The 22nd Annual Convention
for People Who Run
Science Fiction Conventions

SMOFcons* are annual gatherings for discussion of the organization and management of science fiction conventions.  The art of SF convention management from small local conventions to the annual World Science Fiction Convention (Worldcon) is discussed and dissected.  The 2004 SMOFcon is being hosted by the Washington Science Fiction Association (WSFA).

More information on SMOFcons may be found on the main SMOFcon web site.

*SMOF — Secret Master of Fandom

3 – 5 December 2004

Wyndham Washington, DC
1400 M Street, NW
Washington, DC 20005

202-429-1700
(direct number to hotel)

877-999-3223
(toll free in the U.S. and Canada)

Announcements

• Tour of the Library of Congress

There will be a tour of the Library of Congress on Friday, 3 December, from 2:30 to 4:00pm. This is open to 12 people and we have three signed up so far.  Please email Colleen Cahill if you are interested in joining in this event.

Please remember that entering a Government building is like going to the airport, with all restrictions you are use to there and you should arrive at least 10 minutes early in case there is a line to enter the Library.

• Draft SMOFcon 22 Program Posted

The fourth, nearly final, draft program has been posted to the Program Information page.

Geri Sullivan has also submitted a description of our Friday night Time Travel event

• 123 Attending Members as of 30 November 2004...

and a half-dozen or so people who will be joining at the door.

• Pennsylvania Avenue Reopened to Pedestrians

Pennsylvania Avenue, NW between the White House and Lafayette Square was officially reopened to pedestrians after a ceremony with first lady Laura Bush.  The section of roadway between 15th and 17th streets, one of the most popular tourist destinations in Washington, has been inaccessible to the public since January, when construction of security and aesthetic improvements began.

• SMOFcon 22 Hotel Reservation Deadline was 11 November 2004

• Pre-Con Membership Registration Closed on 31 October 2004

At-the-door memberships are $70 USD.

• SMOFcon 22 Progress Report

The SMOFcon 22 progress report was mailed out on 4 October 2004. You may download a PDF version.

For immediate release: Tuesday, August 10, 2004

ConJose Parent Corporation Awards SMOFCon Scholarships

Two San Francisco Bay Area science fiction convention organizers will be able to attend the SMOFCon convention-runners convention in Washington DC this December thanks to scholarships funded by surplus funds from ConJose, the 2002 World Science Fiction Convention.

At their Board of Directors meeting on Saturday, July 17, 2004, San Francisco Science Fiction Conventions, Inc. (SFSFC) awarded $500 scholarships for the purpose of attending SMOFCon to Tomoko Shintani Stocksiek and Wolfgang Coe. SFSFC was the parent non-profit corporation of ConJose, and the corporation established these scholarships to allow promising convention-runners who would otherwise not be able to afford the cost to travel to attend the annual SMOFCon convention-runners convention.

SMOFCon http://www.smofcon.com/ is an annual convention about organizing science fiction conventions. Subject matter ranges from managing small
conventions up to the unique challenges of World Science Fiction Conventions. The convention is held in a different city each year. The 2004 SMOFCon will be in Washington DC at the Wyndham Hotel Washington, December 3-5, 2004.

Tomoko Shintani Stocksiek has been attending and working on science fiction conventions since 1993, mainly in the Bay Area, and has held positions with
BayCon, Anime America, and FanimeCon. She is currently President of the Board of Directors of Anime Resource Group, FanimeCon's parent non-profit corporation.

Wolfgang Coe has more than 20 years of convention attending and organizing experience, including positions with TimeCon, SiliCon, BayCon, Anime America, Further ConFusion, ConJose, and FanimeCon. He has held positions from gopher to operations director to Chairman. He chaired BayCon 2001.

San Francisco Science Fiction Conventions, Inc. is a California non-profit corporation recognized as tax- exempt under US Internal Revenue Code 501(c)(3).

ConJose, the 2002 Worldcon, had an operating surplus (net of funds passed along to its three successor Worldcons) of approximately $39,000. SFSFC has issued a number of grants to various organizations and individuals to further the development of fantasy and science fiction literature and related activities such as science fiction conventions.

The name "SMOF" stands for "Secret Masters Of Fandom," and is a humorous reference to the people who organize and manage science fiction conventions. Another term sometimes used for such people is "conrunner."

SAN FRANCISCO SCIENCE FICTION CONVENTIONS, INC.
A California Non-Profit Corporation
PO Box 61363, Sunnyvale CA 94088-1363 USA
info@sfsfc.org; http://www.sfsfc.org/

Contents copyright © 2004 WSFA, Inc. unless otherwise noted, all rights reserved

WSFA/SMOFcon 22, 7113 Wayne Drive, Annandale, VA 22003-1734