Seattle Drops 2011 WorldCon Bid

[filkertom]

Thanks to hms42 for the heads-up. So, who's still got a formal bid going? I lose track of these things.

Comments

[katster.livejournal.com]

That leaves Reno as the only 2011 bid, so far as I can tell. That sucks, though.

-kat

[drzarron.livejournal.com]

I believe the Reno bid us still up and running.

[wouldyoueva.livejournal.com]

Portland, Oregon, using the facilities in Reno, Nevada.

Huh?

[sffilk.livejournal.com]

Seriously?

Re: Huh?

[kshandra]

Srsly. Have a gander at the committee bio page if you haven't already.

Reno Worldcon Bid

[kevin-standlee.livejournal.com]

Seriously?

Of course? Why do you think their bid mascot is a carpetbag? Their parent non-profit corporation, RCFI, is incorporated in Oregon; it says so in their bidding papers (http://www.rcfi.org/filing.php). They've made no secret of it.

Portland has a fine convention center, but doesn't have sufficient hotel space near the convention center. That has been stopping Portland from bidding for a Worldcon for a long time. People will put up with inconveniently-sited hotels for a European Worldcon, but not an American one.

[solarbird]

Too right. (Way, way, way too right, if you want the truth.) And count me as not thrilled.

[gridlore.livejournal.com]

OK, counted. Now why does this leave you in an unthrilled state?

[ashkitty.livejournal.com]

But--why not just bid for Portland? I know I'm biased, but Portland is awesome.

It's too bad, anyway. PDX or Seattle I could have planned on going to, Reno is doubtful. Unless I become a famous sci fi writer sometime between now and then or something. ;)

[jenrose]

Because there simply are not adequate hotel facilities to accommodate a WorldCon, would be my guess. Hotels are ALWAYS AN ISSUE for cons in Portland. Always. Orycon is moving to its 3rd hotel in 10 years.

[alverant.livejournal.com]

At the risk of being accused of hating my country, I hope it's outside the US for 2011. My motivation is that it boosts the argument for having it in Chicago in 2012.

Considering

[sffilk.livejournal.com]

that it's Melbourne, Australia in 2010, I don't think you'll be getting another out-of-US bid that soon afterwards.

[starcat-jewel.livejournal.com]

Chicago is hogging. They don't need another one this soon.

It leaves

[sffilk.livejournal.com]

Reno, Nevada. That stinks!

[gridlore.livejournal.com]

Reno in 2011 (http://www.rcfi.org/) is the only bid that will appear on the ballot.

[hms42]

My vote was going to be Seattle. I just had a good time at their filk convention last week. And with you being GOH next year, it was going to be a good chance to scout out the city pre-worldcon.

Hopefully they reform for another attempt within a couple of years.

[banjoplayinnerd.livejournal.com]

Well, that sucketh. I was looking forward to a con that I could travel to on the #41 bus. And I'm afraid that Reno does not excite me. If the Portland people would hold their con somewhere closer to Seattle, somewhere where smoking indoors isn't still acceptable (assuming Reno is like Las Vegas the last time my wife was there), then I might be more interested in going. Somewhere like, oh, say Portland?

I don't suppose the Seattle concom would be able to move their bid to Vancouver, BC instead?

No, I thought not. They probably already rejected that as an option.

[katyhh.livejournal.com]

Oh man, that sucks!!! We were planning on going to Seattle and had just talked about getting memberships. Wah.

[sffilk.livejournal.com]

I had purchased into the Seattle bid at the $100 level!

[darthparadox.livejournal.com]

Well, shit. Voting for that bid was half the reason I bought a supporting membership for Anticipation.

Hopefully the committee has learned a few things from this bid so they can avoid those problems next time.

[darthparadox.livejournal.com]

Also: this seems like a direct consequence of having to vote for Worldcons two years in advance instead of three. Had the 2011 vote happened in 2008, the Seattle concom would know that they could put down the money for facilities (or not, as the case may be).

Future Bids

[kevin-standlee.livejournal.com]

So, who's still got a formal bid going?

In case you didn't see it where I mentioned it elsewhere in this thread, I have posted videos of future Worldcon bid presentations (http://community.livejournal.com/worldcons/19415.html), and there is also a Worldcon bids page (http://worldcon.org/bids/) located linked from the Worldcon web page (http://worldcon.org/) that lists the current and past Worldcons with web pages.

Re: Future Bids

[hms42]

Thank you for the video links (and hte Worldcons LJ link too).

Time to step up, Los Angeles.

[msgeek.livejournal.com]

LA is a damn fine place for a con, and I don't mean The Los Angeles Convention Center of Anaheim (inside joke) either. I don't think ANY Worldcon has been held at the Los Angeles Convention Center. It is a building that screams Sci-Fi: the "new" parts of the center look like the freaking city from Logan's Run.

LACC was a great home for Celebration IV, and if it weren't for the GenCon cock-up maybe Celebration V would be back. It's also the new home of Anime Expo, having had its first run there last year. Between LA Live, the Staples Center, and the LACC proper, it would be a fine location. And by 2011, hotel space in the South Park (yes, that's what the neighborhood is called) neighborhood of Downtown LA will literally DOUBLE.

Please don't let the old misconceptions of the area color your viewpoint. Downtown LA is on the rebound. We are world-class now. I don't know why LACC is not in the running. If not in 2011, maybe in 2012.

Re: Time to step up, Los Angeles.

[kevin-standlee.livejournal.com]

(This is traditionally the time when everyone who thinks an LACC-based Worldcon is a good idea is supposed to throw $20 bills at msgeek and congratulate her on having launched a Worldcon bid. I am not joking; last year and next year's Worldcon started on less than that.)