Convention (meeting) facts for kids
A convention is a special gathering where people meet at a certain place and time. They come together to talk about or do things related to a common interest. Think of it like a big club meeting, but often much larger!
Conventions are usually focused on a certain industry, a profession, or a fandom. For example, there are conventions for people who work in a specific business, or for fans of movies, comics, or games.
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What Kinds of Conventions Are There?
There are many different types of conventions:
- Trade conventions are for people in a particular industry. They might show off new products, have important speakers, and share information about their business.
- Professional conventions are for people who share a job or career. They discuss new ideas and advancements in their field. Groups or societies often organize these.
- Fan conventions are super popular! They celebrate things like pop culture, movies, TV shows, and video games. You might see cool displays, shows, and even meet guest celebrities.
- Science fiction conventions are a mix of both professional and fan conventions. They can have serious discussions about science fiction writing and also fun fan activities.
- Conventions also exist for many hobbies, like gaming or model railroads.
How Are Conventions Organized?
Planning a convention takes a lot of work!
- Many conventions are carefully planned by professional organizers. These can be people who work for the company hosting the convention or outside experts.
- Most big cities have a special building called a convention center. This is a large place designed to host these big events.
- In some parts of the world, especially Asia, the term "MICE" is used. It stands for Meetings, Incentives, Conventions, and Exhibitions. Conventions are a very important part of this industry, which is usually linked to tourism.
What Does "Convention" Mean in a Technical Way?
Sometimes, "convention" means a meeting of representatives or delegates.
- For example, a labor union or a fraternity might send members from different local groups to a convention. These delegates meet to discuss important issues for the whole organization.
- A political convention is a meeting where a party chooses its candidate for an election or discusses party leaders.
- The British House of Commons is a type of convention, as are most other modern representative assemblies. These are groups of elected people who make laws.
- Even religious groups can have conventions. For example, the General Convention of the Episcopal Church USA is a meeting of their governing body.
Conventions and Constitutions
In the United States of America, the Constitution has a special rule. It allows for a "constitutional convention." This is where representatives from different states could meet to change or create a new constitution. This has only happened once, when the original US Constitution was written.
The US Constitution also allows for amendments (changes) to be approved by state conventions of the people. This happened when the original Constitution was approved. It also happened for the Twenty-first Amendment, which ended prohibition (a time when alcohol was illegal).
You might hear "con" as a short way to say convention. Some conventions even use it in their names, like DEF CON or Gen Con.
Co-located Conventions
When two or more conventions happen at the same place and time, they are called co-located. These conventions are usually for related industries or interests.
Images for kids
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The Metro Toronto Convention Centre in late 2004.
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Participants at Wikimania 2006 during a lunch break. Wikimania is a yearly conference for users of Wikipedia and other projects by the Wikimedia Foundation.
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A lecture during a summer meeting of surgeons in Germany.
