Frequently Asked Questions

It is lucky that Seattle has so many hills... We have so many that in the past they flattened some and raised downtown Seattle by about 20 feet. They must have been planning ahead for global warming. This is what created one of our famous tourist attractions underground Seattle.

http://www.undergroundtour.com/

Nope, do you?? Seriously, if you have some suggestions about a name we should use should we win we want to hear it.
Please send your ideas to bid-info@seattlein2011.org

The Science Fiction Museum is collaborating with us on the bid, they are members of our bid committee, and they will be heavily involved with us should we win. We are currently talking about how they can best join us for Montreal and help to bring the Worldcon to Seattle.

Well, first, we will have a large spacious well-lit area allowing dealers to have multiple tables, and you can expect the same excellent experience you have grown to expect from a Worldcon. We will pay close attention to our attendee to dealer ratio in order to help you make money and still allow for variety. It is too early and of course, no one is in place to make the rules for us to know exactly what you can expect, however, we learned from our previous endeavors, and we will keep all our lessons in mind when we win.

Our Chairperson, Bobbie DuFault, will not. Perhaps someone else will come along someday and bid again for Seattle.

In 2011, it will have been 50 years since we had the last Worldcon in Seattle, so we are bidding for the 50th anniversary and not looking past 2011. Future bids for anything will be up to future bid committees.

Yes!

Well, thank you for asking!

Seattle is a beautiful place for children, with much to see and do. We recognize that we need to encourage younger families and people with children to come to Worldcon and it is a burden on families with small children to plan for a full 5-day convention. With this in mind, we have arranged for a group of preschool and kindergarten teachers to provide our childcare at reasonable rates. They worked with our NASFiC, Cascadiacon in 2005 and had so much fun they wanted to do it again.

We know we will use them so there is no reason not to tell you in advance. Exact rates and hours will be determined after we win.

Again, thank you for asking. We will provide forum space for parents to connect and plan outings for their older children. We will have a lot of workshops and hands on programming for kids, and the adventurous to participate in. Things like making Steam punk goggles, masks, ears, tails and other artistic costuming pieces are very popular. We will offer other workshops such as “Young Adult Writing”, focused on young writers and “How to Make your own Manga”.

Everyone who presupport us will be asked to nominate people for the main GOH positions. Those people who have presupported at the level of “Friend” or higher will have the honor of voting for their favorites. A small committee, sworn to secrecy, will tally the votes and contact the winners. The committee confirms the GOHs, and then they keep this information completely secret until the site is selected. This information will be necessary for the PR0 that will be distributed at the Worldcon where the vote takes place.

If you have someone you want to suggest we consider and you are a pre-supporter please send your suggestion to GOH_committee@Seattlein2011.org

Seattle is a great city with a robust and talented fan base. It is also surrounded by natural beauty, and provides many opportunities for outdoor activities including hiking and water sports. Seattle is Washington’s largest city and a gateway to the Pacific Rim. From the pioneer days, shipping, fishing, and timber industries helped to establish the "Emerald City" as a natural resource and trading hub. Today, international trade, technology companies, and the aerospace industry have diversified the economy. The coffee bar culture, unique character, and a love of the outdoors contribute to Seattle’s spirit.

Learn more at our Seattle Page.

We have not yet determined what our rates will be, but those who vote in the site-selection will get the best rate. Friends and higher who vote will get an automatic conversion to attending membership. See our Join Us page for more information.

Yes, everyone will have to buy his or her membership, except our Guest of Honors. Assuming that the con has money left over after paying mundane vendors and other debts, then the program participants', staff and volunteers' membership fees will be reimbursed in accordance with the policies that have been in effect at all recent Worldcons.

The members of the World Science Fiction Convention decide where it will be located two years from the current year by voting in the site selection. To vote you must be at least a supporting member in the convention where the vote is held. In our case, you must have a supporting membership to the Montreal Worldcon. There are rules for where a Worldcon can be located: Bids must be further than 500 miles or 800 kilometers from the administrating Worldcon.

Our esteemed opposition is Reno, Nevada, USA.

It’s too early to be making appointments and promises. We have a bid to win right now, but we will keep track of all those who volunteer to work with us, so please do let us know. We will pick the best people we can for the various jobs, as we balance our committee so that we can all work together to create a wonderful Worldcon.

To let us know how you want to help please visit our Volunteer Form.

Yes, if we win, we intend to reimburse; this is of course contingent on whether or not the con has a surplus once all the bills are paid.

We think Worldcon is, quite simply, the most incredible convention out there. It's all volunteer-run, and includes 5 days of mind-boggling programming, the prestigious Hugo awards, an incredible masquerade, parties galore, fans from around the globe, and much more. Learn more at our About Worldcon page.