[Writing Post] Changing the Narrative (3) – Crowded Landscapes
A couple of weeks ago I talked about the economic value of fan-run conventions in the sea of media/pop culture events. Now I want to talk about the sheer number of events happening – especially in Dallas/Fort Worth. It’s an extremely crowded landscape.
At first glance, you’d think having so many options would be a good thing. The overall acceptance of genre fandom is a really good thing. BUT… there are drawbacks to having SO. MANY. SHOWS.
- 1. Fans and local creators (artists & writers) ARE. NOT. MADE. OF. MONEY. Say it with me, now. Resources are FINITE. Keep piling on the “opportunities” and soon there won’t be any resources to left – either financial or energy. These shows take TIME and energy and investments beyond showing up. We can only do so many.
- 2. Oversaturation – too many shows eventually mean LESS opportunity for creators and LESS draw for fans. If you have the same shows multiple times a year – eventually the fans will have ALL the STUFF. Creators won’t have time to make MORE STUFF which means no VALUE ADDS for the fans, which eventually means…NO MORE FANS.
- 3. Quantity does NOT equate to Quality most of the time. Seriously? Just because you CAN do FOUR shows in a year doesn’t mean you SHOULD – especially if you’re not able or willing to evolve the show to add value. If you’re just doing it to have a vendor room or artist alley – just open a store and call it what it is.
- 4. CHECK THE FRIGGIN’ CALENDAR! Does YOUR need to have a show mean you have to have it on the same day as someone else’s show make it all right? NO! Yes, I know venues can have limited availability. Yes, some shows pop out of nowhere – but MOST have their dates book a YEAR OR MORE in advance. Do some DUE DILIGENCE! Even if it’s a social media post of “Hey, thinking of doing this show in April, anyone know of shows going on then?”
- 5. Don’t think YOUR show is somehow more special than any other. All shows are special, unique, etc. We all have a place. We need to work together. We need to be professional. DON’T BE A JERK!
Are there any quick fixes? No. Unfortunately, there are not – because (unless specifically shared) the people who need to read this…won’t. There are websites that have convention listings – though no site is fully comprehensive. CAP-TX – http://www.cap-tx.info/ – is one of the more comprehensive, but don’t have some of the fan runs on there YET. Also, it’s statewide – but MOST people should know their metropolitan area to know the suburban areas and whether or not your show is hitting another show’s date.
If there were any way to organize it, go Old School – email or Facebook groups for local convention organizers – but that would have to rely on opting in and participating. But somehow we need to make some kind of effort. We are all part of ONE community. It would make a certain amount of sense to cooperate with each other for the BENEFIT of fandom instead of pulling them in so many directions.