A thought for next year?

[fernwithy.livejournal.com]

Just randomly. I did seven panels this year, so I got a chance to meet a lot of people, but I've been coming for four years now, and it was the first time I really socialized (there are times being local and commuting stinks!). How about, on Friday night, some kind of mixer in the ballroom, possibly even including, you know, dancing. Some getting to know you sorts of games with an sf base. I don't know. I'm not much of a party planner.

:shrug: I buy all my favorite clothes at Arisia, and I have nowhere to go dance in them. (sniff) No one else lets me dress up in velvets...

Does anyone else who comes alone think it would be fun to have something like that? Or am I just being all pathetic and needy?

Comments

[londo.livejournal.com]

More dancing would be pretty sweet. Most people mingle in the con suite, or somewhere on the mezzanine.

[fernwithy.livejournal.com]

I was mildly freaked in a con suite full of people I'd never met and no easy reason to introduce myself... what if they weren't into meeting someone new? What if they were just waiting there for a friend to show up? What if they told me to go away? Of course, that could, conceivably, just be me. ;p

At any rate, I was just thinking some point when people were there specifically to mix and meet new people might ease a little of that sort of thing, in the event that it wasn't just me.

But dancing is always good. I was sorry I missed Steam Dancing. That looked fun.

ConSuite has gotten scary

[kimeepower.livejournal.com]

Over the years the ConSuite has gotten pretty scary, IMHO. There are people that go there & never leave. It seems like a private party everytime I went in there. I remember a few years back there used to be small games in there & it used to be inviting.

[fireheart.livejournal.com]

I bet there are quite a few people at Arisia who would like to meet more people but don't really have the outgoing nature to introduce themselves to strangers. Perhaps some kind of icebreaker event specifically billed as such. Probably relatively few people would come, but if only 5% of the con showed up, that would be about 130 people. Arisia is a con at which most people know other people there, so this kind of event would be great for new people.

[measi.livejournal.com]

Sadly I had to miss this past year, but this topic gives me a lot of interest...

I'm one of the people who is viciously shy around people I don't know. It's probably an issue of mine from being the geek and bell-curve thrower in school-- keep quiet, and maybe people will eventually say hi to you because you're not that bad of a person.

Unfortunately, that doesn't work in the real world-- but going to Arisia can be pretty intimidating. I'd love to talk with a lot of different people, I'm just shy as hell.

Maybe a specific mixer for "the terrified shy ones." :)

[bryttan.livejournal.com]

Last year, Arisia had NanoCoffee (the sci-fi equivalent of Speed Dating). There was also the mainstream/modern dance in the ballroom (both last year & this year). There was also the mixer/meet-the-artists & others-reception in the Art Show on Friday (IIRC) both last year & this year.

I think it's more a matter of publicizing such events than organizing them, so if someone out there wants to jump right in and help get the word out...

These folx would probably love to hear what you want to say/volunteer for:
conchair@arisia.org
events@arisia.org
programming@arisia.org
gophers@arisia.org

:)

[xiphias.livejournal.com]

Well, there was a dance on Friday night in the Ballroom -- it was Steampunk-themed, but you didn't have to be in costume to show up and, y'know, mix. Then, after that was the Molly Zenoba/Dresden Dolls concert.

Best place to meet people is Gopher hole. Seriously. Best way to get to know folks is to do an hour or two of gophering. Gets you all over the place, gives you a reason to see folks and say high.

[fernwithy.livejournal.com]

Oh! I thought that was just a concert. Of course, I also don't really know what SteamPunk is...

[xiphias.livejournal.com]

Well, the Glories of Steam dance was a formal Victorian-style dance where you were encouraged to wear interesting clothes -- sorta Victorian-meets-cyberpunk. The woman with the Victorian garb+steam-powered-cybereye sort of sums it up. You know, Victorian Borg. I just wore a tuxedo and bowler, because I didn't have anything too special to do for it -- in the past, I've worn my "Men in Black - 1878" sorts of things (for which I've done things like get a quill to use as a stylus for my PalmPilot.) Patri created a number of Victorian dances -- quadrilles, waltzes, galops, and the like -- which all had sort of science fictiony themes.

Then, after that, there was a Molly Zenobia and Dresden Dolls concert. Which was a concert, of course, but they left the dance floor up, and most people were dancing. The tech crew did club lighting for the concert.

Molly Zenobia (http://www.mollyzenobia.com) is a sort of trance/impressionistic/goth musician, and the Dresden Dolls (http://www.dresdendolls.com/) are a punk/goth/cabaret band. They're two of the most interesting Boston bands around today.

[plymouth.livejournal.com]

hmm, I kinda feel like there are already an awful lot of events/places at which it is possible and encouraged to meet people and an explicit meet-people event wouldn't really work too well for me anyway. I'd be less likely to start a conversation with someone at a meet-people event than I would be to wander into the game room, find people playing some game, and join in.

I guess different people are served by different things.

Definately know what you are saying

[kimeepower.livejournal.com]

I go to Arisia every year essentially alone. I have some acquaintances that I know there but not any friends I can hang out with. At times Arisia is fun but there are times when it is really lonely. There are plenty of opportunity to meet new people I guess but it is hard to "get in" because a lot of people already have their own base of friends. I found people in the game room were more friendly to the 8 year olds then to some of the people looking to get into the games.

Last year they had NanoCoffee which was like 8-minute dating. There wasn't that many participants there (not that the room could accommodate any more) but I think people took it as more of a dating thing than a come meet new people thing.

They have LARPs, but the last time I was in a LARP, not knowing anyone, well it was a disaster. The dances isn't a very good place to meet people because it is dark & the music is loud so you can't carry on a good conversation.

I do agree that perhaps there should be more hands on, teamwork type of things to do. A scavenger hunt, lock/key or nut/bolt type of party, or something crazy like putting random things on your badge like a star or a happy face. If you have a star on your badge you get to go find your other star people & at least that starts a conversation.

Re: Definately know what you are saying

[angelovernh.livejournal.com]

join the staff is my best suggestion for getting to know people.. I joined Security last year and have met a TON of folks doing that.

but I like the idea of an ice breaker social thing with sci fi theme.. even a trivia contest sort of thing .. I'll be thinking about this over the year and see if I can think of anything.