The WisCon Convention Committee is pleased to announce that we will be having an online convention in 2025!
What will WisCONline 2025 look like? In addition to being fully online with no in person presence, we are currently looking at changes to WisCon to make it more sustainable for our volunteers. This means WisCon may appear to “shrink”, but if we offer less (for example, fewer panels), it’s because our focus is on quality and maintaining WisCon’s values.
While we can’t give exact details this early, more than ever, the capacity WisCon has to do the things we all love will depend on having volunteers step up. We’re committed to avoiding the past burnout we’ve seen come from volunteers taking on too many roles.
When is it? It will take place Memorial Day weekend as always! (May 23-26, 2025, with some programming possible Thursday evening and Tuesday morning.)
Why online only? Unfortunately we weren’t able to recruit key volunteers in time to make an in-person con viable. We’re excited, however, to use this opportunity to explore what we can do to engage and reach our community in ways we can’t usually.
When can I register? We will send out more information soon about registering!
How can I get involved? We are still in need of many important volunteer roles, which will determine what the con actually looks like. Please check our list at
https://wiscon.net/open-
and contact personnel@sf3.org if there are any roles you’re interested in. Also look out for panel submission requests and other contact from our team!
Are you a developer interested in making WisConline 2025 possible? As AppDev Team Lead, you’ll manage a team of other application developers to keep our applications running; plan and execute updates on a timely basis; and work with other committees to prioritize enhancements/fixes based on importance and your team’s resources. You’ll also work with Convention Committee leadership, recommending appropriate updates or changes, and using their practical feedback to guide priorities. Expect to spend 1-2 hours a week on this role most of the year, and 10-20 hours (verifying applications) ramping up to WisCon. Sound interesting? Please contact personnel@sf3.org (subject: AppDev Lead) for more information.
Are you a people person? Help orient WisCon and SF3 volunteers in 60- to 90-minute training sessions as your schedule allows. You will need a stable internet connection for video conferencing. Mentoring available. Contact personnel@sf3.org (subject: Volunteer Trainer) to learn more!
If you’re dedicated to making WisCon as accessible and welcoming as possible, this position is for you. As Access Lead, you’ll manage the Access Team of dedicated volunteers to arrange and hire live Closed Caption transcribers (training provided!), facilitate Alt Text, and remain available and flexible for unpredictable details. For more information, please contact personnel@sf3.org (subject: Access Lead).
You may have noticed a call going out urgently and repeatedly a couple of weeks ago, for three ConCom Co-Chairs. This call failed, and I believe this can make WisCon stronger. We now have the opportunity to staff for a WisCONline in 2025 (with gratitude to the 2020 leadership for paving the way, including making that delightful portmanteau.) We won’t know for sure unless we get confirmed staff by October 2nd.
We’ve restructured the ConCom into three new Committees, which have been chaired in the last two weeks, but don’t worry! There’s still lots you may be needed for! The roles that are needed as of this posting before we can hold a WisCONline in 2025 are:
Communications:
Let’s discover what kind of WisCon we can build together.
Personnel Co-Chair
Do you have experience with HR or volunteer coordination and management? You can help SF3 gear up for the next WisCon! This remote role involves checking progress and follow-up with Personnel volunteers for a few hours per week. The Personnel Co-Chair is a member of the SF3 Personnel Committee and reports to the SF3 Vice President. Contact personnel@sf3.org (subject: Personnel Co-Chair) for more information.