Los Angeles in 2026 Worldcon Bid

The Southern California Institute for Fan Interests (SCIFI) Inc. officially announced the foundation of our Los Angeles in 2026 World Science Fiction Convention (Worldcon) Bid Committee at the December 2020 SmofCon virtual session.  The announcement was then amended to the following for presentation at SmofCon 39 (Smofcon Europe) in December 2021 in Lisbon, Portugal, and further revised to be presented at the World Science Fiction Convention in Chicago in September 2022.  This document represents our current state of affairs as of August 2022.

General Information

Name of Bid

Los Angeles in 2026

What dates are you bidding for?

We are looking at August 2026 but our dates are still flexible at this time.

What is your proposed convention host city? Is your convention site in a city center location or a suburb? If a suburb, what are the transport options into the city center? How far is the site from the city center?

We are currently looking at two sites in the Greater Los Angeles area: Anaheim and Long Beach. Anaheim is the one fans will be familiar with, as it was the site of the 1984, 1996 and 2006 Worldcons; it’s a bit south of L.A. but very easy to get to. Long Beach also is within Los Angeles County, a bit closer to the city center, and has been the host of several large genre conventions, as well as a thriving tourist industry.

Whether we utilize the Anaheim or Long Beach function space, we will present ourselves with the name of our metropolitan area: Los Angeles.

What are your main facilities? How far are your hotels from your main venue?

Both locations we are considering have convention centers, but we are not ruling out foregoing a convention center for a hotel(s) that meet our requirements. All hotels would be within close walking distance to the facilities.

Who is your convention chair? Who is on your committee? What experience do they have in general? In running Worldcons?

Convention Chair is TBD.

Joyce Lloyd is the bid chair for LA in 2026. She is regularly involved with fan conventions with attendance from 100 to over 30,000. Her non-Worldcon experience includes being the Facilities Second for FanimeCon (2008 – present), Vice Chair for Anime Los Angeles (2010 – 2013, 2019 – present), Facilities Director for Gallifrey One (2003 – present), Vice Chair World Fantasy 2019, and Co-Chair of Loscon 35. She has been involved with Worldcons since 2006 (LA Con IV) where she was the Con Suite Second. Since then, she has worked as Hugo Administrator (Nippon 2007), Hotel Assistant (Denvention 3), Treasurer (Chicon 7), Facilities Division Head (LoneStarCon3), Finance Division Head (MidAmeriCon II), Timeline Assistant and Convention Center Liaison (Worldcon 76 in San Jose), Deputy Division Head, Facilities (Dublin 2019), Deputy Division Head, Exhibits for DisCon III and is currently is the Division Head, Facilities for Chicon 8.

Joyce is also the current Chair of the Southern California Institute for Fan Interests, Inc. (SCIFI, Inc.), sits on the board of the Institute for Specialized Literature (ISL), and is the Treasurer for the Science Fiction Outreach Project (SFOP).

Our bid committee, though still in development, is pleased to have the following already as part of our team:

Have you agreed to participate in Pass-Along Funds? Would you be willing to increase the percentage from 50% to 70% of surplus?

We absolutely will do pass-along funds if we are able.

Yes, we are willing to increase revenue distribution to 70%, but we also feel that the extra money might be better utilized for other Worldcon purposes than pass- along funds.

We would like to see the funding and development of outreach programs that target underserved populations within and outside our community. Something that would benefit all Worldcons, not just the next few, and ultimately reduce the need for Worldcons to rely on pass-along funds.

Travel

What is the typical current airfare to your closest airport from world cities such as London, Boston, Dublin, Los Angeles, Tokyo, Brisbane, etc.?

All pricing is in US dollars and based off mid-August 2022 travel, round trip, non-stop to Los Angeles International Airport (LAX) coach seating.

Chicago $337 London $636 Paris $262
Boston $291 Melbourne $1962 Quebec $955
Dublin $1044 Montreal $865 Seattle $328
Helsinki $763 Munich $931 Shanghai $4801
Hong Kong $2118 New York $262 Tokyo $1555

 

Do international flights, as well as domestic, fly into your local airport? Which airlines? If not, where is the closest international airport? Are direct flights from the cities above flown into your local airport?

Los Angeles International (LAX) is the primary hub for international travel for Southern California, and is one of America’s major airports. Direct flights are available from all major international countries and domestic cities. The majority of flights in and out are non-stops.

How far is your convention site from the nearest airport/train station and what is the likely cost of getting to the hotels by both public transport and taxi from that airport/train station?

This will depend on the facility chosen, but LAX is open to 70 international and domestic airlines, from Aer Lingus to XL Airways. See the Current LAX Airline List. For all sites this will be the primary hub for international flights and some, if not all, domestic flights.

All locations under consideration can be reached via LAX and a ground transfer service (depending on location anything from a taxi or Uber to shared rides)

Beyond LAX, Anaheim is serviced by John Wayne Airport (SNA) with Air Canada, Alaska Airlines, Allegiant Air, American Airlines, Delta, Frontier, Southwest, Spirit, and United Airlines, while Long Beach Airport (LGB) has service from Southwest, Hawaiian, Delta and American Airlines. Additionally, the Greater Los Angeles area is also served by Hollywood Burbank Airport (BUR) in the San Fernando Valley, and Ontario International Airport (ONT) in the Inland Empire. All five airports, including LAX, offer easy access to the entire Southern California region.

More complete information will be provided once a site is confirmed.

Facilities

What hotel(s) are being used for the convention? How many rooms have you secured, what type are they, do they accommodate accessibility needs, etc.?

TBD

What are your hotel room rates? Do these rates include breakfast? Do they include internet access in the room? How firm are these rates? What additional taxes and fees are there?

TBD.

What does parking cost at your main hotels?

TBD

What is the distance from the nearest door of your main hotel(s) to the closest entrance of the convention site? What are the transportation options for those who prefer not to walk or who have mobility difficulties?

Both facilities we are considering have hotels directly adjacent or within a 5-minute walking distance to the convention center. Since venue has not been determined, alternative access is TBD.

Where will your large events (i.e. Hugo Ceremony and Masquerade) be held?

TBD.

Please describe the restaurant scene near your site.

Both sites have multiple price range restaurants within easy walking distance. Currently we feel comfortable stating that all our facilities have reasonably priced food within the convention centers and/or possible hotels, and a wide variety of restaurants are available within a short walk of all possible locations.

Once we have a facility, we will provide a much more detailed answer to this question.

What arrangements will be made for evening socialising and party space? Do you have a corkage waiver?

TBD.

Please describe the policies / laws regarding smoking in your hotel(s), convention centre, and city.

All of Los Angeles County – this includes all our possible facilities – are 100% nonsmoking facilities. Smoking is not allowed inside or within 25 feet of hotels, convention centers, or restaurants and bars.

Given the current pandemic, have you considered any arrangements have been made for social distancing and the health and safety of members? If you have, can you describe what your current plans are?

We are hopeful that by 2026 this will be a memory. We also acknowledge that past accepted social practices should be reevaluated to ensure a safer future moving forward. In the meanwhile, being subject to the laws of the state of California, Los Angeles conventions have been in full compliance with all COVID-19 regulations and recommendations by the Centers for Disease Control (CDC), including the use of masks and social distancing, since the start of the pandemic.

Miscellaneous

What type of weather can we expect during your convention? What is the average temperature during that time of year?

Sunny and Warm. Usually in the high 80’s to low 90’s

What are some of the main tourist attractions of your city?

Los Angeles County covers a lot of area. But no matter which site we choose there is a lot that you can see or do. The travel time will vary depending on the site. All are easily accessible and worth a visit.

The list goes on…

Are you planning to have any membership discounts for certain demographic groups and which ones?

Yes, to all the above. We are excited to see the innovations that past and upcoming Worldcons are doing to make the convention accessible to a wider range of members. We plan to steal outright any and all ideas for the benefit of our convention. We hope to come up with a few of our own. Stay tuned.

What is your vision for your Convention? How do you plan to make it happen?

We want to present a Worldcon that is inclusive, diverse, exciting, and innovative. One that incorporates all that is fantastic and wonderful in the realm of science fiction. Yes, we know that is pretty tall order, but give us time. We are still at the early planning stages. We are optimistic and full of enthusiasm and plan to work hard to get as close as we can to achieve this vision.

What is a notable aspect of your local fan culture and how do you plan to incorporate it into your Convention?

Los Angeles offers a unique perspective on science fiction. We are a community that creates the dreams, and we are a community that makes the dreams a reality.

We are known for our entertainment industry. It is a huge portion of our culture. Many of our fans are directly involved as writers, artists, costumers, programmers, or are indirectly involved with the day-to-day workings. Because of this we will have many people willing to share their hands-on knowledge of creating the illusions and the stories.

But we also have a large contingency of fans that make it their mission to take science fiction to science fact. We are home to such notable institutions as NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL) and Northrop Grumman Aerospace in Los Angeles. Let’s not forget that CalTech alone has been affiliated with over 70 Nobel laureates including 40 alumni and faculty members. We are blessed with several fans who are willing to share how they take fiction and make it a reality.

Do you have a code of conduct? If so, is it available online and if so, where?

We will have one and it will be available online once we are able to commit. Our local conventions all operate under conduct policies which include zero tolerance of all forms of harassment and proper behavior in convention settings.

What do diversity and inclusion mean to you?

This is a bigger question the more people you have involved in the response, and we are sure ours will develop further as we proceed.
For us, in the broadest sense, diversity is all the wonderful variations that make up an individual. Whether it is their race, ethnicity, gender, sexual orientation, their thought process – every single nuance that makes up how an individual personally identifies in the vast spectrum that is humanity.

Inclusion for us is simply saying to each of those individuals, “You are welcome here.” and then proving it.

How are you working towards your goals in these areas?  What would concrete achievements look like in these areas?

We are working on the development of outreach materials and presentations about the genre. These were being created and would have been distributed/presented to southern California libraries and schools. We are starting to shift to more adaptive strategies that allow for more interaction digitally to broaden our reach.

What changes or challenges do you expect the current pandemic to present?

We know we will need to make some adjustments to our thinking and operations no matter what. The pandemic has changed our social landscape and how people interact with each other.

We will have to wait a bit to say for sure how we will be affected by these changes. In the meantime, we will watch, learn, and continue to develop our strategies to best serve the needs of our membership.

Have you planned for a virtual component to your convention?

Yes, parts were already figured in pre-pandemic. We are now watching what other conventions are doing as we investigate how we can utilize what we are learning. A few of our committee currently have ideas in development that we hope will see fruition.

Your members vote for Hugo Finalists who are then excited and wish to play a full part in the convention program. How do you plan to facilitate the Finalists’ input as recognized by your community?

It’s a bit far out for us to make solid plans but being fans ourselves we would love to see every nominee take part in the convention. We know that the truth is never as easy as that. Let’s just say we have ideas and give us a few years to see how things go with other Worldcons to better answer this question.