/><BR/>-- Mike ResnickAnonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11303103.post-34800754092529348602008-03-20T21:26:00.000-05:002008-03-20T21:26:00.000-05:00Mike, would you let me post this to the Star Chamb...Mike, would you let me post this to the Star Chamber? I'd be much obliged.<BR/><BR/>(They really have one...)<BR/><BR/>Anne here, Steve Brust's former assistant. <BR/><BR/>Thank you, Mike, and thank you to Carol also, for giving me some things to pass along. <BR/><BR/>I'm explaining to them how BAD it is to alienate your authors. Luckily I'm not alone in noticing.<BR/><BR/>I feel like I'm speaking a foreign language when they don't understand; when David Drake told me "discourteous" was the worst thing he could say, I knew exactly what he meant. <BR/><BR/>Mike, I am amazed at how much went wrong. Until now, I would have said you couldn't manage this much at a con. I really expected a fight in the dealers room (no table assignments and no dealer room contact either).<BR/><BR/>This beats out the worst-run con I was at, with Steve Brust; makes it look tame, actually.<BR/><BR/>Anne*---Starbuck O'Sheahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12298464024158220564noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11303103.post-47436336286595230782008-03-20T20:40:00.000-05:002008-03-20T20:40:00.000-05:00Lou, you're sugar-coating it. Carol and I have bee...Lou, you're sugar-coating it. Carol and I have been going to conventions since 1963. We've attended over 200 of them, including some that have gone down in fannish history for their ineptitude, such as the 1968 Baycon, the 1988 Nolacon II, and the 1993 ConFrancisco (forever known as ConFiasco). None of them begin to approach the level of incompetence displayed by Omegacon. They screwed up plane reservations, guests' transportation, fees to actors (who of course elected not to come), room reservations, program books, program scheduling...in brief, if it was screwable, they screwed it up. The problems people could see -- the committee had obviouslly never seen an art show, they double-scheduled writers with only two tracks of literary programming, and so forth -- was a lot less bothersome that the stuff the public didn't see.<BR/><BR/>For example: They bought me a pair of nonrefundable plane tickets. The wrong ones. Then they went out and bought a second pair -- also wrong. The night we got there, we -- and David Weber, and others -- were told that the hotel wouldn't accept Omegacon's credit and we invited guests of the con now had to pay for our rooms. That got solved, but a lot of things didn't. Steve Brust got stranded at the airport without his promised ride for a couple of hours. So did Ben Bova, who also didn't have his promised room. So did a number of others. Alan Dean Foster was asked to stay an extra day so he could be on a Sunday panel, which was then canceled. Kay Kenyon and Louise Marley showed up at the Tutwiler Hotel, were told that their room was no longer being paid for (the Omegacon credit account again) and wound up at the Sheraton. Etc., etc., etc.<BR/><BR/>We got to visit with a bunch of friends, including yourself, and had a good enough time in spite of the convention -- but I'd guess it'll be at least another century before one is run as badly at all levels at this one.<BR/><BR/>-- Mike ResnickAnonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11303103.post-58122320093020936532008-03-20T13:47:00.000-05:002008-03-20T13:47:00.000-05:00Thanks Anne. I will check it out. I think that the...Thanks Anne. I will check it out. I think that the discussion forum on their website can be a great resource for cataloging and addressing the improvements they need to make between now and Omegacon 2.Lou Andershttps://www.blogger.com/profile/00694362734492222851noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11303103.post-48120001563659100932008-03-20T01:36:00.000-05:002008-03-20T01:36:00.000-05:00Awww! -blush- Thanks!!! Kind words and complime...Awww! -blush- Thanks!!! Kind words and compliments are treasures.<BR/><BR/>Without you two helping before and during con, I might have not managed any taming. I probably would have been gritting my teeth a lot and thinking I was alone in wanting to stave off the chaos. I was starting to feel like Cassandra... <BR/><BR/>O-con's site is back up, and there's a thread going on suggestions/changes/complaints in the General forum. <BR/><BR/>Anne*---<BR/>Ops/Lit track asst.Starbuck O'Sheahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12298464024158220564noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11303103.post-48841626458817805682008-03-18T21:22:00.000-05:002008-03-18T21:22:00.000-05:00I'm hearing about more room parties now, and a sea...I'm hearing about more room parties now, and a search for "omegacon" on www.icerocket.com turns up a lot of very happy attendee con reports.Lou Andershttps://www.blogger.com/profile/00694362734492222851noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11303103.post-1972400582843320612008-03-18T20:31:00.000-05:002008-03-18T20:31:00.000-05:00Lou - You called it exactly.Anne - I'll have to ec...Lou - You called it exactly.<BR/><BR/>Anne - I'll have to echo Lou on this one, the work that you and many others did really helped tame the chaos and get the con rolling.Jeremy F. Lewishttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04139044923548121090noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11303103.post-12662518198398442232008-03-18T17:49:00.000-05:002008-03-18T17:49:00.000-05:00Anne - it was great to meet you and you were great...Anne - it was great to meet you and you were great keeping things working or patching them together. See you next year if not sooner!Lou Andershttps://www.blogger.com/profile/00694362734492222851noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11303103.post-89035850003058093582008-03-18T17:25:00.000-05:002008-03-18T17:25:00.000-05:00Lou, I heard that the hotel canceled the consuite ...Lou, I heard that the hotel canceled the consuite after promising to provide it. Thank you for helping keep me sane before con, also.<BR/><BR/>What an excellent con report!<BR/><BR/>Louise, I did pass along the need to move outbound bands to make way for incoming bands. Did Security and/or the Music staff handle that after Friday?<BR/><BR/>Kay, I totally agree. We desperately needed signs and panelist-name tents... Ops got office supplies late Saturday afternoon. I kept getting pens to supply Ops from Ann Aguirre.<BR/><BR/>Anne*---<BR/>Ops/Lit track asst.Starbuck O'Sheahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12298464024158220564noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11303103.post-36596387095465643272008-03-18T17:00:00.000-05:002008-03-18T17:00:00.000-05:00Ah yes, tents is a given. It was wonderful having ...Ah yes, tents is a given. It was wonderful having you both (Kay and Louise) here - I really enjoyed it and am glad you did too. I heard today that the official attendance number was 3,276, which is pretty damn respectable. And I've already heard from several folks who didn't attend this year that are planning on coming next year.Lou Andershttps://www.blogger.com/profile/00694362734492222851noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11303103.post-32126776241770194712008-03-18T16:45:00.000-05:002008-03-18T16:45:00.000-05:00Wise and wide-ranging report, Lou. You've got my v...Wise and wide-ranging report, Lou. You've got my vote for knowing how to call it!<BR/><BR/>To add to the list for next time: microphones in panels if OmegaCon grows. Halfway back in the larger literary track room, we couldn't hear.<BR/><BR/>Also, tents showing panelists names. Some authors won't admit it, but they hate no one knowing who they are!<BR/><BR/>And a plus: I thought the Books-A-Million staff--and there were plenty of them--were exceptionally knowledgeable and helpful. If this is an example of their staff, they are Way ahead of the competition.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11303103.post-18581063758964295782008-03-18T15:51:00.000-05:002008-03-18T15:51:00.000-05:00Earthwood had a great time, though the lack of pro...Earthwood had a great time, though the lack of program seriously diminished our audience. I'm sure the listeners are out there for our retro-folk music!<BR/><BR/>I would accept another invitation, myself. And I would advise the programming folks to send someone around to be certain panels started and ENDED on time! But the Southern fans were great, and it was a joy to meet so many of them.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11303103.post-87833173339163269502008-03-18T07:46:00.000-05:002008-03-18T07:46:00.000-05:00Jeff,thank you for your breakdown. That's exactly ...Jeff,<BR/>thank you for your breakdown. That's exactly what I'm hearing across the board. And from what I understand, OmegaCon started off smaller at another hotel and was FORCED to grow due to all the outpouring of support and interest it received, which is why they had to shift to the Sheraton and ramp up. I too had a fantastic time, and I suspect the bugs will be fixed by next year and it will be even better. Sorry I didn't get to hear the Cemetery Surfers, but there's always next time!Lou Andershttps://www.blogger.com/profile/00694362734492222851noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11303103.post-41652137520821598062008-03-18T05:41:00.000-05:002008-03-18T05:41:00.000-05:00I completely enjoyed the con. as a guest , I must ...I completely enjoyed the con. as a guest , I must say that the beginning confusion was more than covered by the staff. I am with the Cemetery Surfers, the headlining band for the costume ball and con. When we arrived, we had no rooms. Shaun (the head honcho of Omegacon) gave up his suite at the tutweiler for us and slept elsewhere.. It was a really nice gesture and showed where his heart was. Excellent crowds during our set.. the fans were great! The guests were pleasant and more than friendly, and the staff bent over backwards for us. This was far better organized than some of the larger cons I have attended, and for a first year con.. it was fantastic.<BR/><BR/>There were a lot of open room parties (some with decent bars) on Saturday.. I personally did the party crawl until about 3 am.. and they were still going strong when I left.<BR/>I loved the authors table and the panels on writing and publishing. <BR/> I will be back next year.<BR/>-JeffAnonymousnoreply@blogger.com