GUELPH POLITICAST #261 - The Impossible Return of Con-G

From 2009 to 2014, a group of University of Guelph students who were fans of gaming, comics, anime and other geeky things organized a yearly winter convention designed to bring people together and share their passions. It was perfect in its way, but all good things must come to an end, but sometimes they come back, and they come back at the most surprising times.

In so much as the demise of Con-G had to do with the core group of now-former U of G students growing apart, and moving on to adult demands like careers and families, it was also a victim of its own success. There was no venue in Guelph big enough for the size of event that Con-G had become, so the organizers took the money they made and donated it to the Guelph Food Bank, and that was apparently the end of it. 

They moved on, but in the shadow of the pandemic there was opportunity. Could you run a convention where size was only limited by your audience’s bandwidth? Could you capture the fun, creativity and camaraderie of an in-person con while running it all online? This week, we're joined by Lindsay Barker, who is also one of the originators of Con-G years ago, and ask her all about the miraculous comeback.

So this week on the podcast, Barker will recap the history of Con-G, and why the pandemic provided the perfect opportunity to bring it back. Barber will also talk about how she and her fellow organizers, all Con-G originals, are adapting all their favourite events for an online audience, and the technical and organizational challenges of a virtual convention. And finally, she will also discuss the growing geekiness of Guelph, how she will judge the success of the event. 

So let's talk about how the con is back on on this week's Guelph Politicast!

You can find all the details about Con-G, which takes place at your home this weekend from February 19 to 21, at the Con-G website, or through its various social media channels on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, YouTube and Twitch.

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