{original post had no questions}

"What does concern me is the future of the fan convention which, I
understand, is particularly strong in the Uk compared to the US which
is mainly professionally run conventions ( Correct me if I have
misunderstood the situation in the States.)"

That's definitely, 100% incorrect. The professional conventions
are only a very small percentage of the overall conventions that take
place in the US. Most are local, fan-run conventions, and a large
number of regional or state conventions, and those covering several
states.

jms