59th World Science Fiction Convention
| The Millennium Philcon, the 59th World Science Fiction Convention | |
|---|---|
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| Genre | Science fiction |
| Venue |
Pennsylvania Convention Center Philadelphia Marriott Hotel |
| Location(s) | Philadelphia, Pennsylvania |
| Country | United States |
| Inaugurated | August 30-September 3, 2001 |
| Filing status | Non-profit |
| Website | |
| 2001.worldcon.org | |
The Millennium Philcon was the 59th World Science Fiction Convention, held from August 30 to September 3, 2001 at the Pennsylvania Convention Center & Philadelphia Marriott Hotel in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA.
Most commentators mentioned the titanic size of the convention center. Darrell Schweitzer said of it, "Imagine a convention held in a zeppelin hangar -- designed for multiple zeppelins -- and you will begin to get the idea ... [There was] enough airspace to fly a small plane indoors."
Total memberships of all types were 6,288. Of those, 933 were supporting memberships and 6 were kids-in-tow. Actual on-site attendance was 4,592.
Many commentators spoke of the outsize the Philadelphia Convention Center. Despite the convention being sizable, "attendees seemed to rattle around the oversize room." 115 individual dealers sold goods at 258 tables in the dealers' room. Dealers reported good sales, but there was some confusion about tax laws and last-minute license charges which upset some dealers.
440 people participated in 530 panel discussions, dialogues, slide shows, autograph session, and readings. The panel on "The State of Science Fiction Publishing Today" took a troubling look at the publishing industry as a whole. There was much concern about mass market paperbacks, the catastrophic reduction in the number of book distributors from about 300 to three, and the high percentage of books returned unsold. On the panel "The Science Fiction Short Story Today" it was noted that even famous short story magazines are seeing declining circulation.
Greg Bear talked about how common many of the tropes of science fiction have become, and how this is an encouraging sign of the mainstream acceptance of science fiction. He also spoke of his father-in-law, the late Poul Anderson.
Gardner Dozois said the science fiction field had endured many boom and bust cycles before, and pointed out that historically, science fiction of today was freed from many of the unfortunate prejudices and restraints that it has had in the past.
The art show had a great variety of science fiction and fantasy oriented art. Free docent tours were led by professional artists. The Art Show Award for Best in Show was awarded to Bob Eggleton's "Quimeartha's Dream 1 & 2".
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Wikipedia