Feedback
This page is used to summarize feedback - positive and negative - received by Chicon 7.
Comments and suggestions should be sent to us at
.
We will not reproduce every comment here in full for reasons of space - the intention here is to present the key points, along with official responses from Chicon 7 where appropriate.
If you wish to post additional comments or start discussion threads, please use our Facebook page which has over 1500 viewers. This will allow a more interactive conversation from which we can extract the key points for this summary page.
In submitting your comments, please bear in mind that Chicon 7 is entirely staffed by volunteers, who give up their time and energy to put on the convention for you. We welcome constructive feedback which will improve future conventions. We will not accept or publish any feedback which is abusive to the convention or its staff. We welcome positive feedback because the appreciation of the members is the only reward the staff receive for their two years of hard work.
Post Convention Concerns
This section addresses material concerns raised with Chicon 7, and includes Chicon 7's official responses to these concerns where appropriate.
Worldcons are large, complex organizations, run on a one-off basis, and occasionally not everything turns out as we would wish. We apologize freely to anyone who did not have the experience they would hope for - and ask you to remember that all the staff and volunteers, acting in good faith.
Since what is done cannot be undone, we ask you to present negative feedback constructively, so that it can be of most use to future conventions. In addition to publishing summary information here, we will forward you detailed feedback to the committees for the San Antonio (2013) and London (2014) Worldcons.
Chicon 7, the 70th World Science Fiction Convention (Worldcon), has acknowledged the concerns expressed by a number of convention members over the arrangements made to support scooter users and others with mobility impairments. Chicon 7 apologizes sincerely for any inconvenience caused and is committed to sharing the lessons learned with its successors.
Chicon 7's support for mobility-impaired members was in line with that used for preceding Worldcons, although inevitably subject to the constraints of the host facility (the Hyatt Regency Chicago) in terms of hotel layout and internal navigation. Chicon 7's arrangements were coordinated by a disability services team with experience from many previous conventions and included the usual arrangements for reserved scooter areas in key event and program rooms. Elevator management was supported by hotel staff located at key locations.
Feedback received has made us increasingly aware that these arrangements did not work as well as planned. Some scooter users had extended journey times across the site due to challenges finding elevator space, and members could not always obtain access to the program items they wished to see due to rooms filling quickly with more mobile fans during change-overs. In addition, some confusion has been reported with access to the reserved seating area in main Ballroom for the Hugo Awards.
Separately, we have also received complaints over the imaginary "Stagg Field" program track. This tradition of Chicago conventions was trailed in Progress Report 4, and designed to bring a touch of whimsy and local fandom to the program. However, we recognize that the presentation of the track - seamlessly integrated with the real program information - meant that some people did not realize that this was an artificial creation. Among these were mobility-impaired members who suffered discomfort looking for the Stagg Field room, and to them we particularly apologize.
Chicon 7 deeply regrets the impact that these issues caused for some members. While the events cannot now be undone, we hope that members will accept our apology and our commitment to gather and collate feedback and share it with the upcoming Worldcons in San Antonio (2013) and London (2014). We invite members to send specific comments - particularly those that will be of most use to the future events - to us at
. We will also publish a summary of the key points on this web page.
Chicon 7 would like to respond to recent statements made by former Chicon 7 volunteer Kate Kligman on Twitter and provide our point of view of events she claims occurred.
Ms. Kligman states that she was released from Chicon 7 as a volunteer because we did not wish to take her accusations of harassment seriously. This is not true. Ms. Kligman was asked to step down from her Chicon 7 position solely due to job performance concerns.
Furthermore, at no time while she was a volunteer did Ms. Kligman express any concerns regarding harassment to Chicon 7 management. The first that Chicon 7 management heard of the alleged harassment was over 10 months after Ms.
Kligman had left the Chicon 7 team.
Chicon 7 takes all claims of harassment seriously. The Chicon 7 Code of Conduct was published on the website pre-convention, as well as being highlighted through our social media. The Code of Conduct was referenced in our Pocket Program, which directed members to the full text that had been printed in the Souvenir Program Book. No claims of
harassment of any kind were reported to hotel security, to Convention Operations, or to any other Chicon 7 department during the course of the convention.
We hope that the above information will be helpful to those who have heard the concerns from Ms. Kligman and others.
Additional concerns from our membership may be expressed by contacting
. We will review those concerns in our wrap-up meetings, and will also be sure to pass on the feedback to the upcoming Worldcons, LoneStarCon 3 and Loncon 3.
At A
Contact
