From: Michael Pederson <mike at nthzine.com>
Subject: [WSFA] Re: Capclave
Date: Tue, 19 Oct 2004 23:30:46 -0400
To: WSFA members <WSFAlist at WSFA.org>
Reply-To: WSFA members <WSFAlist at WSFA.org>

On Oct 19, 2004, at 10:03 PM, Ted White wrote:

> Well, the first thing I would do, I think, is to stop referring to
> Capclave
> as "a relaxicon."  It isn't.
>
> On the other hand, I thought I'd previously heard Capclave described or
> defined as a *literary* con, devoted to short stories -- and there was
> plenty of evidence of that at all Capclaves thus far.

I couldn't agree more. Although Capclave IS a relaxing con I wouldn't
call it a relaxacon. I've always assumed it was supposed to be more of
a literary con. We'll even have our own book available next year. In
this area, relaxacons seem to have a limit on how big a crowd they can
draw. I haven's seen MarsCon top out over 300 people in years. But with
the right guests and a solid reputation behind us I think that we can
continue to grow as a literary convention.

> I think success lies in attracting more out-of-towners, and to do that
> we
> need to *be attractive* to more out-of-towners.  I suspect that some
> ways
> of doing this are to offer a more interesting program and guests of
> honor.
> I think next year's GoH's are a positive step in this direction, and
> will
> generate a more favorable buzz, if you will.  Especially if promoted.
> I
> kinda wonder if World Fantasy Con is the best venue in which to promote
> Capclave.  I'd definitely advertise Capclave in the program books of
> Readercon and Potlatch, for example.  Potlatch is early next year and
> Readercon is in the summer, so the timing is right.   As for the
> programming, perhaps there should be more of it, and it should be more
> specifically focused on short SF.  Right now our programming does seem
> a
> shade "relaxed."

The biggest complaint that I heard all weekend was the lack of
programming. The panels that we had DID cover a great range of subjects
but only having one track limited what we could do. I think that needs
to be one of the biggest issues that we address when deciding on a
hotel for next year - will we have room for more programming? If we can
find the space at the Tyson's Marriott I don't see why we couldn't
return.

As to the program book... I'm sure that everyone that saw it understood
that it was the product of a small con and had to be done on a
shoestring budget. The contents were excellent though. I never had a
question at the con that couldn't be answered by the program book. And
it was entertaining. I've seen plenty of slick high-cost program books
that weren'tt half as informative as ours was. If it would help out for
next year I would be happy to volunteer my graphic design services for
the program book if someone will assist with content.

-Mike Pederson