So...who's ever been to a *convention*?

[dolo amber]

For work, church, comic books, sci-fi, political...anything?

I can't honestly say I've ever attended anything that was actually called a *convention*. I was at the gymnastic Nationals when I was 11, but that's hardly a convention. Is SXSW a convention? I think it's called a conference...:shrug:

Any good stories? :hi:

edited to add sci-fi and political...duh! :silly: :D

[TSIAS]

1. I have

I went to the Florida State Democratic Convention last December.

[Fenris]

2. A comic book convention when I was younger.

Me dad took me. I've also been to a gun show, if that counts. Shopping for a Ruger. :P

[TrogL]

3. Tech conventions

Dog and pony shows that rapidly evolve into either gossip sessions or code circles.

[corporatewhore]

4. travis county dem con volunteered andgot free badge at sxsw con-

ference

[dolo amber]

6. Hey cw....

Check out my new sig. ;) :D

Man, I've totally been re-discovering the DKs lately...christ, I was listening to them when you were but wee...</old> :D

[Endangered Specie]

5. A number of Star Trek conventions.

naturally.

[Khephra]

7. I've been to quite a few SF Cons and Gencon a few times

I'll probably be going to Gencon this year, as it's moved to where I live--Indy. I wanted to go to it last year, but I was broke at the time.

[TheMightyFavog]

10. And the sooner that Gencon comes back to Milwaukee...

It's true home, the better!

[Piltdown13]

8. Hmm...it depends on whether you count the annual meetings...

...of scientific societies. If you do, then I've been to many conventions (physical anthropology, archaeology, etc.).

I also went to the AAUW Texas-New Mexico joint state convention a few weeks ago, to give a talk at one of the dinners. :-)

[starroute]

9. Lots of science fiction conventions, but also . . .

. . . when I was a kid my father belonged to the American Veterans Committee -- the only left-wing veterans' organization -- and he brought my mother and me along to their national conventions between 1957 and 1963.

I was at an age where I was getting interested in politics, so I took in a few of the formal sessions. I don't remember much about it, but I think I found it interesting at the time. The World War II vets were still young enough to be pretty active, and a number of the members were involved in the civil rights movement. My father still likes to talk about the time they told him to spend a few hours with Medgar Evers and show him the ropes.

[TheMightyFavog]

11. I'm going to the Wisconsin state Demcon in Appleton in a couple weeks

But first, I have some membership issues to hammer out with the state party, and I have to book my room.

[Taverner]

12. I have been to a Sifl-and-Olly Convention

That was interesting...

[neverborn]

13. GenCon and GAMA/Origins

[NoPasaran]

14. Young Socialist Alliance National Convention in 1978

Travis County Democratic Convention last March
and next month I'm going to the State Convention

[Whitacre D_WI]

15. Yeah, I've been to varied conventions.

Also some conferences.

[BlackVelvetElvis]

16. GodzillaFest.

And a Trek convention.
I had a great time at both. There was one woman (at the Trek convention) who rented a table just to show her photo albums of William Shatner. I think she was smitten.

[Awsi Dooger]

17. Best one was a journalism convention in high school

My senior year, the Columbia Scholastic Press Convention at Columbia University in New York City.

About a half dozen members of my student newspaper attended, including an extremely foxy brunette who suddenly wanted a piece of all of us! That was an unexpected treat that has been overtold and exaggerated at the two subsequent class reunions.

We stayed at a Howard Johnson's in the heart of the city and loaded up the tub with Coors beer, no one able to shower for days. I insisted on venturing to Harlem and playing basketball with the locals, "to learn some ghetto moves," as I put it. We walked through Central Park at 2 AM, intentionally scaring the sleeping stragglers.

Two of our staff members were selected to head seminars. One of them, our chief photographer, was supposed to lead one called, "Effective Candid Photography." It drew a huge crowd. Unfortunately, but hysterically, our guy forgot his camera at the hotel and got drunk on Coors while retrieving it. He was completely wasted and rude when the seminar began, collecting samples of the high school papers then unmercifully criticizing the chosen photography. He literally threw the collection of papers out the window, then stood there in a drunken transe for at least a minute.

The seminar was rescued by a guy in the audience named Dave from Cleveland. He took over and gave a terrific presentation, while my friend and I grabbed our photographer and dumped him into Dave's chair for the rest of the hour.

[supernova]

18. A couple

Used to go to the Sci Fi convention in Greensboro when I was in college. One year I went on a Ray Harryhousen binge. :D

I've been to State and County Dem conventions.

The Maryland Dems have a huge picnic every year. They call it a "Bull Roast." I always kept thinking I'd see a bull, but never did! :P It's still one of the best political get togethers in the country. I do miss it.

They're kinda fun. You really don't get the full impact of your interest until you go to a convention.

[bleedingheart]

19. yep

all boring

all work related

[TOhioLiberal]

20. Trek Conventions....

...naturally! Dearborn Mich (multiple times) Ft Wayne and Indianapolis Indiana, and once to Dayton.

I've seen more stars than I can list. Always had a blast. My last Con was 2 years ago. They are getting few and far between here in the midwest.

[GOPisEvil]

21. SXSW is a conference and festival.

Although, there *are* convention-like activities. :-)

[eyesroll]

22. Let's see

I've been to approximately 12 cleaning-industry conventions (exciting stuff, I know). Those are actually pretty fun -- I get to eat in nice restaurants on someone else's dime. I get to hang out with my two or three industry pals who hate Bush (it's a very conservative industry).

Two or three education conventions, back from my past life as a teacher (or, actually, from my past life as a student teacher). Nothing exciting there.

One college-newspaper convention; one magazine-journalism convention.

I got dropped off drunk in the "movie room" of a scifi convention hosted by my college, while a certain someone (ahem) resumed his live-action gaming.

One Star Trek convention, that I was able to get a press pass for (I did cover it for the college paper). Michael Dorn was the keynote. I probably could have done really well in the trivia contest, but, well, being on a press pass, I didn't participate.

State Democratic convention last year, and I'm going again this year.

Lots and lots...

[FarmerOak]

23. Been to two Trek conventions...

I'm a big fan, but mostly of the watching-and-reading kind. Both times, I was taken to the convention by a girlfriend (different girlfriend each time,) and I wouldn't actually choose to go. They scare me a little.

[Avonrepus]

24. Political conventions

The 2000 and 2001 Labour party conventions and the 2002 Liberal Democrat conventions, all in my home city of Brighton. I met Cherie Blair and sat next to the high commisioner of PAkistan a couple of weeks before the invasion of Afghanistan during Blair's speech.

[johnnie]

25. Record conventions

That's what they used to call them back then. I would go to the main one up here twice a year. I don't know if they still have them because a lot of the interest in vinyl has seemed to have died. Although toward the end of my visits there Cd's were starting to make their way in. They had a lot of memorabilia also.