Some of the fabulous prizes that were available in the World Horror Convention 2007 raffle in San Francisco.

Along with killer Cosmopolitans, excellent wines and numerous other alcoholic drinks (the latter thanks to the kind folks at Borderlands bookstore), almost any beverage was available from the bar area. Canadian and British foods and candies were hand-imported for the event and were quickly consumed by the hundreds of attendees. Leaflets, brochures and posters were displayed and distributed from Toronto Tourism, The Merril Collection, Marriott Hotel Eaton Centre, Twilight Tales and of course, World Horror Convention 2007. Memberships were available on the night at the low rate and consequently sold at a brisk pace.

A special feature of British FantasyCons—the Raffle—was imported to the San Francisco party and was considered by many to be the hit of the weekend. American attendees were especially fascinated by the British raffle tickets themselves, and the numerous winners left the party delighted with their prizes—especially after much negotiation and swapping had occurred.

There were more than 100 donated items to be won, including signed books from Sèphera Girón, Nancy Holder, Stephen Jones, Nancy Kilpatrick, Brian Lumley, David Morrell, Kim Newman, John Pelan, Michael Marshall Smith and Chelsea Quinn Yarbro, amongst others. Other prizes included many collectible hardcovers and paperbacks, multi-signed anthologies, signed copies of Cemetery Dance magazine, a complete set of signed copies of the Canadian magazine Borderlands, signed Northern Frights cover proofs, signed artwork from John Picacio and Randy Broecker, and a programme booklet from this year's Arthur C. Clarke Awards, signed by all the nominees and presenter China Miéville. Peter Crowther of PS Publishing donated a number of choice limited edition hardcovers, including the slipcased Cinema Macabre signed by all 50 contributors, and there was even a big bar of British chocolate and a jug of Canadian maple syrup to be won. John Pelan was the only author to win one of his own books, and he generously returned the prize for someone else to claim.

Some of the fabulous prizes that were available in the World Horror Convention 2007 raffle in San Francisco.

For more than an hour, Stephen Jones, ably assisted by Amanda Foubister, shouted out the winning tickets in a bitingly cold wind on the candle-lit balcony/patio area, where party attendees were also able to watch a spectacular fireworks display while sipping their cocktails and chatting to friends and business associates. The party ran for more than five hours, and among the many hundreds of people who dropped by during that period, such luminaries as Peter Atkins, Alan M. Clark, Paula Guran, Glen Hirshberg, Brian Keene, Lisa Morton, Yvonne Navarro, Tony Richards, Frank M. Robinson, Michael Rowe, Koji Suzuki, Peter Straub, John Skipp and F. Paul Wilson were also spotted amongst the heaving crowd, as well as the chairs and staff of the 2006 convention.

The party was considered a huge success, with the profile of the 2007 World Horror Convention raised immensely, many memberships sold, and much fun had by everyone. The remaining alcohol supplies were donated to the convention's Dead Dog party, and Stephen Jones discovered the following morning that he had lost his voice.

Our thanks to everyone who donated prizes and who came along on the night and supported us. As our friends from San Francisco were frequently heard to say over the weekend: "It was an awesome party!"