Info

Volunteers

Nautical Rodents Wanted

It takes a lot of people to crew a ship the size of BayCon. While we could just shanghai them in dark alleyways, the gaming department already seems to have that angle covered. Thus, we appeal to your sense of adventure — sign on for BayCon's first interstellar pillaging cruise. Experience the fun! Live the adventure! Travel to new hotel function space and meet new hotel staff! Install lighting trusses where no BayCon gopher has installed lighting trusses before! Become one of the Few, the Proud, the BayCon Gophers.

Volunteers who stand watch for at least 18 hours during the voyage will either be refunded the purchase price of their membership or receive a voucher for next year's adventure. During the voyage, volunteers will be provided with ~~bread, water, space to sling a hammock, and an opportunity to walk the plank~~ light snacks, crash space in which to sleep, and all the science-fiction/anime/fantasy programming they can stand. On top of that there's always the opportunity for advancement. Even the newest cabin-boy has the potential to one day take the helm of the convention.

To sign on for this voyage, first purchase a BayCon membership. Then contact our press gang coordinators at volunteer(at)baycon.org.

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We're Looking For A Few Good Fen...

Despite the appearances, BayCon isn't just a one weekend event. Throwing a party this big requires fifty-two weeks of work. If you're enthusiastic and haven't yet burned out the volunteer center of your brain, we're always looking for new additions to the BayCon family.

Some positions are at-con only, while others require varying degrees of work in the week and months leading up to the big event. If there's a facet of convention organization or coordination that you think you're well-suited to, hop over to the contact page, drop the appropriate department head a line and ask if they've got an opening. (That's how quite a few of them got into this business in the first place.)

Con Ops

Open 9:00 AM Friday — 5:00 PM Monday in the Napa II Room

Convention Operations: Not Just for Crew, we'll talk to Landlubbers too!

ConOps is your central point for Lost and Found, leaving messages for convention staff, and general problem resolution. We do a lot of work helping the various parts of the convention communicate, but we don't want our attendees to think that we are off-limits, you guys are part of the convention too. Some of the ways that we can help you are:

* Booty (Lost and Found) — We are the keepers of the main Lost and Found box for the current convention. If you find something, please bring it to us, and we'll hold it for its family. If you've lost something, come by and describe it to us — you may get a joyous reunion. (Another likely place to check is the hotel front desk, sometimes things get turned in there.) If we don't have your missing treasure, we'll give you a "missing" form, to increase the likelihood of a delayed joyous reunion.

* Treasure (Found Badges) — ConOps is the #1 choice when inquiring after a lost membership badge, or when you see one lying lonesome and alone on a chaise lounge by the pool. All found badges should be brought to ConOps, and any turned in at other locations will be forwarded to us.

NOTE: Please be patient when trying to track down something you've lost. Many people who find a lost item or badge turn it in when they have a chance, which is not always right when they find it or when you lost it.

* Hailing Frequencies (Communication with staff) — Should you have need to get a message to a person who is working on our staff this year, stop by the office and drop off the message. If the message is urgent, we will endeavor to track down the individual.

* Parley (Problem Resolution) — in conjunction with our communication facilitation function (or rather, since we know who to talk to), if you have a problem at the convention, come by and let us try to help. If we can't help you directly, we should be able to connect you with whoever can.

The ConOps office at BayCon 2008 can be found in the Napa II room. We're on the far left side of the ground floor of the hotel, right next to Convention Registration. We will be open 24 hours a day for attendees from 9 AM on Friday until after the end of programming on Monday.

BayCon FAQ

Frequently Asked Questions About BayCon

What is BayCon?

BayCon is one of the five largest regional annual science fiction and fantasy conventions in the United States, and has been held annually since 1982. While BayCon has an emphasis on writing and art, attendees can also find things like costuming, hard science, music, gaming and much more.

When is BayCon?

BayCon is held each May over Memorial Day Weekend and runs 24-hours a day, beginning early Friday afternoon and ending Monday evening. (Memorial Day is the last Monday in May.)

In 2008, BayCon will be held from May 23 - May 26.

Where is BayCon?

BayCon is held at the Hyatt Regency Santa Clara Hotel, adjacent to the Santa Clara Convention Center.

From Points North: Take I-880 South and exit to Highway 237 West toward Mountain View. Turn left onto Great America Parkway. The hotel is located at the corner of Tasman and Great America Parkway.
From Points South: Take I-880 North to Highway 101 North and exit at Great America Parkway. Turn right onto Great America Parkway. The hotel is located on the corner of Tasman and Great America Parkway.
From Points East:: Take I-5 South toward San Francisco / Los Angeles. Merge onto I-205 West toward I-580 / San Francisco; I-205 becomes I-580 West. Take the I-680 North exit toward Sacramento / San Jose, then merge onto I-680 South via the exit on the left toward San Jose. Take the Mission Boulevard West exit toward I-880 / Warm Springs District / UC Extension. Merge onto Mission Boulevard / CA-262 West, then merge onto I-880 South toward San Jose. Merge onto CA-237 West / Aliviso-Milipitas Road toward Mountain View. Take the Great America Parkway exit toward Lafayette Street and turn left onto Great America Parkway. The hotel is located at the corner of Tasman and Great America Parkway.
From San Francisco International Airport: Take Highway 101 South to Great America Parkway and turn left. The hotel is located at the corner of Tasman and Great America Parkway. The trip is approximately 30 miles.
From Norman Y. Mineta San Jose International Airport: Turn left onto Airport Boulevard, and then turn left again onto Guadalupe Parkway. Follow the signs to Highway 101 North. Guadalupe Parkway will put you onto Highway 101 North. Take Great America Parkway and turn right. The trip is approximately 5 miles.
By Amtrak: Take Amtrak to the Santa Clara - Great America Station. Take the stairs to the top of the overpass and turn left. Walk three blocks west to Great America Parkway. The hotel is located across the street on your right at the corner of Tasman and Great America Parkway (behind the construction).
By VTA Light Rail: Connect to the Mountainview-Winchester line and get off at Great America station. Cross the street toward the convention center (going away from Great America) and turn left. The hotel is located to your left, at the corner of Tasman and Great America Parkway (behind the construction).
By BART: Take BART to Fremont. Transfer to the VTA 180 bus route. Transfer to VTA light rail at the Great Mall transit hub. Take Light Rail to Tasman Station and transfer to a Mountain View train. Get off at Great America station, cross the street toward the convention center (going away from Great America) and turn left. The hotel is located to your left, at the corner of Tasman and Great America Parkway (behind the construction).
By Caltrain: Take Caltrain to the Mountain View Station. Transfer to VTA Light Rail. Get off at Great America station, cross the street toward the convention center (going away from Great America) and turn left. The hotel is located to your left, at the corner of Tasman and Great America Parkway (behind the construction).

If you're arriving by rail, you can probably walk through the Convention Center, since it connects directly with the Hyatt—just follow the left edge.

How much is a BayCon 2008 membership?

Adult Memberships:

Adult Membership Rates
Full Weekend Membership:	$80
Friday only:	$30
Saturday only:	$45
Sunday only:	$40
Monday only:	$25

We have special rates for "youth" and "kid-in-tow" badges.

Non-Adult Membership Rates
Youth (8-12 years)	$25
Kid-in-Tow (0-7 years)	$5 (Only sold at the door)

Pre-registration for BayCon 2008 closed May 10th.

Memberships must now be purchased at the door.

One-Day Memberships are only sold `At the Door'.

An Adult is considered anyone over the age of twelve (12) years prior to the first day of the convention. Youth badges are available for members between the ages of eight (8) and twelve (12). Kid-in-Tow badges are available for children up to the age of seven (7) who will be CONSTANTLY in the company of their adult BayCon member caretaker. These children cannot be left on their own in the Gaming Room or any other badge-required convention area. (These memberships are sold at the door only!)

For the location of where to buy or pick up your convention registration at the hotel, please see the Registration Page.

Will there be Night Registration this year?

Yes! Only $20 gets you in for one glorious night of BayCon fun! For more details, see the Registration Page.

What are the hotel room rates?

We have a great room rate of $99 for single/double/triple/quad occupancy.

Who are the BayCon Guests of Honor?

2008 Writer Guest of Honor: Tim Powers

2008 Artist Guest of Honor: Todd Lockwood

2008 Fan Guest of Honor: Patty Wells

2008 Toastmaster: Scott Sigler

Who are the other guests of BayCon 2008?

A complete list of guests is available here.

What if I want to host a party?

If you are planning to hold a party, you should make a normal hotel reservation and then email the BayCon Hotel Liaison at hotel(at)baycon.org to request that your room be placed on the Party Floor.

Are you having a Dealers' Room?

Yes. BayCon 2008 has a Dealers Room with dozens of vendors catering to a wide variety of fan related interests. For a complete list and the hours the Dealers' Room will be open, please see the Treasure page.

Can I still get a table in the Dealers' Room?

Sadly, no. The Dealers' Room is sold out at this time. For information about getting a table for BayCon 2009, please email dealers(at)baycon.org.

How much are the panels in the Art Show?

In this time of rising inflation and economic uncertainty, display space in the BayCon Art Show is one of the few prices that remains constant, holding steady at $17.50 per 4' X 4' panel for over a decade. For more information on displaying your work in the Art Show, contact artshow(at)baycon.org.

How can I get more information about BayCon?

You can send us snail-mail at:

BayCon 2008
P.O. Box 62108
Sunnyvale, CA 94088-2108

Or, to send us email, us please see our Contacting Staff page.

BayCon History

1982 BayCon 1: Author GoH: Gene Wolfe
Artist GoH: Frank Kelly-Freas
Fan GoH: Lela Dowling
Special GoH: Mike Jittlov
Toast: Frank Catalano
Chair: John McLaughlin
1200 Members
1983 BayCon 2: Author GoH: James P. Hogan
Artist GoH: Don Maitz
Toast: Frank M. Robinson
Chair: John McLaughlin
1984: (No Convention due to date change)
1985 BayCon 3: Author GoH: David Brin
Artist GoH: Michael Whelan
Toast: Richard A. Lupoff
Chair: Michael Siladi-Dave Clark-Nancy Cedeno
1986 BayCon 4: Author GoH: Spider & Jeanne Robinson
Artist GoH: Gilbert, Jaime & Mario Hernandez
Fan GoH: Art Widner
Toast: Raymond E. Feist
Chair: John Mclaughlin
1987 BayCon 5: Author GoH: Barry B. Longyear
Artist GoH: Michael Kaluta
Fan GoH: Mike Glyer
Toast: Marta Randall
Chair: Michael Siladi
1988 BayCon 6: Author GoH: S. P. Somtow
Artist GoH: Tom Kidd
Fan GoH: John McLaughlin
Toast: Ron Montana
Chair: Angela Jones
1989 BayCon 7: Author GoH: Orson Scott Card
Artist GoH: Stephen Hickman
Fan GoH: Terry Gish Berry
Special GoH: Mamoru Nagano
Toast: Howard Waldrop
Chair: Angela Jones

1990 BayCon 8

Author GoH: Ben Bova
Artist GoH: Iain McCaig
Special GoH: Jerry Beck (Anime)
Chair: Linda Levy-Diana Dougherty
2647 Members

1991 BayCon 9

Author GoH: John M. Ford
Artist GoH: David Mattingly
Fan GoH: Forrest J. Ackerman
Special GoH: Cynthia McQuillin (Filk)
Toast: George R.R. Martin
Chair: Craig Nicolai-Mark Schwehr

1992 BayCon 10

All previous Guests of Honor were invited back. Most attended.

Author GoH: (Tenth Anniversary)
Artist GoH: (Tenth Anniversary)
Fan GoH: (Tenth Anniversary)
Special GoH: (Tenth Anniversary)
Toast: (Tenth Anniversary)
Chair: Michael Wallis
1594 Members

1993 BayCon 11

Author GoH: Harlan Ellison
Artist GoH: Arlin Robins
Fan GoH: Kevin Standlee (elected by vote of attendees)
Chair: Michael Siladi
1918 Members

1994 BayCon 12

Author GoH: Diane Duane (SF) & Peter Moorwood (Fantasy)
Artist GoH: Rick Sternbach
Fan GoH: Ray Nelson
Toast: Laura Brodian Freas
Chair: Craig Nicolai

1995 BayCon 13

Author GoH: Joe Haldeman
Artist GoH: Frank Lurz
Fan GoH: Jana Keeler
Special GoH: Jordin Kare (Special Music Guest)
Chair: Michael Siladi

1996 BayCon 14

Author GoH: Jennifer Roberson
Artist GoH: Mary Hanson Roberts
Fan GoH: Forrest J. Ackerman
Toast: Kevin J. Anderson & Rebecca Moesta
Chair: Jan Price
1750 Members

1997 BayCon 15

Author GoH: Jack L. Chalker
Artist GoH: Bob Eggleton
Fan GoH: Craig & Sharon Nicolai
Toast: Tad Williams
Chair: Michael Siladi
1821 Members

1998 BayCon 16

Author GoH: S. M. Stirling
Artist GoH: Alicia Austin
Fan GoH: Michael Siladi
Toast: Lillian Csernica
Chair: Craige Howlett
1773 Members

1999 BayCon 17

Author GoH: Kevin Anderson & Rebecca Moesta
Artist GoH: Nene Tina Thomas
Fan GoH: Jan Price
Toast: Kent Brewster
Chair: Amy-Elyse Patterson
1657 Members

2000 BayCon 18

Author GoH: Esther Friesner
Artist GoH: Baron Engel
Fan GoH: Dave Clark
Special GoH: Neil Norman and the Cosmic Orchestra starring Tim Russ (Tuvok of Star Trek:Voyager) Poul and Karen Anderson, John and Bjo Trimble
Toast: Kent Brewster
Chair: Amy-Elyse Patterson
1873 Members

2001 BayCon 19

Author GoH: Rudy Rucker
Artist GoH: Bill Hartmann
Fan GoH: Kathryn and James Stanley Daugherty
Special GoH: Poppy Z. Brite
Toast: Amy-Elyse Patterson
Chair: C. Wolfgang Coe
1969 Members

2002 BayCon 20

Author GoH: Harry Turtledove
Artist GoH: Theresa Mather
Fan GoH: Christian McGuire
Special GoH: Harlan Ellison
Toast: Jane Mailander
Chair: Michael Siladi
1961 Members

2003 BayCon 21

Author GoH: Greg Bear
Artist GoH: Mark Ferrari
Fan GoH: Janice Gelb
Toast: Rachel Holmen
Chair: Seanan McGuire
2310 Members

2004 BayCon 22

Author GoH: Michael Swanwick
Artist GoH: Jael
Fan GoH: Elayne Pelz
Special GoH: Chase Masterson & Mark Ryan
Toast: Esther Friesner
Chair: Tony Cratz
2374 Members

2005 BayCon 23

Author GoH: Jay Lake
Artist GoH: Frank Wu
Fan GoH: Kevin Roche and Andy Trembley
Special GoH: Chase Masterson
Toast: Christopher Garcia
Chair: Michael Siladi
2402 Members

2006 BayCon 24

Author GoH: Larry Niven
Artist GoH: Jim Burns
Fan GoH: Craig Miller
Special GoH: Stephen Furst (Actor, Vir, Babylon5) Jerry Pournelle (Science Guest of Honor)
Toast: James Stanley Daugherty
Chair: Linda M. Von Braskat-Crowe
2567 Members

2007 BayCon 25

Science Fiction Author GoH: Alan Dean Foster
Fantasy Author GoH: Diana Paxson
Artist GoH: Richard Hescox
Fan GoH: Linda "Kitty" VonBraskat-Crowe
Toast: Seanan McGuire
Chair: Caradwen "Sabre" von Braskat
1883 Members

Previous BayCons

BayCon has been on the internet since 1995. There is a page of links to BayCons past (1995 to 2005). Also available are 2006 and 2007.

Friends of BayCon

A Friend of BayCon is someone whose contributions to both BayCon and Artistic Solutions are sufficient, and likely to be on-going, as to merit the distinction of Friend of BayCon.

© 2002-2008 Artistic Solutions, Inc. • "BayCon" is a service mark of Artistic Solutions, Inc.
For BayCon questions not related to the website, contact the responsible department via the contact page or email info(at)baycon.org. For technical issues with the website, contact the webmaster(at)baycon.org.