UnCon

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The UnConvention (or UnCon for short) is a convention devoted to strange phenomena organised by Fortean Times magazine. An UnConvention has been held most years since 1994 (the "missing" years being 2001 and 2005), at various venues in London (the University of London Union, the Institute of Education, the Commonwealth Institute and, in recent years, the London Friends Meeting House).

UnCon gives the magazine's readership an opportunity to gather and hear talks from a group of experts covering a wide range of phenomena from UFOs to cryptozoology to magic and beyond. "Hot topics" of the day are discussed, such as the Ray Santilli "alien autopsy" film at the 1996 UnCon, and the death of Diana, Princess of Wales at the 1998 event. On other occasions the organisers are well ahead of the trend, as was the case in 1998 when Lynn Picknett and Clive Prince discussed Templar conspiracies and hidden symbolism in the paintings of Leonardo Da Vinci years before these were turned into mass-media subjects by The Da Vinci Code.

Perennial UnCon favourites include Ken Campbell and Reverend Lionel Fanthorpe. Other speakers who have featured over the years include Alan Alford, Colin Bennett, Susan Blackmore, Peter Brookesmith, Dr. David Clarke, Jack Cohen, Mike Dash, Jon Downes, Graham Hancock, Gary Lachman, John Michell, David Percy, Lynn Picknett, Nick Pope, Robin Ramsay, Jenny Randles, Jon Ronson, Ian Simmons, Kenn Thomas, Colin Wilson and Richard Wiseman. Besides the formal lecture programme, UnCon normally features exhibits by organisations such as the Association for the Scientific Study of Anomalous Phenomena and the Centre for Fortean Zoology. The event often ends with a panel discussion, as was notoriously the case in 2002 when the subject was "Is Ufology Dead?". This was widely reported in the British media as an "official" statement by Fortean Times that " Ufology is Dead".^[1]