ConCarolinas 2009

The About Us Page should answer this question.  However, if it is not enough...

Many folks make a big deal about a Convention and its identity.  Some call conventions 'relaxicons', others are gaming cons, while others are general sci-fi or literary cons.  All marketing 'BS' aside, ConCarolinas is trying to be a good general sci-fi con with literary events and guests as well as gaming and media.  Literary guests and panels are a big part of our Con.  Gaming is a big part also.  We're trying to have growth in the areas we need growth while keeping the same quality in the areas that are already big.

The primary thing we are about is speculative fiction - sci-fi as well as horror and fantasy. In our minds, this starts at the literary level and then springs from there.  If we didn't have sci-fi literature, we would not have sci-fi media or games.  But of course, our budget is quite limited. So we can't always get a strong line-up of multiple guests.  All Cons struggle with that.  Some guests require a speaking fee of $1000 or more.  That's a big part of our budget, and when you include airfare and room at the hotel - well, you can imagine.  So we try to get the best bang for our buck, just like every Con does.

Another thing that we are about is the Carolinas. We like to showcase what Charlotte and the Carolinas have to offer in the way of sci-fi literary, media and gaming. Many of our guests and activities involve local people and organizations who have volunteered their time and efforts to make this Con the best it can be.  Sometimes we have your usual Star Wars, Lord of the Rings or Star Trek groups while other times we may surprise you with something a little more quirky or odd.

And finally, we are also about family and the promotion of the speculative genres to the younger generations.  Many of those fans who were 'born' from seeing Star Wars in 1977 (for example) are now parents and want to be able to attend a Convention that they feel comfortable bringing their children to.  ConCarolinas is that Con. However, we do realize that certain aspects of the speculative genres (like, for example, certain aspects of horror) may not be appropriate for certain ages.  We present these aspects in a tasteful and classy way, always informing parents what may or may not be appropriate for those certain ages.

However, that is not to say we don't have a nightlife.  Children do have a bed time, right? Our 'curfew' for children is usually 10 PM.

More?  Well, we are really no different from you.  We are just fans - fans of a number of things sci-fi related, bringing what we are passionate about to the table.  Literary fans, gamers, SCAers, club organizers, movie fans and fans of all speculative genres (sci-fi, fantasy and horror).

We were kind of thrown together somewhat resistant by an outside effort to attract WorldCon to Charlotte.  When we saw the success of our first efforts, our resistance reduced and we slowly but surely became passionate about a central Carolinas Convention. We never got the WorldCon bid, but ConCarolinas stuck around.  So we've stuck with it.

But who are we really?

Some of our core members are listed on the ConCom.  Here are some short Bios of some members:

Our convention is not-for-profit meaning NO ONE makes money from any money given to the Convention.  All money from Convention fees pays our bills and then is spent on the following year's Con.  During the year between Cons, it sits in a bank and some of it is spent over the year on publicity and supplies. 

The biggest expense is our hotel rental fees which pay for the convention space.  That amount is reduced by the number of room nights we get in the hotel. The more room-nights we get, the less we pay, and the more money we have for next year.

It also goes to paying for Guests' airfare, room and board, and sometimes speaking fees.  This would be a second largest expense.

The remainder is spent on incidentals, fliers, postage for mailings, publicity parties at Cons like DragonCon, badge supplies, Con Suite supplies and anything else we need to spend money on to make the Con better every year. This year (2004) for example, I have sent out over 2000 flyers to at least 20 other Cons in our area as far as Maryland and Orlando, Florida. That's not cheap.

I promise you, NONE of us are out to make money at this.  However, we have signed contracts with the hotel and we do have obligations to fulfill with those contracts, so we have to charge something. That's the driving force behind our Convention Fee.

You would think we're some kind of masochists or something.  No, we're not really. We do truly enjoy it despite the struggles we have or the screaming matches you might hear about on the mailing lists. We love this stuff so much, we want to share that passion with everyone else and help every aspect of it grow.  We want to help this community grow and solidify by the development of friendships and acquaintances started at our Con. Each of us focus our passion into the aspects of the community we are most involved in - gaming, literary or whatever else - and do what we can to make that aspect grow and flourish.

It's truly a labor of love and caring. Every success drives us to do more and better every year.  We all have a vision for this Convention and want to see it grow into that. With your help, we can do that.

Anyone can get involved with ConCarolinas.  We are not some elite clique that keeps the "power" to ourselves.  We're not some professional organization that has strict requirements for people to join.  You simply have to ask. That's it.  

It helps if you have some kind of convention or event organizations skills. It also helps if you have connections into some aspect of fandom. But the only real requirements are reliability, a passion for some aspect of sci-fi fandom, and the willingness to really help and do work. Locality is not a limitation if you have internet, but if you don't, we'd prefer you to be local and reachable by phone.

Contact the current Con Chair for more information on our needs.  Take a look at our list of Con Com positions (most of which we made up) and let us know what area you are interested in.  If you don't see something that should be there, feel free to suggest it.

Program Size: 8.5" x 11" with 1" borders

Ad Sizes and Prices

Full Page: $75 cash or $150 product trade

1/2 Page: $50 cash or $100 product trade

1/4 Page: $20 cash or $40 product trade

Ads will be in Black and White. Photos or Graphics can be in paper form and scanned by us, or in electronic form (jpg, gif, pdf, psd, tiff or .eps). Deadline for ad submission is May 1st.

E-mail us through our e-mail form (using the General Info selection) to get the E-mail address and mailing address to send Graphics.

North Carolinas Search and Rescue Dog Association

ConCarolinas is proud to have the North Carolinas Search and Rescue Dog Association as our Charity this year. See there web site for more information.

Book Drive

ConCarolinas is also proud to be working with retired CMPD Officer Roberta Whitaker in our book drive efforts this year. Please bring your old books and donate to a good cause.

Convention Hours

• Friday: 3 PM - midnight (some events may last past midnight)
• Saturday: 9 AM - midnight (some events may last past midnight)
• Sunday: 9 AM - 6 PM

Registration Hours
(These hours may change onsite)

• Friday: 2 PM - 9 pm
• Saturday: 8 AM - 8 PM
• Sunday: 8 AM - 1 PM