Monthly Archives: November 2004

This is the final report on Registration at Midwest FurFest 2004, its fifth year of existence and my fourth year running Registration. Although I’m posting an executive summary of this to the staff mailing list, this is the comprehensive version. I’m going to be pretty detailed here, for two reasons: 1.) As a method of notes to myself for future years, and 2.) In the hopes that this might be useful information to other furry, and fannish in general, conventions. Any comments, suggestions, or constructive criticism is welcome!

Pre-Convention
Registration Materials Vendors

Hey Kids, Let’s Put On A Show!

Oh yeah, we just did. Midwest FurFest has come and gone, and now life is returning (slightly) to some semblence of normal.

This was a difficult year for me – between dealing with a new job, a killer commute, separation from my sweetheart, and the usual pre-con stress, I was pretty much a mess mentally by the time Thursday came around. Takaza was there to steady me, as always, and that helped a lot.

There is absolutely no way I can do a minute-by-minute or even hour-by-hour recap of the con, so I’m just going to hit the high points that I can recall:
Clickety-click for the details

You gotta laugh or you’ll cry

Just when I thought the stress was abating, well, silly me. We’ll muddle through somehow, though not without my blood pressure going through the roof in the meantime.

Now, I never post any of the memes that circulate (and usually ignore them, to be honest), but this one’s results amused the hell out of me. The Believe-O-Matic quiz, which selects what religion best fits your beliefs, had these results for me: Click to see

Head Splodey

In case anyone is wondering where I went, I’m still here. I’m completely snowed under by preparations for Midwest FurFest, though. Don’t expect any updates for about the next week or so, as I am going to be just too darned busy. To those of you who will be at MFF, be sure to stop by Registration and say hi! If you know me well enough, ask me about the ten gallons of beer and maybe we can work something out 🙂 For those not attending, well, I hope you can make it sometime to what I think is one of the most entertaining furry conventions around, even if you’re not “into” furry fandom.

And now, back to work!

A Convention Rant

People seem to have this misconception about conventions (be they furry, or SF, or SCA, or any large fannish gathering), that they are these big, faceless monolithic entities whose movements are mysterious and unknowable. Here’s a secret for you: they are made up of volunteers, people just like you.

Convention policies do not rise from the mysterious depths, spoken by blind oracles; they are arrived at through (hopefully) intelligent and thoughtful consideration by responsible adults. Do you have a problem with a convention policy? Have you considered maybe discussing it with the person responsible? It’s a wacky, crazy idea, but one that you just might want to take into consideration.

The people who help run conventions donate their time and effort and sometimes money so that others can have a good time. What do they get out of it? In most cases, absolutely nothing. With luck, they get the satisfaction of a job well done, of seeing the enjoyment of those around them having a good time, of hearing and seeing good reports after the convention. And if there’s criticism to be had (and of course there will be – I’ve been doing Registration for Midwest FurFest for four years and I have no illusion that it’s perfect, or that it will ever be perfect), it is perfectly reasonable to expect that that criticism might be offered constructively.

Do you have a problem with how something is done? Instead of saying, “I hate the way they did X!” try, “I didn’t like the way they did X, but perhaps it might work better if they tried Y instead.” Be prepared that solution you offered may not be used – there are many different ways to do the same thing, and there may be other factors involved that you haven’t taken into consideration. If this occurs, it isn’t because someone hates you, I assure you. There can always be a discussion about possible solutions, and possibly compromises to be made.

This isn’t a plea for sympathy, or a cheap attempt to garner attaboys for working for furry conventions. It is meant as a reality check, and a reminder to people that at the core of these conventions are people who are making sacrifices so others can have a good time. Show a little respect, be reasonable, and everyone can have a good time.