Finncon X - Eurocon 2003 in Turku, Finland, on August 1st - 3rd 2003
Finncon is the largest science fiction and fantasy event in Finland. Finncon X is, as the name suggests, the tenth Finncon. It will be organised on the premises of the University of Turku on August 1st - 3rd, 2003. Finncon was first organised in 1986. It has taken place twice in Jyväskylä, six times in Helsinki and once, in 1999, in Turku.
The expected attendance is 4000, based on the number of visitors in earlier Finncons. In 1999, more than 3000 people attended. The main target audiences are the Finnish fandom, the general public around the Turku area and the rest of south-western Finland, and foreign fans especially from Sweden and the rest of Europe.
Finncon is unique in the world, because there are no entrance fees; the event is free for visitors. Finncon's budget is based on sponsors, contributions, sales activities and thousands of hours of voluntary work. None of the presenters receives a presentation fee, either.
International Finncon
Finncon X will be the most international Finncon to date.
Eurocon 2003
Finncon X was elected Eurocon 2003 in the election held in the Czech Republic on July 7th. Winning the election makes Finncon Europe's most important science fiction and fantasy event in 2003.
The choice between previously announced nominees was made by fandom representatives in the Eurocon arranged in Prague and Chotebor on July 1st - 7th; each country had two votes. Eurocon is also the annual meeting place for the European fandom, where awards are presented, plans for co-operation are made and the next Eurocon is elected.
Finncon X in 2003 will be Finland's first Eurocon. This is an important milestone for Finnish science fiction and fantasy enthusiasts. Finncon X will receive a central position in international calendars and up to hundreds of foreign fans may turn up; this will undoubtedly increase Finncon's value as a cultural experience also on the domestic front.
According to the practice of international cons, so called agents will be gathered from different countries to act as contact and PR persons. So far, Finncon has agents in Sweden, Norway, Poland, The Netherlands and Spain.
More internationality is achieved by an extensive anime section, which continues the Finncon 1999 tradition and is aimed at fans of Japanese comics and animation.
Baltcon 2003
Finncon X will also be the first Eurocon in the Nordic Countries, so it is a natural choice for Baltcon 2003 as well, the most significant SF event in the Baltic Cea region. So Nordic co-operation is also a strong theme.
Finncon X will have a trilingual programme. In addition to Finnish and English presentations, some will also be given in Swedish, for the first time in Finncon's history. Danish, Norwegian and Swedish fans have agreed to collaborate in planning the programme.
Co-operation between Scandinavian fans will be promoted in other ways as well. Budget allowing, the fan guest of honour for Finncon X will be invited from Norway; an author guest has been invited from Sweden to support the Swedish presentations. Finland's only Swedish-speaking SF magazine, Enhörningen, participates in organising the event. Moreover, the recently begun Nordic fan exchange, where visitors are sent to cons in other countries through jointly collected funds, will be continued. This NoFF (Nordic Fan Fund) guest will also be seen in Turku. It is hoped that multilingual programme will attract more visitors than before, especially from Sweden.
