Come & Meet Your Con Family

We’re entering the home straight: Fantasycon looms in the near-future! To get us ready, we asked previous attendees to tell us about their first time, or any abiding memories from cons of yore. Here’s Siân O’Hara, one of our volunteer Discord moderators, talking about how Covid lockdowns led her to her first ever fan convention – and a whole new world.

My first Fantasycon was in 2021. It was not only my first Fantasycon but also my first ever fan convention of any kind. I had only ever been to technical conferences for my work before, and I suspected this might be completely different.

So why did I want to go? Well, for the answer to that we need to go back to March 2020.

I’m sure most people resident in the UK at the time won’t need the reminder, but that was the month we entered our first Covid lockdown. I know everyone has their own individual experiences and tales to tell from that time, so I don’t say this to try and outdo anyone else, but for me it was traumatic. I had a 3-month-old baby to take care of, a 4-year-old to homeschool (who needed constant support for all reading and writing, signing on to Zoom sessions etc) and a husband who worked in IT so was suddenly doing extra-long days. To top it all off, I had a broken ankle that needed 6+ months to heal properly. The experience left me with ongoing issues with my physical and mental health.

As things started to open up, I realised that I needed to reclaim something that was ”me” outside of my family and my work. In the past I had half-joked with my husband about going to HobbitCon, but I’d never worked up the courage to go. So I started to wonder what was on offer in the UK that maybe wasn’t such a tight focus so I didn’t have to worry about anyone “gatekeeping” my fandom. In due course, my internet searching led me to this thing called the British Fantasy Society and their annual event known as Fantasycon.

I did my usual habit of looking at the info, then panicking and clicking away, until I eventually summoned the courage to hit all the buttons to join the BFS and then get a ticket for Fantasycon (because who doesn’t love a discount, right?).  It definitely helped that it was going to be in Birmingham that year, as it was a city I knew well. I’d even been to events at the venue hotel, so even though Fantasycon was new at least I would be in familiar surroundings. It was only after I had booked my Fantasycon membership and reserved the hotel that I realised I would know no-one else there. As a true introvert, I started to get really stressed and wondered what on earth I was doing…

The start of a beautiful friendship

But I didn’t need to worry. Fate intervened and it turned out a friend of mine was also going to go, so at least I would know one person. And by the end of even the first day, I already had many more people to chat to about shared interests. I have a distinct memory from sitting in a panel during my first Fantasycon and realising that for the first time I got (almost) all the references to books, films, TV shows – and I knew had found my people. I even made a con friend just by fangirling over her work after hearing her do a reading, but I’d suggest finding somewhere other than the toilets if you want to do similar! There were also more than a few people who I kept seeing at the same panels and so we became “con buddies” and could chat in the gaps in between programme items.

And that was the start of my con family. Since then I’ve grown close to various people over shared conversations at Fantasycons, the BFS writing retreat, Bristolcon, Worldcon, and just hanging out on Discord. And so my con family grows.

Every Fantasycon brings the same dilemma of wanting to be in at least three places at once in order to attend all the fascinating programme items.  But each and every single one I’ve been to has been incredible in terms of sharing the love of all things SFFH and building connections with like-minded people across a wide array of backgrounds.

And alongside the programming there’s the challenge of making sure I stay fed and hydrated, not to mention trying not to burn out. Although I do find spending time with people within the SFFH community is far less draining on my social battery than in a general setting. Plus no-one minds if you say you need a break to recharge, which I’ve learned I need, especially if I want to spend some time at barcon too!

This year, I’m facing some new challenges, er, opportunities as I’ve put myself forward to be on panels, and if that wasn’t enough I’m also moderating one. Shame that present-me doesn’t have quite the same level of self-confidence as past-me did when filling out the participation form. But people have reassured me that it’s going to be fine. And somewhat appropriately my first panel is on Impostor Syndrome…

So if you’re thinking of coming to Fantasycon but aren’t quite sure, then I say just do it (no copyright infringed I hope) – but don’t blame me if you can’t stop at one! And if you’re coming to Fantasycon but don’t know anyone then please pluck up the courage to introduce yourself to people, and don’t hesitate to say if it’s your first or you don’t know anyone else. It’s a wonderfully welcoming community and I can’t wait to experience all that this year’s event will offer.

Grab your ticket to Fantasycon here, or check out the programme.