*Sounds pretty lively! Barcelona!
http://www.sfsignal.com/archives/2016/02/eurocon-2016-interview-ian-watson/
(…)
"One thing we’re aiming for at our Eurocon is a sense of continuity with events elsewhere in Europe present and future. Thus there will be a panel about “The German SF Scene Today” because the 2017 Eurocon will take place in Dortmund, Germany, and a panel about the SF scene in France because of the bid to hold the 2018 Eurocon in Amiens, France, the home of Jules Verne. This bid will be voted in Barcelona. If you’re from Albania, you will probably automatically become the national delegate. In the same spirit we’re hoping to produce a Eurocon Passport, which can be stamped in Barcelona, in Dortmund, and so forth.
"RC: What was your process for choosing these guests of honor? (Aliette de Bodard, Richard Morgan, Jun Miyazaki, Enrique Corominas, Andrzej Sapkowski, Johanna Sinisalo, Rosa Montero, and Rhianna Pratchett)
"IW: ‘Eurocons’ — European Science Fiction Conventions — have been happening every year (or, in the more distant past, every two years), presided over by the European Science Fiction Society (ESFS). The ESPS was founded at the first Eurocon—held in Italy 44 years ago. A Eurocon is attached to the annual national SF convention of whichever country wins the bid to hold a Eurocon. This is voted for two years in advance, by the attendees at the Eurocon of that year. Barcelona won its bid at the Dublin Eurocon of 2014, against a bid from Wrocław (pronounced Vrots-waf), Poland, which is a European ‘City of Culture’ for 2016, and which is holding a big SF convention—the ESFS has designated part of this is as a ‘Euroconference’, which sometimes happens with Eurocon bids that don’t win.
"At the moment the ESFS defines 39 countries as European, alphabetically from Albania to Vatican City. I don’t recall ever seeing anyone from Albania or from Vatican City at a Eurocon, but you do need to define which countries are included as regards nominations for the Eurocon Awards and as regards where Eurocons can be held. I believe that Israel has made overtures to join the ESFS, but Israel isn’t exactly within Europe geographically. True, Azerbijan belongs to the ESFS and may seem a bit distant, but it’s a successor state to the Soviet Union which certainly was once part of the ESFS—and Azerbijan enthusiastically takes part in the annual media spectacle of the Eurovision Song Contest, even winning first place in 2011, bringing the dubious ‘reward’ of having to pay to host this mega contest contest in the following year! In a sense, Eurocon is a bit like the Eurovision Song Contest but without the songs—and it isn’t televised. Not yet!
"Eurocons are always held in English as a common language for Finns and Portuguese and Croatians, for instance (and anyone who comes from Albania or Azerbijan…).
"We wanted our Guests of Honour to be from all parts of Europe. Thus we have a French woman author (who writes in English), a British author (who happens to speak Spanish), a fan GoH from Hungary in Central Europe, a Polish author from Eastern Europe, an Artist GoH and an author GoH from Spain in southern Europe—the home team, you might say—as well as a woman author from Finland representing the north of Europe, as well as a games designer from Britain, since SF is isn’t all about books. Intentionally, 50% of our Guests of Honour are women.
"RC: There’s a plan for a panel discussion about promoting Euro SF- to any specific places, or worldwide? How can U.S. SF fans follow the development of Eurocon?
"IW: We think it’s specially important that the different SF traditions throughout Europe get an English voice, to become deservedly better known, not only in the English-speaking world but also mutually within Europe itself. To this end, we’re hoping to give every member of our Eurocon a memory stick/flash drive loaded with several anthologies of Spanish SF stories translated professionally into English, and we will happily add any other high-standard national SF anthologies sent to us—Sweden and Finland are already participating. The more, the merrier. (Hullo, Albania…! Hullo, Vatican City!)…"
