The annual World Horror Conventions were held mostly in the United States or Canada, frequently alternating between the east and west sides of North America.
In 2010, the convention was held outside North America for the first and only time, in Brighton, England.
The bids from potential committees were presented to the members of the board of directors of the World Horror Society, who then decided where future conventions would be held.
The Horror Writers Association's Bram Stoker Award ceremony was held in conjunction with the convention for many years, but the HWA now stages the ceremony at its own event, the Bram Stoker Awards Weekend.
The World Horror Convention Grand Master Award was given most years, until the World Horror Convention was discontinued in favor of the annual Bram Stoker Awards Weekend.