http://www.csffs.org/forum/index.php?topic=1385.0

Bah, I've had far more valid reason to leave cons than that... this is just whiny "think about the children" crap...

I agree with the "poster" about XXX/Adult themed sexual links on a SF + F site - that is no place for that (you would not see Polaris, Motor City or heck not even Hobbystar resorts to that).

But SF+F conventions have multi facets and if you are not comfortable with the themes - you have choices - walk away quietly or as the con says, come to a meeting and voice your concerns. If enough people do that conventions will institute cahnges (if it would affect them enough) - if not walk away and do not support and you have made your point.

Geez, we have issues like illegal weapons sold by dealers, liquor sold without licences, sick people with "foot fetishes" making people uncomfortable, drug use, dealers who accost attendees...etc...etc and to me this is more important issues to be dealt with.

I agree with the "poster" about XXX/Adult themed sexual links on a SF + F site - that is no place for that (you would not see Polaris, Motor City or heck not even Hobbystar resorts to that).

But SF+F conventions have multi facets and if you are not comfortable with the themes - you have choices - walk away quietly or as the con says, come to a meeting and voice your concerns. If enough people do that conventions will institute cahnges (if it would affect them enough) - if not walk away and do not support and you have made your point.

Geez, we have issues like illegal weapons sold by dealers, liquor sold without licences, sick people with "foot fetishes" making people uncomfortable, drug use, dealers who accost attendees...etc...etc and to me this is more important issues to be dealt with.

f'ing eh! Well said! :)

f'ing eh! Well said! :)

Thanks Sid! I appreciate that!

I am getting tired of "complaining for the sake of complaining" by some con attendees and others.

I got "fed up" years ago by Creation conventions for their abhorrent pricing (ok.. GOUGING) and feeling I was treated worse than criminals and when they started "overselling" tickets and you could not even get in to see guests and all you can do is go to their over-priced dealer's area I said "ENOUGH" and have never attended another of their shows or given them $.01 of my monies.

I know others have stopped attending "Toronto Trek/Polaris", "Hobbystar/SFX", "Ad Astra" and Vulkon shows for various reasons/slights and I have total respect when people stand by their convictions.

If you "say your piece" constructively to a convention/organization and they choose to ignore you or not be of any redeeming value in an attendee's mind then by not going and finanially support them they will either institute change or slowly die away.

Not every organization is going to be everything for everyone and if there is enough at a con/event to keep an attendee happy then I say go have fun but if there is no value (or the con's values are not up to what the attendee feels) just do not support - no need like the Calgary guy to take personal shots IIMHO but just walk away and wipe your hands of it .

Off my soapbox now...

And to think my actual day job is a million times more entertaining than a convention message board!

Got this in the mail today:

To those who have purchased memberships in the Calgary Science Fiction and Fantasy Society, those who are involved with the society and CV, and those who have or have had an interest in either or both:

First, the point that many deem the most important: there IS a CV25, and it WILL be held August 21-23, 2009. The confirmed guests of honour to date are Terry Brooks and Tanya Huff. We are currently working on bringing in additional guests.

Item: The Calgary Science Fiction and Fantasy Society does not exist. It has not existed for three years.
Those individuals elected to board positions and entrusted with running Con:Version have been operating the society "in good faith". This is an admirable goal; however, it has created a set of issues that had the potential to toll the death knell for Con:Version. We had been told that the CSFFS would be reactivated with new bylaws, however the society was never officially dissolved and was stricken from provincial records in 2005. We were unable to go back and try to fill in the blanks over the last few years with the records available to us. The financial and society records

To that end, the two remaining active individuals who were given a three year term by those in attendance at the AGM in December 2007 have taken decisive action deemed necessary to protect and preserve Con:Version. A new society has been formed and registered, under the name CAFES (the Calgary and Area Fandom Enhancement Society). The CV name and logo are in the process of being copyrighted under that society's name to protect them. This was done as soon as we had determined that the Calgary Science Fiction and Fantasy Society would not exist again, as time was a critical issue in order to ensure CV25 would be possible. The change in name for the Society has happened before, though there are few records of previous actions taken prior to the change. The two issues that made this critical to have completed as soon as possible were the financial status CV24 in which ended (in debt), and the necessity to be able to have concrete plans for CV25.

Item: There is no Annual General Meeting this year, nor will there be a Special General Meeting.
As there is no registered society short of the newly created one, we will not be having an Annual General Meeting this year. There will be an open house in November followed closely by two or three more, to introduce any changes and keep everyone up to date on events and happenings. Notes from these meetings - including common questions and their answers - will be posted on the forum.

A petition was submitted in October 2008 requesting a Special General Meeting for the following reasons (paraphrased - a copy of the submitted request will be posted on the site): the intention of the remaining board on the direction of the society, replace board members if necessary to meet the goals and obligations of the society, and review current goals and vote on mandates. While there were issues with the signature pages that technically made the petition invalid, we have attempted to respond to the spirit of the petition. To point one, the intention is laid out in this letter and in the five year plan presented at CV24 which will also be posted on the website shortly. To point two, the current board is meeting the goals and obligations - including financial - of the society. To point three, the mandate was made clear at the General Meeting at CV24 - expanded upon within the mandate of the new society. We have no intention of disregarding those who have questions about the society, CV, or general business. If there is something you wish to know and we are able to provide the information, we will. Just ask. All we request is that the queries be polite - the answers will be the same.

Item: The Society's mandate is to promote fandom in all media whenever possible and to operate Con:Version.
This does not preclude other events as fundraising or promotion activities. There is a list of events that we are attempting to cover in order to get the word out about Con: Version. This will be posted on the new forums. Please note this is an evolving list, and we can always add events.

Item: The new website is live. The new address for the society page is http://www.cafesalberta.org (http://www.cafesalberta.org/) and will be live Sunday, Nov. 2 while the Con: Version site remains at http://www.con-version.org (http://www.con-version.org/). The old forums have been locked and the PM system disabled. You will have to create a new login to use the forums on the new website.

Item: The venue will be moved from the Radisson. We are currently in negotiations with an alternate venue and will keep everyone updated on the status of those negotiations.

CV24 was not a financially successful convention. As the society did not exist, it is the personal responsibility of the individuals who signed any contracts to ensure all of the bills are paid. The costs resulting from CV24 had put the books thousands of dollars into the red and several of us are currently paying off those debts from our personal finances. As a result of this, and the Radisson Hotel's ever increasing prices, and seemingly decreasing service levels, we are moving the convention a far more reasonably priced venue. There was a contract signed for CV25 to be held at the Radisson, however several things have occurred to nullify the contract. The costs built into it, the cancellation penalty, the treatment we received from co-ordinators in the hotel, and the fact that we owed money that we didn't have after CV24. This change will, hopefully, allow CV25 to be the beginning of a long string of financially successful conventions.

__________________________________________________ _______________

This notice is likely to have the effect of pleasing some people and upsetting others. Be aware that this was not taken on lightly, it has been a great deal of work and has affected those involved financially on a personal level, both due to the bills from CV24 as well as ensuring deposits are made so that CV25 will happen. For reference, the amount that we have had to provide to date is over $9,000 combined. It has been a great deal of work to initially attempt to revive and continue with CSFFS, then additional work when it was discovered that the initial course of action would be impossible. It was after reviewing several years of forum posts, the records available to us, the options available to us, and the Societies Act of Alberta that this decision was made. Despite claims that the current board has been inactive or not planning, we have actually put out a few hundred hours and several hundred dollars thus far.

It has been said by a few people that we are being "secretive" about what is happening, that we aren't telling anyone anything, or that we aren't doing anything. There have been very few actual questions posed, and no questions asking anything specific. We hope that this will respond to any concerns that we have not been taking action on behalf of the membership and CV. It has been a frustrating time, but we are now moving forward and anticipating a well-run and financially successful convention in 2009. The only changes most people will notice are the name of the Society and the information posted. The intent is to have ConCom meeting minutes posted, and information we are able to share from each board meeting, such as the outcome of votes and businss still tabled, will also be posted. Any events will be publicized well in advance when possible (some things do come up at the last minute), and any news - be it good or bad - will be shared. We hope that the other change people will notice is that CV will no longer struggle from year to year, financially, or in any other way.

Over the years, various members have made it clear what Con: Version means to them, and what they would like to see it become. At the heart of it Con: Version is theirs, it is familiar, it is family. They also want to see it become better - be it by adapting the guest list, the events list, the panelling list, the venue, or any number of things. This is what we are striving to do. The five year plan laid out at the General Meeting at CV24 is what will be guiding us for CV25 and beyond.

To those who find this unreasonable and feel they cannot accept it: if you have purchased memberships or registration to CV25 and wish to relinquish either, please contact us. We would be sad to see anyone leave or give up at this time, as we feel this will be a pivotal time for Con:Version. It is our hope that everyone will support this direction, as the prime concern is to ensure the survival of Con: Version well into the future.

Any inquiries may be sent to:

Rob Hilton & Laurie Lalonde at admin@con-version.org and info@con-version.org

Thank you. as well as the list of the membership are insufficient for auditing. The bylaws proposed and posted were also deemed deficient or in contravention of the Alberta Societies Act and would not have been accepted had they been submitted.

Considering they were not giving out receipts for 2009 tickets I wonder how people can ge refunds for the 2009 convention?

This sort of scenario - people donating thousands of their personal dollars to see the con run - and then just do it all again the next year under a new name doesn't really change anything at all.

One last kicker - I see Tanya Huff is going to the Calgary Expo in May - would you rather pay $15 in the spring or $50 in the summer to see her? haha.

Subject: Con: Version and CAFES Information meeting
From:"Con-Version Forums" <greenadept@gmail.com>
Date: Thu, 13 Nov 2008 20:52:51 -0000

Our first meeting will be held on November 30, 2008 at 12:00 noon at the Sentry Box, 1835 - 10 Avenue SW. This meeting is open to all, and is scheduled to last only until 3PM.

Please note, this is an information meeting. Bring your questions and we will do our best to answer them. Bring your ideas and we will compile them. The meeting will not hold on strict formalities, however there are basic points of etiquette we would like to see adhered to. We will be using a "light" version of Robert's Rules to keep the meeting efficient.

Intelligent, constructive debate is encouraged. Personal attacks on anyone will not be tolerated, whether the person is in attendance or not.
Please wait until you have everyone's attention before speaking, and do not interrupt those who are currently addressing those in attendance.
We will review Robert's "light" at the start of the meeting to ensure everyone is on the same page.

We are hoping there will be a few new announcements made at the meeting as well, but if you cannot make it you will be able to review the notes from it on the Con: Version forums later that evening.

We ask that you indicate your intention to attend by emailing info@con-version.org to ensure we have seating for all who will be there.

In the interim and until personnel are announced please be aware that the individuals to contact for anything official on behalf of either Con:Version or the Society are Rob Hilton and Laurie Lalonde.

Thank you