Glasgow 2024

World Con 2024 is just around the corner, and folk have started to find out what panels and events they are tentatively on.

It must be a nightmare trying to organise an event of this scale without clashes, but as it turns out, I’m clashing.

LOL, anyway. So I might end up on no panels whatsoever, which is also fine, because panels are stressful. (Being on them, less so - moderating - nightmare zone.)

I’ve never been to a con this size before (I looked at the number of attendees, it’s gonna be rammed.) The largest I have been to was World Fantasy Con in Brighton in 2014, and that was pretty big. Since then I’ve gone to a number of cons ranging from Fantasy Con, Eastercon, Satellite, and Cymera (technically a festival), and one thing I know is that I’m quite happy to be in the audience rather than on display, and while I enjoy hearing people talk, a lot of it is stuff I’ve heard before.

Barcon is my favourite place to hang

Chilling at the bar is the best - you can have a drink, talk shite about shite, catch up with friends you haven’t seen since the last con, make new ones. Nothing better about the SFFH world than forging community.

However, if you have never been to a con, or you have never been to Glasgow (or Scotland), here are some great resources to check out.

Photo by Sonny Vermeer

E.M. Faulds - Getting the Best Out of Your WorldCon Trip

Photo by Sonny Vermeer

and Heather Valentine - WorldCon 2024 Survival Guide

My Con Survival Guide is pretty brief:

1. don’t be a total spoon

2. drink one water/juice to every beer - keeps you hydrated and prevents you being a total spoon

3. buy porridge pots to keep in your room for cheap refueling throughout the day (your hotel/bnb should have a kettle.

4. Buy instant coffee sachets to keep in your room (see above)

5. buy yourself some snackbars/nuts and water to keep in your bag so you can eat when you need to (You will end up trapped in the con hotel for hours, you will thank me for this after you see the price of a sandwich)

6. It’s totally ok (and sometimes very necessary) to leave the con, and go wander off elsewhere on your own and explore the city (if you’re not being stupid about it) or with a small group of friends. Disconnecting from the ALL NOW ALL THE TIME ALWAYS ON buzz is a good thing.

7. You don’t have to go to everything. It’s Ok. That way leads to burnout and No Fun.

8. If it helps, wear a sticker or name badge with your online handle on it (if different from your lanyard name.)

9. Same as above for preferred pronouns. Some people will get it wrong, and self-correct, but if they don’t know, they will assume gender from social cues.

10. Find the Scottish writers, they’re the best (and incredibly welcoming)

See you in August!

(I’ll be the one standing by the pillar with a red rose in my buttonhole)