more theory

[totient]

Every SF convention of more than 4200 people ever has been at least a 4-day con. We have no data to say, but I suspect that it's simply impossible to run a 5000-person 3-day event. It just won't fit.

Comments

[chhotii.livejournal.com]

Oh yeah, I was wondering-- What's the headcount at Arisia?

[roozle.livejournal.com]

This year, just under 2500.

[palmwiz.livejournal.com]

There are several numbers coming out of the reg system but I think the one that's most comparable to previous years' reporting is 2412.

[mangosteen]

I believe you to be correct, but the next question is..... what won't fit?

[palmwiz.livejournal.com]

Mainly what won't fit is volunteer hours. People are too busy, as miss_chance points out below, showing off their corsets to each other.

[miss-chance.livejournal.com]

That doesn't make any sense as a tautology to me. I mean you can have a 50,000 person 3-hour concert. What do 5000 con attendees need that "doesn't fit" in 3-days? You can give them _fewer_ events and programming than Arisia has now, and everyone would still be happy:

"Did you think there was less programming this year?"

"I'm not sure, maybe, I didn't get to any..."

"Yeah, me either. Lookit my corset!"

[coraline]

"Did you think there was less programming this year?"
"I'm not sure, maybe, I didn't get to any..."
"Yeah, me either. Lookit my corset!"

*snickers*

(of course, that's me, so i'm snickering at myself...)

[hammercock.livejournal.com]

Same here. *blush*

[cintyber.livejournal.com]

Because concert goers will meld into one seething mass of humanity. Sure there are separate stages but you can see who want to without to much trouble. With a bigger group of people who expect nay demand that their own special fetish get catered to and that the catering not conflict with any of the other oddities that may tickle them for the moment, you have to be able to schedule everything a bit more spread out.

Sure some of the fans may just want corsets and SMOFing, then there are those who must have programming and events and woe betide the Con staff if they get bored!

[dda.livejournal.com]

With a bigger group of people who expect nay demand that their own special fetish get catered to and that the catering not conflict with any of the other oddities that may tickle them for the moment, you have to be able to schedule everything a bit more spread out.

Agreed! I had to make some difficult choices this year because more events wanted to be in "prime time" in Imperial that I could fit and I know programming had a heck of a time balancing tracks to make sure related panels weren't opposite each other.

Also, with 4000+ people, there will be more fetishes and groups that will now be large enough to justify some catering to which will further expand the potential for conflict.

[palmwiz.livejournal.com]

concerts have paid staff.

OK, concerts *usually* have paid staff. There was one famous one in Tracy, CA (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Altamont) that didn't...

[cintyber.livejournal.com]

Not only that but I think at those numbers there would be a severe demographic switch and the con would have to alter itself to suit that. That would change things on pretty much every level.

Just curious

[macgyvette.livejournal.com]

You wouldn't happen to be crunching some numbers trying to close the books on Arisia '06 in record time, would you?

[cogitationitis.livejournal.com]

I disagree, as the old mega-Boskones probably exceeded 4200 before they imploded in the mid-80's. I-con has about 6,000, and Dragon*Con about 10,000, but they are 4-day events, I think. However, AnimeBoston had well over 6,000 last year, and was only 3 days.

[fizzixrat.livejournal.com]

The StarCon/StarFest cons in Denver were two-day cons well past when they first topped 3000 (in 1984, when DeForest Kelley was there). Last one I attended (over a decade ago) was a 2-day con with some early registration and activities on the Friday night (so call it 2 1/2 days, if you like) -- attendance was around 8000.

I think the first 3-day SF con I attended was Chicago TARDIS in 2003, and they only had an attendance of about 400.

[palmwiz.livejournal.com]

The biggest Boskone was 4200, and it can't really be said to have worked.

I think professionally run events of any kind (and StarCon/Starfest certainly qualifies) can avoid the 5000 limit for 3-day cons, which is imposed by the impossibility of getting anyone to volunteer at all.

AnimeBoston has moved to Memorial Day weekend for '06. But you're right, the '05 con, once they'd moved to the Hynes where the fire marshal would let them pass 4100, had something like 7500 people.