Tonight’s topic concerns conventions. 2 weekends ago, we had San Diego Comic Con, this past weekend, we had London Film and Comic Con and the Manchester Expo, and this weekend its Star Trek Vegas.
In fact, certainly in the UK, there seems to be at least one convention of some kind 48 out of 52 weekends of the year. You can check some of them out on our handy convention map here: https://dadams370.wixsite.com/usshawking/events-and-meet-ups
One of the problems with conventions is the post con blues. When you return to your day to day life after a convention. There’s also the feeling of isolation you feel when you can’t attend as many events as you’d like because of your personal circumstances. The point I’m trying to make I guess is that just because you can’t make a con, doesn’t mean that the convention experience is sealed off for you.
In this entry, I’m going to take a look at some of the ways that you can bring the convention experience home by looking at specific aspects of the convention experience, and how their essence can be captured or even replicated on a budget.
1 CONVENTION MEGA EVENTS
Bigger conventions, particularly those in the states, usually have key panels streamed live or archived on youtube. They are usually trying to promote a property and don’t mind who sees it. Not Trek related, but at Star Wars Celebration London, I spent Saturday walking around the event hall. Sunday I stayed at home and was able to watch a lot of panels live that I wouldn’t have been able to see otherwise. Check out event Twitter and Facebook feeds for the latest news where this is relevant.
2 INTERACTING WITH THE STARS
One of the great ways to interact with members of the Star Trek “family” is to connect with them on Twitter. While its not as good as getting a photo or autograph, and isn’t guaranteed a response, a well written reply or mention might get you a like or written response in kind.
3 THE CONVENTION PANEL
Sometimes one of the best parts of a convention is being able to sit in a room and listen to passionate people talk about Trek, and sometimes even join in. There are literally hours of Star Trek content out there, for free, that cover Star Trek in a lot of its forms. I am referring to the humble podcast, with full length shows dedicated to almost any aspect of Trek fandom you can think of. Two fantastic sources for this are Trek FM (http://www.trek.fm/) and Roddenberry (http://podcasts.roddenberry.com/). One Roddenberry Podcast I particularly recommend is the Trek Files with Larry Nemecek. Firstly, this is shorter than some of the one hour plus episodes. Secondly, they offer something that not even a convention can offer, a unique look into Gene Roddenberry’s thinking, and those around him. Each week, Larry and a guest delve into Roddneberry’s archives and look at a letter or memo too or from Gene. Very interesting stuff On a related note, Larry also produces a weekly live video on Tuesdays called Trekland Tuesdays Larry talks about a subject for the week, and encourages interaction via Facebook live https://www.facebook.com/LarrysTrekland/
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4 GETTING SOCIAL
Social media is great. There are groups out there, like the Hawking, that encourage interaction and celebration of almost anything that is legal Trek Fandom is no different It can sometimes be a minefield out there, but the thing to remember is that if we treat each other right, then interaction around fan groups online becomes almost as good as conventions. And who knows, you might find friends who find ways to make conventions that little bit more affordable. Check out more about the Hawking on this site, and I hope if we haven’t already, we become one of your communities.
In summation, I don’t think anything beats a convention, but technology when used properly can become a great second best, either for curing those post con blues, or compensating for missing the big events.
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