Marcon Chronicle 36, 1

Marcon 35 went off quite well this year. May guests have expressed an interest in returning. The Art Show brought in over $12,000. The Charity Auction took in just over $1200, while Registration racked in a few pennies under $38,000.

John Callicotte will have a detailed expense list for Marcon 35 in late August or early September, and he expressed his appreciation that there have been no surprises to date. As always, if you need a reimbursement check for Marcon 35 expenses, you must turn your receipts in to John before 31 August 2000. After that, you will need Concom approval for reimbursement.

Suggestions for next year: more signage in general; more chocolate in the Con Suite (100 pounds apparently isn’t enough); post rules for the slave auction on the web.

The Election

Kim Williams and Shell Franklin were elected as Co-Chairs for Marcon 36. Judson Lohr has been named the Vice Chair. Please express your condolences in appropriate fashions.

From the Chairs - Kim and Shell

We worked together all year and had a terrific Convention - now it's time for us to play! Recipe for a wonderful picnic: Water guns, bubbles, good food, and friends! The picnic is scheduled for Sunday, July 9th at the Hoover Y Park. Roni is busy getting the meat and charcoal ready. The rest of us will bring everything else: check the attached list. Remember, we'll all have a great time if EVERYONE comes and enjoys the fun.

lso, let Shell and I know what you would like to do for Marcon 36. You are all so wonderful! We have already started receiving requests; we have even had more than one person volunteer for the same position. If you could, please include a second choice. Shell and I will be getting together with Judson a week or so after the picnic to confirm "who's doing what" and will have the org chart ready for the September meeting.

Now, for those of you who have not looked at the web site recently - there is a Concom page. On this page is a link to the current copy of the Chronicles, along with the dates and times for future meetings. No more saying you didn't know. If you have web access, you have the Chronicles. We will continue to mail them, of course, but if the web access is enough, please let us know. It's always nice to save a few postage pennies here and there (right, John?).

Reminder: If anyone has receipts for Marcon 35, please get them into John. We will be closing the books at the end of August.

Picnic at Hoover Y Park

What to Bring to the Picnic

If your last name begins with:

Marcon Meeting

Volunteer Information

If you would like a specific position for Marcon 36, you must ask Shell Franklin or Kim Williams for that position. Do not assume you have any position until you are notified, nor should you assume they know what you want to do. They’re psychotic, not psychic.

Contact Information

For Chronicle Information

Contact Carrie Franklin at ducky@marcon.org, or by phone at 614-501-8324.

Marcon Chronicle 36, 2

DATE:	Sunday, September 17, 2000
TIME:	2:00 P.M.
LOCATION:	Upper Arlington Library 2800 Tremont Road
AGENDA:	Org chart distribution Programming brainstorming

A Word From the Chairs

The Next Marcon Meeting will be Sunday, September 17, 2000 at the Upper Arlington Library at 2:00 p.m. That's right: 2:00 p.m., the library is keeping their summer hours, therefore we will be meeting at 2:00 p.m.

The party afterwards (beginning at 6:30 p.m.) will be at my house, 81 South Chesterfield Road, Columbus, OH. We will light the grills and have sodas, hot dogs, and hamburgers. Please bring something to share and come enjoy friendly company.

Don't forget that the meeting schedule is posted on the Concom page of the web site.

I am putting together a mass Concom e-mail listing for future notifications. Those of you already on it should have received an e-mail of the above. If you did not, please e-mail me and I will add you to the list.

Mailings

As many of you may remember, the ConCom database was purged last year. Since then, new members have been added, and I’ve encountered people who wish only to be notified by e-mail. Therefore, I’ve decided to make the following offer: if you wish to be notified by e-mail when the Chronicle is available on the Concom section of the Marcon web page as opposed to the traditional mailing, please inform me by e-mailing ducky@marcon.org.

Marcon Chronicle 36, 3

Gary Lockwood and Poul Anderson have been confirmed as guests for Marcon 36.

At the next meeting, Marcon needs to vote for its charities. Author Guest of Honor Robert Jordan has requested a literary charity. Artist Guest of Honor Elisa Mitchell has requested an animal shelter, preferably the local cat shelter (as opposed to a "cat house" as was voiced last meeting). Please bring your suggestions to the meeting.

Marcon 35 has finished out the year with a modest profit nearing $2,000. Figures for Marcon 35 are available, and the budget for each department for Marcon 36 should be available soon. Please see Treasurer John Callicotte if you have any questions about your department past and future.

Most departments heads have been selected, but there are still a few openings. Org charts will be available at the meeting and the after-party. If you are interested in any of the empty departments, please speak with Co-Chairs Kim Williams and Shell Franklin.

Security and Ops are being relocated this year, most likely to State Rooms A and B in the Hyatt lobby beside the Peppercorn Duck room (con suite).

This year, there will be no overnight registration. However, pre-registered attendees will still be able to check in after registration closes for the night.

GET YOUR STAFF LISTS IN AS SOON AS POSSIBLE! Also, every department head needs a second-in-command. Get these names to Shell and Kim ASAP, too.

It’s also time to start thinking toward Marcon 37. If you have any suggestions for guests, e-mail them to guests@marcon.org. Remember, names are good, contact information is better.

Procedure Manuals: Each department head is expected to review the department’s procedure manual, or create one when none is available. This will serve as a training manual for new heads as well as staff members. In these manuals, the following information would be helpful:

For more information, contact Kim Williams or Nick Winks.

Next Marcon Meeting

From the Editor - Carrie Franklin

Beginning with the January edition, the Marcon Chronicles will be available exclusively on the web site. If you have no internet access, please contact me at 614-501-8324 and let me know so I can make arrangements to get them to you. Otherwise, when the newsletter has been posted on the site, I will send out a mass e-mail announcing its availability. Please double-check your e-mail address with me, either by mailing ducky@marcon.org, or by the above telephone number.

This change is being made for a number of reasons. First and foremost, it will save money on postage, paper, and laser cartridges. Secondly, I’ve received a number of complaints with the condition of the newsletter upon reception (those little plastic bags the post office so graciously supplies when your mail has been mangled). Supplying the Chronicles on the web will also cut down on delivery time. And lastly, a number of people have told me that they haven’t received the Chronicles at all, even though they are in the database, the address is correct, and even the Chair has personally stamped it and placed it in the post office drop box.

Suggestions

As you already know, a very valuable member of the Marcon family passed away recently. Steve Schwartz served on the Marcon committee for many, many years, and his passing leaves a big hole to fill. A few suggestions have been made to remember him at Marcon 36, including:

• A video collage of Steve
• Photos
• Dedicate the Masquerade to Steve

If you have any other ideas, please bring them to the January meeting. Also, please note there is a selection on the web page that will allow you to enter your memories of Steve. These postings will be printed out later and given to Steve’s wife Jennifer, and his sons Adam and Brian.

Party!!!

Marcon will be hosting a Halloween Party Saturday, October 21. The party will be held at Kim’s house and will begin at 8:00 p.m. Everyone please bring snacks and food to share.

Marcon Chronicle 36, 4

The budget for Marcon 36 is ready. Any department heads needing their budgets for this year, or their final figures from Marcon 35, please contact John Callicotte.

The programming department is almost ready for their first mailing. The panel topic lit has undergone some fine-tuning. They should be getting the tracks together soon. An idea occurred and was discussed: "An Evening of Costuming." This would involve the Convention Center Ballroom, which would be set up for the Anime Cosplay at 7pm, the Science Fiction Fashion Sow at 8pm, and the Masquerade at 9pm. In additions, there is the potential for some of the Convention Center’s food kiosks to set up outside the room during this time. The idea will be kicked around as there are some questions of logistics. Bring your comments and questions to the meeting, or contact Nick and Linda Winks. The Prometheus Hall of Fame award will be given during the halftime of the Masquerade.

On another programming note, it has been suggested that the length of the panels be expanded from sixty minutes to seventy-five minutes with a fifteen-minute break between. Thusly, the panels would run, for example, from 10 to 11:30 to 1, and so on. This idea was broached after Nick saw it working first hand at Chicon 2000.

The Dealer’s Room will be juried November 15. Jim Engle has suggested that Marcon give flyers to our regular dealers so the dealers can distribute them at other conventions.

We’re heading into a new year. This means that school science fairs are just around the corner, and Ed Jones need judges. No experience is necessary, just a little time. Contact Ed for details.

Lee Wetmore is compiling a combination Masquerade and Shorts video. These will run ten dollars per tape.

Further on the video front, it was suggested that Marcon set up a "candid camera" for random shots of attendees.

Not enough people showed up for a vote on the charities Marcon will sponsor this year. Therefore, the vote will be taken at the November meeting. Please bring your ideas for animal (especially cat) welfare organizations and literary charities.

PUBLICITY: PR2 will be taken to the printers no later than January 1, 2001. Departments must have their information to Doug Davis by December 10. Doug assures us that if he has nothing for your department, he will make stuff up. As this was said with a rather sadistic grin and a mad gleam in his eyes, it might be best to do as he says.

From the Editor - Carrie Franklin

Beginning with the January edition, the Marcon Chronicles will be available exclusively on the web site. If you have no internet access, please contact me at 614-501-8324 and let me know so I can make arrangements to get them to you. Otherwise, when the newsletter has been posted on the site, I will send out a mass e-mail announcing its availability. Please double-check your e-mail address with me, either by mailing ducky@marcon.org, or by the above telephone number.

MARCON MEETING

Procedure Manuals: Each department head is expected to review the department’s procedure manual, or create one when none is available. This will serve as a training manual for new heads as well as staff members. In these manuals, the following information would be helpful:

For more information, contact Kim Williams or Nick Winks.

APOLOGY

Due to a mix-up at the post office, the Marcon Chronicles were not mailed out. The Editor and Chairs wish to apologize for the inconvenience - just one more reason to go to web-publishing.

A WORD FROM THE CHAIRS

PLEASE -- Mark your calendars for the November meeting, it is SATURDAY, November 18th at 2:00pm. The Library has the "Little Theater" reserved for its own use every Sunday this month (imagine!)

We will decide on our Charities for this year: Robert Jordan has requested a literary charity, and Ellisa Mitchell has requested one for cats. Please, if you have a charity to nominate have their contact information with you so that Shell and I will can send them a "Marcon" letter expressing our desire to work with them throughout the year. This opens opportunities for both charities and Marcon.

The shed inventory was last Saturday, November 4th. Many, many thanks to those who made room in their schedules and were able to help. If you have anything belonging to Marcon please get in touch with Tammy Riffle and let her know what it is that you have, and co-ordinate with her on getting it back to the shed. This is really a help in pre-planning.

Marcon Chronicle 36, 5

Charities chosen for Marcon 36 are: The Siberian Tiger Foundation and the Comic Book Legal Defense Fund.

The dealer’s room has been juried. It is full with a waiting list. There are new rates for Marcon 37 which can be obtained from Jim Engle or Angie Ziels. The increase in the rates for the dealers’ room tables and dealers’ memberships will go to offset the hire of an off-duty police officer for security.

Statues of various size and description were brought to the meeting as possibilities for awards for Best-in-Show winners of the Art Show and the Masquerade. It was decided that ribbons are best for "Best in Class" for the Art Show while smaller statues will be awarded for "Best in Class" winners of the Masquerade. The Best-in-Show statue will be a replica of the robot from Metropolis. The Masquerade "Best in Class" award is the Marcon winged M.

Dr. Demento will be the Master of Ceremonies for the Masquerade at Marcon 36. Bob and Ann Passavoy have been invited as the Filk Guests of Honor

It’s the end of the year, and you know what that means - time to make those room reservations. As always, make them early. NOTE: This year, all reservations are taken through the toll-free number. Local Hyatts will no longer accept reservations - they will transfer you to their call center in Nebraska.

The inventory of the storage shed went well, and the list can be obtained from Tammy Riffle. If you have in your possession any supplies that belong to Marcon, please let Tammy know what you have and how much you have of it.

Publicity: Please note that the deadline for articles in the PR mailing is rapidly approaching. If your department needs to put information in the flier, get it to Doug Davis as soon as possible. If important information is not received, Doug will either:

1. Make stuff up and the department heads will have to abide by it, or;
2. The name and home phone number of the department head will be published in the flier.

Program Book: Departments with information necessary for the program book should have it to Bob Rumpf no later than April 15, 2001.

Marcon Meeting

From the Editor

Beginning in January, the Marcon Chronicles will be available exclusively on the Marcon web site under the Con Com section. If you do not have internet access, contact Carrie Franklin so alternate arrangements can be made. She can be reached at 501-8324. You should also contact her to verify your e-mail address. This can be done by either calling the above phone number or by e-mailing her at ducky@marcon.org.

Gentle Reminders

In January Marcon will be having a winter/work party at the Hyatt. The date will be announced as soon as it becomes available. This time will be used to not only have fun but also be productive and label the PR fliers.

A contingent of Marconites will be heading to Chicago for Capricon in February to encourage preregistration to Marcon 36. For more information on Capricon, visit their website at www.capricon.org.

Marcon Chronicle 36, 6

We have been receiving preregistrations, and Marcon has money. This means people are coming, which means we all have lots of work ahead of us. If you need a reimbursement, get it to John Callicotte ASAP.

There will be another inventory of the storage shed in the spring. If anyone has Marcon stuff in their homes, please give a list of the items to Tammy Riffle.

Our very own Kathy Hamilton has confirmed to be our Fan Guest of Honor in 2002.

Marcon must get room diagrams to the Hyatt by April 1.

Web updates and staff lists need to get to Shell Franklin ASAP.

The Sign Shop will be run this year by Brian Trocchia. Contact information will be available at the next meeting.

Computer Gaming had a goal of 15 - 20 computers. Half have been received. Shawn Palmer is getting Youth stuff and Mac stuff. There has been no decision on which games will be offered yet. Special thanks to Dave Kelly for getting a router for the department.

Marcon is no longer offering space to any group for parties.

Registration will be computerizing this year. The system has been viewed while functioning at a convention and it works. It ran Chicon 2000 registration.

Ed Jones is looking for volunteers to help judge science fairs this year. For more information, e-mail cyclops124@aol.com.

Marcon has had to alter its charity support this year. Cat Welfare has replaced the Siberian Tiger Foundation as the animal-based charity.

Con Suite is horrendously behind schedule. They are in need of staff. If you are interested in working with Con Suite, please contact Nick and Linda Winks. They can put you in contact with Jason Winks and Ray Holtz.

Marcon Meeting

From the Chairs

The January Meeting will be January 14, 2001; at the Upper Arlington Library from 3:00pm till 5:00pm.

The party afterwards will be at my house, 81 South Chesterfield. The house has sold, so this is the last time that we will be able to meet there after our meetings. The closing is set for January 31st, so I will be moving after that.

I need your help. I need boxes. I am especially fond of Xerox boxes (with lids) and would ask that you bring some empty ones over on Sunday.

I would be very happy to have everyone over immediately following the meeting. I have made some lasagna; so could everyone could please bring a dish to share and empty boxes? We can enjoy the evening together, and I will have boxes to pack. OH, no chips - we still have lots.

See you on the 14th @ 3:00

Kim

Marcon Chronicle 36, 6

Several suggestions were put forth for a Memorial for Steve Schwartz. Kim Williams will be running these ideas by Jennifer Schwartz, Steve’s widow, to see which she prefers. The suggestions are as follows:

• Roll call (military style) during opening ceremonies
• Time block for memorial service
• A Steve Schwartz video montage
• Plaque in one of the function spaces of those we’ve lost.
• A Masquerade Award presented in Steve’s name (suggested: best dialogue)
• Positive remembrance remarks during masquerade.

John Callicotte reports that Marcon has received between eighty and one hundred preregistrations so far. He is preparing a year-end closing statement and hopes to have it ready by the next meeting.

Programming has received one full page of confirmed panelists, many of them Hugo and Nebula Award winners and hard science specialists. There will be very little fluff to programming this year.

From Guest Relations, Terry Brooks and Daryl K. Sweet have been invited as Guests of Honor for Marcon 37 in 2002. Confirmed are Misha Merlin and Kathy Hamilton.

Brian Trocchia will not be running sign shop as reported last issue as real world responsibilities have increased exponentially (job promotion).

Kim Williams has last years’ equipment list and will be mailing them to Programming, Masquerade, and Video. If you do not receive a list and you would like one, please contact Kim. For those that do receive the list, if you have additions or subtractions, please get those to Rob Stailey as soon as possible. His e-mail address is jafo@marcon.org.

Staff lists need to be sent to Shell Franklin. Remember that identification must be presented in order to pick up your staff badge this year. Badges will be available Thursday night at the bag stuffing party, and in Ops during the convention.

Awards will be given for room parties on Sunday. The suggestion was made that they be given during the Chair’s gripe session. Room parties must be registered this year in order to participate in the judging. Ernest Dillard has the information on how this will be done.

Karaoke will return to the Con Suite this year, and the slave auction is good to go.

PR2 will consist of two 11x17 pieces of paper folded twice. Doug Davis still needs information from:

• Art Show
• Hotel
• Filk
• Registration: specifically, the registration form

There has been a delay in obtaining the server needed for the computerization of Marcon Registration. This should be remedied soon.

Steve Lambert would like department schedules and the number of gophers needed. Steve can be reached at (insert e-mail address).

The Dealers’ Room juried in November, filling one hundred forty-seven tables. Five of those are now empty. Decisions will be made about filling those soon. In Jim Engle’s own words, "We’re taking the British stance, which means we’ll muddle through." Hours of the Dealers’ Room this year will be:

• Friday, 5 - 9
• Saturday, 10 - 6
• Sunday 11 - 4

Columbus Police officers will provide after-hours security.

Bag stuffing will take place in the Fairfield room from 6p - 11p this year. If you have suggestions, contact Trent McClaskey at nomian@yahoo.com.

MEETINGS

The meeting schedule for the next three meetings is as follows:

Marcon was well attended this year, drawing in more attendees in one day this year than in two last year. Although the going was a little slow in registration, this should only be expected with the installation of the new computerized system. Things should speed up next year.

Come to the meeting Sunday, June 17 at the Upper Arlington Library to find out more about this year’s convention and to vote for the new chair for Marcon 37.

Lisa Garrison Ragsdale, Chair Candidate

Dear Marcon Con Com,

From what I have learned, there are five keys to running a successful science fiction convention.

First, placing competent people in positions of leadership and offering growth opportunities for leadership to younger and newer members of the con com.

Second, providing a clear plan for what needs to take place prior to and at the convention, then allowing the department heads to carry out the necessary procedures.

Third, keeping open lines of communication, knowing who to consult on issues, asking a lot of questions, and listening to all sides before making any decisions.

Fourth, offering a variety of programming opportunities in a wide range of topics ranging from literary to media, adult to children, gaming to writing, costuming to world building to mention a few.

Fifth, inviting quality guests and treating them well so they will speak highly of the convention and desire to come back in the future.

With these keys in mind, I feel we can move Marcon into the 21^st century and maintain healthy growth so that future generations will be able to enjoy Marcon in years to come. As chair, my hope is to work with all of you and give you a clear plan of what needs to happen in order for Marcon 37 to be a success. We have many areas of the convention that are excelling; we also have areas where there are opportunities for growth. Growth is sometimes painful, but worthwhile when done in a healthy manner. I am open to discussing maintaining current leadership and opening some doors to those who might need to spread their wings and try something new.

Overall I'd like to see consistency and creativity flourish and complacency die away. I trust that once a person is given the responsibility to lead a department that the plan will be carried out not necessarily exactly as I spell out, but completely and in a timely manner. If need be, I am not afraid to step in and redirect a department if the job is not getting done. I believe it is important for all department heads to have someone they trust as their back up support, just in case there is a need for them to step up to the plate and carry out the plan themselves.

When problems arise, we need to not be afraid to talk about them openly. Some things need discretion of course, but when issues that affect the con com as a whole and threaten to fracture the convention, I am open to listening and being a mediator. I may not know the answer myself, but I believe that through communication answers can be derived.

Marcon has the most excellent programming of any convention I have attended and I have attended both big and small cons. I might be a little biased, but I feel we make every effort to provide "something for everyone". This is one of our strengths and I feel if we continue to be rooted in literature without ignoring societal shifts toward media and technology, we can continue to be successful in this area. With the population of fandom shifting from baby boomers to the next generations, we need to continue to make literary connections to media and technology because without reading and writing, we would not have television shows, movies, or computer games.

As guest relations department head I have worked hard to insure that our guests are treated better at Marcon than they have ever been treated at a convention. I have been their connection to the con com as a whole and the programming department heads, their travel agent, transportation coordinator, hotel liaison, banquet organizer, treasurer liaison and have provided them with quality assistants at the convention who have helped make the guests' experiences at Marcon first class.

I understand what it takes to organize and carry out a successful convention. It takes competent leadership, a clear plan, open lines of communication, diverse programming and quality guests. As chair, I intend to work with each and every one of you to make Marcon 37 the best convention we have ever organized.

Sincerely,
Lisa Garrison Ragsdale, Candidate for MARCON Chair

***********************************************************************

Greetings All! 

Having just recovered from an e-mail outage, I was a little late in getting my candidate's statement in for the Chronicles. Therefore I am also e-mailing it to make sure you have a chance to read it and be that much more prepared for the upcoming meeting. Thank you in advance for the few minutes and I look forward to seeing you this Sunday! 

My goals are simply and straight forward.

1. Children’s Programming: As the father of an active five year old who not too long ago attended his first convention I found my perceptions of what a convention needs to offer attendees has changed dramatically since I first started going to conventions. And to its credit, Marcon does a fair deal of programming for kids. I myself would like to see even more done for the kids and their families. It is my desire to see the additional authors and/or artists who have work that appeals to children and young adults as “Children & Teen” GoH’s and expanding children’s programming into more of a “Family Programming” track.

2. Fiscal Responsibility: While we as a committee have come a long way in this, I believe that we can do better still, particularly since the last budget get-together I had this past year was attended by only two department heads. As a chair it is my intention to see that department heads are more aware of their fiscal position in two ways. One is that I would require written spending estimates from each department. The second is my holding several department-head only meetings so progress can be reviewed and tweaked as needed.

3. Communications: I can’t think of a chair candidate in the past that hasn’t touched on this issue since I joined the convention committee so why should I be any different! The main thrust of my attack on communications, as stated above, is the department head meetings. These meetings will also allow the chair and department heads to review both the progress and problems we as a committee encounter.

In closing, I have served Marcon for going on nine years now. Serving as a staffer, as a department head, and now treasurer I feel I have the knowledge, the experience, and ability to lead this convention in the year to follow.

Don’t forget the picnic! July 14 from 1 until they kick us out at the Hoover Y Park!