Conclave Fandom Event Tracker

Current Events

Ongoing Events

Past Events

Event Planning Guide

Hi all,Given the recent surge of events, and the fact that Conclave seems to be many people’s first fandom, we thought it would be helpful to publish a guide to help fans plan events in the future.Before we begin: right now, nearly every week for the next two months has an event scheduled. This is a bad sign. Participants are going to get overwhelmed, and over time these events may see less overall contributions. Fandom is not a sprint. The fandom is still going to be here by December, and it helps keep the fandom alive by having events to look forward to months in advance.With that said, let's look at how to plan a fandom event week!

Step 1: Plan Ahead

Ideally, events should be announced at least two months in advance. This gives time for people to see your event and prepare to contribute. Remember, you don’t want to plan an event at the same time as someone else, but you also don’t want to plan an event so close to others that it becomes impossible or overwhelming to participate in any of them.The exception to this is when the events are different enough that there’s not much cross appeal - such as a horror week being at the same time as a fluff week. Though some very motivated people may want to do both, and that’s why months of prep time is helpful!Something to keep in mind is that many fandom events skip October due to Kinktober and annual horror events. Also, there are generally fewer events in December due to the holidays.

Step 2: What type of event do you want to run?

Does your event need to be a week long? Would it work better as a single day? Have you considered running a different event such as a gift exchange, bingo, or even a zine? If, for example, you want to focus on a very rare pairing or niche idea, have you thought of creating a general rare pair event to broaden interest? Or do you even care about these things? Maybe you just wanted to run an event for you and 5 other fandom buddies and it’s optional for other people to participate - that’s cool too!

Step 3. Interest checks

Are people interested in your event? An interest check is a great way to find out! You can use something like a google form to ask people if they are interested in contributing, how they would like to contribute, when and for how long they want the event to be, and even allow them to suggest their own prompts. Interest checks are also a way to introduce the idea of your event to the fandom, so it’s less of a surprise.

Step 4. Rules

Are you a fanart-only event? Fanfiction only? Or do you allow all types of works? Do you want to deal with NSFW content or keep things SFW, or even just Gen? Are you open to late submissions?What sort of content will you allow to be depicted? Will you allow controversial pairings or topics? Are there certain things you won’t repost? Make your stance on this clear. It is valid to set boundaries, but be prepared for people to have strong opinions. Some events won’t cater to everyone, and that’s okay.

Step 5. Set up socials

Is your event going to be hosted on Twitter, Tumblr, Blue Sky? Are you going to post over multiple platforms? If you crosspost, you may get more submissions, but your event may be harder to run. Plus, what hashtag are you using? Are you the only person running it, or do you have someone to help? Fandom events are easier moderated with a group of people rather than one person handling the entire event.We recommend creating a separate account dedicated to your event, as opposed to running the event from your personal account. It makes finding works much easier, and it creates an archive for people to look back on. And speaking of archives, consider creating an AO3 collection for fanfic submissions!Finally, you may want to consider creating a straw.page, carrd, or some other type of FAQ page so people can reach out to you if they have any questions.

Step 6. Create graphics, and advertise!

One of the most important parts of your event is the prompt list. Ideally, your prompt list will be one image which includes the name of the event, the prompts, and the dates, with simple graphics which make the prompts easy to read.Along with your prompt list, try making countdown graphics! Two weeks left, one week left, three days left, and day-of graphics are great announcements to build momentum for your event. When you plan an event months in advance, you can generate interest over time.

Step 7. The Event

So you’ve created an interest check, chosen a time, posted your prompt list, advertised, posted countdown graphics, and now your event is here. This is the easy part! Check your notifications and hashtags to retweet/reblog/repost, though whether you do so throughout the day or all at once is up to you. If you’re on multiple platforms, ask if a creator is okay with crossposting, and make sure to credit them appropriately if they approve. And once the event is over, make a post thanking people for participating!

What next?

Usually, we recommend deciding on a date and sticking to it. However, given the large amount of events happening all at once, it might be best to reschedule. Obviously, this is not fair to people who have been planning their events for months, or whose events are during a very specific time, like a holiday. But if your event was announced with only a brief time to prepare, or your event is directly before, during, or after another event, please consider rescheduling.

And remember…

Fandom is a way to de-stress about life and meet new people that share the same interests as you. Just have fun and keep things relaxed for both mods and participants!

Special shout out to Space-Blue, whose 2022 beginner’s guide to running a tumblr fandom event week was a big help when writing this one!