# Big Question- Fur Con in area



## joshstory (Mar 17, 2008)

Wow. What might it take to create a fur convention in one's own area? I would guess it is not that easy, but it can't be imposible.


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## Cray (Mar 18, 2008)

Well, you're right that it's not impossible.  FA: United had an incredible first year and is on track to have an even better year in 2008, so we're proof that it can be done!

We started in 2006 with literally just the idea that "hey, we should put on a convention, that'd be awesome!"  We had no idea what we were doing, and no intention to let that stop us from doing it anyway.  It turns out we did a good job, as our first year attendance made us the #10 furry convention in the country, and #11 in the world.

I had a whole big reply to you written up, but I'm going to scrap it for simplicity's sake.  What does it take to put on a furry convention?

Time, money, and dedicated people.  If you're not willing to give up a few weekends and evenings, donate a few of your paychecks, and get together a group of people whose relationships may well be strained by the amount of effort required, then you won't be able to pull it off.

I don't mean to sound pessimistic, not at all.  FA: United was a blast to put on in 2007, and I am _really_ looking forward to 2008.  But planning it isn't fun, it's work.  As staff, we don't get to the fun part until August 4th this year, when everyone has gone home, and we can sit back, relax, and look back on the weekend with the knowledge that hundreds of people had a fun and memorable weekend, and we helped make it happen.

And then after a couple week hiatus, we get back to planning for 2009.


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## Dragoneer (Mar 18, 2008)

*nods* As Cray said, it's a lot of effort and a lot of hardwork, planning and _Things That Always Come Up Last Minute(tm)_. Something always comes unexpectedly, so it's good to have everything planned far out ahead of time so you're not caught off guard and unprepared.

Case in point, we planned our con around a bit of a "worst case scenario". What would happen if we didn't make the numbers we needed? What if we didn't have X when it came con time? By planning low and preparing, we ultimately had a smooth sailing because we'd gone over everything under the sun.

But as Cray said, it's worth it. Very worth the work. Watching everybody have a good time and watching all your hard work pay of in the end is its own reward.

You need three basic things to start a con:
Place - A hotel and/or gathering ground. Lodges work well for smaller shindigs, like Furloween.
Bodies - A staff of people who live local willing to assist. Trustworthy people who have patience, a pulse and a cheerful outlook.
Ka-ching! - A small bit o' money to invest up front. Keep in mind you have to pay for, but not limited to: conbooks, badges, shirts, insurance, a gauranteed number of room fees, planning meetings and/or state filing expenses for taxes/permits.
You can do a con on the cheap for some things. You also have to prepared to potentially not break even the first year, too. Not all cons are able to make a profit their first run, and some take a year or two to get into the groove.


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