Universal FanCon

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Overview

Universal FanCon was a planned convention scheduled to be held in Baltimore, Maryland from April 27th to April 29th, 2018. The event was widely discussed online following its abrupt cancellation one week before its planned scheduled date.

Background

On December 13th, 2016, a Kickstarter^[2] page for a event named "Universal FanCon" was created, which described itself as the "first multi-fandom con dedicated to inclusion, highlighting women, LGBTQ, the disabled and persons of color." By January 12th, the campaign accumulated $56,498 from 1,187 backers.

Explore Start a project RICNSTARTER Search a Sign ir Universal Fan Con First multi-fandom Con dedicated to inclusion, highlighting Women, LGBTQ. the Disabled and Persons of Color. Created by Universal Fan Con 1,187 backers pledged $56,498 to help bring this project to life.

Cancellation

On April 20th, the @UniversalFanCon^[1] Twitter feed posted an announcement that the event had been "postponed until further notice."

FanCon @UniversalFanCon It is with a heavy heart that we must announce that FanCon has been postponed until further notice. We deeply apologize for the disappointment, anger and feelings of lost trust due to this decision. We are taking the steps to reschedule the convention & will provide an update

The following day, the Universal FanCon website released a statement and FAQ about the event cancellation:

"As many of you may have heard, Universal FanCon has been postponed until further notice. It will not be held as previously scheduled on April 27-29 at the Baltimore Convention Center. This is an incredibly heartbreaking decision. Based on an evaluation of all the information available, it was decided that it would be irresponsible to move forward with our plans. Although we worked diligently to preserve the vision of an event that fosters true inclusion, diversity, and safety for all of our guests, exhibitors, and attendees; despite working tirelessly for close to two years, we fell short in delivering the event we envisioned."

Developments

Online Reaction

On April 21st, Redditor SamusLovesTentacles submitted a post about the cancellation to /r/KotakuInAction, comparing the event to DashCon.

On April 22nd, Redditor marchmay submitted a post asking "What is FanCon and why was it cancelled?" to /r/OutOfTheLoop.^[3]

News Media Coverage

Following the event cancellation, several news sites published articles about the controversy, including BuzzFeed,^[4] Mashable,^[5] The Mary Sue^[6] and io9.^[7]