Pi-con

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Pi-Con is the only non-media non-college science fiction and gaming convention in the Pioneer Valley of Western Massachusetts. The first Pi-Con was held August 11-13, 2006. The second Pi-Con will be held August 10-12, 2007

Pi-Con is designed to be more than just a science fiction convention. In addition to the more tradition panel discussions on literature and media, there will also be substantial elements of gaming and geek lifestyle. As such, it is hoped that Pi-Con will become a centerpoint for the fannish community of the Pioneer Valley in the same way that Arisia has for the Boston area.

The Pioneer Valley has not had its own non-media, non-college science fiction convention since Boskone was in Springfield in the late 1980's. This was a temporary move on Boskone's part, and it has since returned to eastern Massachusetts.

The Five Colleges of the Pioneer Valley run annual conventions including Ourcon at UMass Amherst, ConBust at Smith College, and ConDuct at Amherst College. The college conventions are, however, much smaller than non-college conventions such as Arisia, Boskone, or United Fan Con.

In the past, there was a convention known as NJAC or Not Just Another Con, which ran for 14 years at UMass Amherst. It ran for the last time in fall of 1998. NJAC drew about 800 attendees at its height.

[edit] Pi-Con Guests

The guest of honor in 2007 will be C E Murphy

The guest of honor in 2006 was Jacqueline Carey. The musical guest of honor in 2006 was Voltaire, the singer, not the philosopher.