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Talking about convention-al wisdom
By Tim Carroll
I attended a convention last summer at a hotel in San Antonio. For two days the meeting rooms, lobby, restaurant and even the elevators were full of colleagues wearing gaudy name tags. Everyone had something in common and everyone was fair game for conversation.
As I was checking out on the third day I noticed that the lobby was full of mostly women wheeling carts and boxes into the ballroom. More poured off the elevator and even the lobby restaurant had women with wheeled boxes next to their tables. Finally I spotted the sign that told me a scrapbook convention had taken over the hotel. It made me pause to think about the many strange events that pass through hotel ballrooms each year.
I was reminded of it recently when my wife and I bought tickets to the World Balloon Convention at the Dallas Downtown Sheraton. Not sure what to expect, we joined thousands of spectators in a slow walk around a room of balloon houses, dresses, dioramas and bouquets. The exhibition and competition was the culmination of a four-day convention. Balloon convention participants had devoted most of their time to workshops like "Have Fun With Topiaries and Gumballs," Executing The Perfect Balloon Drop" and Weddings With Italian Flair -- An Advanced Lecture."
MerCon is marketed as the "world's largest mermaid gathering in history. The mermaid convention held at the Silverton Casino in Las Vegas last year included a mermaid fashion show, readings from mermaid inspired authors and an art show. More than 800 mermaids attended the convention.
It would be hard to miss the Power Morhpicon in Pasadena, Calif. Thousands of Mighty Morphin' Power Ranger fans will gather to swap stories, meet Morphin celebrities and attend lectures. The brochure encourages fans to wear a costume but please read their weapons policy carefully! A highlight of the convention is A Morphin' Breakfast where fans can eat with the Red, Gold or whatever Power Ranger.
I would enjoy a visitor's pass to SNAXPO, the world's largest trade show and convention devoted to snack foods. One of their workshop sessions is "Strategies For Addressing Acrylamide in Snack Foods."
The Hobo Convention is held every second week in August in Britt, Iowa. The convention was started in 1974 with the goal of preserving hobo history. The listing of workshops for this year's hobo gathering was not posted.
Fan club conventions have always been popular with fans of Star Trek and Star Warsbut did you know there was a Xena Warrior Princess Convention in Los Angeles, an Office television show convention in Scranton and a Bobby Sherman Convention in Mt. Airy, N.C.?
Participants were saddened but hotel guests were not when news that the 2012 Miggle Convention was cancelled due to a poor economy. Miggle is the governing association for the Electric Football Convention and Super Bowl.
Finally, there is the American Planning Association (APA) Convention that brings convention planners together each year for what else, a convention. My two favorite workshops for this year's convention were "A Quiet Revolution in Parking Policies" and "A Power Line Runs Through It."
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