My summer is full of conventions. Book conventions, sci-fi/fantasy conventions, you name it, I’m there if I get a chance to sell my latest books — of which there are three out in 2025 alone. But while this year may be the most conventions I’ve ever attended (see: three books out this year), it’s far from my first rodeo. I’ve been attending conventions for nearly two decades now, and seen how they grow and — often — wither.

There’s a lot of withering going on in East Coast-based cons, which is where I have spent most of my time. They’re frequent, they’re regular, and there are a lot of them, particularly in the Northeast. I have loved nearly every time I’ve gone to one — I just dig being in a hermetic environment (that is, the hotel) with a bunch of fellow book/genre nerds doing our best to nerd out on what we love, check out others’ creative output, meet like-minded folk, and have a safe space to be our weird selves. I love how these places are miles ahead of the rest of the country in being inclusive, safe spaces (though not without some significant stumbles). I also love that they are run almost entirely, or often entirely, by volunteers who do it for the love of it. It’s a job that eats your life for months on end, and doesn’t always come with a lot of public reward, either.

What’s fascinating, though, is when you go to a different part of the country and see just how things might be different — or better.

I started this off as an email to a con runner who has proved receptive to ideas in the past, then decided to turn it into a blog post so I could share it more widely. I’ve just finished my second CONvergence convention in Minneapolis, Minnesota, and once again I am blown away by the scope, the depth, the organization and the overall forward thinking of this particular con. Here are some thoughts I had while at CONvergence that I think other con runners might find useful when facing the big issues of budgets, attendance, relevance, and the like. They might be able to arrest the withering I see going on at many of my usual cons — which absolutely needs to be done if these beloved, weird gatherings are to continue.

Several caveats:

1. Your mileage may vary. Will vary. Must vary. Adapt as needed.
2. Along those lines, I get that a con in the Midwest has a different landscape to work with (i.e., more space) than East Coast ones will.
3. I have never run a con. I have, at best, run a track at a WorldCon.
4. [To be filled in when I come up with more caveats.]

Problem: Con attendance is shrinking, or the demographics are not sustainable.

Thoughts: One challenge for any con is ensuring it doesn’t turn into rooms of gray-hairs. Experts with experience are invaluable, but new blood is needed for any system to continue. While some cons I attend feature tracks designed for children, at CONVergence I moderated two panels (I was on ten total) where a young person was a panelist.

Now, this isn’t unique: I’ve heard of cons where they’ll do a middle-grade books panel, for example, and include young folks. But these were big concept panels, and these young people were about 14-15. In a savvy move, they were a fifth person on a panel of four, so the panel wasn’t going to live or die based on their participation. But it’s such a simple add-on if done right.

How to do it right? Vet the young person, of course. Make sure they’re mature enough to handle it, and that they won’t resort to scrolling on their phone if things get dull. Tell the moderator that there will be a young person on the panel so at least some questions can be tailored to the young person’s level, and level of expertise.

Some cons do have kid tracks but for two of the ten panels I was on or moderated at CONvergence, they did something I hadn’t seen before: We had a young person panelist with the adults. By young, I’d say these kids were maybe 14-15. Obviously, this isn’t unique — sometimes a con will do a MG panel and include kids of that age — and obviously this isn’t for all kids. But it does help get them engaged on a top level and hopefully enthused (and experienced) for future cons. One thing that helps if this is something you or any con wants to do is to ensure moderators know there will be a young person participant, so some of the questions can be tailored in their direction.

I can hear some adults grousing that they’ve been shut out of panels already for various reasons; that they’re not getting to participate because of (ahem) inclusivity. But if you want the thing to survive, you need to include the next generation. This should include articulate, informed young people.

This doesn’t mean the young person should just show up and sit there: Their parent/s should be involved enough to ensure they’re prepared to participate. They need to come with things to say. But there are so many bright, enthusiastic young people out there that this feels like a natural evolution — just one that needs some careful handling. Kid gloves, if you will.

Problem: Finances.

Thoughts: As someone who has not run a con, I don’t know that the cons I go to are suffering from small budgets or budget shortfalls. But they often feel that way. The space of a hotel isn’t filled properly, or used effectively.

CONvergence tackles this in a couple of ways. First, everyone buys a badge — including panel participants. (Maybe not Guests of Honor, but I don’t have that verified.) (Edit: See first comment below for who pays clarification.) As someone who put in ten hours on panels, I have mixed feelings about this. Badges for adults start at $85 on the early side and go up to $135 if you buy late.  But there is a lot of infrastructure in this con, which I’ll go into in a minute — and that’s what that pays for. If a con charges less than $50 for everyone, and comps participants (who then take up a big portion of the attendees), it’s always going to run on a shoestring. Panel participants are needed. But many could pay their way to a badge.

It’s important for a con to know — as an organization — what their goal is for the con. I would imagine it should involve keeping people on site, where they can interact and be engaged and participate. Using the space of a hotel effectively is critical to this setup. Here are some things CONvergence does with its space at the Hyatt Regency in Minneapolis:

Merchandise Room

Many cons I attend ignore, or give scant attention to, the notion of merchandising. There’s a T-shirt or maybe a mug with that year’s logo on it, and you might find a table where you can pick one up somewhere in the con. CONvergence had an entire room set aside (a small one, but still) for merchandise, and people wanted that stuff. They did a booming business in mascot and con-themed stickers (they have multiple mascots and this year introduced their first non-binary one), messenger bags, hoodies, water bottles, 20-sided dice, and 3-D printed versions of the main mascots, in several sizes. They had a sticker printer on site to make more of the popular stickers. Some folks ordered their T-shirts ahead of time and came to the merchandise room to pick them up, thus being exposed to more merchandise.

This is one piece of the bigger picture of branding the con. It creates a new fan base for regulars, who can connect with the cue mascots and feel part of the whole convention culture. It also brings in money to the con to expand what that con can do. The cost/benefit analysis of a merch room is best addressed to someone else, but clearly that money goes somewhere, because I could see it in the presentation of the con. Also, this isn’t something you can launch and expect immediate results: branding takes time. It needs to be both presented to attendees, but also grow organically.

Movie Room

CONvergence had a dedicated movie theater for participants — and I don’t mean a small panel room with a big screen and uncomfortable chairs. I mean a room converted into a theater full of couches and armchairs, a very large screen — like some private movie theaters I’ve been in to see early screenings for my jobs. A popcorn machine is going at all times, with small bags of popcorn offered. Candy was divided into small cups. When I asked where we paid for this, I was told, That’s what your badge pays for. Classic genre movies ran back-to-back all day, with a Dead Dog last night movie chosen by vote.

Food

The CONvergence con suite does do a lot of the easy, take-away food we’re used to seeing (fruit, bagged chips, hard boiled eggs, a soda dispenser, bagged veggies) but also doles out of rice with sauces at least once a day — and the rice line is HUGE. People love getting something hot inside so they can stay at the con. Meanwhile, there is a three-meal per day service that is separate and usually full of hot meals for volunteers who meet the minimum hourly contribution. A simple sticker added to your badge permits entry. Need more volunteers? Give people incentive — like hot, good food — to sign up. I saw people the entire con coming into the Merch room (mistakenly) looking for volunteer jobs. And if you panel an appropriate number of hours, you’re also considered a volunteer and a simple sticker gives you entree to the benefits volunteers receive. (Including a massage.)

The Big Stage

The con uses what appears to be a three-ballroom-width space on the ground floor to run big events, on the level of a WorldCon. They had a live version of Taskmaster, a PowerPoint Karaoke and special Guest of Honor events, among other happenings — and they were very well attended. Big thinking, to be sure, and not something that happens overnight, but it was impressive and exciting.<

All of this provides a bigger, richer, and more immersive experience. Which then encourages people to attend. Which brings in more money to do bigger, richer, and more immersive events.

Problem: No parties.

Thoughts: Parties are not for everyone at a con. For some, they are the whole thing. The post-panel/evening schedule for many conventions I’ve attended has been pale to lackluster; people mean well and just want to hang out, but many parties are the equivalent of opening up your hotel room and putting out a bag of chips, then having everyone sit on a bed for a few minutes. This is nice, but it’s hard to go back when you see CONvergence’s three floors of nothing but parties. One floor is even dedicated to non-alcohol parties, which makes them family friendly.

These parties are impressive. Partygoers do up the entire room/suite, wall-to-wall sometimes, with two rooms of entertainment (or background entertainment). There are video games to be played, shots and specialty drinks to be had. One room had someone making tiny pancakes. There was a room of cartoons and cereal. Many rooms for coloring, or creating murals. A lot of blacklights. A room where you could get coffee potions at all hours (and a line to go with it). Every party had tip jars, and while I doubt they broke even, it was a chance to offer up thanks at a buck a try.

Extra note: Parties frequently run every night. Some run during the day, too. And each one has a sign outside that tells people what to expect inside: Noise, flashing lights, what type of food, what type of drinks, what type of entertainment. It’s a form provided by the con and boxes are ticked off. Clever.

Problem: The little things.

Thoughts: Tape on the floors to provide direction and instruction is huge. CONvergence’s founders must have invested in the Masking/Blue Tape Consortium back in the day, because the rugs in the hotel are covered in tape that points you where to go, what to do (on the party floor, diamonds on the floor tell you not to linger there, as that’s the avenue of consideration), and where you are, like REGISTRATION.

Posters are on so many walls. Blue tape is used, of course. But the poster game is enormous. Both the ability to tape the rugs and hang up posters requires a good relationship with the hotel, I get it. But if it’s possible to swing, these are game changers.

Ribbons are epic at this con. I’m not even a collector and I ended up with a line of ribbons attached to my badge holder that nearly touched the floor. Everything you do, including the side games people bring along (the Duck Lady, the folks with the gumball machines that give you exclusive ribbons) land you with more ribbons. I have ribbons with inside jokes I don’t even get. Even the Merch room gets involved: If you spend over a certain amount in the room, you get … a special ribbon. I saw more than one person buy more stuff just to get to the ribbon limit.

The bonus staff: In addition to all the folks you’d expect to see running a con, there were line-enders at the signing tables to keep things orderly. Friendly staff at registration. Panelists’ cards replaced by a volunteer for every panel.

The bonus stuff: Feedback sheets presented at every panel (on the panel table), ideally something the moderator hands in to programming to get an immediate sense of attendance and any questions/issues. Why wait until a con is over and nobody remembers what worked and what didn’t? Fill out the form now, turn it in.And my favorite thing: Colorful cards (sheets of paper, really) with symbols (like # * and O) on them to help moderators call out questions from audience members holding them up. “Blue Star” is easier to single out in a room and avoids potential gender/pronoun confusion. So simple, so easy. Hold up a colorful card, get called on.

Problem: But you don’t understand we have different needs and capacities and it’s not fair

Thoughts: Absolutely. I get it. We are in a place where space is not as much of a constraint, and that can affect so many areas. But this also brings us to another thing I’ve noticed in Cons That Work (LibertyCon is another one like this) that is a bigger issue: Consistency. A consistent leadership, in a consistent hotel, is absolutely the goal. I was informed that the Hyatt had a space on its third floor that they couldn’t seem to get rented out properly — businesses didn’t work there. CONvergence now rents out that space for storage. The stuff they need is in the hotel every year. And as it’s a con that seems to have a fairly regular set of leadership staff, they have the stuff they need, in the place they need, with people who know it is there.

A con that has to be packed up and taken home every year is a much greater challenge. But one that can finesse its space — in part thanks to the extra funds it will have by adjusting who pays and for what — is one that will exponentially boost its ability to expand and be functional and fun in years to come.

Is CONvergence perfect? Of course not. No con is, or can be. They’re all works in progress, little three or four day miracles that come together thanks to an enormous amount of effort, participation, and a little magic. (Plus duct tape.) I am in awe of anyone who helps make them happen, and I’m thrilled whenever I can be one of those people. But I do think there are lessons to be learned here, from one side of the country to the other. Some of our cons are on their last legs, their last years, their last dollars. But it doesn’t have to be that way. We just might have to do something communities are often quite slow to do: Accept change. I’m excited to see that happen.

What did I miss? What have you seen that should be fixed/included at cons? Share in the comments below! 

Randee Dawn writes books, too!

Buy The Only Song Worth Singing
Pre-order Leave No Trace (out Sept. 2025)
Order Tune in Tomorrow

Like what you’re reading? Donate here!
Want to get your book featured on my blog? Contact me here!
Want to get my newsletter (and a free book)? Sign up here!