Minicon has become too complex for Minn-Stf to run safely. The problem that's been building for a decade or more became a crisis at Minicon 32, when the convention lost nearly $6000. Minn-Stf cannot sustain another loss; and the Minn-Stf Board-whose members are responsible for the financial health of the organization-cannot permit Minicon to continue unchanged. Therefore, we've been charged with trying to run substantially scaled-back Minicons in 1999 and 2000.

We can't continue the "Meeting of the Tribes" model under which Minicon has been running&emdash; that doesn't mean it's been "bad," but it isn't within our resources to continue to try. We want to run the best Minicon we can within our means. We must stop trying to be all things to all people. We must create a convention that isn't appealing to some of the people who've been attending, because we must become smaller. But we believe that by focusing on what we all, as fen, have in common, rather than all our disparate interests, that we can create a wonderful, sustainable Minicon, that's a joyous event for those who participate.

If we don't succeed in scaling Minicon back, the Minn-Stf Board will need to ensure that more drastic measures are taken. But we believe that we can create a wondrous Minicon by working together&emdash; by creating a convention that won't be of interest to everyone who has had a stake in Minicon, but is more wonderful for those who choose to come.

That, in a nutshell, is what we're trying to do with Minicon and why.

If you'd like to help, here's what we're looking for. These are the real, honest-to-goodness criteria on which we'll be basing our decisions when we're staffing our committee.

A passion for Minicon and SF fandom. If you want to make Minicon fabulous for your friends (the ones you've met & the ones you haven't), then we're eager to have your help. If you don't know much about fandom beyond Minicon, then let us help you learn!

An understanding of the goals of Minicons 34 and 35, and a willingness to work toward them. If you read our proposal with enthusiasm, terrific! If you didn't-if you thought initially that it was you we were excluding-then we're glad you don't think so any more! If you believe Minicon could be fixed with less drastic measures, that's fine. If you aren't clear what some of our goals are, please ask. But remember, the decision has been made, and these are our goals. If you want to help us build the best new Minicon we can, then we're delighted to have you on the team; but if you can't support our efforts to refocus, or don't believe that Minicon has had problems that require fixing, then we won't be able to work with you. We can't afford to spend our time debating the need for the changes among ourselves; we're going to be very busy implementing them.

A willingness to discuss and explain the goals of Minicon 34. If you accept a position working on Minicon 34, you're going to be asked a lot of questions about what will be happening and why. We count on everyone working on Minicon to help explain what's going to be different and why it's necessary to make the changes we're making&emdash; it's a huge job, and an important one, and we'll need all the help we can get. Understand that we on the Minicon 34 Executive Council don't agree with each other about everything; we don't expect those working with us to follow some magic "party line." But everyone working on Minicon 34 will be representing Minicon 34, and if you can't find your own words to support what we're doing&emdash; if you can't help others to understand why we're doing it-then you don't have one of the skills we need most.

Eagerness to work for Minicon as a whole. If you've spent the last many years working in one department, we'll want you to try another. Particularly during this time of transition, we all need to be working toward the good of Minicon, sometimes at the expense of the departments we're working in.

A sense of responsibility to Minicon, the rest of the committee, and fandom in general. We need to be honest with each other, and we need to take responsibility for the tasks we've committed to. This means meeting deadlines, and being willing to call for help in advance when you need help to do so. Asking for help when it's necessary isn't failure, but not asking for help and blowing a deadline is. And when failures do occur, we need to be honest about what happened so that we can prevent similar things; then we need to move on.

The ability to have a blast while working hard. Ya gotta have fun. There's nothing more demoralizing than working with someone who's constantly bitching about something. If you're inclined to do so, please stop. We will have lots of opportunities to have real things to complain about&emdash; there always are&emdash; but if you're inclined toward martyrdom, you won't be helping the team. If we aren't having fun building Minicon, we're not doing it right.

The ability to work both independently and as part of a team. It seems obvious, but sometimes it's tough to do. We must be able to do the work we've promised, ask for help when we're going to have problems meeting our commitments, and pitch in to help those who ask for it (and ask whether others need help when it looks as though they might). This means we need to think of the whole committee as our team. We must trust each other, and work to be worthy of each other's trust.

Flexibility. We're breaking new ground with Minicon 34. We're fighting some problems that conventions all over have been fighting, but our approach is novel. We're probably going to make some decisions and later change them-we already have (ask us about our "Media Filter")&emdash; so we're all going to need to be flexible while continuing to work toward our goals.

A well-polished Shield of Umor. If you don't recognize the reference, please ask. It's true; we're all going to need them, and to keep them well polished.

A thick skin (or the willingness to try to develop one). Many of the changes we're making aren't popular with a lot of people who have a stake in Minicon, particularly people who haven't been aware of the perilous position Minicon's been in. We want everyone working on Minicon to recognize that they're likely to take some heat. (And remember that there're lots of fen out there who still think we're trying to exclude them, some of whom truly won't enjoy the Minicon we're building; while you're developing your thick skin, please try to treat everyone gently & with compassion.)

You'll notice that we haven't included anything about experience working on other conventions. While we certainly will have to take that&emdash; or other paid & volunteer work experiences&emdash; into account, these are what really count.

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The Minicon 34 Executive Council is Alice Bentley, Steven Brust, Liz Cooper, David Dyer-Bennet, Beth Friedman, Laurel Krahn, Fred and Susan Levy Haskell, Lydia Nickerson, Patrick and Teresa Nielsen Hayden, and Geri Sullivan.
Minicon 34, PO Box 8297, Minneapolis MN 55408.

[Minicon 34] [Minn-StF] [Minicon] [Minicon 33]

Revised:   3/24/98
  by Laurel Krahn / webgeek@minicon34.mnstf.org