A Look At the Upcoming Midwest Convention Marcon
For all of us fellow geeks out there, some things are fundamental in shaping our backgrounds.. For me, that thing has been the oldest running Sci-Fi and Fantasy con in the Midwest, Marcon. I’ve been going since I was a wee child, and the con is still going strong, even today! While it was supposed to end last year, Marcon is experiencing a revival of sorts, and looking to the future. I was curious to find out the direction the con was headed, especially with its fast approach–it’s May 26-28 at the Greater Columbus Convention Center. So I sat down with the current conchair Tony and talked about the upcoming event.
First off, what is Marcon exactly? It’s a science fiction and fantasy con, but not of the usual ilk. Where events like Wizardcon and Comic Con are for profit, Marcon is a fan-run volunteer effort and completely non-profit. As such, when the weekend membership is paid, it’s all-inclusive–there are no extra costs to meet guests and go to events (with an exception for some workshops). There’s a wide range of topics and fandoms included – from books to movies to television, to tabletop gaming to filk to cosplay, and more, all things related to geekdom can be found here.
First, a little background about Tony. Tony has a long history of con planning, notably working on security and event planning for the well-known Ohayocon. He came to Marcon as a panelist, and pretty much really liked what they were doing. Marcon just really had one problem–for various reasons, the con was failing to draw in younger audiences, stagnated, and then started to shrink. The previous staff had done a fabulous job keeping things going as long as they could, but sometimes new people are needed to shake things up. So when there was an opening for someone new to run the con, Tony went for it.
Tony has tried to retain as many of the original con staff as he could. Sometimes it resulted in a parting of ways, but a number of the original Marcon staff are involved in the new event. That said, a lot of this year has been about pulling together a con from the ashes and getting systems in place to make things run more smoothly for future years.
Besides structural changes, some new things for the new year include
-Updated Registration System
A slew of new guests of different varieties and backgrounds (check out here)
-Partnership with Buckeye Game Fest
-Updating the gaming room with a retrocade (I’m personally hoping for arcade Dungeons and Dragons!)
And much more.
There of course are returning fan favorites including:
-Panels! (And in a matter of fact, I will be moderating a couple of panels myself)
-Lot of notable and varied vendors for the dealer’s room!
-And yes, where other places have given up, Marcon still has a con suite.
But when Marcon ends, the con’s involvement with the fandom doesn’t. Marcon is looking to expand its online content with quarterly meetings, live streams every month, an active discord, and more to come. The con is also looking to get out to events, and do cross-programming, so keep an eye out for Marcon in the Midwest Fandom community.
This year is looking to just be the start. Tony is already looking at next year and the years to come. While no promises, he’s hoping to eventually make the con a Thursday - Monday event to make it accessible to a wider range of people. Also included in future plans is for the con to aid in the parent org’s investment in scholarships for school children, and reinvest in the community.
Personally, Marcon is very important to me, and I hope that this year is indeed the start of a rebirth that continues for years to come.
Marcon is May 26-28 at the Greater Columbus Convention Center. Pre-reg is currently open until May 10th.
Website: https://www.marcon.org/home
