OmegaCon: If You Build It, They Will Come

I'm back from OmegaCon, the first major Birmingham, Alabama convention in some time, which was held March 14th to 16th at the Sheraton Birmingham. This was a major undertaking - a hugely ambitious convention that - in addition to a literary track loaded even by the standards of a major regional convention - also featured media guests (Richard Hatch, Chase Masterson, Peter Mayhew, Richard Kiel, Richard LaParmentier, others), a paranormal track, an actual hard science track, a gaming track, round the clock music, and even a Celtic track. They were aiming for attendees in the thousands and perhaps biting off more than they could chew for a first time venture. So how did it go, you ask...

The con actually started for me a day early, when Mike & Carol Resnick, Louise Marley, and Kay Kenyon all arrived, and they joined me at a launch party at Books-A-Million for William H. Drinkard's Elom. Also at the party, Bill's editor Claire Eddy, author and editor Eric Flint, new Pocket books author JF Lewis, and Baen editor Jim Minz. I don't know that anyone there knew what a host of SF&F celebrities were milling about, but Bill knew and it was his night. And by the time I peeled off to take Louise, Kay and the Resnicks across the street to a dinner at Brio Tuscan Grill, about three-quarters or more of the enormous stack of Bill's books had been depleted. I think BAMM was very happy with that, and I know Bill was. The dinner itself was wonderful, though for the most part Mike wouldn't stop tickling Kay long enough to let her speak.

To be brutally honest, the con itself started off a clusterfuck - pardon me but that's the best way to describe it. Guests left at the airports waiting for rides, problems getting them into their rooms when they did get there, a "first come first serve" policy for assigning space in the dealer's room, no program book until 1pm on the first day (an hour into programming), and a host of other such failures to communicate that had me pretty worried, had a few of my authors visibly shaken, and had at least one major guest I spoke with apoplectic with rage. (How mad was he? I told him that when I said earlier that I was from Birmingham, I meant Birmingham, England.)

But thanks as I understand it to the Herculean efforts of Omegacon vice president Nathan Levan - all guests ended up safely in rooms (if not always the ones they were originally assigned). And program books did eventually materialize, and people began to figure out what was where. By late afternoon, we'd all managed to find our panels and - lo and behold ! - they were decently attended. It certainly helped that the hotel itself was very nice, recently renovated and spacious, and the main auditorium had a built in projector system that made for a beautiful presentation when I gave the usual "What's New With Pyr Books" PowerPoint show. In fact, the dedicated projector room and enormous wall screen meant that the presentation never looked so good as it did there. Really a wonderful space, and one that did justice to the original artwork for forthcoming Pyr books that I debuted from illustrators Stephan Martiniere, Todd Lockwood, Sparth, and Dan Dos Santos.

Meanwhile, the dealer's room was fairly large and dominated by the 60 feet or so of bookshelf space that convention sponsor Books-A-Million took up. A hugely impressive display, with hundreds upon hundreds of titles, and a major show of support from the third largest chain in America (who happens to be based in Alabama.) The pictures aren't going to do it justice, but here's Mike Resnick and Kay Kenyon posing with displays of their books. I know they were very happy with how they were presented, and the covers to Kay's Bright of the Sky and A World Too Near drew comments all weekend. BAMM was there in force, with multiple staff on site at all times.

The only other book dealer there (as opposed to small press with their own dedicated booths) was Edge Books, on hand with a wonderful selection which (thankfully) included a great many backlist Pyr titles. Owner Zane Melder also had a good number of Locus magazines for sale, towards which I steered several hopeful novelists looking for the source of industry insider info. Pictured is Mike Resnick with Zane and his fiancé Jo. (Zane reported that he had a reasonably good weekend and expected to return next year with even more tables.)

One room over from the dealers room was the official autograph site, where it was wonderful to bump into Chase Masterson, in town with writer/director James Kerwin to promote her new "sci-fi noir" film Yesterday Was a Lie. I knew from her days as Leeta the Dabo Girl on Deep Space Nine and was flattered when she remembered me as well. Chase was always one of the nicest people I dealt with on Trek, and it was really great to see her again.

By Friday evening things had settled a bit and started to find a rhythm, and a wonderful meal at icon Restaurant and Bar in the nearby Tutwiler hotel - courtesy of Jim Minz and in the company of Mike & Carol Resnick, David Drake, Karen Zimmerman, and Eric Flint - went a long way towards lifting the spirits. This despite listening to the old geezers tell horror stores about the history of publishing and con experiences far, far worse than anything happening here. (Aside: I must say I was proud all weekend of how many of the visitors to my city remarked on the great restaurants, with Highlands, Bottega Cafe, Hot and Hot Fish Club, Dreamland, and Surin West all receiving rave endorsements from those who went off-site for meals.)

So I went home Friday night with a very full belly and the assurances that "nobody is going to blame you for this" and the expectation of having a good weekend with friends despite the colossal disorganization, but without the expectation that the convention itself would be worth it.

Then Saturday morning hit. I drove up at around 10:00am and was amazed at all the people moving in droves towards the entrance. Before I was a block away I was getting Field of Dreams vibes. Over three thousand attendees by 9 am Saturday morning is the official word- I've heard figures from 3.5k to 4.5k for the weekend total but the con organizers didn't want to confirm that until they get an official tally later in the week - but they definitely had hit and broken through the 3k mark by 9am Saturday morning, and I saw lines at registration all day long well into the afternoon, so they must have gotten at least three and a half thousand and possibly more. And a good mix of people too, young and old, families, children.

Whatever the exact tally, by mid-afternoon they were packed. Crowds of people, all ages, and my authors coming up to me with very relieved faces expressing shock at the number of people who were there. By this time, everyone had figured out the program book, and the panels I were on were well attended, audiences in the 25 to 50 range for each panel, depending on the time and topic. The noon autographing with Yours Truly, Alan Dean Foster, Kay Kenyon and Mike Resnick - perfectly positioned at the entrance to the dealer's room - was fantastic, and we all signed quite a few books (Alan, I think, signed the most but Mike must have been a close second). My son, my wife, my mother, my oldest friend and his son all made an appearance at this point. The kids got to pet a real snake visiting from the Birmingham Zoo and theirs eyes popped out of their heads when the conventions sole Klingon warrior walked by. 'What was that?" they said in unison.

At 1pm I snuck out with Kay Kenyon and Alan Dean Foster for a trip to Bottega Cafe. Tales of Hollywood from two of us. A nice break before diving back in for all.

A 3pm repeat of the Pyr panel had fewer attendees than the Friday edition, but that allowed a more intimate back-and-forth with the audience that was a nice counterpoint to the one the day before. By Saturday afternoon, people like artist guest Brom were referring to the day before as "typical first year bumps" and generally very forgiving.

Saturday night we brought Mike & Carol Resnick, Kay Kenyon and Alan Dean Foster to my house for dinner, and a tour of "where it happens", complete with a brief-but-loud drum solo courtesy of my almost-three year old. A great time but it did have the unfortunate side effect of meaning we missed Louise Marley's band Earthwood in their reunion performance. I didn't return to the convention again that evening, so I don't know what sort of night life it afforded those staying on-site.

Sunday morning I went with Tor editor Liz Gorinsky to breakfast at the Original Pancake House in Five Points. Here is a shot of Liz with The Storyteller by local artist Frank Fleming. You can't see it in the picture, but five toads spit water in a fountain in what, from a bird's eye view, would be an inverted five-pointed star with the goat's head at the top. "I didn't know it was Satanic, honest." said the sculptor when this was originally pointed out. Only in the Bible Belt would anyone care about this. But then, only in the Bible Belt would they build a satanic stature in front of a church. It makes for a good story, when visitors come to town. (And it would make for a good story, now I think about it...)

Two more panels on Sunday, including a fun "Nightmares of Publishing" panel which included Minz and Liz. I was double booked, so I missed when Bill Drinkard presented Ben Bova with the inaugural "Ben Bova award", something that is set to be a recurring feature of the convention, but I'm told the award was beautiful and that Ben was touched. I had a few last minute conversations, and then the con wrapped. Minz and a host of Baen authors were heading to Surin West Sunday night, but at this point, I could barely walk, let alone talk or drive. In fact, despite not staying up late in the bar every night, I was more tired than I normally am post-con. My wife thinks that the difference between this con and others is that in addition to all the work I always do at cons, I was playing host a good deal of the time too. Add to that all my fears that Omegacon wouldn't come off, and the stress that that caused least my people didn't have a good time, and I think this one was a good deal more exhausting than the usual. When it did come off (for the most part), all that tension broke.

So did it work? Well, Kay (pictured here with my brother David) said she's be back next year for sure. And I hear Ben Bova said he'd like to return every year. Casting about the nets, I see some of the other guests reports are already up, and they seem to be saying about the same thing:

Steven Brust's Report: He characterizes the weekend as "poor organization and good hearts," and concludes that "I’d hate to guarantee it, but I have the feeling that, by next year, Omegacon will have ironed out most of the bugs and be ready to put on a good convention. As for this year, well, there was some fun, and I’m very glad to be home."

David C. Kopaska-Merkel's Report: "On the one hand, it's the largest first-year con on record: more than 2000 people. It was bankrolled by, among other entities, Books-A-Million, so they had plenty of money. On the other hand, I have never seen a more disorganized con committee. If it hadn't been the first time, no one would have cut them any slack at all. ...On balance, I give them a B. Considering it was their first time. I'm pretty sure they won't make very many of those mistakes next year. ...I plan to go back next year."

Kay Kenyon's Report: "A bunch of attendees told me they were thrilled to have a con in their backyard. It was the first ever SF con in Alabama, I think, and everyone worked themselves to death. The con staff went out of their way to help authors when things went awry, as was maybe inevitable for the first try. So again, thanks to all the volunteers for hard work."

JF Lewis's Report: "As to be expected of a first time Con, there's been a small amount of chaos that seems to be smoothing out nicely."

Louise Marley's Report: "Last weekend, kenyonsf and I were guests at the very first of what I hope--and lots of people in the South hope--will be many OmegaCon Science Fiction Conventions. There were problems, birth pains, if you will, but the enthusiasm of the 3500 fans who attended was a reminder of why this genre is a living, growing community....It was worth it! I met some delightful readers who have been following my work for ten years, and that in itself was worth the twelve hours of flying and waiting and frustration that it took to get to and from Birmingham, AL, from Seattle, WA."

So, lots of first year jitters, overall a good time, hope for an even better show next year. And towards that end, let's look at what worked, and what needs fixing.

What worked:

• Incredible sponsorship - Books A Million, Best Buy, the McWane Center, 105.5 FM. The support of the City of Birmingham.
• Incredible PR - front page of the Birmingham news, spots on Fox 6, radio coverage. The OmegaCon team did in-store appearances at Best Buy and Books-A-Million, and were out in force for "Boo at the Zoo" - a Halloween event that drew in 17,000 attendees. Their promotional for this convention was top notch, among the best I've ever seen.
• A wonderful dealers room - huge and full of many good things. The aforementioned Books-A-Million presence was incredible - the displays for my authors really eye-catching and much appreciated.
  
• Locating the signing next to Books-A-Million and right at the front door of the dealer's room was inspired. Apparently, BAMM was hesitant to do this at first, because they weren't comfortable with backlist and books bought elsewhere being signed along with the books they sold, but Alan Dean Foster showed them the error of their ways, and they were VERY happy with the result. As were we!
  
• The information/operations desk was top notch. When I needed a laptop set up for my Pyr Presentation, they were on the walkie-talkies and it was up and running in no time. I would have sworn I was going to have to tap dance without my 50 pages of book covers to back me up, but no - they were on it with professional speed. And, as I said before, the presentation facilities were the best I've encountered. I wish I could have been in the audience myself!
  
• The overall hotel facilities were wonderful and with the convention center next door, they have all the room to grow they will ever need.
  
• Music! While I didn't get time to listen to it myself, the incredible number of bands that played at OmegaCon was really impressive.
• The website, which is oddly down at this moment, was wonderful, better than that for a lot of conventions, and a great place to get information pre-con. Its discussion forum will be a great resource when it comes to smoothing out the bumps for next year.
• Very friendly, very sincere people.
  

What needs fixing?

• Guests left at the airport. Next year they need to assign one liaison/greeter for every major guest, someone responsible for getting that guest at the airport, checking them into their hotel, giving them their schedule (before the programming actually starts), and getting them to the hotel at the end of the weekend. If they had just done this one thing, they would have eliminated 90% of the complaints and ill-will they drew down on the first day. And since I spoke to a great many volunteers day one who were there but didn't know what they should be doing, I imagine finding these volunteers and assigning them to guests next year should be easy.
  
• No con-suite. I almost never stop long enough to go in myself, but the old guys really need somewhere to rest their feet. Thankfully, the hotel kindly put out juice and cookies on Saturday, but there needs to be a place provided for people to relax, help themselves to food, and chill out. This is easily amended.
  
• No room parties. Another easy fix, and something I suspect will take care of itself over time as they grow, particularly as more of the DragonCon crowd drop in.
• A better grasp of the needs of the artists in the art show and an understanding of what they need to get out of a show. I'm told they couldn't do commerce in the actual room, and the layout was a little wonky. Good art though.
  
• Program book - this was the biggest single problem from my perspective (though, remember, I didn't need a hotel room myself). The programming book was late, so the first hour of panels was a wash. When it did arrive, it was nigh impenetrable. Incredibly, it was organized by room, not by time, with each track given its own section, so figuring out what was happening when was impossible. I myself missed a 9am Sunday panel I never knew I was on, and when I needed to find Kay Kenyon at one point - and knew for certain she was on a panel - I was incapable of finding it. What's needed here is a good deal of responsible guidance, someone overseeing all the various track leaders, a pre-convention questionnaire asking guests their preferences (time of arrival, time of departure, earliest panel you'll do, latest panel you'll do, maximum number of panels, willingness to moderate, that sort of thing). And an Excel spreadsheet. Honest.

A lot of problems, to be sure, but none insurmountable. I think younger/newer writers who can roll with the punches can get a lot out of this major new avenue into southern fandom, whereas older established pros who "don't need to put up with this shit" and draw the same crowds everywhere they go aren't going to find this as good a venue as it stands right now. I could easily have seen Tobias S Buckell, David Louis Edelman, or Elizabeth Bear having an absolute ball here this weekend, warts and all (the conventions, not theirs). And maybe that's where OmegaCon needs to concentrate its literary efforts while they work the kinks out. That being said, Bova has said he wants to come back every year. And if they ramp up quickly, this will be a good venue for all concerned next time.

Most encouraging was the number of competent people I met who were on the edge, who confessed to waiting in the wings to see if the organizers could really pull it off before diving in with their full aid, and who have expressed interest in being more involved next year to help build processes and smooth things out. So it looks like OmegaCon has the added resources to draw on if they'll use them. As one person said to me, "It was a typical first year con." To which I responded, "That's okay, then. As long as next year is a typical second year con, and the year after is a typical third year con. And one day, they become a typical ten year con." In fact, even the most irate author I talked to said they still thought that the con had potential to be a major event in years to come, one which might even consider hosting a World Con one year once they are established.

Finally, my aforementioned friend's son, whose name is Christian and who is three and a half, summed up his experience like this. "Daddy, I'm coming next near!" And that is the exact sentiment of every attendee I spoke with, and what I'm tracking online as well. I hear the hotel is already booked, and they certainly did the numbers. If the con organizers will make a study of what went right, take a lesson in what went wrong, be open to criticisms without taking offense, and heed advice where it is offered, then they could well become a major destination convention in just a few years time, just as the author above opined, on the level of a Norwescon or a Boskone for the Southeast with respect for the literary community, but with an attendee size of a decent media con.

But... if they repeat the mistakes of this year again, they'll have a hard time getting guests back a third time. And that will be a damn shame. Because while I heard a lot of stories of disorganization from the guests, I heard only good things from the fans. I was really touched by all the people I met who came in from Georgia and Florida and Tennessee and Mississippi and even further, as well as all the people from Birmingham that were there (including two teachers from my brother's school and the manager of my favorite restaurant!) I had no idea that my hometown had so many genre readers, and the palpable hunger for this to succeed that they all shared was overwhelming. There was so much good will and enthusiasm for OmegaCon I felt bad for any of us ever being disgruntled. I have spent several years missing the vibe I had in cities like Chicago, LA, and San Francisco, and it's been amazing to learn that there IS a community of genre readers here that I never knew existed.

So, to those of "poor organization and good hearts" - congratulations! You did it. You set records for a first year con, and you showed the skeptics that Birmingham can pull in crowds in their thousands. You brought together a huge number of professional writers and publishers for a fledging effort - hell, you had a lot of authors even for an established annual regional! You got major news coverage (print, radio, and TV), and you pulled in major sponsors. All that counts for a heck of a lot. But most of all, you showed your fans a wonderful time. And for that reason, you know they'll be back next year. So, sleep for a week - you earned it and you need it. Then get busy. You'll have only 360 or so days until OmegaCon 2 when you wake up. You've got a lot of work to do, but we're all pulling for you. And like three year old Christian, I'm definitely coming next year. I can hardly wait!

Good luck.

Lou's Media Frenzy

Last night, I was at Historic Rucker Place in Downtown Birmingham, for the launch of JF Lewis' Staked,just out this month from Pocket Books, where it was my privilege to introduce Jeremy at the event. (Small world - my friend Jen Heddle is his editor.) Also in attendance, fellow Alabamian and new SF author William H. Drinkard, whose novel Elomwas just released in hardcover this month from Tor. Staked cover artist Chris McGrath couldn't attend, but sent a beautifully framed print of the cover which Jeremy's mother-in-law presented to him as a gift.

Tomorrow night, we'll reunite again at a launch party at BooksAMillion for Elom, and I'll be dragging Mike Resnick, Louise Marley and Kay Kenyon along, so more on that later. Mike, Kay and Louise are in town for OmegaCon, which is pulling in well over 40 authors/publishing professionals last time I counted (including Tor, who are throwing a party, and quite a few staples from Baen, including editor Jim Minz, who is a party unto himself.)

Meanwhile, Bill and I were on Fox 6's "Good Day, Alabama" at 7:45 am this morning in support of the con. We talked with host Rick Journey about Bill's book, OmegaCon, and Pyr. The clip is already online here.

Update 3/13/08: Jeremy blogs his launch party here.

OmegaCon Panel Schedule

This weekend, March 14th to 16th, is OmegaCon, where, Lord willin' and the creek don't rise, I will be appearing on the following panels:

Friday:

3:00 pm
Science Fiction (Vision or Prophet)?
Ben Bova - Alan Dean Foster – Lou Anders – Van Allen Plexico

4:30 pm
“Wonderful World of Pyr Books”
Lou Anders - Mike Resnick - Kay Kenyon

6:00 pm
Trends in Science Fiction:
Ben Bova - David Drake - Mike Resnick - Alan Dean Foster - Lou Anders

Saturday:

10:30 am
Blogging:
Joy Ward - Lou Anders - Jeremy F. Lewis - Allen Gilbreath - William Jones

12:00 pm
Meet Pyr’s Authors: Autographs
Lou Anders - Mike Resnick - Alan Dean Foster - Kay Kenyon

3:00 pm
“Wonderful World of Pyr Books”
Lou Anders - Mike Resnick - Kay Kenyon

6:00 pm
Online Publishing:
Eric Flint – Lou Anders - Claire Eddy – James Minz - Van Allen Plexico

Sunday:
9:00 am
The Business of SF:
Lou Anders - David Drake - Eric Flint – James Minz - Claire Eddy

Elom: The Trailer

Check out this book trailer for Elom,a science fiction novel out from Tor this month written by my friend and fellow Alabamian William H. Drinkard. This is Bill's first science fiction novel, and before it was written, he'd never met another SF author. Now he's coming out in hardcover from Tor, with a wonderful cover by Stephan Martiniere, and he's been learning the convention ropes. He'll be debuting the book at OmegaCon in just two weeks as well. So help me welcome him into the community, as it can be lonely for a left-leaning, Darwin-endorsing science fiction author 'round these parts. Here's the book description:

"Fire from the Goddess and the meat and furs of the mammoth are all that the People need to live. It is a harsh life but a good one and it is one that all cherish.Young Geerna knows that the time has come for her to become a woman and take up the tasks to keep her people safe. She waits in the Awakening Place, fearful and hopeful as her ordeals come to an end. Then, on the eve of her Womanhood, a shining light descends upon her and her world is torn asunder.And she embarks on a journey that none of her people could ever envision...Eons have passed. Cycle upon cycle the Way of the People have remain unchanged: women are artists, men are hunters. Geerna's Law is the covenant by which humans live in harmony and peace. But all is about to change. A call has come for The People to choose their champions, and a summons to meet the mysterious creatures who selected Geerna so long ago.All is unknown. As the brave souls who are chosen venture forth, they will come to discover just how much that pact that Geerna made so long ago has cost them.And they will have to confront the choices that might help them to finally know true freedom."

OmegaCon: Look at this Line Up

I've blogged before about OmegaCon, the new convention launching March 14-16, 2008 in Birmingham, Alabama. I remain cautiously optimistic about their prospects and very excited about the possibility of a largish annual convention in the southeastern United States.

Since my last post, they've added Peter Mayhew, Rena Owen and Richard LaParmentier of Star Wars fame to their media track, where they join Richard Hatch and the Ghost Hunters- bringing it to decent levels for a first time effort - and their art track is very respectable with Jael and Brom, but what's impressing me the most is their literary track, which has swollen to what is a very impressive size, with a huge roster of writers in attendance.

I've weeded out about a dozen writers from their guest list, either because they were self-published, published but not in SF&F (so minus one historical author, one children's book author, a Celtic author, a Christian author, and quite a few paranormal nonfiction authors), or not published in venues I am aware of (and which may be vanity press.) I mean no offense to them - but what I want to list here are those who are already on the radar of - or should be of real interest to - science fiction and fantasy literature fans.

And that leaves us with a whoppin' 21 folks, with quite a few bestselling authors among them:

Ann Aguirre - new Ace author (whose novel is SF and very Serenity like too, I'm told.)
Lou Anders - don't know much about this clown
Ben Bova - one of the giants of the history of the SF field
Steven Brust - New York Times bestseller
Julie Cochrane -Baen Books author, frequent John Ringo co-author David Drake - New York Times bestseller
William H. Drinkard - forthcoming Tor author (his Tor editor may attend too!)
Eric Flint - New York Times bestseller
Alan Dean Foster - New York Times bestseller
William Jones - Chaosium author, Dark Wisdom editor
Allen Hammock - former TSR Game designer (D&D)
Kay Kenyon - John W Campbell and Philip K Dick award nominated author
Sherrilyn Kenyon - 10 million books in print
Marilyn Kosmatka - Eric Flint co-author at Baen
Ted Kosmatka - sales to Asimov's, F&SF, reprint forthcoming in Jonathan Strahan's Year's Best
J.F. Lewis - forthcoming Pocket books author
Louise Marley - multiple award winning author (also writes as Toby Bishop)
Jim Minz - Baen Books editor, formerly of Del Rey and Tor
Mike Resnick - one of the most awarded SF authors of all time
Don Sakers - former Baen author, Analog short story writer
David Sherman - the Starfist series from Del Rey, now up to 9 books
David Weber - New York Times bestseller

So that's at least 6 bestsellers. Quite a few award winners. Plus Minz, who is really all you need to ensure that the party gets going. If nothing else, the OmegaCon bar is going to be rockin'.

Meet William H. Drinkard, Author of Elom

Recently, it was my privilege and pleasure to have a long and pleasant lunch with William H. Drinkard, a fellow Alabama native whose first novel, Elom, is coming out from Tor this coming March 2008 with another gorgeous cover illustration from Stephan Martiniere. Bill first came to my attention via the OmegaCon website, where he is listed as a guest, though I realized later that I'd already seen his cover art on Tor art director Irene Gallo's blog.

Elom is described as being Clan of The Cave Bear meets Close Encounters of the Third Kind. When I read that the novel concerned a meeting between aliens and prehistorical humans, I had to meet him - since the notion that there is a "pre-history" is still a hotly debated issue round these parts. I've got no idea what Bill's writing is like, but after 3 1/2 hours of conversation, I know he's a kindred spirit where the purpose and relevance of science fiction is concerned, so I certainly am eager to find out. What's more, he's a hell of a nice guy, who has a lot to say, and is - I'm sure - bringing an interesting perspective to our field. And, hey, it's a gorgeous hardcover, so we should all pick it up in March and encourage this sort of radical thinking before someone burns him for witchcraft.

Bill himself is a self-described life long SF addict, as well as a collector of Pre-Colombian Art. He's had a varied career, including stints in politics and as Chairman of the Alabama Historical Commission. He doesn't have a website yet, though I expect one is right around the corner. He's already working on a new book, Fair Chance, about the possibilities of alien life.

Meanwhile, here's what David Drake (pictured left with Bill at DragonCon 07) has to say about Elom: "Engaging characters in a story told with the feel of a myth passed down by word of mouth."

And look - mammoths!!

OmegaCon: The Alpha Man of the Omega Con

As you may recall, last month I blogged about a new convention starting up next year in my neck of the woods. OmegaCon is set to debut March 14-16, 2008 at the Sheraton Birmingham.

I was excited to learn about plans for a major multi-track convention launching in the South, especially one with an apparent respect for the literary arm of science fiction and fantasy, and I said as much. At the time of that blog post, I had only just learned about the convention and had had no contact with any of its staff.

Since then, I've been in email contact with Shaun Knopf, OmegaCon's President, as well as some of his senior staff. I've volunteered to be a participant on their literary and artistic programming, and they've been kind enough to let me sound off with copious advice delivered both through email and on their discussion forum. I'm rooting for these guys, though the scope of their schemes is certainly ambitious, to say the least. I'll admit to being skeptical, not of their sincerity, but of the potential of Birmingham, Alabama to support such a grand endeavor. And since Shaun and his team have been kind enough to take me up on a few guest suggestions, I asked him to indulge me once more and consent to an interview, in which I asked him some penetrating questions about their aims and their ability to meet their goals.

What is OmegaCon? How did the idea for it come about?

OmegaCon™ is a true Science Fiction/ Fantasy Convention. And while I don’t like to use the word convention because we are so much more, it is appropriate. A true description is that we are an Event of Events. Each and every track will be an event unto itself.

The idea for it came about 2 years ago while we were visiting other events. We had complained for years that it could be done better. We finally decided to put our money where our mouth is.

What is your own background? Tell us a little bit about Shaun Knopf. What do you do for a living, and what's your own specific background in the convention world? What is it that makes you the right person to be running this show as OmegaCon's president?

I have worked and directed Science Fiction/ Fantasy conventions for a little over 20 years. I started with a little local convention called ConTinuity back in the early 80’s. Me and a group of my friends won the gaming tournament hands down, and the sitting department head asked if I would be interested in running it the following year. I have been helping to run events of this nature every since. From small conventions with no more than a few hundred attending to the big boys that attract thousands.

I am a Microcomputer Specialist by trade and have been for almost as long, though most of my work now is consulting. I specialize in training for both regular and special needs individuals in a wide range of production programs.

I think the reason I am the right person for the job is a couple of things. One, and this is the most important reason, it is my dream. I have been attending and running these types of events for almost half my life, and I sit and watch as some things are done and it makes no sense to me. And judging from the response of the crowds they say the same thing. I knew with just a little extra effort and time they could have made something so much more. Isn’t the whole point of putting one of these events on to create something that makes the attendee say "wow?" The second reason is that the directors and department heads believe that I have the drive to make sure we succeed. LOL - I spend an insane amount of time working on this event and if there were more hours in the day I would probably spend more.

Why "OmegaCon?" Where did the name come from?

That one is simple. We have every intention for this event to be the final word in Science Fiction/ Fantasy Conventions. We felt the name should reflect that.

You've got some impressive authors lined up to attend - Mike Resnick, Eric Flint, David Drake, Alan Dean Foster, Ben Bova, David Weber, Sharrilyn Kenyon, Travis S. Taylor. There are several Hugo award winning authors and New York Times Best Sellers in that list. And for your artistic track, I see Todd Lockwood, Stephen Hickman, Brom. Right now, your literary track is the strongest of all your programming tracks, with your artistic track not far behind. And I know you have invitations out to several more interesting guests for these tracks. Is this unusual for a media con? Why the focus on science fiction books and artwork in favor of the Hollywood variety of SF&F?

We are not a media con. There are plenty of those out there. Now we will have some media stars joining us. And some dang good ones before all is said and done as well. We are a Science Fiction/ Fantasy event. (Ok, ok convention, that word just doesn’t seem to say it though.)

You didn’t mention that our Hard Science track has some of the greatest minds in the country joining us. One of them actually runs it. Our Paranormal track has the leaders in the field joining us there. Our Celtic track will have some of the foremost historians on Celtic history and some of the best authentic Celtic entertainment you will find anywhere short of Scotland, Ireland, or England.

We are working hard to make sure each and every track is an event unto itself. We will have some great media guests as well (only in the Science Fiction/ Fantasy field).

Tell me about your venue. What will the facilities for OmegaCon be like?

We are hosting this event at the Sheraton Civic Center, a lovely high quality hotel that will be sure to impress you. It also connects to the Birmingham Jefferson Civic Center by a number of crosswalks. The total square footage we have access to is well over a million. We could host over 250,000 attendees and still have elbow room. Our dealers room is small at 14,000 square foot ( not too shabby for the first year), but the 2009 event it will be 48,000. We have access to the coliseum which seats about 14,000. We are presently in negotiations to bring the Highland Games to our event. Don’t drop your jaw and say "impossible;" it is very possible. We don’t do things in half measures; if we are going to do it we plan on doing it right the first time. We are in one of the best venues that any convention organizer could dream for. And at no point and time do you have to go outside during the event to reach everything. So weather will never be a factor in our event. And here’s even better news. The city of Birmingham has finally started moving forward in building up the whole area. We have a great entertainment district they are breaking ground on one block away. There are 2 more hotels being built and a renovation project 3 blocks away for a 4 star hotel. The best time for this to happen is right now.

[Note: Click here for a floor plan of the Sheraton Civic Center.]

A good convention stands on three legs: Good guests, a good facility, and an efficient, experienced operation behind the scenes to make sure things run smoothly. We've already talked about your aforementioned roster of guests; your facility is tremendous - well in excess of your present needs with room to grow for years - so tell us about your organization. Who have you got helping you, and what steps are you taking to make sure your guests and attendees are all taken care of?

Our staff is made up of Professionals and veterans. Most department heads are professionals in the field they are heading. Hard Science is a scientist, Literary is an author, Art Expo is an artist, music track a musician. This is the way it should be. While fans are great to help in all areas and let me tell you they are vital in the overall operations, no one can make a better track than the professionals that are in the industry. Our gaming track is run by a veteran that actually has more experience than I do with 25 years of experience. And every one of them gaming. Our Con suite is run by his wife who has as much experience as he. Our Celtic track is coordinated with the help of members of the ACA (Alabama Celtic Association). Who better? Your going to get a kick out of security, but I am keeping that a surprise.

As for the steps we are taking to insure the guests and attendees are properly taken care of: Again veterans making careful arrangements to insure that anything that might go wrong is covered. One of the worse areas of an event is usually registration (I know some of you people reading this know exactly what I mean). Sometimes, truth be told, a delay can’t be helped. Logistically there is no way around it. No matter how well you organize it. But there is a way to make the wait a bit more pleasant. We will be providing contests and prizes for those in line as well as live entertainment to make the wait pass fast. You may actually see a guest or two walking the lines saying hello.

I'm still intrigued by the fact that in addition to media, artistic and literary tracks, you have other offerings, like a paranormal track, a Celtic track, a music track, and a science track. What can you tell me about those?

Our Science Track, which in most events of this nature get little to no exposure, is hosting some of the greatest minds across the country. Leaders in anti-matter research and String Theory, some of the top research scientists at NASA will be joining us discussing the Mars mission and what is in store for the future. Your not going to find panels filled with just theoretical math, you will find panels designed by our department head that will spark the imagination. “Science Fact or Science Fantasy”, a panel made up of scientists and science fiction authors and some that are both. “Is there life out there and why they are not here yet”, chaired by the senior scientist at SETI. Trust me when I say this track will rock. How can it not? “Doc” Travis of Baen books and a scientist in his own right is our department head. He has some really great things in store.

Our Paranormal track is run by Deborah Collard of NAPS (North-Eastern Alabama Paranormal Society). She has some truly fascinating panels and workshops lined up for those who want to know more about those bumps and sounds in the night.

Our Celtic track is being organized by Barbara Bell of the ACA. She is doing a bang up job on getting us the best that the Celtic nation has to offer. You will truly be amazed. Music, historians, dancing and event a Whiskey Tasting Contest (yes, sorry age restrictions apply to that). We are even working on workshops to teach those who want how to do some of the dances.

We will be hosting around the clock live music in the OmegaCon™ Tavern. A dance floor is provided and dancing is encouraged. Tables will be provided to hang out and refreshments are available at the bar that will be located in the same room as well. Our musical department head Ryan Morrison (a tremendous musician in his own right) will be coordinating the bands. Trust me when I say this will be like NOTHING you have ever experienced before.

One of the criticisms routinely leveled at certain media cons is that they over-invite guests in an effort to bolster preregistration sales, then when the con arrives many of the expected guests have canceled for "personal reasons." You've got quite an impressive line up in your literary and artistic tracks - but given that you are also brand new (and with allowances for that as well), what assurances can you give fans that you can pull this off?

We have firm commitments by each and every one of the guests we have listed. I know what you mean by people “backing out” at the last minute. We have done all in our power to insure that is not the case with us. I have a large number of people pending even now. But I will not say a word about their appearing until I have a commitment in writing that they will appear. This is not a perfect world. Sometimes things do happen. Deaths in the family and such. But our guest list is as rock solid as a list can be. I have no intention of telling our attendees or possible attendees that we have someone coming and they not show. That reflects on me personally. I won’t accept that.

And just to get it on the record, my efforts are not to bolster preregistration. My efforts are to create the best event I possibly can. And I will continue to do that each and every year. We have a chance here to do something beyond anything this state, heck most states, have ever done. The timing is right. The people involved are right. Chances like this are rarer than a trustworthy politician. I will not fail in providing what people have been waiting so long for.

LOL - sorry about that. Like I said I am driven.

What demographic are you hoping to attract? Who do you see as the ideal audience member for this event?

The demographic for this event is basically the same for any event of this type, it is just that most times they are disappointed. 16-40, highly literate, intelligent individuals. 70 to 80% have an IQ of 120 plus. Most of them are eclectic but that is to be expected with high IQ’s. And I don’t want to hear any of that Alabama hick bull. You would be surprised how intelligent we are. And how many of us there are. Come join us you will see.

As you've noted, the City of Birmingham is going through a period of rapid growth, including a planned downtown renovation/entertainment district right across the street from OmegaCon's facilities. It's not the city I grew up in at all by any means. By way of example, my wife just spotted a piece in the New York Times that listed Birmingham as one of the best places to eat in America for gourmet dining. But I still have trouble seeing Birmingham hosting a convention with attendees in the four digits when we don't even have a genre bookstore. On the other hand, DragonCon - just 2 hours away in Atlanta - pulls in something like 40k - 50k people now. Can you pull from their audience, and what specific marketing campaigns are you excersizing to draw fans in both from inside and outside of the city and the state? How far away do you think you can pull attendees from?

The city is really behind us in this. Members of Operation New Birmingham are already working with us to make this the best it can be. I am extremely excited about the growth. Like I said the timing is perfect.

We have the facility. If we create it right they will come. We are already getting preregistrations from as far away as California. We will easily pull the Atlanta, Nashville, Jacksonville crowds. You just have to put on a good enough event to get their attention. And you have to get the word to them. To accomplish this we will be running a nationwide ad campaign starting in January 2008. This will include a television commercial that will air on the Sci-Fi Channel, G4, History Channel and various others. We have been running promotional events for the past year with plenty more happening before the event itself. A lot of people know about us already. A lot more will before we are through.

Related to my statement above about Birmingham's period of growth and development, what support are you getting from the city itself and from local businesses and industries?

I could not be happier with the response we have had. Just in the last two weeks I have been in almost constant meetings with the Birmingham city business leaders, and they are ALL behind us. I can’t go into some of the details until they are finalized but you would be amazed at what they are willing to do to support us. While I had hoped for a positive response I had no idea how much support they were willing to give. All the way to the city council and Mayor. LOL - you are going to be seeing a lot of us on television very soon.

What attendance numbers are you shooting for in your inaugural year? What is your best case scenario for success and what is your worst case scenario? 1,000 attendees is a poor showing for a media con, but is a very healthy turn-out for a regional literary con, so you could fail on ComicCon or DragonCon levels and still succeed as a valuable addition to that part of the convention circuit geared specifically towards the book-loving faction of fandom. What's the minimum numbers you'll count as successful in your first year, and where do you want OmegaCon to be in five years? In ten?

Some of that question is easy, some hard. We don’t have a true target number though we believe that 5-8000 is not an impossible goal for us even first year. We are looking to make Alabama part of the record books for first year attendance for this type of event. We have the tools to accomplish this. We have the fan base to support it. We just have to make it happen.

Best case scenario would be breaking 8k. Worse case would be 2k. If we hit between 3k and 4 we will be a success. But we don’t accept just success, just like we don’t believe in can't. Just more difficult. If we follow the plan we have laid out we should be able to approach DragonCon numbers in about 5 years. This is allowing for a standard growth rate. The reason we can attain those goals sooner than most is that we are not starting out as a relax-a-con. We are starting on the same level we want to keep going on. We are working to create an event that has attendees walking in saying “Wow” and walking out saying “Oh my God”. I want them with the mind set that they can not miss the next years event. You think some of the things we are doing now are big. Wait until you see what we have in store for two years down the road.

In ten years we should be leveling out in attendance. You will have some increase and decrease in attendance, but if you are doing the event right you should reach your peak about then. But with the growth the city has planned I think we will have the room for the jousting yard without a problem.

If the sky were the limit, who would be some of your ideal future guests at OmegaCon? Who would you really love to bring to Birmingham if you could have anybody?

Hummm, tough question there. What I want to bring is not a person really. I want to bring the Hugo’s to Birmingham. Same for the Art awards. And Science Fiction/ Fantasy independent film awards as well. I want every major publisher in the country vying to join with us bringing the best of the best in the field. I want the OmegaCon™ award to be the sought after award in the country in each and every track that we have.

Unfortunately I would want Heinlein to be here. I would have moved heaven and earth for that. It is my opinion his loss is one of the worse that the industry has known in a century. He was a hero of mine. A mind like no other I have known. But this is not to say there are not many others trying to fill his shoes, there are. And I look forward to meeting them all. Even those yet to be known yet.

The OmegaCon website is quite impressive. I see on your forum talk of independent film projects, a writing contest, podcasts, a host of related events and activities. Are you guys taking on too much right out of the gate? Also, and please forgive the directness of this question, but how much cushion do you have? Are you relying on preregistration sales to pull this off, or do you have enough operating capital to cover expenses and still put on the show if things don't catch in the first year? I want to see you guys succeed and go the distance, but you might have to go a year or two before people from outside the state see you can do it and commit to the travel. How well-planned is the OmegaCon business model?

No I don’t believe we are taking on too much. Like I said our staff are professionals and they know what they are doing. There is nothing we can't accomplish if we want it to happen. We have a great deal more support than you might think for each and every track we have.

Actually we are not depending at all on preregistration sales. Our event is fully paid for. The people putting this together, including me, put our money where our mouths are. And not in small amounts. It would probably make your hair stand up hearing how much.

OmegaCon™ is a corporation, we have investors that have put the up front money through stock purchases to make sure that we are fully funded to make this happen. This is not counting the sponsors that are jumping on board as well and also putting their money where their mouths are. Books-a-Million, Best Buy/Geek Squad and many more pending. We are well structured and driven. Those that join us as vendors and art exhibitors drop their jaws when they see how good our prices are. There is a reason for it. We know exactly where and how to make money while not gouging the public. Our registration prices are very reasonable and will remain so. We will give you all the bang for your buck. We are not looking to make a fortune; we are looking to make the best event ever.

Any final thoughts - anything further we should know about OmegaCon before we go?

You are going to be amazed at what we bring to you. From Fire Dancers to a live Sci-Fi play by a noted playwright. It will truly be everything you ever hoped for in an event of this nature. But to truly succeed you have to come. We can’t entertain you from your home (well maybe not much). This will be a 24 hour event that will keep you entertained the whole time you are there. Hundreds of prizes of all sorts in all the tracks including door prizes. This is one event you will not regret coming to. We look forward to seeing you there.

OmegaCon 2008

For some time now, I've been seriously lamenting the lack of a major convention in my home state. So I am positively thrilled beyond belief to discover that plans are underway to launch one. OmegaCon, set to premiere March 14 to 16, 2008 in Birmingham, AL, bills itself as "the newest and greatest science fiction convention on the scene. Being a dedicated Science Fiction/Fantasy convention organized by convention veterans, the planners for OmegaCon have some truly great events planned for your enjoyment."

And despite this being a media con with the usual gaming and tv/film tracks, they are apparently very interested in having a well-developed literary side, with such notables as Alan Dean Foster, David Drake, Ben Bova, Steven Brust, David Weber, Eric Flint, and Sherrilyn Kenyon already on the guest list. Furthermore, in a post in their forum, Convention President Shaun Knopf states "All authors are welcome with us; we plan on this track truly being HUGE."

Even more impressive, they even have a hard science track, with topics like "The Future of antimatter" and "is the future science fiction?"

Now, I've had no contact with the OmegaCon staff, don't know anything about them yet, and only just learned about their existence from a post on Tobias Buckell's blog, so I'm only being partially self-serving when I say this looks like a marvelous opportunity to get in on the ground floor and ensure that OmegaCon has a strong literary track from day one. Because god knows the South needs such a convention! So if you are an SF&F writer in the South East, here is their contact page.