After helping with successful conventions in Massachusetts, Michael Whitehouse is bringing a sci-fi convention to Mystic this weekend.

Dubbed Ro-Con in honor of his daughter Rowan, the convention was created to provide a place for sci-fi enthusiasts in southeastern Connecticut to meet each other and embrace “all things geek and wonderful.”

“It’s for all the geeks who are hiding out there around southeast Connecticut,” he said. “It’s a good place to get together and get to know each other.”

At the convention, attendees can purchase locally made items inspired by their favorite franchises, listen to presentations from people in the industry, and have discussions with fellow visitors and panelists on anything from string theory to Star Trek.

Whitehouse said he joked about running a sci-fi con for Rowan when she was born, but the idea became more serious after Pi-Con, another sci-fi convention that he helped run, was disbanded. He said the main appeal of that convention was that it stayed small, so attendees could interact with more panelists and presenters in a more engaging setting. Last year Pi-Con was held at the Sheraton Hotel at Bradley International Airport in Windsor Locks.

Ro-Con was designed to be a more locally focused Pi-Con, he said, so people in this area wouldn’t have to go all the way to Massachusetts or beyond to experience that level of engagement, which doesn’t happen with larger conventions like the ones in Boston or New York.

“You stand with a bunch of strangers looking up at a stage and the entertainment comes down to you from the stage at a distance,” he said. “At a fan-run convention, you engage in it. There may be some performances, but at the end of the performance you might go have a beer with the performer.”

The convention at Ramada Mystic will feature local and national authors, scientists and vendors to appeal to all audiences, many of which were regulars at Pi-Con. The guests of honor will include the “Guest of Awesome,” which Whitehouse said was created at Pi-Con to honor people chosen by the staff for their contribution to previous conventions.

Tickets for the convention, which runs from 5 p.m. Friday, July 22 to 5 p.m. Sunday, July 24, are $40 in advance and $45 at the door. Day passes are also available.

a.hutchinson@theday.com