2019 VCON Cancelled

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The chair of VCON 43 has stepped down a month before the scheduled event and the host organization has decided to cancel the con both this year and next, with hopes of relaunching it in 2021.

VCON, the Vancouver-area’s longest-running convention, started in 1971.   

Chris Sturges, the interim chair, explained that his predecessor resigned for health reasons and followed with the announcement that VCON 43 is cancelled:

We’re very sorry to announce that due to a variety of reasons, the WCSFA board has decided that we no longer have sufficient resources to put on a convention that would be up to the standards of the organization. It was voted unanimously to cancel this year’s convention and work to rebuild the event for a 2021 launch (our 50th anniversary). I understand this must be a great disappointment for everyone who has worked so hard on this event, but it was clear there was no way for the event to continue.

…All current members will be contacted to determine whether they would like to have their membership refunded, held over to the next VCON, or donated to the fund to settle the hotel penalties.

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5 thoughts on “2019 VCON Cancelled”

  3. The chair who resigned added more detail in a public Facebook comment:

    The reason for holding off to 2021 is because, much earlier in the year, the WCSFA board voted to skip a year, completly independent of the more recent decision to cancel this year’s event. (Had the decision to cancel not occurred, the announcement about the one year delay for the next event was to have been made around now.)

    Although there were many reasons for the decision to delay the next event, it largely came down to two things: the cost of function space (which rose nearly 300% over the past three years mainly because Vancouver is now considered to be a “convention destination city”) and the general expectations of the Vancouver area volunteer community. The sad fact is VCON’s traditional “membership-supported” model – which used to fully pay for and provide sufficient human resources to run the event – is just no longer sustainable. For this reason, the board intended to use the extra year to review, revamp, reimagine and reignite the event.

  4. I was looking forward to this. I hope they can regroup and have a convention next, next year.

  5. That is a shame. I have been to several in the 80’s, and was boyfriend of and the (official title) “Sex Slave to the Chair” Donna McMahon for VCON-13. (A burden, but someone had to do it.) It was a great con, with Robert Block as Guest of Honor, and HP Lovecraft, in the flesh, not his own, as the Ghost of Honor. We also has Mary Shelly, and Poe, plus other luminaries.

    Mr Block was a gentleman of the Old School, && loved reminiscing with Lovecraft. They talked about how Lovecraft got him started in the biz, then they waxed poetic on how they killed each other off, in increasing horrible ways, in a series of ping-ponging stories. Mr Block was very accessible to the fans.

    Poe was a local college theater instructor. We were his final rehearsal before taking it on the road. With all of the fans, authors, and Dead Authors, it was a great con.

    I do hope VCON is able to regroup and return in full force. My best to the Chair, and the rest of the ConCom, who had to step down. It obviously was a hard decision. I hope to be in a position to being there in 2021.

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