Finncon X - Eurocon 2003 in Turku, Finland, on August 1st - 3rd2003

Finncon is the largest science fiction and fantasy event in Finland.Finncon X is, as the name suggests, the tenth Finncon. It will beorganised on the premises of the University of Turku on August 1st - 3rd,2003. Finncon was first organised in 1986. It has taken place twice inJyväskylä, six times in Helsinki and once, in 1999, in Turku.

The expected attendance is 4000, based on the number of visitors inearlier Finncons. In 1999, more than 3000 people attended. The main targetaudiences are the Finnish fandom, the general public around the Turku areaand the rest of south-western Finland, and foreign fans especially fromSweden and the rest of Europe.

Finncon is unique in the world, because there are no entrance fees; theevent 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 CzechRepublic on July 7th. Winning the election makes Finncon Europe's mostimportant science fiction and fantasy event in 2003.

The choice between previously announced nominees was made by fandomrepresentatives in the Eurocon arranged in Prague and Chotebor on July 1st- 7th; each country had two votes. Eurocon is also the annual meetingplace for the European fandom, where awards are presented, plans forco-operation are made and the next Eurocon is elected.

Finncon X in 2003 will be Finland's first Eurocon. This is an importantmilestone for Finnish science fiction and fantasy enthusiasts. Finncon Xwill receive a central position in international calendars and up tohundreds of foreign fans may turn up; this will undoubtedly increaseFinncon's value as a cultural experience also on the domestic front.

According to the practice of international cons, so called agents willbe gathered from different countries to act as contact and PR persons. Sofar, Finncon has agents in Sweden, Norway, Poland, The Netherlands andSpain.

More internationality is achieved by an extensive anime section, whichcontinues the Finncon 1999 tradition and is aimed at fans of Japanesecomics and animation.

Baltcon 2003

Finncon X will also be the first Eurocon in the Nordic Countries, so itis a natural choice for Baltcon 2003 as well, the most significant SFevent in the Baltic Cea region. So Nordic co-operation is also a strongtheme.

Finncon X will have a trilingual programme. In addition to Finnish andEnglish presentations, some will also be given in Swedish, for the firsttime in Finncon's history. Danish, Norwegian and Swedish fans have agreedto collaborate in planning the programme.

Co-operation between Scandinavian fans will be promoted in other waysas well. Budget allowing, the fan guest of honour for Finncon X will beinvited from Norway; an author guest has been invited from Sweden tosupport the Swedish presentations. Finland's only Swedish-speaking SFmagazine, Enhörningen, participates in organising the event. Moreover, therecently begun Nordic fan exchange, where visitors are sent to cons inother countries through jointly collected funds, will be continued. ThisNoFF (Nordic Fan Fund) guest will also be seen in Turku. It is hoped thatmultilingual programme will attract more visitors than before, especiallyfrom Sweden.