There are a lot of MLP conventions

[Zoraxe 546]

In the USA there are a lot of MLP conventions. Too many conventions is not a good thing, I think we should discuss which conventions should exist and what ones are cluttering up the scene.

Bronycon obviously has its place as the largest and first Brony convention. What others, hmmm... 'Big Apple Ponycon' I'd say is a good choice. I know there are others out there that are golden choices too.

 

The conventions outside the US like 'Galacon' and 'BUCK' are also good examples. Are there too few conventions in Europe, or is it the right amount?

And the 'MLP Fair' also fills its niche, being a MLP convention older than G4 and is Hasbro sponsored.

I'm not saying that lesser cons should just disappear, but I think that those guys should go small. Maybe go for for a mini-convention sort of deal, like a larger kind of Brony meet with maybe a few venders and not trying to get star guests. Instead of trying to compete with the larger and already established conventions.

And I think its best if people who never done a convention before should start small, we don't need another 'los Pegasus Unicon'.
 

[Gone for good 1,593]

Lol conventions are fun, I don't see why there would be an issue with too many. There are also a crap ton of Comic conventions and I have yet to hear one word regarding those.

 

Here's what I thinks gonna happen: there will be a few big conventions and then all of the other ones will unfortunately be smaller but most likely cheaper. This is currently how it is with pretty much any convention I can name.

[Mand'alor Dash 2,225]

One TV show having this many yearly conventions is unheard of. Obviously, there should be some conventions, but having too many is what lets bullshit like Unicon happen.

 

Obviously, we need Bronycon and Everfree Northwest. The big two. Those and a few more should cover the US, and BronyCAN for Canada. There should also be a few in Europe, and maybe one in Japan and Australia.

 

What we SHOULDN'T have is 50,000 cons in the US, with at least four of them being centered in Texas. That's the kind of insanity that gave us Unicon, and the reason why Sweet Apple Acres Con became a subject of controversy and had to be postponed. We don't need cons named after every fucking episode and location in the show, why can't we just have about a dozen? Some sort of manageable number. We don't need to do this in extreme excess like we currently are.

[Galen 1,354]

Wow, I had no idea there were that many cons in the US. BUCK is literally the only one I know of in Europe (which I will be going to btw so if anyone else around these parts is going there, let me know if you wish :33). MLP just doesn't get the kind of publicity in Europe that it does in the US. But I think there's another side to the issue as well. MLP doesn't get nearly as much bad publicity in Europe either, which is potentially part of the reason why there aren't as many cons. Often, some of these cons exist to prove it's not as bad as people think. Since that's not the case here, I figure that's the reason why BUCK is literally the only European bronycon (afaik).

[Dark Qiviut 22,583]

@@Lord Bababa, Two exceptions to the rule:

1. Comic cons have been around for a much longer time than brony cons, and they already have a solid reputation. There's a bunch of experience in the Comic-Con empire, which is why it's so big.
2. The brony fandom, while expanding and big, is still very young in today's standards. A lot of people don't have the wherewithal to know how much work convention is. It isn't all fun and games. It takes time, planning, finances, and a whole lot of faith that your convention will be successful.
   
   Some conventions in general want to go big or go home. While some succeed, some fail unless the convention planners understand what they're doing and have some backup plan in case something goes awry.

 

 

And I think its best if people who never done a convention before should start small, we don't need another 'los Pegasus Unicon'.

I agree. A good way to understand conventions isn't by going so big immediately, but by taking steps. If you want to go big on your first try, wait for the demand, and make sure the people responsible for the convention know what they're doing. Something similar to this happened in Everfree Northwest; it was small, but the demand got big, so EFNW was able to expand. However, EFNW was an exception.

 

Thirty-plus conventions, most equal in size, is too much of a good thing in the U.S. However, going too small is just as bad. The U.S. is where the brony fandom is most active, and it's one of the most populous countries in the world. There is a massive demand for brony conventions because it gets very expensive to travel. One user on EQD suggested having the majority of the major U.S. brony conventions on the costs. With the small exception of TrotCon, this leaves everyone in the midwest (especially west of Missouri and south of Tennessee) left out, and the midwest has high demand for brony conventions.

 

Having bronies and talent gather up in Comic-Cons isn't a good idea, either, because Comic-Cons attract a much different market. I'm not into comics, and having an exception in a comic convention muddles the Comic-Con's focus and branding. (The niche FIM comics aren't sustainable.) It would be a complete waste of time for people like myself to attend a comic convention just to see FIM and the bronies while not exploring the rest of a market that'll never catch my eye.

 

If you ask me, anywhere from seven to nine U.S. brony conventions will suffice. BronyCon, EFNW, EQLA, Fiesta Equestria, and TrotCon are a start. (Big Apple Ponycon isn't a brony convention as it's a celebration of MLP's entire history instead of only FIM. Canterlot Gardens won't happen due to poor finances.) Nightmare Nights is around the corner, and the Grand Brony Gala (a first-year con) was successful. Have Bronycon be the big brony convention in the U.S. EFNW, EQLA, FE, and TrotCon are a medium size; the rest are smaller until the demand arrives.

 

BronyCAN works because despite the country's massive size (second-biggest in the world behind Russia), the population is much smaller, so the demand isn't there. Europe is the second-smallest continent, and not all the countries air the show nor have a big following.

 

 

 

Since that's not the case here, I figure that's the reason why BUCK is literally the only European bronycon (afaik).

There's more than one. GalaCon is another in Europe.

Edited July 12, 2013 by Dark Qiviut

[Zoraxe 546]

Well, I was at 'Big Apple Ponycon' and yes, it was for all generations of MLP. But, it was most certainly Brony focused, most of the attenders were Bronies. And there were many more Brony panels than old gen ones, I'm certain of that, I'm looking at the schedule booklet right now.

 

Speaking of which, there are like no videos of the Big Apple Ponycon panels on YouTube, that's a shame because I would have liked to see some of those panels again and see the ones I missed.

 

I'd like that convention to stay, it fills the void that Bronycon made when it left for Maryland. Big Apple Ponycon is the convention for the northeast.

 

Since Bronycon is in Maryland, is that sufficient for the American Southeast or is that region lacking for conventions?

[Zygen 6,066]

Eh, I don't have an issue with there being to many, there cool from what I can tell. I've never been to any, but still.

 

If they can afford to host a con for bronies to have fun then let them.

 

I do think there can be a lacking amount outside of the US but conventions are sponsored by seperate people, so it's not exactly like having one disappear in the US will make others appear elsewhere nessarly.

 

I don't think there is to many really or it's even a problem.

 

But maybe I'm just ignorant having not actually gone to any, idk, just my thoughts.

[Scootalove 10,692]

I think that there isn't really a problem with a lot of MLP conventions but, the thing is nobody usually complains about them. They are pretty fun, so I don't see it as an issue.

[Homura Akemi 974]

The only one I have been to is Equestria LA. I went last year and this year. I say the more, the merrier. Some people aren't lucky enough to have cons near them.

[thor9356 540]

My first convention was Midwestria and I have to say, it was the best one so far. I got to sing karoake side by side with Amy Keating Rogers while singing, "Don't Stop Believing". I got to hang out and talk to M.A. Larson which at the time was his first brony convention as well. I participated in the charity auction and got some awesome stuff.

 

Charlotte Fullerton was actually the first person I met with after I got my badge at the Registration Desk. It was wicked cool and I met some awesome friends that I let shack up with me in my hotel room. Even got to meet EuroBrony which was wicked cool.

 

What i'm saying is you don't need to get rid of the small ones and the big ones can mess up as well. Remember the Las Vegas Convention? You can still have a fun time even at the small ones. No need to downsize them or anything.

[Fhaolan 4,494]

There are a few problems is the Pacific Northwest around conventions, fairs, and festivals. It's not that there's too many, not anymore. There *used* to be, but a lot of them have ceased to exist over the last five years. However, here's the main list:

 

1) Conventions (including sci-fi, anime, furry, video-game, etc.), fairs (including ren fairs, SCA events, farmer markets, craft shows, etc.) and festivals (including music, film, stage, etc.) (all called cons from here on because I don't want to type that all out every time), are regularly treated as private parties being funded by the public. The organizers want to have a big blow-out, invite all their friends, have a venue for their own performance troupes/art/whatever, and have gate fees pay for it all. "Wouldn't it be fun to have our own Con?" is the question I keep hearing. The question is okay, it's the motivation behind it that's the problem.

 

1.1) The con organizers get the idea that they'll be hosting panels, parties, putting on performances, whatever during their con. That's not the way it works. It takes at least a year to organize a con properly, and during the con there is lots of work that still needs doing. If the con committee has free time during the con itself, they're doing it wrong.

 

2) The Cons try to be too big too fast. They don't do any actual market research to see what the local market can actually bear, and base everything off of what one of the organizers saw when they went to con once in Texas, California, or New York. 

 

3) The Cons are run as cults of personality. The primary con organizer's  (typically known as the Con Chair) word is law, and anyone disagreeing is evil and needs to be put down, ostracized, and run out of Dodge. The con organizer can take anything they want from the con's coffers, freely borrow (and damage) equipment, because it's *their* con, and they can do whatever they want.

 

3.1) The various Con chairs actively hate each other due to ego conflicts, and refuse to work together in any way. They would prefer to destroy the market entirely rather than admit that they can't all be on the same weekend, in adjoining hotels/parks/etc.

 

4) Volunteers are used to fulfill roles that at minimum semi-pros are *essential*. Security, tech, finances, etc.

 

5) Many cons committees get advice from ProCon teams that are used to putting on events sponsored by corporations. The financial model of a ProCon is quite different from a regular Con thanks to that corporate sponsorship, leading to massive financial failures.

 

You want to put on a con yourself? Contact an existing, successful con, and ask to shadow their con committee to learn the ropes. Fan conventions have been put on successfully in the States since 1937. That's a *lot* of experience to learn from. To the point that having cons fail due to ignorance is insane. Failing due to the economy dropping, that's understandable, but plain old ignorance is just.... no real words without being flat out insulting.

[Norman 177]

One TV show having this many yearly conventions is unheard of. Obviously, there should be some conventions, but having too many is what lets bullshit like Unicon happen.

 

Obviously, we need Bronycon and Everfree Northwest. The big two. Those and a few more should cover the US, and BronyCAN for Canada. There should also be a few in Europe, and maybe one in Japan and Australia.

 

What we SHOULDN'T have is 50,000 cons in the US, with at least four of them being centered in Texas. That's the kind of insanity that gave us Unicon, and the reason why Sweet Apple Acres Con became a subject of controversy and had to be postponed. We don't need cons named after every fucking episode and location in the show, why can't we just have about a dozen? Some sort of manageable number. We don't need to do this in extreme excess like we currently are.

Well I beg to differ in regards to BronyCAN. It's a lovely convention, but it's on one side of Canada, and Canada is the second largest country in the world. Currently I'm closer to Lisbon than I am to BronyCAN. I feel there should be more Canadian My Little Pony conventions.

[Fhaolan 4,494]

Well I beg to differ in regards to BronyCAN. It's a lovely convention, but it's on one side of Canada, and Canada is the second largest country in the world. Currently I'm closer to Lisbon than I am to BronyCAN. I feel there should be more Canadian My Little Pony conventions.

 

I may be wrong, but I'm under the impression that the intent of BronyCAN is to be mobile, which is somewhat unusual for cons. There's only a handful that I'm aware of that deliberately move about their host country like that. So next year, it might be nearer to you.

[Norman 177]

I may be wrong, but I'm under the impression that the intent of BronyCAN is to be mobile, which is somewhat unusual for cons. There's only a handful that I'm aware of that deliberately move about their host country like that. So next year, it might be nearer to you.

Recently they confirmed that BronyCAN will not be moving away from its current location in Richmond. I'm coincidentally nearby this year, but it will likely be the only BronyCAN I'll ever attend, considering a trip there is the same price as BronyCon. If they ever did though, they wouldn't move out of Canada (which I'm in anyway). That defeats the whole point of Brony*CAN*