[Conventions] ApolloCon 2011 Convention Report
ApolloCon happened this past weekend in Houston. I’ve participated in this convention almost since it’s inception in 2005 – I had a couple of “off” years due to money (lack of) and a wedding (it was the week before mine in 2007). I love this convention. I love the people who run this convention. I LOVE that they bring in an astronaut from NASA. Dr. Stanley Love is a brave, brave man (funny too) and not for going into outer space…
This year there were some hiccups. The hotel issues were fewer and further between – the only big “huh?” regarding the Doubletree this year was the bipolar climate control. The hotel was either uncomfortably warm and humid (INSIDE the building), or cold – only a few spots was it cold AND humid. And it wasn’t in certain areas. A program room would be hot one hour and cold the next with no rhyme or reason. But communication was CERTAINLY better this time around.
The hiccups with the convention, which were bigger ones than normal, but mostly in the pre-convention stuff and programming logistics before the convention started. Once we knew which schedule to follow, things went as smoothly (to the outside eye) as any convention could hope for. Not that I was looking for problems, I was much too busy – which is not necessarily a Bad Thing – keeps me from getting into too much trouble.
ApolloCon seemed to have few panelists this year for a full slate of panels – which meant most of us were scurrying. I had 8 programming items (which I think was right about average of 8-9 per person). I had a block of 5 panels on Saturday with an hour break. If I wasn’t coherent to you Saturday afternoon, please forgive me. But for the most part, I think the panels went well. My Friday night one went off on a tangent that I wasn’t prepared (or qualified) for – but the moderator did well to try to make sure I had the opportunity to speak – but it was a fast-paced panel that by the time I DID come up with something to say, the topic had moved on. AND the GOH was one it – so mostly people were there to hear her and not me. This is the way of it. Then I had this great opportunity with Darth Vader at the Artist Reception…
LOVED my Saturday panels – the first on Saturday went off on some weird tangents, but the people on it were worth it. Sitting on a panel with the amazing editor, Ann Vandemeer (editor of Weird Tales, the Brilliant and Handsome Bill Criderâ„¢, and Rocky Kelly (who really stepped up when the Artist GOH was unable to attend because of an injury) – with a large cup of coffee is NOT a bad way to start any Saturday. My reading had people at it. There was a writing exercises panel with fellow Redhead, Linda Donahue which let me meet some new people, and the Angels and Demons panel – which totally could’ve gone off the rails into religious argument, but Gabrielle Faust is AWESOME at moderating stuff like that. And I sold books at the autographing at 3 p.m. (which is where I met Dr. Love as he passed by).
Partied till I almost fell down from The Tired. My panels on Sunday were relatively coherent. One was creating your creative space – and there was some confusion on time and room on that one, but it went well. Then I moderated the Geek Girls in Popular Culture panel as my last panel. This was actually a good thing to moderate, because I wasn’t overly coherent. So I posed some questions and let the panelists do the talking. It worked for me. And this little princess won “best in show” in the masquerade on Saturday night – she’s the cutest Book Fairy Ever…
Got to meet amazing people and make some amazing contacts. The Lovely Consuite man kept me from falling on my face. Friends made sure I ate pretty well. We had a good time. I crashed and burned yesterday -but today I’m being word count productive. I’m looking forward to seeing what ApolloCon does next year, and hope they invite me back.