Westercon 72 in Layton, Utah has announced that Eric Flint will be a Special Guest of the 2019 Westercon, and that Westercon 72 will also host the 2019 “1632 Minicon” for fans of Flint’s 1632 series of alternative history novels. For more details, see the announcement on the Westercon 72 web site.
Seattle Bid Files for 2020 Westercon
The Seattle in 2020 Westercon bid sponsored by SWOC (a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization) has filed the required papers with Westercon 71 in Denver to appear on the ballot for the 2020 Westercon site selection. Members of Westercon 71 in Denver will vote on where to hold Westercon 73 in 2020. The Seattle-area non-profit group, which organized the 1997, 2003, and 2012 Westercons and the 2015 Worldcon, is bidding to host Westercon 73 at the Doubletree Hotel Sea-Tac Airport in SeaTac, Washington during the proposed dates of July 2-5, 2020.
For further details including copies of the bid’s official filing, see the announcement on the Westercon 71 web site.
All bids that meet the requirements of the Westercon bylaws and that file the required documents with Westercon 71 before April 15, 2018 will appear on the 2020 Westercon site selection ballot. Westercon 71 will conduct the 2020 Westercon site selection. Members of Westercon 71 can vote by mail or in person at Westercon 71 in Denver.
Seattle to Bid for 2020 Westercon
Sally Woehrle, President of SWOC, a Seattle-area 501(c)(3) non-profit organization that has run several SF/F genre conventions in the Northwest, announced on January 22, 2018 that SWOC is bidding to host Westercon 73 in 2020 for a site in the greater Seattle area. The bid committee is currently assessing hotels in the area, preparing its bid filing, and setting up a web site.
As of the end of 2017, no Westercon bids were filed with Westercon 71 in Denver, the convention that will administer the election. Therefore all sites in Westercon North America as defined in the Westercon Bylaws (plus Hawaii) are eligible to bid for Westercon 73 in 2020. Members of Westercon 71 in Denver, July 4-8, 2018, will be eligible to vote on the site of the 2020 Westercon. The deadline for filing a bid to host the 2020 Westercon is April 15, 2018.
The Seattle groups parent non-profit organization, SWOC, was the parent of Worldcon 73 (Sasquan) in Spokane, Washington in 2015, and ran the 1997, 2003, and 2012 Westercons at sites in the greater Seattle area.
First 2020 Westercon Bid Deadline is December 31, 2017
If you are with a group that wants to bid for the right to host the 2020 West Coast Science Fantasy Conference (Westercon 73), note that the first of several bid filing deadlines is December 31, 2017. Currently, only sites in the Northern and Southern portions of western North America (as defined in the Westercon Bylaws) are eligible to bid. If no bids file by December 31, 2017, then sites in the Central Zone also become eligible. So if you’re bidding and you’re from the North or South, you should file before the end of 2017 to “lock out” the Central zone.
If your group wants to bid to host Westercon 73 (2020), you need to file the required documents with Westercon 71 (2018, Denver). The documents are:
- A cover letter declaring your intent to bid and listing at least two officers (Chair and Treasurer) and the specific dates you plan to hold your Westercon should you win.
- An organizing document (such as bylaws).
- A letter of intent or similar document from your proposed facility.
- If in the USA, proof that your organization is a non-profit association or corporation.
Send these documents to siteselection@westercon71.org to file your bid.
Regardless of whether or not any bids file by December 31, 2017, only bids filed on or before April 15, 2018 will appear on the Westercon site selection ballot. For the detailed rules for Westercon, including the exact specification of the bidding zones and filing requirements, see Article 3 of the Westercon Bylaws in the Current Papers section of the Westercon web site.
Westercon Business Updated With 2017 Documents
The Westercon Business Page has been updated with the minutes of the Westercon 70 Business Meeting in Tempe, the video of the meeting, and the Westercon Bylaws as of the end of Westercon 70. There were no changes ratified by the Westercon 70 Business Meeting. No no bylaw amendments passed at Westercon 70, and therefore there are no bylaw amendments passed on to Westercon 71 in Denver.
2017 Westercon Business Meeting Video
The 2017 Westercon Business Meeting had no substantive business to transact other than hearing the initial presentation from the newly-seated Westercon 72 (2019) committee. Here is the entire meeting (all six minutes of it):
Layton UT to Host 2019 Westercon
The bid for Utah in 2019 for Layton UT (Salt Lake City area) won the right to host Westercon 72 in voting held at Westercon 70 in Tempe. Westercon 72 will be July 4-7, 2019 at the Davis Conference Center and Hilton Garden Inn & Suites, Layton, Utah.
Westercon 72 announced as their guests of honor the following people:
- Author Guest of Honor: Jim Butcher
- Artist Guest of Honor: Vincent Villafranca
- Cosplay Guest of Honor: Kitty Krell
- Fan Guests of Honor: Kevin Standlee, Lisa Hayes, and Kuma Bear
Utah’s bid received 32 of the 43 ballots cast in voting held in Tempe. The other votes were cast as follows: Tonopah NV 3, Reno NV 2, Hopland CA 1, “Both” 1, No Preference 4.
The Utah in 2019 bid continues to bid for the right to host the 2019 NASFiC (combined with Westercon 72) should the unopposed Dublin in 2019 Worldcon bid win the right to host Worldcon 77.
Westercon 72’s web site, Westercon72.org, will be online shortly.
Westercon 70 in Tempe Announces Science Guest of Honor
Westercon 70 (“ConAlope,” including LepreCon 43), the 2017 West Coast Science Fantasy Conference, has announced that they have added Henry Vanderbilt, founder of the Space Access Society, as Science Guest of Honor.
Westercon 70 will be Saturday, July 1 through Tuesday, July 4, 2017, at the Tempe Mission Palms Hotel in Tempe, Arizona. For more information, including membership rates and hotel information, see the Westercon 70 web site.
2018 Westercon Announces Site, Organizational Changes
Westercon 71, the 2018 West Coast Science Fantasy Conference, will be held at the Hyatt Regency Denver Tech Center, rather than the originally-announced venue, convention chair Nikki Ebright announced on May 31, 2017. The convention, to be held July 4-8, 2018, will be run in conjunction with Myths and Legends Con 6, as originally announced. This change was part of a reorganization that saw Shiny Garden, the non-profit parent organization of Myths and Legends, assume responsibility for running the 2018 Westercon after the group that originally won the right to host Westercon 71 dissolved. The Hyatt Regency Denver Tech Center, recent venue of MileHiCon, proved to be more amenable to hosting an event that includes traditional Westercon hospitality and social activities, according to Ebright. In her announcement, Ebright also said that the Westercon 71 web site is being redesigned and will soon have revised information about the venue and convention.
These changes have no affect upon Westercon 70 in Tempe, Arizona, which will be July 1-4, 2017 at the Tempe Mission Palms Hotel.
Westercon 70 in Tempe Announces Additional Guests of Honor
Westercon 70 (“ConAlope,” including LepreCon 43), the 2017 West Coast Science Fantasy Conference, has issued a press release that includes the announcement of two additional guests of honor. Bjo and John Trimble will be the convention Special Media Guests of Honor, sponsored by the United Federation of Phoenix.
Westercon 70 will be Saturday, July 1 through Tuesday, July 4, 2017, at the Tempe Mission Palms Hotel in Tempe, Arizona. For more information, including membership rates and hotel information, see the Westercon 70 web site.