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Do you have a LGS with ample gaming space? Just hold a Pathfinder Society weekend if the store is cool with it. Post in the PFS Grand Lodge forum, announce it on your local MeetUp board, and get fliers to post at the store.
Or you could rent a banquet room at a hotel and charge admission to defray the costs.
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Ok, then you'll have to go the hotel route (unless your town has a convention center with an opening).
What town are you in? Do you have an adequately large airport and ample hotel room availability? Are you trying to attract some industry people for panels and the like? Is the con going to be strictly Pathfinder, or do you want to diversify? How many people do you think would attend if you threw a con? Do you have ample finances to put money up front with the possibility of not recouping your entire investment? Can you get your local gaming stores interested (maybe they can help with costs and set up vendor booths)? How many people do you know that would volunteer to help run the con? When were you planning on throwing this event?
Lots of questions. :)
Director of Brand Strategy
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I have the gameday, I want to get one of these awesome cons with special events.
In order to host official PFS events other than the running of scenarios, you'd have to talk to Josh Frost. I imagine that if you handled all the logistics of the convention you'd be able to at least run tables of normal scenarios, but even PaizoCon UK and Origins aren't getting special interactives like the cons Paizo has a presence at (PaizoCon, GenCon) so I wouldn't get your hopes up too high about those, but you never know!
Regional Venture-Coordinator, Mediterranean
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Hey I've got group of PFS players for at least 100 miles, how do I go about organizing a PFS con?
Josh is indeed the guy to talk to but Paizo have limited resources and people so don't expect anything major. Admittedly PaizoCon UK is pretty far away from the Paizo offices so we never expected anybody from Paizo to turn up. But they have been very supportive and passed on an invitation to contributors that were closer to us which is how we've managed to get a few guests.
For a first time go at setting up a convention, I'd recommend staying focused. With PaizoCon UK it is all about the Pathfinder Society games primarily. So make sure you have a venue big enough to hold the games, talk to potential GMs as early as possible and decide on which scenarios you are going to run.
We've found our website to be absolutely invaluable as advertising but also the main contact point. Communication is key.
Regional Venture-Coordinator, Gulf
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I have been in the convention game for a while in Florida.
My advice is start with one game day. Plan two slots, get a library or a school or even a FLGS. Get folks to preregister and tell you what they are playing ahead. I recommend Warhorn.org for the schedule tool; its free (donation driven) and it lets you assign things early.
If you get a morning and an afternoon slot going, and you are not scared off try a minicon.
For the minicon experience, get a space for cheap, we used a friendly realtor closing office and got three rooms for almost nothing when we told them we would donate our profit to charity. We got a nearly free space, we got to play, and the boys and girls of the Special Forces Warriors Foundation got some money.
One other piece of advice is, "a volunteer can't be fired." Make sure you have a stable of good DMs who prepare ahead, give people a good time, and will manage the table well. Nothing is worse than a group of players who felt that the DM wasn't ready, or was unfair. Have a job in your convention plan that you can assign a less experienced person to, that makes them feel like they contribute. You will need your second string DM when they get a few games under their belt.
There is a lot here, but its not an easy thing to up and start off. Dealing with the Public is a pain. You get great people and they make it all worth it, but you get people that are trouble and all you get is great war stories. Doing conventions, game days and open slots is rewarding, but you are embarking on a monster of a task.