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F**k, con come-down is hard when you're alone and 4000 miles away from home.
I'm still not sure what to make of my experience at Ascendio. At the moment I feel as if it whizzed past and I missed it - there were so many things going on that it was barely possible for one person to scratch the surface. And, too, my contributions fell a bit flat - I badly misjudged my location at the craft faire, so many people didn't know I was there and I had quite a bit of glass left over (though I did just about make more than I'd spent on materials plus table fee, and as an upside I have pieces ready for when I open my Etsy shop). Then only 3 people came to my fanfic reading (for some reason the fanfic readings weren't shown on the programming grid, so to be honest I was glad to have more than none!) and none of them seemed to like it much. And my auction piece went for only $70 - half of what my piece for Diacon Alley raised last year. But it did go to a good home. :)
I was surprised at how few people there were from other countries. I'd have thought that, what with HPEF conventions getting so much publicity, more people would be travelling to them from all over the world, but the only other British people I met were Chris Rankin and Afshan Azad (the latter of whom I didn't recognise when she came to my craft stall). There were Australians and New Zealanders, but not more than at UK events, and I only heard of one other European. I wonder if US conventions were more international while canon was still 'live', or if the large ticket prices relative to UK events make the ticket+air fare barrier higher for people coming this way than the other.
The rhythm was a lot different, too - in most events I have been to, (almost) everyone attends the opening and the closing and the auction - it's part of the communal experience. Here there was little communal experience apart from the shared venue, but instead a large menu of choices. This made bumping into people at events often enough to get to know them less likely.
Fundamentally, though, I realise that HP cons are about the community. It was great to spend time with![[livejournal.com profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/external/lj-userinfo.gif)
_lady_narcissa_ and to meet bunney and to make friends with superdork37 and to meet many others, but at times I felt very alone, without the people with whom I've shared experiences of other gatherings. I feel alone at UK conventions too - it says more about me than the set-up - but I felt I was looking in at a group of people with a shared history and culture around HPEF conventions. Had I made it in 2003 as I'd hoped, perhaps I'd have been part of that (or perhaps it's illusory), but at least at the UK events there are people who know me, and who have known me over years, and I don't feel quite so invisible.
In brief then, and perhaps I'll feel differently when I've slept on it - it was a well-run event, with loads of interesting things happening, but I feel I missed loads of what I wanted to see, and for me it was not conducive to making social connections - there are loads of people who I exchanged a few words with who I'd have liked to get to know better but simply didn't see again, or saw surrounded by their friends and I felt a bit intimidated to approach them. And in retrospect I missed all my friends from UK fandom, and the way that attending conventions builds on the memories we share of previous events.
Am I glad I went? Yes - I'd have regretted it forever if I hadn't. Will I go to a US event again? Not sure - earlier today I'd have said no (not because it wasn't a good event but because it wasn't so mind-bogglingly amazing that I'd be willing to bear the huge cost soon again), but if the fandom moves towards more intimate events that might suit me better.
All that said, the Night of a Thousand Wizards WAS mind-bogglingly amazing. I don't think I ever want to go to the Wizarding World of Harry Potter again, because nothing can match a night out in a Hogsmeade filled with wizards, with time and space to explore Hogwarts and take all the pictures we wanted with no-one getting in the way, and being able to go an all the rides without waiting (I'm not a huge ride fan, but I rode 'Harry Potter and the Forbidden Journey' three times - and got snowed on in the DADA classroom!) and to poke around the shops and take in all the amazing detailing of the place (including an all too real torrential downpour as we entered - 20C lower and it could have been Scotland!)
And best of all are the memories of sharing that night with friends old and new. :) Socks, anyone?
I'm still not sure what to make of my experience at Ascendio. At the moment I feel as if it whizzed past and I missed it - there were so many things going on that it was barely possible for one person to scratch the surface. And, too, my contributions fell a bit flat - I badly misjudged my location at the craft faire, so many people didn't know I was there and I had quite a bit of glass left over (though I did just about make more than I'd spent on materials plus table fee, and as an upside I have pieces ready for when I open my Etsy shop). Then only 3 people came to my fanfic reading (for some reason the fanfic readings weren't shown on the programming grid, so to be honest I was glad to have more than none!) and none of them seemed to like it much. And my auction piece went for only $70 - half of what my piece for Diacon Alley raised last year. But it did go to a good home. :)
I was surprised at how few people there were from other countries. I'd have thought that, what with HPEF conventions getting so much publicity, more people would be travelling to them from all over the world, but the only other British people I met were Chris Rankin and Afshan Azad (the latter of whom I didn't recognise when she came to my craft stall). There were Australians and New Zealanders, but not more than at UK events, and I only heard of one other European. I wonder if US conventions were more international while canon was still 'live', or if the large ticket prices relative to UK events make the ticket+air fare barrier higher for people coming this way than the other.
The rhythm was a lot different, too - in most events I have been to, (almost) everyone attends the opening and the closing and the auction - it's part of the communal experience. Here there was little communal experience apart from the shared venue, but instead a large menu of choices. This made bumping into people at events often enough to get to know them less likely.
Fundamentally, though, I realise that HP cons are about the community. It was great to spend time with
_lady_narcissa_ and to meet bunney and to make friends with superdork37 and to meet many others, but at times I felt very alone, without the people with whom I've shared experiences of other gatherings. I feel alone at UK conventions too - it says more about me than the set-up - but I felt I was looking in at a group of people with a shared history and culture around HPEF conventions. Had I made it in 2003 as I'd hoped, perhaps I'd have been part of that (or perhaps it's illusory), but at least at the UK events there are people who know me, and who have known me over years, and I don't feel quite so invisible.In brief then, and perhaps I'll feel differently when I've slept on it - it was a well-run event, with loads of interesting things happening, but I feel I missed loads of what I wanted to see, and for me it was not conducive to making social connections - there are loads of people who I exchanged a few words with who I'd have liked to get to know better but simply didn't see again, or saw surrounded by their friends and I felt a bit intimidated to approach them. And in retrospect I missed all my friends from UK fandom, and the way that attending conventions builds on the memories we share of previous events.
Am I glad I went? Yes - I'd have regretted it forever if I hadn't. Will I go to a US event again? Not sure - earlier today I'd have said no (not because it wasn't a good event but because it wasn't so mind-bogglingly amazing that I'd be willing to bear the huge cost soon again), but if the fandom moves towards more intimate events that might suit me better.
All that said, the Night of a Thousand Wizards WAS mind-bogglingly amazing. I don't think I ever want to go to the Wizarding World of Harry Potter again, because nothing can match a night out in a Hogsmeade filled with wizards, with time and space to explore Hogwarts and take all the pictures we wanted with no-one getting in the way, and being able to go an all the rides without waiting (I'm not a huge ride fan, but I rode 'Harry Potter and the Forbidden Journey' three times - and got snowed on in the DADA classroom!) and to poke around the shops and take in all the amazing detailing of the place (including an all too real torrential downpour as we entered - 20C lower and it could have been Scotland!)
And best of all are the memories of sharing that night with friends old and new. :) Socks, anyone?
