Norwescon

What Norwescon does

Norwescon is a private nonprofit 501(c)(3) charitable organization operating one of the largest regional science fiction and fantasy conventions in the United States, founded in 1977 and held annually in the Pacific Northwest. The organization plans, organizes, and executes a four-day convention — Norwescon 49 is scheduled for March 25-28, 2027 at the DoubleTree by Hilton Seattle Airport in SeaTac, WA — featuring more than 200 panelists across hundreds of hours of programming, plus masquerades, dances, concerts, an art show, a dealers' room, gaming, workshops, and youth programming. It also hosts the annual Philip K. Dick Award ceremony, co-sponsored by the Philadelphia Science Fiction Society and the Northwest Science Fiction Society.

The convention is run by an all-volunteer Convention Committee (ConCom) of approximately 250 members under an eleven-member Executive Team, supported by formal bylaws, procedures, and a MediaWiki-based documentation infrastructure. Norwescon maintains a year-round community engagement loop through a monthly book club (Bibliophiles), an annual group camping trip at Bay View State Park, an active Discord server, and a presence across roughly a dozen social media platforms. Technology use is centered on community and event-management tools — Discord, Zoom, Airmeet for hybrid programming, Sendy for newsletters, and PassKey for hotel block reservations — rather than proprietary software products.

Revenue is generated through individual convention memberships (e.g., $80 for NWC49), donations to the Norwescon Community Fund, and ancillary income from vendor/exhibitor participation; a long-standing hotel partnership with DoubleTree by Hilton Seattle Airport provides attendees a negotiated $174/night rate. The organization supports external programs such as an annual scholarship to the Clarion West writing workshop. There is no venture or private equity ownership; the entity is fully member- and donor-supported.

Name

Norwescon

Legal name

Norwescon

Website

https://norwescon.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

1977

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

51–100 employees

Short description

Norwescon is a Pacific Northwest-based 501(c)(3) nonprofit that operates one of the largest regional U.S. science fiction and fantasy conventions, hosting a four-day annual event with 200+ panelists, 250+ volunteer organizers, and the Philip K. Dick Award ceremony since 1977.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Fan Convention & Community Events

NAICS

Convention and Trade Show Organizers (561920)

SIC

Services-Membership Organizations (8600)

akta.pro industry

PRIMARYMPAGAOAC

Hybrid Conferences & Conventions (In-Person + Streamed)

Media, Entertainment & Sports/Live Entertainment & Events (Concerts, Theater, Festivals)/Virtual & Hybrid Events

Keywords

• Science fiction convention
• Fantasy fan convention
• Fan event services
• Literary convention programming
• Community fan gatherings

Headquarters

HQ city

Tukwila

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices3 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Infrastructure

Revenue model

1. Convention Memberships: Attendees purchase memberships to attend the convention. Norwescon 49 membership costs $80, with rates subject to change over time.
2. Donations and Community Fund: Norwescon accepts PayPal donations year-round and at the convention. Donations support the Norwescon Community Fund. The organization is a 501(c)(3) charitable organization.
3. Hotel and Venue Partnerships: Revenue generated through hotel room block arrangements with DoubleTree by Hilton Seattle Airport at $174/night.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels13 records

Core offering

Norwescon is a nonprofit 501(c)(3) charitable organization that produces an annual four-day science fiction and fantasy convention held at the DoubleTree by Hilton Seattle Airport in SeaTac, WA. The convention delivers hundreds of hours of panel programming, workshops, masquerades, dances, concerts, gaming, an art show, a dealers' room, and the annual Philip K. Dick Award ceremony, supported by memberships, donations, and year-round community programming including a book club and camping trip.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Norwescon Convention Annual four-day science fiction and fantasy convention featuring hundreds of hours of panel programming, special events, exhibitors, games, and volunteer opportunities, held at the DoubleTree by Hilton Seattle Airport in SeaTac, WA. Open to attendees who purchase memberships.
• Philip K. Dick Award Ceremony Annual award ceremony for distinguished science fiction published in paperback original format in the United States, co-sponsored by the Philadelphia Science Fiction Society and the Northwest Science Fiction Society and hosted at Norwescon.
• Writers Workshop Workshop programming offered during the convention for aspiring writers developing their craft in science fiction and fantasy genres.
• Tabletop Gaming Program Scheduled games, demo games, an open games area, and special gaming events offered throughout the convention weekend.
• Norwescon Masquerade Costume competition and exhibition event featuring costumes and presentations by convention attendees held during the convention weekend.
• Art Show Exhibition space during the convention featuring original art from local and visiting artists in science fiction and fantasy genres.
• Dealers' Room Vendor marketplace operated during the convention where attendees can shop for science fiction and fantasy-related merchandise, books, and collectibles.
• Speculative Film Festival Film festival held during the convention featuring speculative fiction films and related content.
• Norwescon Book Club (Bibliophiles) Monthly year-round book discussion group meeting primarily online via Zoom, with 3-4 in-person meetings annually across the Pacific Northwest. Open to all without RSVP.
• Norwescon Community Fund Charitable fund supported by donations, providing scholarships and community outreach programs including an annual scholarship to Clarion West writing workshop.
• Historical Archives Online historical archives (history.norwescon.org) digitizing physical artifacts from every Norwescon event, including program books, badges, videos, and newsletters.
• Daily 'Zine (Newsletter) Regular newsletter and daily publication covering convention news, guest announcements, event updates, and community information distributed to convention attendees and subscribers.

Quantifiable outcome

• 48 years of consecutive conventions
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers1 record

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Six partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• DoubleTree by Hilton Seattle AirportcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerThe DoubleTree by Hilton Seattle Airport in SeaTac, WA serves as Norwescon's long-time host hotel. The convention negotiates a flat rate of $174 per night with free parking for attendees. The hotel provides meeting space, convention facilities, and guest accommodations.
• Clarion WestcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerClarion West is an intensive six-week workshop for writers preparing for professional careers in science fiction and fantasy, held annually in Seattle. Norwescon provides an annual scholarship to Clarion West's summer session. The 2025 recipient was Laura Jue.
• Northwest Science Fiction Society (NWSFS)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerNWSFS is Norwescon's original parent organization. The society's newsletter 'Westwind' is archived by Norwescon. NWSFS co-sponsors the Philip K. Dick Award ceremony along with the Philadelphia Science Fiction Society.
• Philadelphia Science Fiction SocietycoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerThe Philadelphia Science Fiction Society co-sponsors the Philip K. Dick Award along with the Northwest Science Fiction Society. The award ceremony is hosted at Norwescon.
• Bay View State ParkminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerBay View State Park near Mount Vernon, WA provides the group camp site for Norwescon's annual camping trip, accommodating up to 24 tent campers for the weekend.
• Thinkingdom Media Group / Astra Publishing HouseminorOthersDAW Books, the Spotlight Publisher for Norwescon 49, was purchased in 2022 by Thinkingdom Media Group (Beijing) to be the SFF line of Astra Publishing House.

Scale indicators4 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Direct peers

• OryCon: Long-running Pacific Northwest regional science fiction and fantasy convention based in the Portland, Oregon area. Closest peer to Norwescon in geography, scale, literary focus, and volunteer-run nonprofit structure.
• WisCon: Annual feminist science fiction and fantasy convention held in Madison, Wisconsin. Comparable in size, literary emphasis, volunteer-led nonprofit model, and four-day programming structure to Norwescon.
• Readercon: Literary speculative fiction convention held annually in the Boston, Massachusetts area with a strongly bookish focus. Comparable in scale, literary identity, and programming depth to Norwescon.
• ConFusion: Regional science fiction and fantasy convention held annually in the Ann Arbor, Michigan area. Comparable regional SF/F con with similar scale, programming breadth, and volunteer execution model.
• ArmadilloCon: Regional literary science fiction and fantasy convention held in Austin, Texas. Similar in size, single-hotel format, and volunteer-driven structure to Norwescon.
• Westercon: Western regional science fiction and fantasy convention that rotates among host cities in the western United States. Comparable regional SF/F format and literary-leaning programming to Norwescon.

Broad incumbents

• WorldCon (World Science Fiction Convention): The premier international science fiction and fantasy convention, awarded via bid rotation. Significantly larger scale than Norwescon but operates in the same SF/F convention category and awards the Hugo Awards at the event.
• Dragon Con: Massive multi-fandom convention held annually in Atlanta, Georgia covering science fiction, fantasy, gaming, anime, and pop culture. Much larger and broader in scope than Norwescon, but competes for similar fandom communities.
• San Diego Comic-Con: The largest pop culture convention in the United States, held annually in San Diego with broad multi-genre programming including science fiction, fantasy, comics, film, and television. Operates at a vastly larger scale than Norwescon.
• New York Comic Con: Major pop culture convention held annually in New York City covering science fiction, fantasy, comics, anime, and gaming. Operates at significantly larger scale than Norwescon with overlapping but broader fandom appeal.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/norwescon
• YouTubeyoutube.com/norwescon
• Facebookfacebook.com/Norwescon
• Instagraminstagram.com/norwescon
• Pinterestpinterest.com/norwescon
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/norwescon

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles1 record

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Norwescon