What Does Being a WSFS Member Mean?
As a member of Seattle Worldcon 2025, you are a member of the World Science Fiction Society (WSFS). The membership of WSFS is made up of the membership of the Worldcon for that year—this year that’s Seattle Worldcon 2025.
How Do You Get Engaged in WSFS Business?
Your WSFS membership gives you the right to nominate and participate in finalist voting for the Hugo Awards and to participate in site selection for the 2027 Worldcon. If you take the additional step of becoming an attending member or virtual attending member the Seattle Worldcon, you have the opportunity to attend the WSFS Business Meeting and debate and vote on the rules of the organization, including Hugo Award categories, site selection processes, and the rules of how the debate on those topics happens (i.e., the rules for the WSFS Business Meeting itself).
The debate and discussion about topics such as the Hugo Awards, site selection processes, and WSFS Business Meeting rules occurs at the business meeting (yes, the individuals at the meeting debate how the individuals at the meeting should debate). You must be an attending member or virtual attending member to attend and vote at the business meeting; however, all WSFS members may submit business.
What Happened at Last Year’s Business Meeting (and Why Does It Matter)?
Changes to the WSFS Constitution normally have to be passed at one Worldcon and then ratified at the next one before they are confirmed. This ensures that there is time to fully reflect on the decision made in the room before finalizing the change. It also enables people who were not present for the original discussion to express their views. The items which were passed last year and are now up for ratification are referred to as “Business Passed On”.
Sometimes committees are also established by one business meeting to report back the following year.
When posted, you will be able to find the minutes of the 2024 Business Meeting, held at the Glasgow Worldcon, on the WSFS Website. The site also contains the Business Passed On (99 KB .pdf) to Seattle Worldcon 2025. You can find video recordings of all sessions of the 2024 Business Meeting on the Worldcon Events Youtube Channel.
When and Where Is the Business Meeting?
Seattle Worldcon 2025 will host the business meeting virtually on four different dates prior to the convention: July 4, July 13, July 19, and July 25. The business meeting times will be announced closer to these dates; however, we expect the meetings to start in the morning in Pacific Time and run for a similar length as previous in-person business meetings.
Given the way debate occurs, there is no specific time at which any individual item of business will be discussed, just an agenda establishing an order. The one exception is the result of site selection, which will be taken up in-person at the Seattle Worldcon.
What Happens Each Day?
The first session of the meeting is generally known as the preliminary business meeting. It is used to review the agenda for the rest of the sessions, set debate times (which can always be amended), and provide members with the chance to object to discussion of certain items of business (there is a particular mechanism for this and it requires a vote of those present). This session can also include reports on the finances of previous and future Worldcons, reports from other WSFS committees, and votes on certain resolutions. If all preliminary business meeting business is completed, we will move on to the main agenda.
At the second and following sessions, the meeting handles the remaining business in order, including debate and, as necessary, votes. Business can be either voted on or referred to committees to report back this year or in future years. As noted above, a business meeting session will be held for the site selection team to present the results of the site selection vote, and to hear a presentation from the newly seated Worldcon.
The agenda will be released after the submission deadline of June 4, 2025.
Why All the Rules?
To ensure that each attendee has an opportunity to be heard, aid in managing votes, and keep the agenda rolling, the business meeting is run according to Robert’s Rules of Order, Newly Revised (RONR) unless the WSFS Standing Rules include a specific deviation from RONR.
Remember that “fair” doesn’t always mean “I get what I personally want.” It’s a deliberative assembly run in a democratic manner. That means that sometimes you don’t win, but it does mean that everybody has to play by the same rules.
Reminder: the current standing rules, along with a copy of the WSFS Constitution, can be found on the WSFS website.
Any Questions?
If you have any questions or concerns about how the business meeting works, please contact us at business-meeting-help@seattlein2025.org.