TO HELP PROMOTE WORLD FANTASY CONVENTION 2013, we held a party at the 2011 convention in San Diego, California.
Because the party suites were so expensive, the convention organisers very kindly allowed us to "host" the Hospitality Suite on the Saturday evening, from 10:00 p.m. until midnight. Little did they—or we—realise what we were letting ourselves in for!
Photo © 2011 Ellen Datlow
Karen Lord |
Photo © 2011 Ellen Datlow
John Connolly and Sarah Pinborough |
We decided to theme the event as a traditional British "Wine and Cheese" party, complete with Union Jack bunting, plates, napkins and cups, along with Royalty-emblazoned serving trays. We supplied copious bottles of wine, cheese cubes on patriotic sticks, crackers, multi-flavoured crisps, Branston pickle and even Marmite spread. A welcome donation of extra beer from Canadian publisher ChiZine helped keep the party going!
Photo © 2011 Michael Marshal Smith
F. Paul Wilson and Stephen Jones
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Photo © 2011 Michael Marshal Smith
Paula Grainger and Sarah Pinborough |
Although the two-room Hospitality Suite was decorated with posters for British books, Brighton tourism and just-announced Master of Ceremonies China Miéville, we decided to move the bar out onto the adjacent balcony to take advantage of the balmy Southern California evening.
As we discovered—if you serve it, they will come! Before the official start time, the party was already hopping, as numerous British and European authors, publishers and agents mingled with attendees, and we found ourselves struggling to open bottles of wine or cut cheese fast enough.
Photo © 2011 Ellen Datlow
The ubiquitous Sarah Pinborough and Michael Marshall Smith
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Photo © 2011 Ellen Datlow
Francesca Myman and LOCUS editor Liza Groen Trombi
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Photo © 2011 Ellen Datlow
Thomas F. Monteleone and Lawrence Connolly
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Photo © 2011 Michael Marshal Smith
Juliet E. McKenna, Karen Williams and Chaz Brenchley
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The flow of people never stopped, and members of the WFC Board, along with the organisers of next year's event in Canada, were amongst those spotted enjoying our hospitality for much of the evening.
We gave away promotional postcards (spot the amusing anomaly) and Jo Fletcher Books produced a supportive beermat for the occasion. Many of the writers generously donated rare or signed volumes to the free raffle, and special thanks must go to Gillian Redfearn at Gollancz and Jo Fletcher, who provided a bonanza of books and gift bags as prizes.
Photo © 2011 Ellen Datlow
Oliver Johnson (Hodder and Stoughton) |
Photo © 2011 Ellen Datlow
WFC 2013 Chairman Amanda Foubister |
Photo © 2011 Michael Marshal Smith
Sarah Pinborough and Juliet E. McKenna |
Michael Marshall Smith discovered a second career as stalwart barman; Amanda Foubister, Sarah Pinborough, Mandy Slater, Jo Fletcher, Marie O'Regan and Paul Kane acted as official ambassadors for the 2013 convention, while Robert Shearman, Graham Joyce and Stephen Jones heroically raffled prizes throughout the evening.
Photo © 2011 Ellen Datlow
Graham Joyce picks a raffle ticket
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Photo © 2011 Ellen Datlow
Stephen Jones in full raffle mode
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After a visit from hotel security (always the sign of a good event!), who asked us to move inside because of the noise, the party continued until almost 2:00 a.m., when the Hospitality Suite officially shut down. We donated our remaining food and wine to the next day's Dead Dog Party.
The following afternoon, after the Awards Banquet, we sold memberships at a table festooned with flags and groaning with Jaffa Cakes and Cadbury's chocolate. Many people kindly came up to tell us that ours was the best party of the weekend, and we ended up selling more than 100 additional memberships in the week running up to the increase in registration price.
We hope that everybody who attended our World Fantasy Convention party in San Diego enjoyed themselves and, remember, it was just a taster of the fun you can expect in Brighton in 2013...
[Thanks to Ellen Datlow and Michael Marshall Smith for supplying the photographs.]
Sarah Pinborough and Michael Marshall Smith
