Anthrocon 2006

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**Anthrocon**
Albany AnthroCon 1997
Albany AnthroCon 1998
Anthrocon 1999
Anthrocon 2000
Anthrocon 2001
Anthrocon 2002
Anthrocon 2003
Anthrocon 2004
Anthrocon 2005
Anthrocon 2006
Anthrocon 2007
Anthrocon 2008
Anthrocon 2009
Anthrocon 2010

Anthrocon staff
Anthrocon guests of honor

Anthrocon 2006 took place from June 15 to 18, 2006. For the first time in its ten year history, Anthrocon was not held in July, but rather June 15 through June 18. This was one of a few changes that were brought about by the change of venue. to the Westin Hotel and David L. Lawrence Convention Center in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania.

Theme: Making History
Attendance: 2,489

1 Venue
2 Guests of Honor
3 Board of Directors
4 Interesting facts
5 Problems
6 Media coverage
7 Financials
8 Events
9 References
10 See also
11 External links

[edit] Venue

The Fursuit Parade on the balcony over the Dealers Room

The last brick of the Adams Mark went for $200 at the charity auction

After the Adams Mark was scheduled for demolition, Anthrocon was forced to seek new accommodation on very short notice. While the Wyndham Philadelphia locale was adequate during the 2005 convention, it was determined even before July 2005 that a new location would be required. As Philadelphia was showing no signs of providing an affordable venue that was acceptable to the demands and budget of a large-scale convention on terms that the convention directors could accept, the decision was made to switch to the David L. Lawrence Convention Center in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania.

The new facility, which features a separate hotel and convention space, appeared to alleviate most issues which had come up in the past conventions as well as provided enough space for a substantial Dealers Room, Artists Alley, and other 'permanent' programming space.

[edit] Guests of Honor

Anthrocon's Guests of Honor for 2006 were:

Writer/animator/cartoonist/artist Scott Shaw!
Science fiction and fantasy author Diane Duane
Filk musician Tom Smith

[edit] Board of Directors

[edit] Interesting facts

A lone brick - all that remained from old Adams Mark hotel - was sold at the charity auction for $200.
$5,845 was raised for the Western Pennsylvania National Wild Animal Orphanage
Pre-registered attendance counts topped at 2,489 people. This is a record over that of Anthrocon 2004. It also caused the "death" of one of the registration badge printers, specifically the printer which was responsible for the six-hour waits in the registration line at Anthrocon 2003.
The total of all on site registrations and one day passes over the entire 10-year history of Anthrocon was approximately 15,000.
191 fursuiters attended the fursuit parade
2 the Ranting Gryphon was a notable appearance.

[edit] Problems

Waiting for the elevators is not quite so bad now...

While for the most part the fan reception of Anthrocon 2006 was very positive, there were some problems.

Many had issues with Anthrocon's move to a union-run establishment, which was forced upon it mostly due to size constraints. Some dealers chafed at the requirement of waiting for Teamsters to unload their work from the loading dock rather than doing it themselves - not that they were inefficient while working, but there were only a few of them and they were sometimes on breaks.^[1] Some got around this by carrying in material via the door from the hotel, which was permitted as long as the cart they carried their goods on was small enough to fit inside an airplane overhead baggage compartment. According to PeterCat: the Teamsters "required a break every 2 hours and a 30-minute unpaid lunch period after 4," but were easier to deal with than volunteers in many respects.^[2]. There were similar problems with food in the convention area, which had to be bought at the concession stands, and many snuck food in to avoid paying $7 for a cheeseburger.^[3]
Many room signs put up by fans (some of which were original works of art) put up were unceremoniously removed by hotel staff, in part because at least one was held on with duct tape, which could be expected to damage the paint on removal.^[4] One person retaliated by removing the room numbers from six rooms, which cost Anthrocon $400 in damages (negotiated down from $600). Anthrocon also took a $6,000 charge when it turned out that dealers would have to pay $52 each (rather than $10) for city taxes, a cost absorbed by the con.^[5]
Spazfox's show turned out not to have nearly adequate space (a larger room has been booked for next year). The fursuit parade also conflicted with the end of the art show auction as it wound through the dealer's room.^[6]
The Frozen Oasis party on Friday night was forced to close around 50 minutes after it started due to complaints from hotel management and at least one attendee.^[7] Party members asserted that some of the Dorsai Irregulars threatened to remove con badges from those entering and leaving the room unless it was shut down.^[8]^[9] It was suggested that future parties be moved to a room in a separate hotel so that they would not be directly associated with the convention.
There was also the standard couple of dislocations, broken bones, and one person getting wheeled off in an ambulance after overdosing on an illegal substance in private.^[10] Most of this appeared to happen on Sunday, after the convention programming had concluded.

[edit] Media coverage

Media coverage of the event was quite positive

Anthrocon 2006 was covered in the local media, beginning in February with a news brief item Fur Ball In the Works in the Pittsburgh City Paper. Coverage tended towards neutral-to-positive.

'Furries' Descend On Golden Triangle/The Furries Are Here from WTAE-TV 4
Furries Descend On Pittsburgh broadcast and article from KDKA.
It's a furry weekend in the Pittsburgh Tribune-Review.
All about 'furry fandom' at confab in the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette.
Animal Passions in the Pittsburgh City Paper.

Anthrocon 2006 was featured in the Guinness Book of World Records 2008 as the "Largest Furry Fan Club"^[11]

[edit] Financials

Anthrocon, Inc. started the year with $72144.75 in assets, including $40050.98 in cash. They ended the year with $75057.86 in assets, including $37544.09 in cash. Their liabilities started at $0 and ended at $0 making their gain/loss for the year $2913.11 ($-2506.89 in cash), and their net balance $75057.86.

Their total revenue was $147427.57, of which $24507 was from donations, $121860 was from memberships, and $7691.32 was from merchandise, after accounting for the cost of goods sold. The net income/loss of special events (included in revenue) was $-7475.75.

Their expenses came to $149934.36, of which $25060.90 was for occupancy, $31498.11 for equipment rental and maintenance, $15435.78 for catering, $19146 for labor, and $12078.09 for printing.

Source: Anthrocon, Inc. Form 990 (description) from Foundation Center
Note: These financials provide just a brief overview, and should be considered in context. Each convention has its own situation, which may change from year to year. Special events (like art shows) that are part of a charity's mission are usually run at a loss. Conventions typically have many other expenses which may come to far more than those listed. Check the source for further details.