<span class="SFPTagline"> From SCIFIPEDIA </span>

Conventions are gatherings of fans, at which numbers of aficionados of the genres gather to socialize, celebrate their enthusiasm, share information, trade and sell books, films, costumes and other artifacts and otherwise share their enjoyment of their particular passion. Conventions are as diverse and vary as widely as the fans that attend them. They range in size from dozens of attendees to thousands and may be found all over the world.

There are many types of conventions, addressing the needs and interests of a diverse group of fans with widely varying tastes. Conventions can be typed in several ways. One is the organization that plans and runs them - Professional Conventions or Fannish Conventions (also called Fan-Run Conventions). A second means of classification is by the publication type or activity. Examples include Media Conventions that focus on movies and television shows, Gaming Conventions, Comic Book Conventions, Anime Conventions, and Literature Conventions (also known as Book Conventions). Larger conventions are often hybrids offering events and activities that fall into multiple types. Finally, conventions may be typed by subject, such as Anime, Science Fiction, Fantasy, Horror, and Gaming, among others. The breadth of the theme may be general, such as a WorldCon, genre, or an individual series such as Star Trek, Babylon 5, Buffy the Vampire Slayer, or Stargate.

Dates for current and future conventions may be found in the articles for the years (such as 2006, 2007, and so on).