Glasgow 2024 PR1 Now Online 

Glasgow 2024, A Worldcon for Our Futures, has posted Progress Report #1 online as a downloadable PDF publication here.

On the front of PR#1 is Guest of Honor Chris “Fangorn” Baker’s cover art titled “Wuthering.” Other guests of honor have contributed two articles, Ken MacLeod about “Finding Fandom”, and Claire Brialey and Mark Plummer’s look at the British Worldcons held in London in 1957 and 1965. 

Chair Esther MacCallum-Stewart’s introduction tells what the con aspires to deliver, and says in part:  

…The standards a Worldcon is held to are exceptionally high. As we start to make large decisions, our budget becomes clearer and aspects such as our infrastructure start to be locked in, so too must we try our hardest to hold as many of these up as we can. Whilst we can be a forerunner for positive change within the Science Fiction and Fantasy community, our reach is not infinite. I readily accept at this stage that there will be missteps and things that we cannot do. However, it is how we respond to these, as a community as well as a convention, that will provide our legacy for the future….

The “Worldcon 101” article includes a quote, “That’s why buying a Worldcon ‘attending membership’ is not the same as buying a ‘ticket’ – membership offers more than just attendance” – an unintentional bit of nostalgia about the way things used to be – say, in 2022.

“Funds for Fans” includes an early window on Glasgow’s plans to offer help in attending:

Glasgow 2024, a Worldcon for our Futures, intends to have resources available to those who need assistance attending. We will be setting up a way to apply for those resources – donated memberships and other funds – in the coming months. While donated memberships are the most straightforward offering we will have, we also expect to be able to offer limited funding to help those who particularly need it with other costs, such as accommodation and childcare. If you wish to help support other fans in attending Glasgow 2024, you will be able to donate unwanted memberships or money directly to the fund. We are still working out the details, but it is already possible to donate memberships via the Registration Team

The “Chair’s Vision” article lists many lessons that Glasgow 2024 will be implementing. For example:

Volunteer Training

Learning from Chicon, we are investigating local groups to adopt a local equivalent of mandatory Bystander Intervention training for all volunteers. We intend that this will take place via online sessions before the convention and briefing at-con. Bystander Intervention helps people recognise when harassment is taking place, and how to effectively respond to it. We are also investigating sensitivity training to accompany this. Specialised teams like our listeners, accessibility, and Code of Conduct teams will also receive team-specific training where possible. Thank you Chicon, for your lessons here!

For those who want to host parties at the convention there’s advice about how to get started:

Parties will be in function rooms of the Crowne Plaza Hotel, which is attached to the SEC by a corridor. The rooms will be used for programme during the day and change each night to become the party rooms. We plan to announce more information about how to book a party room later this year; watch our website and social media for an announcement. If you want to register an interest, please email [email protected] now and we will send an email when the information is published

The WSFS administrators are introduced:

The 2024 Hugo Awards Subcommittee has been appointed, consisting of Kat Jones (Hugo Administrator and WSFS Deputy Division Head), Cassidy (Deputy Hugo Administrator), Nicholas Whyte (WSFS Division Head), and Kathryn Duval (WSFS Deputy Division Head). All authority over the administration of the Hugo Awards has been irrevocably delegated to the Subcommittee by the Glasgow 2024 Committee. WSFS Division is also responsible for the Business Meeting and for 2026 Worldcon Site Selection as well as the 2024 Hugos, and we are exploring how to make all three of our areas of responsibility caring, inclusive, and imaginative, in line with the core values of Glasgow 2024.

People with questions are invited to email the committee at [email protected]

5 thoughts on “Glasgow 2024 PR1 Now Online 

  1. Yes, I got the Glasgow PR. Still crickets from Chengdu. Which is odd, given there’s a major change in venue and date.

  2. Pingback: AMAZING NEWS FROM FANDOM: January 29, 2023 - Amazing Stories

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.