The Space:1999 Convention

Convention
Name:	The Space:1999 Convention
Dates:	1978, 1980
Frequency:
Location:	New York City
Type:	fan con, celebrity guests
Focus:	Space: 1999
Organization:
Founder:	The Space:1999 Society, Columbus, OH
Founding Date:
URL:
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The Space:1999 Convention was an attempted con sponsored by the short-lived Space: 1999 Society.

It was fan-run and scheduled to include celebrity guests of honor.

The event was in competition with SpaceCon I held in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania in 1979, and SpaceCon II held in Columbus, Ohio in 1980, both of which were sponsored by The International Space: 1999 Alliance.

1979

• was promoted in Starlog
• was to be the first Space:1999 convention of the The Space: 1999 Society
• was to take place in Columbus, Ohio (later changed to New York)
• was originally planned to occur November 23-25, 1979, and some of the flyers reflect this date. It was postponed to summer of 1980, but ultimately not held
• organizers had difficulty in securing guests of honor to appear

This convention was an attempt by two organizers, Ted Hruschak and Mona Delitsky, to break away from SpaceCon and form an alternate fan group and hold a separate con gathering. They were unsuccessful, due in part to the relatively small overall size of Space: 1999 fandom in general; most fans preferred to stay with the larger and most established group, The International Space: 1999 Alliance. Hruschak and Delitsky had both been involved with the formation of the original Alliance group as Section Heads. They had disagreements with the other members, which led to the attempt to form a new organization.

Also see Alpha News Service #2 (it is online as a pdf) for more detailed information about this upstart group.

The 1979 Space: 1999 convention is expected to set two new precedents when it convenes in New York this November, line involves the establishment of a formal title for Space:1999 fandom. The Board of Directors, noting that Star Trek fans have their" own particular name ("Trekkies") have decided that 1999 fandom should have a title of its own. This would be particularly helpful in binding fandom together and giving it unity. At the convention this fall there will be balloting on what the official name for fandom will be. Several nominations will be extended by the Board, but write-in nominations will also be accepted at the convention. Balloting is expected to take place during the opening remarks, with announcement of the winning title to take place later at the costume party. Another event planned is the selection of the best episodes, actors and producers of Space: 1999. Tentatively titled "The Alpha Awards", the event will ask convention-goers to pick the best episode, actor, actress, guest actor, guest actress, writer and director of the series. No actual awards will be given, although the winners will, again, be announced at the costume party. The costume party is expected to have a distinctly disco/rock/SF theme. Music will be selected from Space: 1999, "Star Wars" (the Cantina Band piece), "Westworld", "Love at First Bite" and other films and TV shows.

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  1979 flyer

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  1979 flyer

The decision to reschedule the event, made in late October [1979], was due to a number of factors. From some of the comments made by both members and non-members, the post-Thanksgiving date was inconvenient for traveling to New York. Consequently, ticket sales lagged. Also, the SNS did not get the kind of promotional support it was expecting from a leading SF magazine which had supported its earlier convention. It was felt that the amount of money raised through ticket sales would be, at best, barely adequate to put on a quality convention... Although the exact date of the re-scheduled convention has not been set, Space:1999 Convention 1980 will take place in mid-summer when it is felt that ticket sales will be much higher. The activities, special events, hotel, guests, and ticket prices for the November date remain the same. Most of those who had bought tickets for the November convention have so far elected the option of retaining their tickets, which will be honored at the 1980 convention.

1980

• It was rescheduled for August 23 and 24, 1980 at the Holiday Inn LaGuardia, New York City, but cancelled due to low ticket sales. See the pdf of Alpha News Service #4 at that page for more.

• Events: costume dance, SF films, 1999 episodes, special guests from Space:1999 and "The Alpha Awards", a vote on the "Bests" of Space:1999."

• It was the scene where "selecting the official title for Space: 1999 fandom" fans

• The con charity was to be The American Cancer Society.

• 

  a flyer for the 1980 con

• 

  the ballot for "The Alpha Awards"

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  the ballot for choosing an "official" fan group name