Relay-Version: version B 2.10 5/3/83; site utzoo.UUCP Posting-Version: version B 2.10.1 6/24/83; site decwrl.UUCP Path: utzoo!watmath!clyde!burl!ulysses!allegra!bellcore!decvax!decwrl!dec-rhea!dec-mrvax!ddb From: ddb@mrvax.DEC (DAVID DYER-BENNET MRO1-2/L14 DTN 231-4076) Newsgroups: net.sf-lovers Subject: Boskone Message-ID: <1001@decwrl.UUCP> Date: Thu, 7-Mar-85 10:53:53 EST Article-I.D.: decwrl.1001 Posted: Thu Mar 7 10:53:53 1985 Date-Received: Sat, 9-Mar-85 11:29:23 EST Sender: daemon@decwrl.UUCP Organization: DEC Engineering Network Lines: 39 One solution to a high at-the-door price is to pre-register... cons really like you to pre-register so that they have a good idea of what sort of problem (i.e. crowd control) they have facing them. Many cons have dropped one-day registrations. Given that cons are run by volunteer labor, usually by non-profit groups (those that don't have club- houses don't have such big expenses to cover...), and that one-day registrations are considerable trouble (all badge-checkers have to recognize multiple classes of badges, not to mention the record keeping), it seems perfectly reasonable to me to drop them. What bothers me about the story is the statement that they claimed to have them, but they cost the same as a full registration; that seems like a deliberate insult to those wanting them. Relations with the hotel were an interesting tangle. On the one hand, for the first time I can remember Boskone managed to get the hotel to extend checkout time for con members. It's about time, this is one of the things that makes the biggest difference to me at a con. I'm often not up by the usual checkout times.... On the other hand, hotel security was rude and surly, the bellhops were rude and surly, and the restaurant managers were rude and surly. On balance, I'd rate it "mediocre", composed of equal parts "good" and "bad". It might have been better to have a lower standard deviation.... Film program -- personally I approve of their reputed policy of de-emphasizing the film program. I do not attend films at SF-conventions; I view them as social functions. If there's nothing better to do than sit in the dark watching flashing lights on a screen, I rank it as a complete failure. Many people that I like, and like to see at conventions, like to watch films, at conventions and elsewhere. However, MOST of the class of people I DON'T like to see at conventions seem to find the films the main attraction. (I doubt most of them can read...). On balance, therefore, while regretting the loss to people who like films AND books, I find conventions better if they reduce the film program to the more esoteric and unusual items. {If you consider the above a flame, you have a socialization problem. THIS is a flame; the difference should be obvious.} -- David Dyer-Bennet -- ...decwrl!dec-rhea!dec-mrvax!ddb