Loncon 3, the 2014 Worldcon, passed the 5,000 member mark on January 26. With seven months to go, the committee projects it will be the largest Worldcon ever held outside the United States.
The current record holder is Intersection, the Glasgow Worldcon of 1995, which posted total membership of 6,524 and drew 4,173 attendees.
The Loncon 3 committee says more than 4,000 — over 80% — of Loncon 3’s members have attending memberships. That is the same proportion enjoyed by the last Worldcon in the UK (Glasgow, 2005). A new factor in play since then is the Hugo Voter Packet — it remains to be seen if there will be an influx of supporting members joining to vote on the Hugos and get access to the Packet.
Co-chair Alice Lawson also likes the younger demographic among the members. “The Loncon 3 team is particularly pleased that so many Young Adult members have signed up, as we want to make this Worldcon as accessible, dynamic and inclusive as we can.”
The full press release follows the jump.
MEDIA RELEASE #11
Loncon 3, the 72nd World Science Fiction Convention
14-18 August 2014 at ExCeL, London Docklands
LONDON, UK. 29 January 2014: More than 5,000 people have signed up as members of Loncon 3, the 72nd World Science Fiction Convention (Worldcon), which is being held in London this August.
With seven months to go before the annual celebration of science fiction and fantasy gets underway at the ExCeL Exhibition Centre in Docklands, the latest membership figures show that Loncon 3 will be the largest Worldcon to be held outside the United States.
Of these members, more than 4,000 have bought Adult or Young Adult Attending memberships, with the latter being available to fans aged between 16 and 25 (as of 14 August 2014).
Loncon 3 co-chair Steve Cooper said: “We are very excited to have passed the 5,000-member milestone already, and hope to welcome many more people to Loncon 3 in August to experience the rich diversity of science fiction and fantasy in all its forms.”
Co-chair Alice Lawson said: “The Loncon 3 team is particularly pleased that so many Young Adult members have signed up, as we want to make this Worldcon as accessible, dynamic and inclusive as we can.”
The Worldcon’s attractions include the Hugo Awards, the world’s leading awards for excellence in the field of science fiction and fantasy, and the Masquerade, spectacular live presentations showcasing costumes. The programme has nearly a thousand individual items spread over five days, with panels, talks, workshops, quizzes, films, videos, autograph sessions, and more.
Full details of how to become a member of Loncon 3 are available at http://www.loncon3.org/memberships/
ENDS
For more information, please contact [email protected].
ABOUT THE WORLD SCIENCE FICTION CONVENTION
Founded in 1939, the World Science Fiction Convention is one of the largest international gatherings of authors, artists, editors, publishers, and fans of science fiction and fantasy. The annual Hugo Awards, the leading award for excellence in the fields of science fiction and fantasy, are voted on by Worldcon membership and presented during the convention.\nnLoncon 3 is the trading name of London 2014 Ltd, a company limited by guarantee, registered in England, company number: 7989510. Registered Office: First Floor, 5 Walker Terrace, Gateshead, NE8 1EB
“World Science Fiction Society,” “WSFS,” “World Science Fiction Convention,” “Worldcon,” “NASFiC,” “Hugo Award,” and the distinctive design of the Hugo Award Rocket are service marks of the World Science Fiction Society, an unincorporated literary society.
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