New Romance Readers Convention
The First Romantic Fiction Event of its Kind in Australia
Sep 25, 2008
There has never been anything of its kind in Australia, but the date has been set for the first in what will, hopefully, be a long line of Romance Readers Conventions in this country. February 20-22, 2009 will see Melbourne playing host to all those who have a soft spot for romance at its most glorious and celebrated.
Romantic Readers, Romantic Writers
This inaugural convention is a real treat for the romantic fiction reader. Here, readers who book to come to this event can mingle with popular and new romance writers and publishers. These will cover a wide range, from historical romance authors to the series romance writers for series such as Mills and Boon.
Many delegates are to be expected from Australia, but others are prepared to come from worldwide venues to support this event and join what promises to be a fabulous party, according to the Australian Romance Readers website, which details the long list of romantic fiction authors who are planning to attend this inaugural conference and participate in the various events over the weekend.
Features of the Convention
The convention’s draft programme of events has already been arranged, and certainly looks to have something for everyone, beginning with a welcome reception on the evening of Friday 20 February. The non-work pleasantries will continue on the Saturday evening, when the gala dinner will take place.
During the three days of the convention, there are plans for a total of four different kinds of session for delegates to attend:
- book-signing events
- sessions running simultaneously, which participants at the conference can choose between topics and, for each one, a panel of authors will provide stimulus and discussion
- author “speed-dating" sessions with new romance authors
- plenary sessions which include keynote and guest speakers for the convention.
The presentations are set to take up the bulk of the time at the event and it is there that romance readers will be able to discover everything they ever wanted to know about a variety of aspects of the romance writing business.
These sessions with well-known authors cover huge topics, ranging from trends in the romantic novel and the huge array of sub-genres in romantic fiction, to new authors and books to watch out for during 2009, through to the technological side of publishing where the advent of e-books and its impact on the publishers of romance books is expected to be discussed.
The Venue
The Romance Readers Convention’s venue, the Jasper Hotel, is Melbourne’s most recent boutique hotel. It has been built right in the centre of the vibrant market district of Melbourne and only a short walk from the famed shopping precincts and the popular Queen Victoria Market – all very useful if you would like a shopping spree while you are enjoying the convention.
The hotel itself is run as a not-for-profit business. It contains 65 boutique rooms and is run by the YWCA in Victoria and any profits which are raised are ploughed back into a variety of worthwhile events, mainly for women. The features open to guests are plentiful and are detailed on the hotel website.
For those who are visiting this first Romance Readers Convention, there is easy access to all forms of transport. Parking facilities are within easy reach for those who arrive in cars, whereas regular trams enable delegates to get out and about and visit all that Melbourne has to offer. For those avid romantic fiction readers who wish to come from further afield, then Tullamarine airport in Melbourne is less than 30 minutes away.
So, if you are an avid romance fiction reader, this is indeed a treat for you. Go along and meet the authors you have admired for so long. Get those new – and older – books signed, enjoy the company of likeminded readers, authors and publishers and, in doing so, gain an insight into the industry you love. But, most of all, go and talk till your heart’s content about the stories so close to your heart – romance!
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