HOME

TheInfoList



OR:

Visions was an annual
science fiction convention Science fiction conventions are gatherings of fans of the speculative fiction subgenre, science fiction. Historically, science fiction conventions had focused primarily on literature, but the purview of many extends to such other avenues of ex ...
held from 1990 to 1998 in
Rosemont, Illinois Rosemont is a village in Cook County, Illinois, United States, located immediately northwest of Chicago. As of the 2020 census, the village had a population of 3,952. The village was incorporated in 1956, though it had been settled long before ...
on
Thanksgiving Thanksgiving is a national holiday celebrated on various dates in October and November in the United States, Canada, Saint Lucia, Liberia, and unofficially in countries like Brazil and Germany. It is also observed in the Australian territory ...
weekend. The convention was held at the
Hyatt Regency Hyatt Regency is a brand of hotels under the Hyatt banner. The brand contains 211 locations in 189 cities over 40 countries, and is one of the company's 14 hotel brands overall. It tends to cater to business travelers. Locations Locations inc ...
O'Hare except for the 1992 event which was held at the
Ramada Ramada is a large American multinational hotel chain owned by Wyndham Hotels & Resorts. As of December 31, 2022, it operates 851 hotels with 120,344 rooms across 63 countries under the Ramada brand. Name The ''Ramada'' name derives from th ...
O'Hare. The convention was originally called Visions but was renamed HME Visions in 1998. It was also known as "A British TV Celebration" before its first event. The convention was founded by retired fireman, electrical contractor, and long-time Doctor Who fan Robert H. McLaughlin III of
Hoffman Estates, Illinois Hoffman Estates is a village in Cook County, Illinois, United States. It is a suburb of Chicago. Per the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, the population was 52,530. The village previously served as the headquarters for Transform Holdco L ...
. He organized the 1990 ''
Doctor Who ''Doctor Who'' is a British science fiction television series broadcast by the BBC since 1963. The series, created by Sydney Newman, C. E. Webber and Donald Wilson (writer and producer), Donald Wilson, depicts the adventures of an extraterre ...
'' convention to raise money for Lambs Farm. The convention was run by McLaughlin with a committee of about twenty plus fan volunteers (''gophers'') recruited at each event.Various program booklets. Over time the convention expanded from a ''Doctor Who'' convention into a celebration of British TV shows. While the main focus of each convention was ''Doctor Who'', ''Visions'' often invited actors from ''
Blake's 7 ''Blake's 7'' is a British science fiction television programme produced by the BBC. Four series of thirteen 50-minute episodes were broadcast on BBC1 between 1978 and 1981. It was created by Terry Nation, who also wrote the first series, prod ...
'', ''
Red Dwarf A red dwarf is the smallest kind of star on the main sequence. Red dwarfs are by far the most common type of fusing star in the Milky Way, at least in the neighborhood of the Sun. However, due to their low luminosity, individual red dwarfs are ...
'' and ''
Robin of Sherwood ''Robin of Sherwood'' is a British television series, based on the legend of Robin Hood. Created by Richard Carpenter, it was produced by HTV in association with Goldcrest, and ran from 28 April 1984 to 28 June 1986 on the ITV network. In th ...
''. ''Visions '93'' celebrated the 30th anniversary of
Doctor Who ''Doctor Who'' is a British science fiction television series broadcast by the BBC since 1963. The series, created by Sydney Newman, C. E. Webber and Donald Wilson (writer and producer), Donald Wilson, depicts the adventures of an extraterre ...
and the 15th anniversary of ''Blake's 7''.''Visions '93'' program booklet.


Convention events


Panels

The main attraction of each convention was the hour-long question and answer sessions with the celebrities. There were also smaller gatherings run by fans called fan panels.


Variety show

The cabaret (renamed "variety show" in 1992) was 90-120 minute show featuring celebrity guests performing a variety of acts. A separate admission fee was charged for this event.


Dealers' room


Video rooms

Video rooms (one in 1990, two thereafter) ran television shows and movies, concentrating on programs that attending celebrities appeared in. A third room featuring fan-made videos was added in 1996.


Autographs and photographs

Each fan was given the opportunity to meet the celebrities and receive and autograph and a photograph.


Costume contest/masquerade ball


Art show


Auction

Each year fans participated in an auction of science fiction memorabilia. Proceeds went to Lambs Farm and the Make-A-Wish Foundation.


Gaming


Publications


Program book

A program book was given to each attending fan. The book included biographies of the guests, a map of the hotel, a schedule of the weekend's events and general convention rules.


Newsletter

''ReVisions'' was published 4-6 times a year and contained news about the past and/or upcoming convention.


Rookie guide

''The Visions Rookie Guide'' was written for first-time attendees of ''Visions''.


Websites

The original website was at http://www.xnet.com/~tardis. A second
http://hme-visions.com
was added in northern autumn 1998.


Merchandise


T-shirts

T-shirts featuring that year's logo were available for purchase by mail or at the convention.


Videos

Video tapes of selected panels and variety shows were available for purchase by mail.


Special events

* Attendees of ''Visions '92'' were given the chance to help in the development of the Doctor Who pinball machine. At least one machine was available for play during the convention. * To celebrate the 30th anniversary of
Doctor Who ''Doctor Who'' is a British science fiction television series broadcast by the BBC since 1963. The series, created by Sydney Newman, C. E. Webber and Donald Wilson (writer and producer), Donald Wilson, depicts the adventures of an extraterre ...
the BBC broadcast a specially-made episode called
Dimensions in Time ''Dimensions in Time'' is a charity special crossover between the British science fiction television series ''Doctor Who'' and the soap opera ''EastEnders.'' The special was broadcast in two parts on 26 and 27 November 1993 and was filmed on lo ...
. Producer
John Nathan-Turner John Turner (12 August 1947 – 1 May 2002), known professionally as John Nathan-Turner, was an English television producer. He was the ninth producer of the long-running BBC science fiction series ''Doctor Who'' and the final producer of the ...
brought a copy to ''Visions '93'' and showed it Friday and Saturday nights. As the episode was made in 3-D, special glasses were sold for the viewings with the proceeds going to
Children in Need ''BBC Children in Need'' is the BBC's UK Charitable organization, charity dedicated to supporting disadvantaged children and young people across the country. Established in 1980, the organisation has raised over £1 billion by 2023 through its ...
. * The 1996 convention saw the premiere performance of Mysterious Theatre 337 (MT337). An homage to
Mystery Science Theater 3000 ''Mystery Science Theater 3000'' (abbreviated as ''MST3K'') is an American science fiction comedy television series created by Joel Hodgson. The show premiered on WUCW, KTMA-TV (now WUCW) in Saint Paul, Minnesota, on November 24, 1988. It then ...
, MT337 performed to
Doctor Who ''Doctor Who'' is a British science fiction television series broadcast by the BBC since 1963. The series, created by Sydney Newman, C. E. Webber and Donald Wilson (writer and producer), Donald Wilson, depicts the adventures of an extraterre ...
episodes instead of
B movie A B movie, or B film, is a type of cheap, low-budget commercial motion picture. Originally, during the Classical Hollywood cinema, Golden Age of Hollywood, this term specifically referred to films meant to be shown as the lesser-known second ...
s. Additional performances occurred in 1997 and 1998 and continue at Chicago TARDIS and
Gallifrey One Gallifrey One is an annual North American science fiction convention focusing primarily on the British television series ''Doctor Who'' and its spin-offs, ''Torchwood'', '' K-9'' and ''The Sarah Jane Adventures'', with an additional emphasis on B ...
.


Other conventions

''Visions'' followed earlier conventions held in the
Chicago Chicago is the List of municipalities in Illinois, most populous city in the U.S. state of Illinois and in the Midwestern United States. With a population of 2,746,388, as of the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, it is the List of Unite ...
area around Thanksgiving. ''Brit TV'' was held in 1988 (in
Lincolnwood, Illinois Lincolnwood (formerly Tessville) is a village in Cook County, Illinois, United States. Per the 2020 census, the population was 13,463. An inner suburb of Chicago, it shares its southern, eastern, and a small section of its western boundary with ...
) and 1989 (in Rosemont, Illinois). Spirit of Light Enterprises ran Doctor Who conventions in the mid-1980s. Following the demise of ''Visions'' Chicago TARDIS took over the Thanksgiving slot beginning in 2000.


Notes and references


External links


Mysterious Theatre 337Chicago TARDISGallifrey One
{{DEFAULTSORT:Visions (Convention) Defunct science fiction conventions in the United States Conventions in Illinois Recurring events established in 1990 Recurring events disestablished in 1998 Doctor Who fandom 1990 establishments in Illinois 1998 disestablishments in Illinois