Smofcon 34:
Opening Conventions to Everyone

Friday, December 2-Sunday, December 4, 2016

Welcome to the Smofcon 34 Website! We are delighted to be hosting you in the Chicagoland area at the Crowne Plaza Chicago O'Hare Hotel & Conference Center in Rosemont, IL for the 34th annual Smofcon. Note that the hotel block has closed; if you call the hotel (847-671-6350) you may be able to rent a room at rack rate. hotels.com reports some hotel rooms are available in Rosemont, IL during Smofcon.

You've probably heard that the baggage handlers at O'Hare are planning to strike on Tuesday, November 29. This should only be a one day strike. Check back here for more info on November 30 if this changes.

Note that pre-con Registration has closed. Memberships will be available at the door on December 2.

Final Smofcon 34 Schedule * * Schedule Grid

Smofcon 34 will feature a game of Fannish Feud (from the TV show Family Feud, or in the UK, Family Fortunes). Contestants have to guess the most popular answers to a range of questions, from the serious to the silly.

Sign up for one of our Friday workshops.

Welcome back to those of you who have attended a Smofcon in the past, and a warm welcome to those of you who are new to Smofcon. So what is a Smofcon?

In 2016, we will be focusing on how we can open our conventions to more people. This crosses multitudes of ideas:

  • Addressing disability/accessibility concerns
  • Reaching out to underrepresented communities
  • Creating buy-in with your convention committee on new ideas, and providing necessary training
  • Working with other types of fan-run conventions in your area and cross-promoting with them

Throughout the weekend, there will be workshops, panels, and roundtable discussions in addition to constant networking.

There is also a large event held on Saturday evening, known as the “Fannish Inquisition,” where seated Worldcons and NASFiCs (North American Science Fiction Conventions) present updates on their progress, and where bids for future Worldcons and NASFiCs also present on their status. Additionally, this is the session where the site of the 2017 Smofcon will be chosen.

CanSMOF has announced their annual Smofcon scholarships. The first scholarship was awarded to Patricia Widish of Winnipeg, Manitoba, the second one was awarded to Esther MacCallum-Stewart of Southville, Bristol, United Kingdom and, the third was awarded to Katharine Bond of Seattle, Washington.

Questions? Please contact us.

We look forward to seeing you at Smofcon 34 in Chicago!

Helen Montgomery, Smofcon 34 Chair