Saturday, September 06, 2008

Backpacks at Bouchercon?

This year's will be my first Bouchercon, and I have a few novice questions you may be able to answer:

Is it okay to wear a backpack containing emergency food and drink as I attend panels and walk the floor? This is usually how I travel in New York City.

What's the proper attire for the Shamus Awards Banquet if I'm just a spectator? I have a black suit in a pinch. I'm semi-formal by nature, but I may need to buy a sportcoat.

I'll add questions to this post as I think of them. Feel free to comment with any advice.

4 comments:

Bill Cameron said...

Backpack, no problem. You'll get a tote (unless this B'Con is different from every other) which you can use to carry emergency supplies too. I always carry bottled water, eyedrops and saline nose spray (dry, hotel air is a killer), and a snack or two in my con tote.

No clue on the Shamus awards, but other banquets I've been to (LCC, ThrillerFest, B'Con AK) have included the gamut in clothing from jeans and t-shirt to black tie sitting at the same table. So if you're semi-formal by nature, I imagine you'll be just fine.

Anonymous said...

The Shamus is pretty much semi-formal, so you'll do fine. They do give a tote bag, and that can serve to identify you to other convention goers if you see them outside of panels. Still, if you'd prefer to backpack it, there can't be any harm.

Why not ask one of the Jordan clan what type bag will be on hand?

No worries. People like you.

Gerald So said...

I said I was semi-formal by nature. Turns out I meant business casual: Shirt, tie, slacks, leather shoes.

pattinase (abbott) said...

Oh, thanks for reminding me about the saline nose spray. I would have forgotten that. It's the stale air in hotel rooms that bugs me. Any cure for that?