BristolCon 2025

Having an annual convention in the same hotel each year, run by roughly the same group of people each time, has to be the gold standard for science fiction conventions. Over time it should (if the committee and any good) develop into a well-oiled machine that runs along without any major issues. BristolCon has reached that state of convention Nirvana.

That doesn’t mean that things don’t change. Since it started, the hotel has added extra function space. The con has changed from a one-day to a two-day event. And this year they experimented with a different layout. It all seemed to work well.

Normally at BristolCon I do a launch for the new Green Man book. However, this year Juliet had to be in London on the Saturday, and we had a launch event scheduled for World Fantasy the following weekend, so we just did a soft launch for the new books. That is, they were available, but there was no associated party.

I did two programme items. One was a discussion on SF as Activism, which I think went very well. For the other I moderated a discussion on why our fiction should have more than two genders, with an entire panel of people who were at least trans-adjacent if not openly trans. That might have been a bit more lively, but again seemed to go OK.

Despite, or possibly because of, the new location, the Dealers’ Room went very well, at least for me. BristolCon traditionally has very good programming, so the room tends to be a bit of a desert except for turn-around time (the last 10 minutes of each hour). Some people suggested that the con should schedule a lunch break to give people time to visit the Dealers, but I suspect that folks would head out of the hotel if that happened because the hotel lunch options are not great.

Anyway, I sold a lot. I was very pleased.

The exciting news, at least from my point of view, came at Closing Ceremonies. Apparently I am going to be a Guest of Honour at the convention next year. It will be my first time being a GoH in the UK, and I’m delighted that it will be for a convention that I helped found. As to what I will be doing, I don’t know right now. I guess I won’t be able to be in the Dealers’ Room nearly as much. I get the impression that GoHs are expected to participate in the Saturday night karaoke, but I can’t see that happening. If I try to sing someone is likely to call the police to report a song being murdered. But there are many other things that I could be doing.

Watch this space. BristolCon next year will be fun.