AnthroExpo
| AnthroExpo | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Location | |
| Website | |
| Status | Ongoing |
| First iteration | January 31st - February 2nd, 2020 |
| Organizer(s) | Scissortail Fandoms, Inc |
| Subject | Furry |
| Resources | Photos, videos, reports: AnthroExpo resources |
|
| AnthroExpo staff |
| AnthroExpo guests of honor |
AnthroExpo (also known as AnEx) is a hotel-based furry convention that takes place at the Embassy Suites Hotel and John Q Hammons Conference Center in Norman, Oklahoma.
The aim of AnthroExpo is to provide a welcoming place for fandoms in Oklahoma and regionally, to promote dealers and artists alike, and to bring about a renewed sense of community for furries.
From their official Website's "What is AnthroExpo?" Page[1] AnthroExpo (also known as AnEx) is an annual hotel-based furry convention that takes place in central Oklahoma. We started back in 2020, and have been growing quickly ever since. The official mascots for AnthroExpo are Andrea the Scissortail Flycatcher and Exavier the Prairie Dog. The aim of AnEx is to provide a welcoming place for fandoms in Oklahoma and regionally, to promote dealers and artists alike, and to bring about a renewed sense of community for furries. It is ran completely by volunteers. We have 70+ year-round staff members (from Scissortail Fandoms Inc.) and additional day-of volunteers at the con! Our convention brings in hundreds of visitors and has raised tens of thousands of dollars for our yearly charity partners.
Contents
Pre-2020 Convention History[edit]
AnthroExpo's concept was initially designed in 2016 by the Founders Brett Martin (Paxton Silas) and Alexander Fischer (AlexanderPaw). Oklahoma at that time had no Hotel/Convention Center events and both founders saw a need for a central Oklahoma based convention that would highlight the best of our community in a manner that matched other modern conventions. Oklahoma is home to many outdoor conventions, but it was felt that this type of convention would work well.
In 2018, the team began planning in earnest by introducing the first iteration of organizational structure with AnthroExpo LLC which then changed to Our Way Oklahoma, LLC. The convention ran under OWO, LLC for multiple years before organizing into a Non-Profit organization founded by Brett Martin (Paxton Silas) in 2023.
Many individuals were key to the overall growth, success, and foundations of the organization which is apparent in the overall trajectory of the convention to this day.
Kickstarter[edit]
AnthroExpo began their Kickstarter on November 9th, 2018, with an all-or-nothing goal of $2500. It has since completed its goal, earning a total of $8401.
Guests of Honor[edit]
2020
2021
2022
2023
2024
2025
- RadWah [12]
- Wolf & HOWL OUT [13]
- Keagan [14]
- Featured Panelist: TokensArcade [15]
- Featured Performer: Betu
Charity support[edit]
AnthroExpo previously supported Wildcare, a non-profit organization dedicated to the rehabilitation of wildlife Noble, Oklahoma, as the convention's official charity partner for 2019-2020.
On June 9th, 2019, they held their first official fundraising effort for WildCare - a "Charity Auction Picnic" At Mitch Park in Edmond, OK. The event welcomed roughly 40 visitors and raised $750 over four hours.[8]
In June 2020, AnthroExpo staff hosted a virtual charity drive over Twitch to raise money for the NAACP Empowerment programs. It was announced on June 26th that their streams raised a total of $2,260 for this cause.[9]
In April 2021, AnthroExpo hosted an Online "Virtual" convention via multiple platforms to raise money for the Asian Mental Health Collective. The total raised from this event from April 10th to 11th was $1,500.
In January 2022, AnthroExpo's charity partner was Sisu Youth Services, a non-profit organization which provides overnight shelter, clothing, hot meals, and case management to Oklahoma City's LGBTQIA+ youth experiencing homelessness, ages 15-24. The total raised during the convention from January 21st to 23rd was $7,777.
In January 2023, AnthroExpo's charity partner was Pivot, helping youth by providing temporary housing, food & more[16] (2SLGBT+ friendly & gender affirming).[17] The total raised from the convention from January 27th to 29th for Pivot was $14,135.
In Summer of 2023, AnthroExpo supported a Back to School Bash Summer Twitch Event raising $1,101 for Positive Tomorrows, OKC
Pivot remains the current charity partner to AnthroExpo through their 2025 convention year.
Themes and Attendance[edit]
- 2020: Retro Renegades - 607 attendees, 150 fursuiters, with $7,503 raised for charity. [10]
- 2021: AnEx Online: Shipwrecked - 772 attendees, 239 Peak Viewers on Twitch, 79 VR Chat Users, 43 Minecraft Users. Reported from Convention Executives to this article directly.
- 2022: CasinOWO Royale - 669 attendees, 74 fursuiters (with the parade hosted Sunday), with $7,777 raised for charity. [11]
- 2023: Furry Scene - 896 attendees, 114 fursuiters (Estimated count from fursuit group picture posted to official Twitter) with $14,135 raised for charity.
- 2024: 8-Bit Heroes - 1,094 attendees, 236 fursuiters, with $14,000 for charity.
- 2025: Rebel Paw - 1,450 attendees, 329 fursuiters, with $17,801 for charity
Mascots[edit]
The official mascots for AnthroExpo are Andrea the scissortail flycatcher, which is also the state bird of Oklahoma, and Exavier the prairie dog. They are featured on official artwork, including the website, and eventual merchandise.
Over the years, other mascots have been developed and have been utilized in media posts and advertising which include Scout the Pronghorn, Tate the Copperhead Snake, and Fadel the Armadillo.
Each name includes aspects of the convention and non-profit's name. ANdrea and EXavier are ANEX. SCout, TAte, and FAdel are SCI-FI, a shortened form of Scissortail Fandoms, the non-profit organization that runs AnthroExpo.
Leadership and Staff[edit]
Scissortail Fandoms Inc Non-Profit Board of Directors[edit]
- President: AlexanderPaw
- Vice President: Slinky Trinket
- Secretary: Leafe
- Treasurer: Paxton Silas
- Convention Chair (AnthroExpo): Jarbled Coyote
- Boardmember: Kinachi
- Boardmember: Odissian
- Boardmember: Bohannon
- Boardmember: Raisha
- Boardmember: Bead
- Boardmember: Dakota
AnthroExpo Department Directors[edit]
- Convention Chair: Jarbled Coyote
- Human Resources: BlazeFolf
- Creative: Bead
- Registration: CocoaDeer
- PR/Marketing: Dakota
- Charity Services Manager: Raisha
- Audio Visual Services: Kire
- Safety: Dr. Orange
- Information Technology: Apollo/Tempo
- Training & Development: Bohannon
- Vendor Services: Leafe
Lifetime Achievement Award[edit]
In 2023, Scissortail Fandoms Inc President Paxton Silas introduced the Scissortail Fandoms Lifetime Achievement Award for excellence in community stewardship, convention organizing, and overall ethical conduct. The award is presented by the President of the non-profit organization during the closing ceremonies of the AnthroExpo convention event. The winner receives a certificate, lifetime Super Sponsor registration to the AnthroExpo annual convention, and their name on a plaque that is displayed at Registration for AnthroExpo.
2023 Award Winner[edit]
- Jax Jackal (Emily Hoebing)
2024 Award Winner[edit]
- Kinachi (Michael Lucas)
2025 Award Winner[edit]
- Paxton Silas (Brett Martin)
Yearly Chronology[edit]
2018[edit]
On Tuesday, December 4th, 2018 the convention announced their official dates and venue location while simultaneously opening pre-registration through their website. AnthroExpo at this time was scheduled to be held on October 18-20th, 2019 at the Wyndham Hotel in Oklahoma City, OK.[12]
The convention announced on December 10th, 2018 their online room block access.[13]
2019[edit]
On January 30th, 2019 the convention announced that they would be postponing their originally planned convention dates from 2019 to 2020. Of the factors behind this decision, one included the forced removal of an unnamed major organizer and backer for the con, who was quickly ousted from staff due to probable misconduct involving minors. The second was the announcement of a second hotel-based convention in Oklahoma, who had recently proposed their dates to be two months ahead of AnthroExpo's scheduled debut. [14]
On March 11th, 2019, the new dates for the convention were announced for January 31st - February 2nd, 2020. The convention was set to take place at the Wyndham Hotel, which was said to be undergoing large-scale renovations at the time.
On New Years' Eve of 2019, convention chairs were made aware that their hotel venue would not be open during the con dates due to incomplete renovations. Their hotel contract and booking list were transferred to the Sheraton Oklahoma City Downtown.
2020[edit]
On January 2nd, 2020, the convention announced that AnthroExpo's venue had changed to the Sheraton Downtown Oklahoma City near Bricktown.
Over the weekend of January 31st - February 2nd, AnthroExpo: Retro Renegades saw 607 attendees, 150 fursuiters and $6,003.63 was raised for WildCare Oklahoma by attendees. OWO LLC donated a company match of $1500, raising the combined weekend total to $7503.63.[15]
Pandemic response[edit]
AnthroExpo announced registration and Dealer's Den Applications for its 2021 convention "CasinOWO Royale" on February 26th, 2020, before major event cancellations began taking place in the United States.
After months-long discussion with the venue and a formal vote by its Board of Directors, the convention announced on October 9th, 2020 that it would postpone its second iteration from 2021, announcing its new dates for January 21st - 23rd, 2022. [16]
Going into 2021, convention leadership announced a formal virtual convention and that work on a 2022 physical convention was still in the works, and as of May 24th, 2021 hotel booking and pre-registration is open for the physical convention to proceed. Convention leaders continue to review updates to CDC guidelines and local/state guidelines to ensure proper procedures are in place for the safety of attendees for the 2022 event.
2021[edit]
It was formally revealed in January of 2021 that AnthroExpo would host a Virtual Convention. AnEx Online: Shipwrecked! was marked for the weekend of April 10 & 11, 2021. [17]
AnthroExpo announced the opening of their Hotel Block for their hotel after the virtual convention concluded. [18]
The convention announced the opening of Pre-Registration for their 2022 convention on May 7th, 2021. [19]
2022[edit]
AnthroExpo returned to being an in-person convention themed as "CasinOwO Royale."
2023[edit]
It was revealed that the theme for 2023 would be "Furry Scene," themed after 2000s scene and emo culture. The 2023 edition concluded with 896 attendees, claiming the spot for the most-attended furry convention in Oklahoma.
2024[edit]
AnthroExpo selected the theme of "8-Bit Heroes" for the 2024 event, celebrating heroes and protagonists of classic 8-bit video games. The venue was also moved to the Embassy Suites in Norman, Oklahoma. The event concluded with a total of 1,094 attendees, 236 fursuiters in the parade, and having raised $14,000 for their charity, Pivot.[20]
2025[edit]
AnthroExpo selected the theme of "Rebel Paw" for the 2025 event, celebrating punk culture and a break from authority with focus on independent creators in the fandom. The event took place January 30th - February 2nd in 2025 and concluded with a total of 1,450 attendees, 329 fursuiters in the parade, and having raised $17,801 for charity, Pivot.[21]
Cite error: <ref> tags exist, but no <references/> tag was found