This year, two fabulous Eroticon attendees have volunteered to be ambassadors – points of contact for introductions/chat for those of you who might be a bit nervous or find it hard to introduce yourselves. They are Horny Geek Girl and Ruby Goodnight. Below, Horny Geek Girl explains what an Eroticon Ambassador is, and how she and Ruby can support you during the event.
You may be wondering what is an Eroticon Ambassador? Why did HornyGeekGirl volunteer to do it? I am hoping to answer both those questions in this article.
‘Eroticon Ambassador’ means that over the weekend I will be available as much as possible if you need someone to sit down with, or hug, or chat to, or rant to. If there is someone you really want to meet and talk to but are afraid to approach, I will be the person you can ask to introduce you.
Why? Well, in the summer of 2015 I had only been blogging (as HornyGeekGirl) for a year, I had chatted to people online but I had only met one person from the community in person. I won a ticket to attend Eroticon, and I was really excited about it. Not only would I get to listen to all the great talks but I would get to meet all the people I only knew as little boxes on my screen. I couldn’t wait.
However, things didn’t go quite as I hoped. I’d made arrangements to spend one-on-one time with a few of the people I chatted to most often, and those meets went great but overall I really struggled. I enjoyed the talks, even though I managed to mix up times and miss two talks I really wanted to see. The reason for the mix up… nerves. I was so anxious about the number of people. It was hard to approach people who had obviously met before without feeling like I was intruding, especially if they were having a conversation. It didn’t matter how welcoming the people were I still felt awkward. I didn’t have that unrestrained knack of just joining in with a conversation, as if I was joining old friends.
Fast forward to last summer when Girl on the Net told me she was taking over running Eroticon (with Molly and Michael), and moving it to London. I’ve learnt a lot in the last few years – I’m not the same person I was then. I also know London better than I know Bristol which eases some of my anxiety. When I managed to get a few companies (thanks SheetsofSanFrancisco and Lustery) to sponsor me and help with my costs I knew it was a done deal.
I’d bought my ticket but I was still remembering my last outing to Eroticon, especially after I heard about so many newbies who were attending. I made a (slightly scary) decision to see if I could help people who might be in the same boat that I was when I first arrived at Eroticon in 2015. I emailed Girl on the Net asking what she thought, and she loved my idea. So here I am, your ambassador.
If you’re nervous about the event, worried you won’t be able to introduce yourself, or just want someone to come and chat to – that’s what I’m here for! During the intro at the start of the conference, Molly will point out the Eroticon Ambassadors in the room and we’ll also have it marked on our badges so you know who we are. There will also be information on how to contact us at the registration desk.
So: come and get hold of me if you’re nervous, anxious or shy, and you want someone to chat to and make introductions. Even if all you need is someone to sit next to so you can de-stress, because we all need that sometimes!
