A few days ago I had the pleasure of chatting with some of my Gally friends over video chat, which—let’s be honest—is a higher frequency of synchronous face-to-face (if not in-person) interaction than we get in a usual year. Due to the fact that we all know each other exclusively thanks to that con, and the continuing uncertainty and weirdness of the times, we naturally got to wondering about how Gallifrey One would likely proceed for its upcoming convention, scheduled for February 2021.

Frankly all of us believe an in-person con will not be happening next year (in fact, the topic came up in conversation in the form of “what are the bets for when they’ll be cancelling?”). Given how irresponsible Americans in general are being about containing COVID (see, for example, a recent study about the impact of the Sturgis Motorcycle Rally having gone forward this year), I can’t even conceive of a way it will be safe to gather three-to-four thousand people in a hotel convention center within the next five months.

So what might the concom do instead? It’s a tough call. A great many conventions have pivoted to making their cons a virtual experience. Given how new the 100%-online concept is for conventions, and how much in-person cons vary anyway, it is unsurprising that such events have met with various degrees of success. (For example, I heard vastly different reactions within the SFF writing community as to how the Nebula Conference and WorldCon were executed.)

Given the amount of lead time Gallifrey One still has, and the examples from which it could potentially draw, I rather hope that they do try to make “Thirty-second to Midnight” an online event. I know that one of the things that allows them to draw the number and caliber of guests they regularly welcome is likely tied, in part, to their strict no-recording policies. That does imply that the concom would have to do some serious re-negotiation with the parties they’re accustomed to working with to make it work.

However, I’m also excited about the new possibilities that a virtual con would present. For example, Fourth Doctor Tom Baker has never appeared at Gally. I’m sure in the earlier years it was because he was still keeping such appearances to a minimum; these days, he isn’t as well, and doesn’t travel. Can you imagine, though, if he agreed to do a live video appearance? What better way to get elusive guests to participate!

Even if such an exciting prospect could be realized, it might not be enough to entice fans into attending. I have to admit that for me, as for many of the veteran attendees, that although I love seeing the guest and participating in awesome fan discussion panels, the main draw of Gally these days is spending time with my friends. Creating a viable version of “LobbyCon” has been one of the biggest challenges for any of the virtual cons I’ve yet seen.

I’m sure someone out there will come up with a way to simulate something workable. I know it won’t be the same—how could it be?—but if I could find a way to meet up with my friends in “the Lobby,” discuss my views with other panelists and audience members in fan panels, and watch exclusive guest interviews, I’d be there in a heartbeat. Because no matter what, my heart belongs to Gally.