Memorial Day weekend, because there are so many conventions going on then, is a good time to announce a Worldcon bid. And lo, we have one. It is for 2011 (Seattle bid already announced), and it is for Reno.
Hmm, do I hear a little head scratching out there? Are some of you thinking that Reno is not exactly a great fannish powerhouse? But here, apparently, is an organization called Reno Convention Fandom, Inc. Who exactly are they? Well, they sent me a press release, but there were no names on it. So I went and looked at the web site. There’s a page titled “supporters”, but it does have any names on it yet. Hmm, how about the “about” page. Aha! The usual suspects.
So, “Reno Convention Fandom” is actually a bunch of fans from all over the US (and one from The Netherlands). The largest group is from Oregon, which is understandable in a way because Portland has a great local fan community but just doesn’t have the facilities to put on a Worldcon. Reno, for them, is probably the nearest potential facility. Many of the people listed are also very experienced Worldcon runners. These are people who, if they win, will put on a very competent event.
There will doubtless be a fair amount of complaining in some quarters about “carpet bag” bids. Some people feel very strongly that a Worldcon should only be put on by a group of people who are local to the area. Personally I don’t see the problem. Worldcon is such a major and complicated undertaking that local fan groups (even in Boston and LA) can’t manage to stage one totally by themselves. Every Worldcon uses a large amount of outside talent. And if there happens to be a good site available that doesn’t have a large local fan group I see nothing wrong with a group of talented people putting on a bid for that location. Reno has the added advantage that there isn’t really much of a local fan group to be up in arms about not wanting the Evil Worldcon in their town. I almost wrote something including the phrase “virgin territory”, but then I realized that would be a particularly poor description of Reno.
So, what about the sites? Well, Seattle is clearly a much more interesting city. Reno is rather less spectacular. One commenter on Whatever described it as “Las Vegas without the sincerity”. It is, however, full of hotels, and cheap. And that’s a good thing, right?
Well, sort of. People are always complaining that Worldcon is too expensive, but a lot of that expense comes in the form of getting there. With Reno, just about everyone will have to get there in some way. So whether the lower cost of hotel rooms and restaurants will offset the travel cost is open to question. Interestingly, one of the few places within driving distance of Reno is the San Francisco Bay Area. Goddess knows, enough people flock up to Tahoe for the weekend. So in some ways this is actually a Bay Area bid (which you might think is a good thing for Bay Area people who often get nominated for Hugos).
Personally, I’d prefer to go to Seattle. But then I hate casino towns. However, I’d be happy with which ever city wins. I also think that competition is good. (Currently both bids have rather unimpressive web sites, so hopefully they’ll spur each other on in that aspect). But I do hope that the contest is conducted in a good spirit, just like the one between Seattle and San José for 2002. Play nicely, please, people.
By the same token (playing devil’s advocate), the flights into Reno are generally inexpensive and the hotel costs (5 days, no deal, top of the tower at the Atlantis) runs 108 at this point for the same time frame of mid-August this year — so the cost, even of the most expensive rooms, is significantly less than recent Worldcons.
Too, remember that Reno is as much about The Old West as it as about Gambling. There’s a lot to do in town that’s not about Gambling. And, frankly, for a HUGE percentage of con goers, they never see more than the best places to eat and heaven knows Reno has interesting places to eat.
OTOH, Seattle’s site certainly gives both “downtown” cache as well as good eats — so that’s likely not a deal breaker.
For those who drive, parking will almost certainly be cheaper (if not free) in Reno. For those who fly, the trip (and therefore cost) from airport to site will quite certainly be cheaper.
As Reno is High Desert, the temps will likely be much closer to Seattle’s (Seattle is often in the high 80’s/low 90’s in August).
I think the real problem for these two bids is going to be finding a way to *really* distinguish themselves from each other so that there’s a clear choice (beyond the “i just like Seattle/Reno better as a city folks).
Should be an interesting event to watch unfold ;>.
Finding something to distinguish themselves beyond the attraction of the host city is a problem in any Worldcon race. And generally they do it by showing competence at bidding. If either bid manages to imitate Columbus and give the impression of not caring then they’ll probably lose.
Cheryl, thanks for your kind words and we look forward to your constructive comments on the website (a work in progress).
At present, parking is free at the hotels and $7 a day at the convention center in Reno. And as Twilight commented, Reno is definitely more Old West and the city is rapidly redeveloping itself.
There’s a rather nifty local blog devoted to the downtown redevelopment:
http://www.downtownmakeover.com/. Quoting from the home page:
“Seven years ago, downtown Reno was not a place you would want to walk your dogs, hang out, go be entertained or take your children to. There was no river park, no movie theater, and too many run-down properties like the Holiday and Comstock hotel-casinos. The “Riverwalk” was a haven for the homeless, and the Riverside hotel sat empty.
Cut to 2007, and you have a thriving community downtown. New retail businesses are popping up every month, there are actually neighborhoods and districts forming in the downtown Reno area, and the river park draws a huge number of people in the summer. This winter, the ice rink has been packed every single night it is open.
Why is downtown Reno unique? Because for the size of the city (roughly 210,000), we have an enormous amount of restaurants, entertainment, art, music, bars, and cool places to hang out downtown, all within walking distance. We have kinetic wind sculptures on nearly every street downtown, crazy art benches, and every new residential project built with have some kind of art component. Events happen downtown all summer long. “
Thanks Ruth, nice to see you folks are on the ball. I haven’t been to Reno for many years, so I probably haven’t seen the improvements you mention. I shall ask Kevin, who goes there more frequently.
As to the web site, fixing the character set problem would be a good start.
Yes thank you Cheryl and you as well Twilight.
From the Seattle point of view we will be running a friendly bid.
To address some comments:
The website as well as all of our publications are currently being reviewed and redone. This was in progress before the announcement but the competition never hurts anyone where it comes to staying on your toes!
Watch the new website for much better coverage of what sets Seattle and the Pacific Northwest apart from Reno but to encapsulate the highlights:
Late August (Labor day week-end) in Seattle has an average temperature of 72 degrees often as was mentioned moving towards the 80’s and 90’s. Walking, riding the bus, taking the monarail around downtown Seattle will be pleasant. There are More than 600 restaurants, from Belltown to Pioneer Square, you’ll find every kind of cuisine in one great place. The shopping ranges from unique boutiques to department stores. There are a lot of book stores within walking distance as well. The tourist attractions close by include the Science Fiction Museum, the Space Needle, our lovely waterfront with the Aquarium and some great Seafood resturants. This is just a quick taste but as I said before look for our new updates to the website.
Thanks again Cheryl for all you do for fandom!