Chapter 1: The Noreascon I Watershed Moment and Size Recognition
The 1971 Worldcon, Noreascon I, marked a crucial inflection point in science fiction convention history when its 1,600 attendees established “the largest Worldcon to date,” creating both celebration and anxiety within fandom about the implications of unprecedented growth. This milestone represented more than mere numerical achievement – it signaled fundamental transformation in the nature of fannish gatherings from intimate community meetings to mass events requiring different organizational approaches and social dynamics.
The recognition of Noreascon I as record-breaking created psychological precedent that influenced subsequent convention planning and community expectations, establishing growth trajectory that would dominate fannish discourse throughout the decade. The 1,600 attendance figure became benchmark against which future conventions would be measured while simultaneously representing last recognizable scale before explosive expansion that would challenge traditional fannish organizational capabilities and social cohesion.
Chapter 2: The Discon II Shock and Organizational Crisis Recognition
The dramatic escalation to “over 3,500 people” at Discon II in 1974 – more than doubling Noreascon I’s record in just three years – created existential crisis within fandom as community leadership recognized that “Worldcon was growing beyond the ability of fandom to run it and into something fandom no longer recognized.” This realization forced acknowledgment that traditional volunteer-based, informal organizational structures might be inadequate for managing events of this magnitude.
The phrase “something fandom no longer recognized” captured profound anxiety about identity preservation and community control that would influence convention planning and policy debates throughout the remainder of the decade. This crisis recognition reflected deeper concerns about commercialization, professionalization, and loss of intimate community character that had previously defined fannish gatherings as distinct from mainstream entertainment events or commercial conventions.
Chapter 3: Hotel Limitations and Convention Center Resistance
The constraint that “Worldcon had not yet started to use a convention center along with a hotel, so Worldcon size was limited by what a single hotel could support” revealed both practical limitations and philosophical resistance that shaped early 1970s convention development. Hotels provided familiar, manageable environments that preserved intimate social dynamics while convention centers represented industrial-scale venues that threatened to transform fannish gatherings into impersonal mass events.
The observation that “the very concept of using a convention center edged into being ‘something fandom no longer recognized'” demonstrated community resistance to organizational changes that might preserve numerical growth while sacrificing essential fannish character. This tension between practical necessity and cultural preservation would influence venue selection and convention design throughout the decade as organizers sought solutions that accommodated growth while maintaining community identity.
Chapter 4: Star Trek Impact and Media Fandom Emergence
The identification of “Star Trek’s success in the late ’60s” as “root cause” of convention growth acknowledged both the series’ popularity “with existing fans” and its role in bringing “many new people into fandom,” creating demographic transformation that challenged traditional community boundaries and cultural assumptions. Star Trek’s broad appeal created bridge between science fiction literature and mainstream media consumption that expanded fannish recruitment beyond traditional channels.
This influx of media-oriented fans created cultural tensions within existing literary-focused communities while simultaneously providing numerical growth that enabled larger conventions and increased political influence. The Star Trek phenomenon demonstrated how successful media properties could transform fannish demographics while raising questions about cultural coherence and community identity that would influence ongoing debates about inclusion, authenticity, and organizational priorities.
Chapter 5: Regional Convention Growth and Organizational Proliferation
The simultaneous expansion where “existing regionals were growing and new ones being founded” created distributed pressure throughout the convention ecosystem that amplified growth concerns while providing alternative venues for fannish gathering and community building. Regional convention proliferation offered potential solution to Worldcon overcrowding while creating new organizational challenges and resource competition within local fannish communities.
This regional development reflected geographical expansion of science fiction fandom beyond traditional urban centers while demonstrating community capacity for self-organization and event management. The growth of regionals provided training grounds for convention organizers and alternative venues for fannish activity while potentially reducing pressure on Worldcon attendance through geographic and temporal distribution of gathering opportunities.
Chapter 6: Sub-Fandom Development and Community Fragmentation
The emergence of specialized communities like “the SCA, founded in 1966” that was “well on the way to turning into a group separate from fandom, but with many members in common” illustrated growing complexity within science fiction community boundaries and organizational relationships. These sub-fandoms created overlapping but distinct communities that shared personnel while developing independent cultures, events, and institutional structures.
The SCA example demonstrated how shared interests could generate autonomous organizations that maintained connections to broader fandom while pursuing specialized activities and cultural development. This fragmentation pattern created both opportunities for diverse community expression and challenges for maintaining cohesive fannish identity as traditional boundaries became increasingly permeable and complex.
Chapter 7: Star Trek Conventions and Independent Media Events
The explosive growth of Star Trek Conventions, beginning with the 1972 New York City event that “expected 500 members (a very respectable size for a regional) and got 3,000,” demonstrated media fandom’s capacity to generate independent large-scale events that operated parallel to traditional science fiction conventions. This six-fold attendance error revealed both the unexpected scale of media fan interest and the inadequacy of traditional attendance prediction methods for media-focused events.
These specialized media conventions created alternative organizational models that prioritized commercial vendors, celebrity appearances, and media consumption over traditional fannish activities like fanzines, literary discussion, and amateur publishing. The success of Star Trek conventions established precedent for media-focused events while raising questions about relationship to traditional fandom and competition for attendees, venues, and organizational resources.
Chapter 8: MidAmeriCon Response and Economic Control Strategies
The 1976 Worldcon MidAmeriCon’s attempt to “control growth by raising the membership price to unheard-of levels in the months before the convention” represented innovative but controversial approach to attendance management that prioritized economic barriers over traditional community inclusion principles. This strategy acknowledged practical limitations of venue capacity while creating potential exclusion of fans with limited financial resources.
The price increase strategy reflected growing professionalization of convention management and recognition that traditional honor-system approaches might be inadequate for managing large-scale events. This economic approach created precedent for using financial mechanisms to control attendance while raising ethical questions about accessibility and community values that would influence subsequent convention policy debates and organizational philosophy.
Chapter 9: 1977 Bidding Competition and Size Control Planning
The unprecedented competition for the 1977 Worldcon – featuring five bidding committees (7 in ’77, New York in ’77, Philadelphia in 1977, Washington in ’77, and Montreal in ’77) – demonstrated both increased interest in hosting major conventions and community pressure for attendance control solutions. The frequency of questions about “plans to control size” during bidding presentations revealed size management as primary evaluation criterion for convention site selection.
This competitive environment created innovation pressure for developing effective attendance control strategies while maintaining fannish character and community accessibility. The multiple bidding committees reflected geographical distribution of organizational capability while demonstrating community demand for hosting opportunities that could provide local recognition and cultural influence within broader fannish community.
Chapter 10: Future Unbounded Philosophy and Large Convention Advocacy
Chuck Crayne’s 1968 statement that “The F-UNcon is an attempt to show that — when properly planned — the larger a convention, the better the convention” represented influential counter-narrative to size anxiety that advocated embracing growth through improved organizational techniques rather than attendance restrictions. This philosophy challenged assumptions about optimal convention size while promoting professionalization and systematic planning approaches.
Future Unbounded’s advocacy for large conventions provided intellectual framework for growth acceptance while demonstrating organizational innovations that could manage increased attendance effectively. This approach influenced subsequent convention development by showing how systematic planning, improved logistics, and professional management techniques could preserve community values while accommodating numerical expansion. The success of this philosophy in creating successful large-scale events provided practical demonstration that size increases could enhance rather than diminish fannish gathering quality when properly implemented through sophisticated organizational approaches and community-focused planning principles that preserved essential cultural elements while embracing technological and logistical innovations necessary for effective large-scale event management.
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