Leprecon Frequently Asked Questions.
1. Why Leprecon? The name of the organization, Leprecon, Inc. and the annual convention, LepreCon, is a pun on Leprechaun. The earliest editions of LepreCon originally were scheduled around St. Patrick’s Day.
2. When is the LepreCon convention? After having the first four conventions around St. Patrick’s Day, the Arizona tourist season expanded to make it more costly to hold the convention in March and it moved to later in the spring, generally being in May with a few excursions into April or early June. Most recently the convention has been held in early May, generally on Mother’s Day weekend due in part to hotel availability.
3. Why the emphasis on Art? The Leprecon, inc. board made a decision to make the LepreCon convention spotlight artists guests, giving the Artist Guest of Honor top billing at the convention. This does not mean that authors and other guests are slighted, however. Under the guidance of Ray Gish and his son, David, who took over the art show after his father passed away, LepreCon’s have tried to have one of the best art shows in the region with many national artists sending art each year.
4. Aren’t you the same group who put on CopperCon? The LepreCon conventions are put on by Leprecon, Inc., an Arizona non-profit corporation. CopperCons are put on by the Central Arizona Speculative Fiction Society (CASFS). a 501c(3) non-profit organization. While there is some crossover between members of Leprecon, Inc. and CASFS, they are different organizations with different memberships. Yes, you may see a lot of the same people involved with both of the conventions, but they are still run by different groups and thus have some differences in how they run the conventions and what rules and regulations they must follow.
5. Why The Special Events? In addition to the LepreCon conventions, Leprecon, Inc. has also sponsored or helped to run other other events. These have included the 2004 World Horror Convention, the 2004 World Fantasy Convention, and the 2006 Nebula Awards Weekend. Upcoming we will be hosting FiestaCon, the 62nd WesterCon July 4th weekend in 2009 and the North American Discworld Convention Labor Day weekend in 2009. These events have fallen under the umbrella of Leprecon, Inc. for various reasons. In large part, opportunities to host these events have become available and Leprecon, Inc. members have made the arrangements for them. In some cases, we have been awarded them via a bidding process or via site selection voted on at a prior event. We’ve taken on one when the overseeing organization didn’t have any other groups available to host it. In others, a member of Leprecon, Inc. has worked to bring the event to the Phoenix area. We feel that hosting the larger events that have a national or regional membership will benefit the organization as well as bring events to our area so that local fans can have an opportunity to attend them without having to leave the valley.
