Donovan said:

Cybergarou said:

The policy regarding minors would exclude most of the furs who would benifit the most from a local con.

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Just one correction: there may be an occasional cash bar coordinated through the hotel, but the convention itself does not serve alcohol.  Therefore there are no age restrictions, no carding (by us), and no policy regarding minors whatsoever.

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I was referring to how anyone under 18 must be accompanied by a parent, not carding for alcohol. It is a reasonable policy for your convention, but few of the younger furs around here show up with their parents blessing. (There are some, but I hear just as many furs admit that they sneak off to our events.)

Donovan said:

Cybergarou said:

Donovan said:

Cybergarou said:

The policy regarding minors would exclude most of the furs who would benifit the most from a local con.

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Just one correction: there may be an occasional cash bar coordinated through the hotel, but the convention itself does not serve alcohol.  Therefore there are no age restrictions, no carding (by us), and no policy regarding minors whatsoever.

 

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I was referring to how anyone under 18 must be accompanied by a parent, not carding for alcohol. It is a reasonable policy for your convention, but few of the younger furs around here show up with their parents blessing. (There are some, but I hear just as many furs admit that they sneak off to our events.)

 

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You may be thinking of Midwest FurFest.  I've confirmed it both with the convention head and the committee: anyone of any age can show up at Gaylaxicon without a parent (at least when it's run by us).  There are no age restrictions.
 

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I got that information from the 2009 program book. It's the most recent information I could access and I just assumed it wouldn't change.

You may be interested in how other cons handle minors then. The last one I went to gave minors a different colored badge. Any adult areas had a staff member stationed at the door to make sure no minors entered. By using a different colored badge, only a single glance is needed and the whole process is unobtrusive.

Typically, minors need to provide a waiver when they register. Waivers are easier for most teens to obtain compared to convincing their parents to attend with them.

I checked out the CONvergence rooms for Gaylaxicon the last two years and had a very disappointing experience both years. They seem very clique-ish and not welcoming of newcomers. People I had chatted with last year wouldn't give me the time of day this year.

 

Also, the entry cost is far too expensive. They want half as much more as convergence to attend and I don't make enough to justify the expense.

 

If the registration fees were lower and the people more outgoing, I would consider attending, but it seems to be too expensive for such an atmosphere. I'll stick more reasonable cons in terms of cost and friendliness.

Post edited 5:38 pm – July 13, 2011 by argouru

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"I'm very sorry you had a bad experience.  Were any of the clique-ish people in the room wearing Gaylaxicon shirts?  Because they were the actual con organizers and I'd be interested to hear if any of them (or me) were off-putting.  Dimby and I were both at the door and we were trying to greet everyone who arrived.  It was a pretty crazy night with the My Little Pony meet-up (and hence we had a lot of people who hung out for hours who weren't there for Gaylaxicon).

As for the price, CONvergence gets almost 5,000 memberships and can therefore keep prices low.  Our goal in 2012 is to get 300 memberships and with such a lower number of attendees, we have no choice but to charge more.  The Minneapolis organizers of Gaylaxicon put out a con that was in the black in 2009 and so they've found a formula that works.  The higher registration cost is a necessary part of that.  The bottom line is that we're a convention that's catering to a niche of a niche and to pay off hotel costs, we have no choice but to charge more.

We're a non-profit, fan-run organization and we're doing this out of the love of the GLBT fandom community and creating a safe space for us to thrive.  I'm on the convention committee and the idea to attract furries to Gaylaxicon was entirely my own.  Furries sometimes get dismissed in the geek community at large and I figure if there's any group that will be accepting of outsiders, it's the queer geek community.  So the idea that we would be perceived as unwelcoming is distressing.  If you're willing to talk about it, Dimby and I regularly go to furmeets or we can chat about it online.  I'm pretty much flying by the seat of my pants in trying to make Gaylaxicon a place that furries will want to attend so I welcome all suggestions."

 

Well, the main issue was that that was the general attitude I received from the group as a whole. I felt that the purpose of the suite was to be welcoming and let everyone know what the organization was about, but there seemed to be little discussion on that. Instead, people either huddled together in small groups that ignored everyone else, or sat there watching 'My Attrocious Pony' and not chatting at all. I just didn't feel very welcomed.

 

Also, for me, $$$ is an issue that prevents me from attending events of that financial scale.

 

To answer though, the staff wasn't any more welcoming that the other guests.

I'm attending a religious conference this weekend in florida and won't be able to make the furmeet at perkins. I'll be at the first one in August, tho. I'll wear my purle shirt of a cartoon wolf meather laster then, so kee an eye out for a dark-haired beared guy in that shirt then.