If the adage "safety in numbers" is accurate, Lansing's ConClave is a sort of Fort Knox for local connoisseurs of science fiction and fantasy literature, art and gaming.

Each year, the convention draws hundreds to Lansing's Holiday Inn South and provides an opportunity for avid fans to intermingle.

Some come to meet prominent guests, some come to play various fantasy games with other enthusiasts, and some come to find love. Whatever the reason, ConClave and hundreds of similar events that take place in America each year, provide an opportunity for people sometimes written off as geeks to convene with like-minded others.

"Think of it as a weekend gathering of avid fantasy and science fiction followers," said Steve MacDonald, chairman of the 29th annual ConClave. "You have this culture of several generations of people getting together because they love the literature."

This year, the conference, or "con," as the events are generally called by attendees, is set to take place Oct. 22-24. Along with fantasy authors and artists, the event will feature a comedy troupe, anime, and a gaming tournament.

It's not all entertainment, though. Given the state of the economy, the organizers have added a résumé-writing and networking facet to the convention.

"A lot of our attendees are in the high-tech industries and a lot of us are out of work right now," MacDonald said.

The size and scope of conventions such as ConClave varies as much as the mediums they deal with. There are enormous conferences that draw people from all around the nation, and there are small events that are lucky to be attended by 200 people. Some, like ConClave, are fairly general, offering a wide variety of activities and programs. Others are dedicated to something specific like gaming, comic books, or fantasy literature and art.

"They're all over the place," said Lon Braidwood, manager of 21st Century Comics And Games, 515 E. Grand River Ave. "It's a whole subculture.

"This is just like the people who used to follow the Grateful Dead."

Braidwood said he usually sets up a booth at the Foundation Gaming Convention, which is held twice a year in Okemos.

Dedicated solely to gaming, the convention is popular among many area residents, including Darlene Morgan, who sat playing a game called "HackMaster" inside of 21st Century Comics And Games on Tuesday evening.

"You can actually meet new people and start your own group," the Lansing resident said.

Sitting adjacent to her, Morgan's husband Aaron Pollyea explained the importance of the gaming conventions he and his wife frequent.

"Usually at conventions, something big is going on," he said, adding that new products are often unveiled at the nation's larger conventions. "Smaller cons have their place, too. They pander to more of a niche market."

The presence of prominent guests is a central reason people flock to fan-based conventions. According to MacDonald, convincing such guests to attend is usually not problematic.

"For them, it's promoting their work," he said. "For everybody else, its getting up close and personal with people whose work they enjoy."

This year's ConClave will feature fantasy author Tanya Huff and artist Heather Bruton, both of whom MacDonald expects will draw crowds.

Although there is almost always a cost to attend, the fact that many fan-based conventions are run by non-profit organizations generally keeps admission prices from being exorbitant.

"They're usually relatively inexpensive," Braidwood said. "Conventions are just trying to make back the money they spent for lodging."

But the amount of money spent at conventions rarely stops at admission fees.

Hospitality business senior Ryan Hirsch recalled spending more than $200 on gaming merchandise at a recent festival.

"The money was just all the sudden gone," he said.

Those who frequent fan-based conventions like ConClave note that activity often strays beyond hobbies as night approaches.

"Stupid stuff always happens, but it's going to happen anywhere," Braidwood said, referencing a tendency for alcohol-related incidents to take place. "There's not much you can do."

MacDonald conceded that some adult-oriented activity takes place at ConClave.

"It's not that we have a huge amount of debauchery," he said. "We focus on being a family-fun convention. We try to keep the level of eroticism to a minimum until at least after 9 p.m."

For Hirsch, though, a lot of the enjoyment of conventions comes from something other than "eroticism."

"It's fun to see closet gamers come out," he said. "There's a lot of people who are gamers that won't admit it in public."