AnthroExpo

AnthroExpo (also known as AnEx) is a hotel-based furry convention that takes place at the Sheraton Oklahoma City Downtown in Oklahoma City, 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 thier official Website's Mission & Goals Page ''Our Way is a socially constructive goal to make change happen for the better, with high regard for respect, transparency, and the common welfare. It’s our mission to always endorse the good that members of this rapidly growing community have to offer. OWO is not just a company that operates a convention, and none of us work for a profit. Our team strives to innovate, educate, and inspire the furry fandom and beyond with positive leadership. We wouldn’t do it any other way.''

''Oklahoma is at the heart of the nation. Furthermore, this is our home and we’d like to give back to it as much as it’s given to us. Our state boasts a rich culture and a pioneering spirit that has made many of our company founders and staff into the outstanding people they are today. “It’s an Oklahoma thing,” a standard of courtesy and respect that makes us stronger together. There’s a vibrant local furry community here that we want to give a home to through meets, conventions, and charity work. Recreationally, Oklahoma City has experienced much growth and expansion over the last decade, and it’s about time we followed in (fur)suit.''


 * As of 2021, AnthroExpo took on the moniker of "Fandom" convention, aiming to bring a combined focus of fandoms to enjoy the convention.

Kickstarter
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
2020 2021 2022
 * AuroraBloom
 * Sub-Level 03
 * Coopertom
 * TBA

Charity Support
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.

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.

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.

Themes and Attendance

 * 2020: Retro Renegades - 607 attendees, 150 fursuiters, with $7,503 raised for charity.


 * 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 - TBD, January 21st - 23rd, 2022

Mascots
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.

Staff
Staff for AnthroExpo can be viewed on the Convention Website linked here.

2018
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.

The convention announced on December 10th, 2018 their online room block access.

2019
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.

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
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.

Pandemic Response
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.

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
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.

AnthroExpo announced the opening of their Hotel Block for their hotel after the virtual convention concluded.

The convention announced the opening of Pre-Registration for their 2022 convention on May 7th, 2021.