NIMHcon UK

Something has been nagging me:

There's a lot of stuff on the web about conventions and the like where fans can convene and meet others that share their dedication to a particular genre/film/whatever... Fantastic. It's great to see that although traditional animation may be on the way out, it will never be forgotten. However, as I hail from the U.K, I don't actually see a lot of this sort of event, and one dedicated to NIMH is totally unheard of. Maybe I am just being a bit dozy, but I haven’t found any evidence for such an event. And so we come to the subject of this post. Three main questions...

1) Has anyone heard of a UK based convention for traditional animation (one that isn't totally overrun by anime and the like)?

2) Is there a big enough fan base in the UK to make such a convention viable?

3) Finally, any ideas from those who have attended one of the NIMHcons (or any other convention for that matter) about what should be seen at a convention?

As you can probably guess I am essentially asking, "who’s interested?" and, "what should go on?" Maybe it will eventually lead to something being organised. If anyone has any advice it would be much appreciated.

I put together the three State-Side "NIMHcons." I did the first one by invite only, and then the others were open to whomever wanted to come.

I really don't have any suggestions other than:
1. Check out the location before you book it. (Sorry folks who came to Atlanta)

2. Don't have a Con in Las Vegas if you have people under 21.

3. Don't be surprised when some of the folks turn out to be real weirdos. lishudders at "Laz" aka "Twisted Cable"li

:lol: Thanks for those suggestions. I want to ask about this 'Laz' chap. Morbid curiosity is a terrible thing. Security arrangements never crossed my mind.

So did you set it up via a website, by mail, or what. Also, I feel I may be imagining something a little too grand. How many turned up to the NIMHcons? Was it just a smaller group watching the film and the like, or were there loads of stalls and other films being shown (for 'tis what happens at the anime conventions and these are the only model I have in my head at the moment)? Did leaving an open invitation lead to a huge increase in numbers? So many questions...

For what it's worth, I attended the Atlanta NIMHcon and put up some pictures of the experience. http://www.thornvalley.com/simon/nimhcon2000/

As I understand it, the "NIMHcons" were not so much 'conventions' as 'meetups' -- at least that was my experience in Atlanta. Mostly just a chance to get together with other NIMH fans and have fun. So, no booths, stalls, 'events' and the like. The Atlanta NIMHcon was open-invitation (as I remember) and we had 8 people that were able to show up, so I don't think that it had much of an impact on the number of people that showed up. :) As I recall, the NIMHcon was advertized on a number of websites (including my own), on NIMHmuck, and on the NIMHfans email list.

Lately, as I understand it, a few NIMHfans have been going to to the Memphit Fur Meet[=http://www.mephitfurmeet.org/]Memphit Fur Meet and having their own 'mini-con' there while participating in the activities. You might try looking for a similar convention to 'latch onto'.

I'd personally love to see the traditional NIMHcon ressurected again--for one thing Memphis, TN is a bit off the beaten path for me, and plane tickets are expensive... so hey, if anyone wants to do a NIMHcon in Utah or the nearby vicinity, I'm all ears. :)

Ah, of course. So the NIMHcons always took place within a larger one (hence mini-con)? Makes perfect sense really. Were the organisers of the larger convention contacted to see if they could help in any way (maybe by showing the film for instance), or did you NIMH Rats just turn up and do your own thing? I quite like the informal nature of these NIMHcons. It would seem that the web is the way to go as well. Might have to look into getting some web space somewhere.

The NIMHcons I organized were their own entity; they were not part of a larger con. It wasn't even a real formal "convention," but just a group of people getting together and hanging out.

Ah. I think I was envisioning something a little too grand. Hundreds of fans wending their way through a cavernous hall, weaving between packed stalls and monolithic statues of their favourite characters to reach a main table at which are seated the cast and crew of the film was perhaps a little optimistic. So what you both are saying is to keep it simple and informal, right? Sounds fair, but a really huge convention, although unrealistic, would be nice (dream on Procyon). Anywho... thanks, both, for the help so far.

You're right about the 'NIMH' gathering at Mephit Fur Meet Simon, it seems this years (MFM8 in 2004) had a few cancellations in terms of attendees due to some RL problems. I myself am hoping to make MFM9 in September 05, and hopefully there will be a bigger NIMH fan turnout. Assuming nothing unforeseen happens to any number of potential attendees.

Xavier