What Can I Expect At The Discworld Convention
Well, not the Spanish Inquisition. Of course, the Omnian Exquisition is a different matter entirely. And that's pretty much the point of the whole event. No, not being tortured for saying De Chelonian Mobile. Spending an extended weekend with around Eighnnnnnnn hundred or more people, aged from (more than likely) minus nine months to nonagenarians, who understand this paragraph without having to have it explained to them.
From the Opening Ceremony on the Friday evening to the Dead Monkey Party on the Monday night there will be a series of talks, panels and hands-on activities. There will be games, theatre, music and entertainment, not to mention the Charity Auction where items of Discworld memorabilia can be bid for and the Dealers' Room where there are things to prise even the tightest wallet open.
In the lead up to the Convention there will be details of the whole Programme and the timetable for the weekend available on the website so that you can plan the items that you Simply Must AttendTM... and tear your hair while sobbing that you can't be in two places at once when you realise that sometimes a hard choice just has to be made. You can find yourself busy from breakfast – a very, very nice breakfast it is, too – until dinner, solely attending Programme items.
You may be surprised to learn that there can be a down side to that. The social aspect is what makes the Discworld Convention so very special. Each day of the convention carries on beyond the end of the last Programme item of the day as members, including the guests, gather to chat, sing, debate, play games and have fun getting to know each other.
For some people, making new friends is as easy as breathing and they will end the weekend with dozens of them. For the rest of us, we sometimes need a little push or an excuse to talk to people or we'll be the one sitting on their own wishing we had the guts to just walk over and join in. This is where volunteering really works wonders. You can put your name down to volunteer at any time from when you first buy your membership to during the Convention itself. Whether you have special skills in any area (tech, first aid, Fully Qualified Cat Herder etc) or none at all, you can bask in the glow of knowing that you had a part in making the Convention work - whether that be half an hour at the Convention or several weeks helping the committee beforehand. It also means that you have an excuse to talk to complete strangers.
When the programme does end each day and people are gathering in those groups in the bar and other areas of the hotel, you'll feel more than comfortable joining such a group and continuing the fun and frolics until you're ready to head to your room and collapse for the night before starting all over again the next day.
Want to know more? Then read, previously...
