$40 supporting memberships seem to have gone the way of the dodo. One of the main reasons for this is due to the conversion restriction -- Worldcons can't charge more than 2x the advance supporting membership ("voting fee") charged for their election for people who voted to convert their memberships to attending. They also can't charge less for new supporting memberships than they charged as their voting fee. Consequently, in order to keep their flexibility to charge what they consider a safe amount for their initial attending memberships, bids have been pushing the voting fee up in recent years.
Also, you're seeing the effect of exchange rate differences. Anticipation will have to pay most of its expenses in Canadian dollars, but will get most of its income in American dollars. In recent years, a USD was worth up to CAD1.20, but now the rates are close to parity, which means that USD rates have to increase in order to get a Canadian Worldcon the same revenue as before.
Regarding Aussiecon 4: Their membership page lists rates. There's a membership form page, or you can use PayPal. I presume you didn't realize they'd set up a new site for the Worldcon itself because they haven't put a link from the bid site saying "we won! now go here!" to the convention site. I've never seen a Worldcon not be immediately selling memberships as soon as they win. (They will sometimes shut down advance sales a few days before the convention, but that's all.)
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Date: 2008-08-31 05:13 pm (UTC)Also, you're seeing the effect of exchange rate differences. Anticipation will have to pay most of its expenses in Canadian dollars, but will get most of its income in American dollars. In recent years, a USD was worth up to CAD1.20, but now the rates are close to parity, which means that USD rates have to increase in order to get a Canadian Worldcon the same revenue as before.
Regarding Aussiecon 4: Their membership page lists rates. There's a membership form page, or you can use PayPal. I presume you didn't realize they'd set up a new site for the Worldcon itself because they haven't put a link from the bid site saying "we won! now go here!" to the convention site. I've never seen a Worldcon not be immediately selling memberships as soon as they win. (They will sometimes shut down advance sales a few days before the convention, but that's all.)