You may have heard of IDWCon and you may be musing as to whether or not you’ll attend this online version. If so we want to ask - like really REALLY ask:
Objection:
Wait - what’s an Irish Discworld Convention?
IDWCon response:
Oooooooooo!!!!! Well let us tell you… Forget ComicCon or any stereotypical nonsense you might have seen of thousands of people queuing for hours to get a glimpse of a celebrity. The Irish Discworld Convention is run by fans, for fans, of Terry Pratchett’s Discworld series. It is a multi-day event whereby we all meet up to attend interviews and panel discussions, play games and quizzes, put on a talent show a cosplay competition and a charity auction, and generally play, sing and be merry with a group of like minded people - all in the name of raising funds for charity. The 2021 Convention was supposed to be held in Cork, Ireland, but due to the COVID19 pandemic it will now be held online from 8-10th October.
Objection:
I don’t want to spend a full weekend in front of my computer.
IDWCon response:
We get this, and we are very conscious of people spending too much time on screens. So, while we do have a fairly packed schedule over the weekend we are taking your well-being into careful consideration:
Objection:
Conventions are for weirdos - I wouldn’t go to that.
IDWCon response:
Look - the only reason you’re reading this is because you love Discworld and you want to know what this is all about. Let’s face it - we’re all a bit weird sometimes; embrace it and run with it and you’ll be a happier person in life! If you have always wanted to attend, but were genuinely afraid that you might not fit in, this is the best opportunity you will have to dip your toe into the world of conventions. Come on in - you’ll find the water is warm and welcoming ❤️❤️❤️
Objection:
I like Discworld and I’ve read a few books, but I’m not an uber-fan, I wouldn’t fit in.
IDWCon response:
One of the best things about DW fandom is that it is (thankfully!) missing the competitive ‘You must have read XX number of books to be able to speak to us’ kind of craziness that you sometimes see in other groups. There are some attendees that know all the trivia - you’ll find them competing in the Unseen University Challenge. But most of us are just regular fans of the books. We like to read them and we like to discuss them and we are always happy to hear new bits that we might not have picked up in previous readings. And we LOVE newbies!!!!! Sharing more discworld with new people???? What’s not to love about that!!!
Objection:
I won’t know anyone.
IDWCon response:
This is a fear we get a lot from people nervous to attend an in-person convention. But - this is where the beauty of the online platform comes into play!!! You can attend from the safety and comfort of your own home - so there’s no need to be nervous about being on your own. In fact - this is the best opportunity to join in a few social sessions and meet your new IDWCon friends so you can be confident to attend in person in 2023!!!
Objection:
I don’t think it will be worth the money.
IDWCon response:
We really hope you will think it is totally worth it once you attend!! However, even if it’s not up to your standards, or even if you only enjoy a couple of sessions, or even if you completely forget about it and miss the event entirely - your money is going to very worthy causes. Worst case scenario is that you have just donated €30 to our charities - and that should help you sleep soundly at night!!
Objection:
Oh I’m definitely going! I’ll just get my membership later…
IDWCon response:
Please, please, PLEASE don’t leave it until 30 mins before the Opening Ceremony to buy your memberships! This is not a fully automated system so it will take us time to get you into the event. Also our numbers are not limitless - once we hit a certain number we will have to negotiate with our supplier to add more in - and we need to know this in advance. So if you plan on attending - we would really appreciate it if you bought your membership sooner rather than later ❤️❤️
Objection:
Meh…
IDWCon response:
*Steeples fingers and looks you dead in the eye*
See membership link below….and let us not detain you….