Archive

Welcome to the CONvergence web archive! Here you will find information about past years of CONvergence.

CONvergence History Overview

CONvergence was founded in 1998 with the intention of creating a large, inclusive convention that covered a wide range of genres and fandoms across science fiction and fantasy.

Its initial formation was in response to changes being made to Minicon, which had been the major SF convention on the local scene for decades. Minicon had intended to sharpen its focus on science fiction literature and to shrink the size of their convention, which had ballooned to over 3,000 attendees after 32 years. They did just that, and their convention is still held in the Twin Cities every Easter weekend.

CONvergence was never intended to copy or replace the “old” Minicon, but rather to take advantage of the perceived need to create something new. We hoped to provide a home for those that wanted the large, boisterous convention that Minicon was moving away from, while further broadening our convention’s focus to an even wider variety of genres and mediums connected to Science Fiction and Fantasy.

As part of the organization of CONvergence, a non-profit parent organization was created: The Minnesota Society for Interest in Science Fiction and Fantasy (aka MISFITS). In 2009, Convergence Events was spun off from MISFITS into its own, separate non-profit organization. MISFITS has since become the Geek Partnership Society (GPS). Convergence Events and GPS remain business partners, with Convergence Events donating $25,000 to GPS annually funding various clubs, events and programs that benefit the community, including literacy programs and bringing authors and other creative professionals to speak at local schools.

With the exception of our year 2000 convention, CONvergence has been held in the same hotel each year, the Double Tree By Hilton (formerly the Sheraton Hotel South, and before that the Radisson Hotel South), a hotel that has a long history with regional fandom, having hosted Minicon and other science fiction, fantasy and genre conventions in past years.

For the first nine years of its existence, CONvergence was a 3-day convention, held Friday through Sunday over the first full weekend in July. As part of the celebration of our 10th year in 2008, the convention added an extra day, beginning Thursday and running through Sunday. This proved to be so successful on multiple fronts that what was intended as a one-time stunt became the “new normal,” and CONvergence is now a 4-day convention every year!

CONvergence History by Year