Con Beware
Ok, I know this is a new and somewhat unusual beware for this community. I'm posting because FurFestNorthwest.com are contacting many artists trying to sell dealers tables and art panels. I know quite a few artists, and my wife is one of them, and I hate to see anyone get in to something like this without having all of the background info first. I'm not trying to disparage FurFestNorthwest, just make sure that everyone knows what they're really getting in to. Everything here is from the horse's mouth or their website. Good Luck to them and all, and we'll see how it goes.
I'm highly skeptical about this Con, and I know a lot of other folks are too. Nobody knows exactly how it is funded. They claim that all they need are "only" 200 furs to pull it off[1]. Bringing in 200 furs in only 4 months of planning is a huge challenge for a big city, let alone little Moscow, Idaho. If they go bust, will you get a refund? Will you spend $450 dollars to fly from Denver Colorado [2], plus $80 a night[3], plus pay for some of your banquet[4], and possibly tentative costs to run a tentatively open dealer table and participate in the tentatively priced art show, only to find that the entire con consists of 20 bored furries from eastern Washington? Will you pay hundreds of dollars and drag your artwork to Idaho just to find that you're spending an overpriced weekend vacation in a little college town with few attractions?
1. http://www.furbox.net/forums/viewtopic.php?p=20755
2. http://furfestnorthwest.com/howtogethere.htm
3. http://furfestnorthwest.com/whenandwhere.htm
4. http://furfestnorthwest.com/banquet.htm
There is only a little more than a month left, and yet...
* There is no programming schedule.
* There are no clinics scheduled.
* There are no presentations scheduled.
http://furfestnorthwest.com/
In fact, the only things scheduled are...
* A Fursuit Parade (well, that's easy to promise. 2 fursuiters makes a parade.)
* A Fursuit Talent show (Again, 2 fursuits for the win!)
* Fursuit Photographs, at your additional cost of course.
* And another Fursuit Parade! Why settle for just one parade?
http://furfestnorthwest.com/events.htm
Oh, and maybe they will take a group out to "see some wolves". In fact, maybe even "see some wolves" in the wild! Tramping around in the woods with a group of furries in search of wild wolves, how fun!
Of course, what is a Furry con without an art show? Well, maybe we'll get to find out. "Art Show information will be updated as soon as possible". And the dealers den will "tentatively" be open. Huzzah!
http://furfestnorthwest.com/artshow.htm
http://furfestnorthwest.com/dealers.htm
And don't worry about food. "This page will provide information about any meals offered as well as food available outside of the con site where possible." But you can be sure that they might "subsidize" your banquet meal on Saturday. You know, as soon as they "decide what to feed you".
http://furfestnorthwest.com/food.htm
http://furfestnorthwest.com/banquet.htm
Registration is, well, tenative. In fact, everything is tentative! Registration prices are tentative. Art panel prices are tentative. Dealer table prices are tentative.
http://furfestnorthwest.com/registrationform.htm
Happily, they have guests of honor. Well, maybe. Assuming one of them can even get to the con...
http://www.furfestnorthwest.com/bb/viewtopic.php?t=3
Don't you worry about a thing. This con is run like a well oiled BDSM fetish night! How can you be assured of this? Because all of the staff workers are Slaves! Ok, maybe this is a cheap shot, but giving your workers the title "Slave" is not exactly the way to create a professional image.
http://furfestnorthwest.com/staff.htm
So sign on up and they'll bill you, you know, when they're ready[5]. Tentatively.
5. Actual quote: "we'll bill you later, probablywhen we get the registration software done."
I'm highly skeptical about this Con, and I know a lot of other folks are too. Nobody knows exactly how it is funded. They claim that all they need are "only" 200 furs to pull it off[1]. Bringing in 200 furs in only 4 months of planning is a huge challenge for a big city, let alone little Moscow, Idaho. If they go bust, will you get a refund? Will you spend $450 dollars to fly from Denver Colorado [2], plus $80 a night[3], plus pay for some of your banquet[4], and possibly tentative costs to run a tentatively open dealer table and participate in the tentatively priced art show, only to find that the entire con consists of 20 bored furries from eastern Washington? Will you pay hundreds of dollars and drag your artwork to Idaho just to find that you're spending an overpriced weekend vacation in a little college town with few attractions?
1. http://www.furbox.net/forums/viewtopic.php?p=20755
2. http://furfestnorthwest.com/howtogethere.htm
3. http://furfestnorthwest.com/whenandwhere.htm
4. http://furfestnorthwest.com/banquet.htm
There is only a little more than a month left, and yet...
* There is no programming schedule.
* There are no clinics scheduled.
* There are no presentations scheduled.
http://furfestnorthwest.com/
In fact, the only things scheduled are...
* A Fursuit Parade (well, that's easy to promise. 2 fursuiters makes a parade.)
* A Fursuit Talent show (Again, 2 fursuits for the win!)
* Fursuit Photographs, at your additional cost of course.
* And another Fursuit Parade! Why settle for just one parade?
http://furfestnorthwest.com/events.htm
Oh, and maybe they will take a group out to "see some wolves". In fact, maybe even "see some wolves" in the wild! Tramping around in the woods with a group of furries in search of wild wolves, how fun!
Of course, what is a Furry con without an art show? Well, maybe we'll get to find out. "Art Show information will be updated as soon as possible". And the dealers den will "tentatively" be open. Huzzah!
http://furfestnorthwest.com/artshow.htm
http://furfestnorthwest.com/dealers.htm
And don't worry about food. "This page will provide information about any meals offered as well as food available outside of the con site where possible." But you can be sure that they might "subsidize" your banquet meal on Saturday. You know, as soon as they "decide what to feed you".
http://furfestnorthwest.com/food.htm
http://furfestnorthwest.com/banquet.htm
Registration is, well, tenative. In fact, everything is tentative! Registration prices are tentative. Art panel prices are tentative. Dealer table prices are tentative.
http://furfestnorthwest.com/registrationform.htm
Happily, they have guests of honor. Well, maybe. Assuming one of them can even get to the con...
http://www.furfestnorthwest.com/bb/viewtopic.php?t=3
Don't you worry about a thing. This con is run like a well oiled BDSM fetish night! How can you be assured of this? Because all of the staff workers are Slaves! Ok, maybe this is a cheap shot, but giving your workers the title "Slave" is not exactly the way to create a professional image.
http://furfestnorthwest.com/staff.htm
So sign on up and they'll bill you, you know, when they're ready[5]. Tentatively.
5. Actual quote: "we'll bill you later, probablywhen we get the registration software done."