Conference noted::sf

Boy, did you come to the right place! A large number of contributors to this
file go to or work on Boskone and other SF cons.

	1. A Sf con is fun, tiring, exhilarating, and a good place to see
a lot of people, authors, artists, and spend a lot of money (if you want
to).

	2. No need to rush your check in, as we (NESFA) have not yet had to set
membership limits, but don't delay much. More importantly, if you decide
to get a hotel room, you will need to have you membership in soon so you can get
a reservation card. It is usually hard to impossible to get a room at the
hotel at the last minute.                               

	3. Stay tuned here, as further details and interesting stuff will
be posted as it comes up, i.e., program schedule, professional attendees,
where to park, eat, etc.

	Also, if you want to really get to see how it works, volunteer to
help. Helpers don't _have_ to work a lot, and get a few perks like having
a better chance to meet authors, etc. during the weekend.

Anyone else want to put in their tow cents? Dave C., Dave A., Skip, Jerry,
Beth, Nigel?

Tamzen

Amen to .1! I've been to most of the Boskones in the last six years, but
haven't done one "properly" yet - that is, I usually go down for a day,
and sometimes come back another day, but I haven't stayed through the
whole weekend, and thus have missed quite a bit of the atmosphere of the
convention. Caution: SF cons can be highly addictive!

You might also look at note 170, which is about last year's Boskone.

-b

I trust the date is really 1986, otherwise we'll all need time machines.

len.

re .3
	Yep !  February 14 thru February 16, 1986.
	A miss-type on my part.
	Sorry.

Dwight

The Boskone Committee unfortunately has not been able to get time-machines
for Boskone, and though some of us would really like to hold the 1985
convention again, we can't do it this year.  Maybe next year.       :-)

There will be talks, parties, a dealers' room, parties, an art show, parties,
films, parties, lots of people, parties, and probably lots more that I didn't
think of.

Dave C.

I have a 10 month baby boy who will be almost 14 months old by the time BOSKONE
rolls around.  Cutest little kid there ever was, and the youngest science
fiction reader on record.  You ought to see him tear into Silverberg, et
al.! (Literally; they are on the bottom shelf that he can reach.)

When my better-half sent in the form requesting space in the Boskone Art
Show (that's right folks... step up and get yer genuwine stained-glass 20-sided
dice) she pointed out that we had to pay for memberships.  No problem, I
said, we definitely want to join in the festivities.  Au contraire, quothe
the mother of my son...

QUESTION:  Does the baby need a membership to accompany his parents at BOSKONE?


John B. 
Proud papa and dice maker

Re .6

If you are going to carry your kid around with you, he will not need a separate
membership.  However, if you want to leave him at the convention baby-sitting
area, he will need a membership--there is no separate babysitting fee--it
is included in a membership.

I hope he likes the convention.  

Dave C.

I can recommend the baby-sitting, since young Iain Conliffe has attended
two BOSKONEs now (not bad for a three-year-old). Both times, we found the
babysitting crew to be kind, professional and very competent. By the way,
my wife operates a licenced family daycare centre in Mass, so we had some
idea of what to watch for.

As for the rest of it.....  VOLUNTEER to help; I did, and met some
neat people and really felt part of it. 

Nigel

Other minor note.  You can (if you have the willpower, stamina and stupidity)
stay awake for an awful long tiem at a con.  Especially at a well-run con like
Boskone, there's SOMETHING happening most of the 24 hours  in a day. But don;t
do it!  Make sure you get some sleep and some good food, and take care of your
body (better still, find somebody there to help you take care of your body --
see previous Dave C. note about parties, parties, parties...).

Cons are fun -- even strait-laced Englishmen like me have fun!!!

Nigel

If you are working at a con, a rule has been formulated that will get you
thru it: The 5 & 2 Rule.

You must get, in any 24 hour period, 5 hours of sleep and 2 meals. 

It still takes a couple of days to recover afterwards anyway.

Tamzen

So who is going to run a DECcie get-together at Boskone this year?  I did
it two years ago.  It someone else's turn.

Dave C.

A few more silly questions, if you please...

The registration form indicates that a room will cost $67 double occupancy.
I know this is Boston so the answer seems obvious, but I'm ask anyway -- 
Is that one night or two?


What sort of volunteers are needed?  Who do we contact?  When do we have to
commit ourselves?  And how much time are the organizers asking for?  If the
answer to the first question is "one night" (as I suspect) then my better 2/3s
and I will have to commute from N.H.  Two hours of driving a day will cut into
the time available. 


Is anyone interested in a car pool from, say, the Sheraton Tara in Nashua???
We may have room for two if you don't mine playing with Chris who will be
14 months old by then.


John B.
                   

John, the $67 is indeed for one night. You could always stay just Sat. night.
That would give you all day Sat. and Sun. with no driving.

If you didn't get a formal registration form (unlikely, since they are only
sent to previous attendees), then when you send in your memberships ask for
information and say you want to volunteer but don't know what areas are
available. You can volunteer for any amount of time, 4 hour stretches are
preferred. The general gofer pool is called People Movers and is where
non-specific extra hands are drawn from. You could end up doing a lot of
different things:door guard at the art show, manning the registration booth,
helping haul things around. I know they could use technical help for films
and video.

Hope this helps.

Tamzen

Are they having a film show this year????  Who is doing it????

Nigel (part time projectionist)

Yes, there will be a film program this year.  Bird and Rich Moore are doing
films.  Write to them c/o NESFA, Box G, MIT Branch PO, Cambridge, MA  02139.

Dave C.

Well, now that it's getting close, is it still going to happen?  Is there
still time to pre-register?  What's the difference between pre-registration
fee and registration at the door?  How can I find an interesting volunteer
assignment?  (Brain the size of a planet, and they want me to make sure these
paintings don't walk away.  Life? Don't talk to me about life....)

Don.

Re .16

Don,

It's too late to pre-register; sorry.  The pre-registration convention rate
was $16; the at-the-door rate is $25.  NESFA encourages you to pre-register
next year.

NESFA (the organization that runs Boskone) will be VERY, VERY HAPPY to have
your help at the convention.  When you register, ask for or look for the
"PEOPLE MOVER" area (that's the name Boskone gives to the helper administration
group).  I'm sure you'll find something that will both help the convention
and be interesting to you.

I hope to see you there.

Dave C.

                Is it at the same place as last year?  What time?
                Thanks.  Never been to a BOSKONE.  Sounds great!!
                
                ...Rob...
                
                

Boskone XXIII will be held at the Sheraton Boston hotel.  This is NOT the
same place as last year.

Guest of Honor:  Robert Bloch
Official Artist:  Bob Eggleton
Special Guest:  Tom Doherty

14,15,16 Feb 1986
Sheraton Boston

Registration at the door:  $25.00

Dave C.

Hi-
	I have been a regular reader of this notes file for a couple
of years. I haven't contributed much, but sure have enjoyed reading 
the notes!

	This will be the first BOSKONE I've ever attended. It would
be a lot of fun to meet other sf noters and match faces to names (or
match faces with no names, as in my case). So, I hereby volunteer
to organize, or help organize, an sf noter's get-together. However,
never having attended a BOSKONE (or organized an open get-together 
in a hotel), some procedural advice and suggestions would be most
helpful. 

	Primary requirements are:
	a. expressions of interest from other noters that this 
		sounds like fun, too.

	b. information from some one who has been there before
		(at a BOSKONE, or organized such a get-together)
		about what I would need to do, what (if any)
		facilities would be provided, whom I would need
		to notify, and any other tips and suggestions
		you might have. 

	In the interest of time, it might be better to send replies
(especially to b.) directly to me at {WHO,WHAT,WHICH,WHY}::DOWNS.
Will let everyone know the results by Thursday pm. 


		Robin (looking forward to my first BOSKONE) Downs




PS: Naturally, any one interested in helping to organize this would be
	most welcome!	

A question.  The $25 fee -- is that for the weekend or just one day?
Is there a daily rate this year???  How much is it?

      $25 is for the whole weekend.  There is no daily rate.  Sorry.
      
      In past years, people showing up on Sunday were sometimes admitted
      for a lesser fee, but there is no plan for doing so this year.
      
      Dave C.

    
    Hi again-
    	(this is Robin Downs from .20)
    
    	A happy hour Saturday evening seems like a good idea. Look for
    more info in the bulletin board(s) at BOSKONE if interested.
    

      How was the party?  Who was there?
      
      (I didn't find the announcement until much later, and there
      was no one at the announced room when I got there.)

      Dave C.

    
    The party didn't work out very well at all: very late (and slipshod)
    planning on my part. Pity, but I had a *great* time at boskone anyway!
    
    I am currently planning on going again next year (barring any major
    rips in the fabric of time and space), and will try holding one
    again. Definately with better planning and preparation. 
    
    Hope to see some of you there then, 
    
    							Robin Downs