Furrnion

Furrnion is a furry convention in Madrid, Spain. Its first instance took place January 27-29, 2017, at the MC Las Provincias Hotel, in Fuenlabrada, just a few kilometres from Madrid, Spain.

Furrnion III is to be held 17-20 October 2019 at the Hotel Meliá Barajas.

History
One spring day, two friends were in a bar in Madrid ranting between beers. One of them suggested, not without some banter, that why not organize a Con with all of the law. Instead of "venga tío, no me vaciles" ("come on man, do not joke"), the colleague stared into his eyes and snapped "no hay huevos" ("you don't have the balls [to do it]"). The challenge was made, and there was no turning back. They later added a third to their cause, and soon, they saw clear the way forward. The name Furrnion originated from a term used by Panda Paco for his local meets (a "furry reunion").

Soon Salmy, Tronchy and Sierra started to work, gathering a team that could make Furrnion possible. Slowly, something that seemed small was evolving. Deadlines, working groups, assignments, etc., were determined. Little by little, hotels were selected, the web was prepared, the mascots took shape ... and the first Spanish Furry Convention emerged! The first instance was held at MC Las Provincias Hotel, on 27-29 January 2017; registered attendance was 155, but more than 220 furries attended when including one-day pass visitors to the open-doors day; the original vision was for 50 attendees.

At the Furrnion II closing ceremonies, it was announced that subsequent instances of the convention would be held at the larger Hotel Meliá Barajas, close to the airport.

Mascots
Furrnion has two mascots: Bertín and Doña Ana:


 * Bertín: a Miura bull, 25 years old and 1'95m tall. Helpful and patient, he has by nature an incredible strength and resistance that sometimes he can't control. He admires Doña Ana deeply and that is the reason why he offers to be her assistant in her projects, despite the fact that it is sometimes stressful. He usually wears casual clothes (or a tuxedo on special occasions) and a bandanna tied around the neck. As accessory, he has a ring on his nose.
 * Doña Ana: an Iberian lynx, 30 years old and 1'50m tall. She is the leader of the group. Entrepreneur, determined, glamorous, but also daring and willing to do what it takes to have fun. It's pure nerve. She usually wears elegant clothes, usually a jacket (or long dress on special occasions) and wears glasses (only for reading) hanging on a string around her neck.

Instances and themes
In its first edition the convention didn't have hadn't any theme, Furrnion took the idea and tried to present different subjects in subsequent years:


 * 2017: Furrnion -> 27-29 January 2017
 * 2018: Furrnion II - Chivalry Tails, based on medieval knights and chivalry in the style of Don Quixote -> 20-22 April 2018
 * 2019: Furrnion III - Space Pirates -> 17-20 October 2019

Guest of Honor
Although the first two instances of the convention did not feature guests of honor, Furrnion's third edition "Furrnion III - Space Pirates" in the year 2019 did:


 * 2019: Kenket + Loaf = (HAX)

Charities
Furrnion collaborates with the NGO Madrid Felina an association of local charity associated with animals. Their job is to look for a better future for urban cats by adopting them and participating in activities to benefit them (social awareness talks, sterilization, implementation of the capture-sterilize-release method (CES)) in several municipalities in the Community of Madrid. The first edition of Furrnion raised 780€; and two kittens were named Salmy and Tronchy in honor of two of Furrnion's three principal founders.

Staff
Unlike most conventions, Furrnion personnel occasionally change (both the staff and the "ambassadors", the official Furrnion representatives for their country or area). Although many of the staff remain, Furrnion also has open positions for anyone who wants to work and collaborate in the convention. You can contact them at https://www.furrnion.org/en/collaborate.