SMOFcon
| SMOFcon | |
|---|---|
| Status | Active |
| Genre | Science fiction |
| Location(s) | varies |
| Inaugurated | 1984 |
| Website | |
| www.smofcon.com | |
SMOFcon is an annual convention that focuses on the organisation of science fiction conventions. The first SMOFcon took place in 1984, and most have taken place in the USA.
SMOFcon typically attracts 100-150 attendees, and usually occurs in the first weekend of December, though other dates have been known. The content includes formal and informal sessions covering insights from events held in the previous year, information about the latest trends from the community and external experts, reviews of previous events and feedback to bidders for upcoming events, with a focus on learnings that can be widely shared.
A significant number of SMOFcon attendees are also Worldcon organisers and the programme usually includes sessions about the most recent Worldcon and on bids for future Worldcons.
The name of the convention is derived from the word SMOF (also spelled smof), which is an acronym which stands for "Secret Master(s) Of Fandom" and is a term used within the science fiction fan community. Its coining is generally attributed to science fiction author Jack L. Chalker.
List of SMOFcons
| Year | Dates | City | Country | Web | Site/Facility | Chair/Sponsoring Org | Size | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 0th | 1973/74 | New York | USA | Sheraton | Stew Brownstein | |||
| 1st | 1984 | Oct 12-14 | Washington, DC | USA | Ben Yalow, Joe Siclari, Theresa Renner | |||
| 2nd | 1985 | Nov | Oakland, CA | USA | CANCELLED | Tom Whitmore, Debbie Notkin + 3 others | ||
| 3rd | 1986 | Dec 5-7 | Lowell, MA | USA | Lowell Hilton | Mark Olson (MCFI) | 137 | |
| 4th | 1987 | Nov 20-22 | Columbus, OH | USA | Quality Inn Columbus Airport | Bob Hillis | ||
| 5th | 1988 | Dec 9-11 | Phoenix, AZ | USA | Hyatt Regency Phoenix | Bruce Farr (CASFS) | 102 | |
| 6th | 1989 | Dec 8-10 | Toronto, ON | Canada | Holiday Inn Airport | Lloyd & Yvonne Penney | ||
| 7th | 1990 | Dec 7-9 | Ft. Lauderdale, FL | USA | Airport Hilton | Joe Siclari (SFSFS) | ||
| 8th | 1991 | Dec 6-8 | Portland, OR | USA | Shilo Inn Airport | John Lorentz (OSFCI) | 128 | |
| 9th | 1992 | Dec 11-13[1] | New Orleans, LA | USA | Doubletree Hotel | Peggy Rae Pavlat | 95 | |
| 10th | 1993 | Apr 23-25 | Jersey | Channel Islands | Hotel de France | Tim Illingworth | ||
| 11th | 1993 | Dec 3-5 | Lexington, KY | USA | Griffin Gate Marriott Resort | Scott & Jane Dennis | 110 | |
| 12th | 1994 | Dec 2-4 | Burbank, CA | USA | Burbank Hilton | Chocolate Moose;Vice Chairs: Bruce Pelz & Ben Yalow (SCIFI) | 175 | |
| 13th | 1995 | Dec 1-3 | Austin, TX | USA | Austin Red Lion | Fred Duarte, Jr. (FACT) | 121 | |
| 14th | 1996 | Dec 6-8 | Seattle, WA | USA | Seattle Hilton | Richard Wright (NCL) | ||
| 15th | 1997 | Dec 5-7 | Boston, MA | USA | Doubletree Suites Hotel | Sharon Sbarsky (MCFI) | 153 | |
| 16th | 1998 | Dec 4-6 | Colorado Springs, CO | USA | Radisson Inn | Kent Bloom (FFF) | 86 | |
| 17th | 1999 | Dec 10-11 | New Orleans, LA | USA | New Orleans DoubleTree Hotel | Michael Siladi (SFSFC) | ||
| 18th | 2000 | Dec 1-3 | Cocoa Beach, FL | USA | Holiday Inn Cocoa Beach | Joe Siclari (SFSFS) | ||
| 19th | 2001 | Dec 7-9 | York | UK | Monkbar Hotel | KIM Campbell | ||
| 20th | 2002 | Dec 6-8 | San Diego, CA | USA | Hacienda Hotel | Scott & Jane Dennis | 125 | |
| 21st | 2003 | Dec 5-7 | Rosemont, IL | USA | Embassy Suites O'Hare | Erik V. Olson (Midfan) | 123 | |
| 22nd | 2004 | Dec 3-5 | Washington, DC | USA | Wyndham Washington, DC | Peggy Rae Sapienza (WSFA) | 123 | |
| 23rd | 2005 | Dec 2-4 | Portland, OR | USA | Red Lion Convention Center Hotel | David Schaber (OSFCI)[2] | 155[2] | |
| 24th | 2006 | Dec 1-3 | Kansas City, MO | USA | Hotel Phillips | Margene Bahm (MASFFC) | ||
| 25th | 2007 | Dec 7-9 | Boston, MA | USA | Hilton Boston Logan Airport | Geri Sullivan (MCFI) | 214 | |
| 26th | 2008 | Dec 4-7 | Columbus, OH | USA | Drury Inn & Suites | Kim Williams | 130 | |
| 27th | 2009 | Dec 4-6 | Austin, TX[3] | USA | Hilton Garden Inn Austin Downtown | Karen Meschke (ALAMO) | 156 | |
| 28th | 2010 | Dec 3-5 | San Jose, CA[4] | USA | Larkspur Sainte Claire | Glenn Glazer (SFSFC) | 157 | |
| 29th | 2011 | Dec 2-4 | Amsterdam | Netherlands | Park Plaza Victoria Amsterdam | Vincent Docherty | 130 | |
| 30th | 2012 | Nov 30-Dec 2 | Philadelphia, PA[5] | USA | Hyatt Regency Penn's Landing | Joni Brill Dashoff & Laurie Mann | 196 | |
| 31st | 2013 | Dec. 6-8 | Toronto, Ontario[6] | Canada | Fairmont Royal York Hotel | Diane Lacey (CanSmof) | ||
| 32nd | 2014 | Dec. 5-7 | Manhattan Beach, CA[7] | USA | Manhattan Beach Marriott | Bobbi Armbruster & Kim Marks Brown (Scifi, Inc) | ||
| 33rd | 2015 | Dec. 4-6 | Fort Worth, TX[8] | USA | Sheraton Fort Worth Hotel and Spa | Tim Miller (Dallas Future Society) |
References
- ↑ Aiken, Wayne (October 1992). "Upcoming Conventions". Holy Temple of Mass Consumption (11).
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 "Board of Directors Meeting - December 5, 2005". Oregon Science Fiction Conventions. 2005-12-05.
- ↑ Glyer, Mike (May 17, 2009). "Where Secret Masters Lurk". File 770. Retrieved December 11, 2014.
- ↑ Glyer, Mike (December 7, 2009). "2010 Smofcon Will Be in San Jose". File 770. Retrieved December 11, 2014.
- ↑ Glyer, Mike (December 20, 2011). "The City of Smofly Love". File 770. Retrieved December 11, 2014.
- ↑ Glyer, Mike (March 28, 2013). "2013 Smofcon Website Up". File 770. Retrieved December 11, 2014.
- ↑ Glyer, Mike (December 8, 2013). "2014 Smofcon Site Picked". File 770. Retrieved December 11, 2014.
- ↑ Glyer, Mike (December 7, 2014). "2015 Smofcon Goes To Fort Worth". File 770. Retrieved December 11, 2014.