From: "Ted White" <twhite8 at cox.net>
To: "WSFA members" <WSFAlist at WSFA.org>
Subject: [WSFA] Re: 2007 Worldcon
Date: Sun, 22 Aug 2004 18:01:13 -0400
Reply-To: WSFA members <WSFAlist at WSFA.org>

----- Original Message -----
From: "Michael Walsh" <MJW at press.jhu.edu>
To: <WSFAlist at WSFA.org>
Sent: Sunday, August 22, 2004 5:15 PM
Subject: [WSFA] Re: 2007 Worldcon

> > kfl at KeithLynch.net 8/22/04 4:39:58 PM >>>

[...]

> >  Between my financial situation, the exchange rates,
> >the
> >continuing war on terrorism causing airline travel to be
> >unpleasant
> >and chancy, my 27-year-ago felony false conviction nominally
> >banning
> >me from many countries, and the fact that overseas
> >Worldcons are
> >generally not as well put together as US and Canadian ones,
>
> Well, generally they're not "blessed" with having to put the thing on
> that often so the local skills for large conventions of 1500+ people is
> rather lacking. It is a rather huge undertaking.

I have to wonder on what basis Keith says that "the fact [is] that overseas
Worldcons are generally not as well put together as US and Canadian ones."
I've been to five overseas Worldcons (1965 in London, 1979 in Brighton,
1985 in Melbourne, 1987 in Brighton and 1995 in Glasgow), each of which had
its own character, and each of which was well and enjoyably put on.  I
missed London in 1957, Heidelberg in 1970, Melbourne in 1975, The Hague in
1990, and the most recent Australian Worldcon, but I have to wonder if
Keith has been to *any* overseas Worldcon.

And I consider it fortunate that *most* of the overseas Worldcons I've
attended had a smaller attendance/membership than typical American
Worldcons.   Since I go to Australia or the UK to meet and spend time with
fans of those areas, I'm just as happy to see relatively fewer Americans
there.   Unfortunately, as I discovered on the tour of Australia I took,
most of the Americans who have the money to make these trips are neither
people I know, nor, for the most part, people that I want to know.   They
are just extra bodies clogging up the facilities.   Glasgow in 1995 had far
too many people in attendance, and was far too "American" as a Worldcon.  I
suspect Glasgow in 2005 will be even more so.

--Ted White