It’s a good time to be a Philadelphia-area fan of all things science fiction and space! A brand new convention, hosted by an organization with a solid history of Trek events under their belt, is beaming into that area this May.
The Galactic Diversity & Inclusion Convention (or D&I Con for short), is the brainchild of the LGBTQIA+ non-profit Gaaays in Spaaace (GIS). If that organization sounds familiar, it’s because GIS has hosted 200+ events, attended by well over 20,000 fans, since its inception in 2016. If you’ve been to the Star Trek convention in Las Vegas or voyaged on a Star Trek cruise, you’ve no doubt heard of their events. Now GIS is ready for their biggest mission yet: a full blown convention of their own.
GIS founder Dan Deevy told us that there was “no question that we’d do [D&I Con] in Philly.” He said that the City of Brotherly Love hasn’t gotten enough love lately in the sci-fi convention department. He rightly pointed out that Philly is easily accessible from several other major cities by train, bus, and by car, eliminating the need to fly for many East Coast attendees.
D&I Con will feature guests from across a variety of science fiction series, including Robert Picardo (The Doctor, Star Trek: Voyager), Connor Trinneer (Trip Tucker, Star Trek: Enterprise), Denise Crosby (Tasha Yar, Star Trek: The Next Generation), Mark Jackson (Isaac, The Orville), and Thom Allison (Pree, Killjoys).
Although I have to say, I’m most excited to see Alexander Siddig (Dr. Bashir, Star Trek: Deep Space Nine) on the guest list. Although Sid has made himself quite accessible to fans via his Sid City Social Club Zoom calls, he doesn’t attend many conventions. And this is just a fraction of the guest list — check out their website for the full list.
On the space and science side of things, D&I Con is welcoming Michelle Hanlon (For All Moonkind, Center for Air & Space Law), Dr. Chance Glenn (Space for Everyone, The Morningbird Foundation), and Greg Hodgin (ZC Institute, Inc.), with more guests to be announced.
What I’m probably most excited about with this con are the various “Away Missions” (additional ticket required). The D&I Con Away Missions are providing more intimate encounters with their celebrity guests, including bat’leth lessons with J.G. Hertzler and Robert O’Reilly, voice lessons with Robert Picardo, learning to play craps with Garrett Wang, a darts tournament with Alexander Siddig, and a fireside chat with Nana Visitor — with more to be announced (including an exciting mission for fans of The Orville).
While other conventions have done VIP cocktail hours with guests and the like, I’ve not seen a line up of special programming quite like this before.
When I asked Deevy what he was most excited for this convention, he said that while Trekkie Feud was “a close second,” he can’t wait for attendees to experience the final event on Saturday night (“The Union of SciFi and Science” hosted by Denise Crosby). This isn’t a panel, but rather a “full on production that has never ever been done at a convention before,” which he hopes will “inspire a lot of joy” in people.
If you’re a seasoned convention goer, you know that seating for main events is typically a Hunger Games style free for all because ballrooms aren’t cleared between panels — or it’s “pay to play” with the best seats tied up in pricey packages that only a Ferengi could love. D&I Con is taking a different approach, offering the best seats to those who purchased tickets earliest. Known as the “First Contact Club,” these folks are also getting t-shirts as a reward for backing the convention early.
Ticket prices are the same for all seats. A 3-day pass for adults is $160, and includes access to all panels, the Walk of Fame Autograph Room, the Dealers Room and Artists Alley. There are single day general admission tickets, and discounted rates for youth ages 13-17 and children ages 6-12. Kids under 6 are free. There are also add-on tickets available for an exclusive VIP reception on Thursday, the Saturday Night Gala, and the aforementioned Away Missions.
Profits from the convention are primarily being put toward an Inclusive Space Academy Scholarship, which aims to send LGBTQIA+ youth to Space Academy. Additional monies raised will continue to fund GIS’ goal of raising their Traveling Trans Flag in as many cities as possible. This 8’ x 12’ trans flag has traveled the country, been signed by dozens of actors, astronauts, and scientists, and serves as a symbol of support and demand for change from public officials.
D&I Con is being held May 5-7, 2023, at the Pennsylvania Convention Center (1101 Arch Street Philadelphia, PA 19107), in the heart of Philadelphia. It is easily accessible by car and public transit. Visit https://dnicon.org/ to see the full guest list and to purchase tickets.
You can win a pair of weekend passes to the Galactic Diversity & Inclusion Convention, courtesy of Gaaays in Spaaace! All you need to do is follow us on Twitter and tweet to us that you want tickets using the hashtag #DIConTickets by 11:59 PM ET on Friday, April 7.
We’ll contact the winning entrant via Twitter DM to obtain fulfilment information.