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Furloween

2012-01-22T22:04:46Z

24.227.114.106:

{{Furloween}}
{{time}}
'''Furloween''' is an annual Halloween party held in [[Wikipedia:Orlando, Florida|Orlando]], [[Wikipedia:Florida|Florida]]. The party is run by [[Mach Stormrunner]], and has been held every year since 1999. Attendance in recent years has ranged between 150 and 190 [[fur]]s.

Furloween has the distinction of being Florida's first major furry meet, predating [[Furry Spring Break]] by two years, [[Megaplex]] by three and both [[Elliott's Spring Gathering]] and [[Elliott's Fall Festival]] by seven years.

The mascot of Furloween is "Ozzy Bat".

==Events==
[[Image:Furloween06promo.png|thumb|200px|right|Ad for Furloween 2006 by [[Herbie Bearclaw]].]]
Although Furloween usually has a limited number of vendors, the festivities are centered around a fully catered banquet dinner and dance. A cash bar is also available to guests over 21. Unlike regular [[convention]]s, it only takes place for one night, typically on the Saturday before Halloween.

There are also a number of events scheduled outside of the actual party, but most of these are outside of Mach's control. The party attracts [[furry fan]]s from all over Florida, and from outside the state as well.

==History==
{{section-stub}}
* [[Furloween 1999]] was first held on October 30 in Orlando.
* [[Furloween 2000]] was held on October 21.
* [[Furloween 2001]] was held on October 27.
* [[Furloween 2002]] was held on October 19 with the theme "The Black Cat Strut!" Over 120 participants attended the party.
* [[Furloween 2003]] was held on November 1 with the theme "Out for Blood!" Additional events included sushi, a picnic, and a night at the theaters to see ''[[Brother Bear]]''.
* [[Furloween 2004]] was held on October 30 with the theme "A Thief in the Night."
* [[Furloween 2005]] was held on October 29 with the theme "Keeps Coming Back."
* [[Furloween 2006]] was held on October 28 with the theme "Oh yes, there will be <s>blood</s> paws."
* [[Furloween IX]] was held on October 27, 2007, with the theme "This spells trouble."
* [[Furloween X]] was held on November 1, 2008, with the theme "You can has death."
* [[Furloween 2009]] was held on October 24, 2009. No particular theme was used for this event but was instead a mix of the themes used in past Furloweens listed above.
* [[Furloween 2010]] was held on October 30th, 2010, with the theme "Otter B. Dead" and included a murder mystery.
* [[Furloween 2011]] was held on October 29th, 2011, with the theme "Where Nightmares DO Come True".

==Staff==
[[Image:FurloweenMascot.jpg|right|thumb|Furloween's [[mascot]], as shown on the [[Funday PawPet Show]]]]
[[Image:Furlw_mascot_EF14_1.JPG|left|thumb|Furloween's [[mascot]], seen at [[Eurofurence 14]]]]
[[Image:Furlw_mascot_EF14_2.JPG|left|thumb|Close up of Furloween's [[mascot]] head at [[Eurofurence 14]]]]
The current core staff includes:
* [[Mach Stormrunner]] - organizer
* [[Shep Otterpaw]] - assistant organizer
* [[Kryphos Adanthios]] - [[Registration Department|registration]]
* [[Yappyfox]] - audio/visual
* [[Herbie Bearclaw]] - logo design
* [[Cooner]] - previous web design 1999-2010
* [[Radix Radicoon]] - current web design 2011-

==External links==
* [http://www.furhold.org/furloween// Furloween website]
* [http://www.elks.org/Lodges/home.cfm?LodgeNumber=1079 Orlando Elks Lodge] ([http://www.mapquest.com/maps/map.adp?country=US&countryid=US&addtohistory=&searchtype=address&cat=&address=12%20N%20Primrose%20Dr&city=Orlando&state=FL&zipcode=32803%2d6126&search=%20%20Search%20%20&searchtab=address MapQuest directions])
* {{con resources}}
{{Florida}}
[[Category:Parties]]
[[Category:Florida]]
[[Category:1999 births]]

Furloween

2012-01-22T22:04:15Z

24.227.114.106:

{{Furloween}}
{{time}}
'''Furloween''' is an annual Halloween party held in [[Wikipedia:Orlando, Florida|Orlando]], [[Wikipedia:Florida|Florida]]. The party is run by [[Mach Stormrunner]], and has been held every year since 1999. Attendance in recent years has ranged between 150 and 190 [[fur]]s.

Furloween has the distinction of being Florida's first major furry meet, predating [[Furry Spring Break]] by two years, [[Megaplex]] by three and both [[Elliott's Spring Gathering]] and [[Elliott's Fall Festival]] by seven years.

The mascot of Furloween is "Ozzy Bat".

==Events==
[[Image:Furloween06promo.png|thumb|200px|right|Ad for Furloween 2006 by [[Herbie Bearclaw]].]]
Although Furloween usually has a limited number of vendors, the festivities are centered around a fully catered banquet dinner and dance. A cash bar is also available to guests over 21. Unlike regular [[convention]]s, it only takes place for one night, typically on the Saturday before Halloween.

There are also a number of events scheduled outside of the actual party, but most of these are outside of Mach's control. The party attracts [[furry fan]]s from all over Florida, and from outside the state as well.

==History==
{{section-stub}}
* [[Furloween 1999]] was first held on October 30 in Orlando.
* [[Furloween 2000]] was held on October 21.
* [[Furloween 2001]] was held on October 27.
* [[Furloween 2002]] was held on October 19 with the theme "The Black Cat Strut!" Over 120 participants attended the party.
* [[Furloween 2003]] was held on November 1 with the theme "Out for Blood!" Additional events included sushi, a picnic, and a night at the theaters to see ''[[Brother Bear]]''.
* [[Furloween 2004]] was held on October 30 with the theme "A Thief in the Night."
* [[Furloween 2005]] was held on October 29 with the theme "Keeps Coming Back."
* [[Furloween 2006]] was held on October 28 with the theme "Oh yes, there will be <s>blood</s> paws."
* [[Furloween IX]] was held on October 27, 2007, with the theme "This spells trouble."
* [[Furloween X]] was held on November 1, 2008, with the theme "You can has death."
* [[Furloween 2009]] was held on October 24, 2009. No particular theme was used for this event but was instead a mix of the themes used in past Furloweens listed above.
* [[Furloween 2010]] was held on October 30th, 2010, with the theme "Otter B. Dead" and included a murder mystery.
* [[Furloween 2011]] was held on October 29th, 2011, with the theme "Where Nightmares DO Come True".

==Staff==
[[Image:FurloweenMascot.jpg|right|thumb|Furloween's [[mascot]], as shown on the [[Funday PawPet Show]]]]
[[Image:Furlw_mascot_EF14_1.JPG|left|thumb|Furloween's [[mascot]], seen at [[Eurofurence 14]]]]
[[Image:Furlw_mascot_EF14_2.JPG|left|thumb|Close up of Furloween's [[mascot]] head at [[Eurofurence 14]]]]
The current core staff includes:
* [[Mach Stormrunner]] - organizer
* [[Shep Otterpaw]] - assistant organizer
* [[Kryphos Adanthios]] - [[Registration Department|registration]]
* [[Yappyfox]] - audio/visual
* [[Herbie Bearclaw]] - logo design
* [[Cooner]] - previous web design 1999-2010
* [[Radix Radicoon}} - current web design 2011-

==External links==
* [http://www.furhold.org/furloween// Furloween website]
* [http://www.elks.org/Lodges/home.cfm?LodgeNumber=1079 Orlando Elks Lodge] ([http://www.mapquest.com/maps/map.adp?country=US&countryid=US&addtohistory=&searchtype=address&cat=&address=12%20N%20Primrose%20Dr&city=Orlando&state=FL&zipcode=32803%2d6126&search=%20%20Search%20%20&searchtab=address MapQuest directions])
* {{con resources}}
{{Florida}}
[[Category:Parties]]
[[Category:Florida]]
[[Category:1999 births]]

Megaplex

2011-08-02T01:42:24Z

24.227.114.106:

{{Infobox convention
| name = Megaplex
| logo = [[Image:Megaplex2011_banner.gif|200px]]
| caption = 2011 ad banner
| subject = Furry
| location = {{flagdiv|usa|[[wikipedia:Florida|Florida]], [[wikipedia:United States|United States]]}}
| url = http://www.megaplexcon.org/
| status = ongoing
| first = 8-10 March 2002
| final =
| organizer = Pawpet Live Experiences, Inc. (PLEx)
| charity = The CARE Foundation [http://www.megaplexcon.org/charity]
| resources = {{con resources}}
}}
'''Megaplex''' is a furry [[convention]] first held in March 2002 as '''[[Pawpet]] Megaplex'''. The latest edition, [[Megaplex 9]], was held 23-25 July, 2010 in [[Wikipedia:Kissimmee, Florida|Kissimmee]], [[Wikipedia:Florida|Florida]], having returned to the greater [[Wikipedia:Orlando, Florida|Orlando]] metropolitan area the previous year.

Megaplex's stated goal is to provide "a celebration of interactive arts and performance, with a primary focus on [[anthropomorphic]]s and fantasy".<ref>[http://www.megaplexcon.org/about About Megaplex] (22 September 2010)</ref> Programming has focused on [[fursuit]]ing, [[puppet]]ry, improvisation, and other types of performance, including musical performances by [http://www.toxicaudio.com/ Toxic Audio] in 2003 and 2004, [http://www.42five.com/ 4:2:Five] in 2006, and [[Hali|Matthew Ebel]] from 2008 to 2010. In 2005, the convention hosted the Potpourri of Puppets, a puppetry event held in the Orlando area.

Attendance was 387 in 2005, but declined to 185 by 2007. Reasons for this include unpopular track scheduling in 2005, a disappointing hotel experience in 2006, and a forced move to [[Wikipedia:Jacksonville, Florida|Jacksonville]], [[Wikipedia:Florida|Florida]] compounded by a schedule conflict with [[Furry Weekend Atlanta]] in 2007.<ref name="candidcomments">''[http://community.livejournal.com/megaplex/24878.html Some Candid Comments on Megaplex, from the Chair]'' - [[Carl Fox]], {{lj-comm|megaplex}} (24 December 2006)</ref><ref>''[http://community.livejournal.com/megaplex/35393.html Goodbye, 2007...Hello, 2008!]'' - [[Carl Fox]], {{lj-comm|megaplex}} (7 March 2007)</ref>

The convention rebounded in 2008 with an attendance of 255, and in 2009 the convention attracted 425 attendees. In 2010 in spite of a strong guest of honor, the event again declined in attendance to 410 people.

== History ==
{{Megaplex}}
'''Pawpet Megaplex''' (8-10 March 2002, 126 attending) came into being as a replacement for [[Furry Spring Break]], which was held in 2001. FSB was unable to secure hotel space for a second convention in 2002, and folded. In its stead, Pawpet Live Experiences, Inc. was formed and held the first Pawpet Megaplex at the Ramada Resort and Convention Center in Orlando, FL.

'''Pawpet Megaplex 2''' (21-23 March 2003, 197 attending) moved to the movie-themed Sheraton Studio City Resort, closer to [http://www.universalorlando.com/ Universal Studios Florida]. The convention had its first [[guest of honour]], [[SueDeer|Susan Rankin]]. This was also the first year [[Toxic Audio]] appeared.

'''Megaplex 3''' (19-21 March 2004, 357 attending) returned to the Sheraton Studio City, with guest of honour [[Wikipedia:Trace Beaulieu|Trace Beaulieu]], of [[Wikipedia:Mystery Science Theater 3000|MST3K]] fame (Dr. Clayton Forrester, Crow T. Robot). The convention's theme played heavily on the fact the name of the con could be abbreviated to "[[Wikipedia:MP3|MP3]]"; this was seen in promotional materials, as well as on-site artwork and the con book. The convention officially dropped the "Pawpet" from the name this year; however, the official web site remained ''ppmp.info'' until 2009.

'''Megaplex 4''' (11-16 March 2005, 387 attending) moved into larger quarters at the Sheraton World Resort, right next door to the [http://www.seaworld.com/ SeaWorld Orlando] theme park. The guest of honour was professional puppeteer [[John Kennedy]]. As part of the convention, Orlando's Potpourri of Puppets was hosted on Sunday night. The convention's theme, taking into account the move and the fact Interstate 4 goes through Orlando, was a "road trip".

'''Megaplex 5''' (17-19 March 2006, 257 attending) was held at the Sheraton World Resort. The fifth anniversary con's theme saluted the B-movies of days gone by, lending MP5 the subtitle of "...The Horror!". Unfortunately, part of the horror was the hotel, which staff and attendees alike had troubles with. [[Brian Reynolds]] attended as a guest of honour with his wife, [[Tracy Reynolds|Tracy]].

'''Megaplex 6''' (2-4 March 2007, 185 attending) was held at the Wyndham Jacksonville Riverfront. The primary reason for the move to Jacksonville was cost - hotels in Orlando and [[Wikipedia:Tampa, Florida|Tampa]] wanted two to three times what Megaplex had paid for space in the past, whereas the Wyndham's offer was more in line with past costs. The convention had a game show theme, and its guest of honour was [[Mike Kazaleh]].

'''Megaplex 7''' (28-30 March 2008, 255 attending) returned to the Wyndham Jacksonville Riverfront. The theme (announced at Megaplex 6's [[closing ceremonies]]) was comics, with heroes and villains battling it out in the form of convention mascot MegaPanther, and his arch foe, Baron Von Redtail. [[Adam Wan]] was the guest of honour, and the special musical guest was [[Hali|Matthew Ebel]], who also participated in the live ''Rocky Horror'' event performing as Frank N Furter.

'''Megaplex 8''' (24-26 July, 2009, 425 attending) marked a move away from their traditional March timeframe (and, in turn, allowing [[Furry Weekend Atlanta|FWA]] to move into March). The convention also returned to Central Florida, at the Radisson Worldgate Resort Orlando, located in nearby Kissimmee, FL, and a short distance from [[Wikipedia:Walt Disney World|Walt Disney World]]'s main gate. The convention had a "Toyland" theme, with a "Christmas in July" sub-theme, and the guest of honour was [[BigBlueFox]]. Popular events for MP2009 included a reprisal of the "Rocky Horror Picture Show, with Matt Ebel as Frank N Furter, a live performance of the Funday Pawpet Show, The Big Blue Fox "Dance till Dawn", and the return of "Fursuit Deal or Big Deal".

'''Megaplex 9''' (23-25 July, 2010, 410 attending) once again took place at the Radisson WorldGate Resort in Kissimmee, Florida. The convention featured a Mad Science theme and had [[Wikipedia:Paul Zaloom|Paul Zaloom]] AKA [[Wikipedia:Beakman|Beakman]] from [[Wikipedia:Beakman's World|Beakman's World]] as the Guest of Honor. The con featured a larger con area, including a larger Dealer's Den, and a 'zoo-like area' for socializing and lounging. 81 fursuiters were in the Fursuit Parade and the con raised an impressive $2,928 for the CARE Foundation.

'''Megaplex 10''' (29-31 July, 2011, 553 attending) is back at the Radisson WorldGate hotel for Megaplex 2011: Retro Arcade. This was the 10th Megaplex, with Chad Krueger as Guest of Honor. 86 Fursuiters walked in the first Fursuit Parade at the con, and 64 walked in the second Late Night Fursuit Parade. Megaplex raised $1,268 for the CARE Foundation this year.

== Rating ==

From its origin as a "[[funny animal]] convention" promising "good clean fun"<ref>[http://bbs.quickfox.net/msgs/msg.ssjs?msg_sub=furry20&message=224 FUR: New Convention] - fur.conventions (6 January 2002)</ref> -- which has been acknowledged as a PR blunder by the convention<ref name="candidcomments" /> -- Megaplex has had a somewhat prudish reputation. This has been reinforced by its PG-13 rating, which historically extended to both sales and events (with the exception of the ''[[Wikipedia:Rocky Horror Picture Show|Rocky Horror Picture Show]]'' since 2006).

In 2007, [[Convention chairman|con chair]] [[Carl Fox]] noted that, at the time, the convention staff felt that Megaplex's event rating was appropriate to the convention's location and audience, and was equivalent to [[Anthrocon]]'s in most areas.<ref name="candidcomments" />

However, for Megaplex 7 (2008), the convention adopted similar dealer's room rules as [[Furry Weekend Atlanta|FWA]]'s, allowing mature work as long as it is not displayed openly.<ref>[http://www.megaplexcon.org/pastweb/mp7/security.php#dealer Megaplex 2008 policy document - Dealer Room]</ref> Also, some of the performances late on Friday and Saturday nights contained more mature language and material (''Rocky Horror'' amongst them), marking a shift away from the strict rating on events.

== Staff and organization ==

Pawpet Live Experiences, Inc. (PLEx) is a class C for-profit corporation operating out of the State of Florida.<ref>''[http://www.sunbiz.org/scripts/cordet.exe?action=DETFIL&inq_doc_number=P02000002192&inq_came_from=NAMFWD&cor_web_names_seq_number=0000&names_name_ind=N&names_cor_number=&names_name_seq=&names_name_ind=&names_comp_name=PAWPET&names_filing_type= Pawpet Live Experiences]'' - Florida Department of State</ref>. PLEx, Inc. was incorporated in January 2002, a mere two months before putting on Pawpet Megaplex 1, and went the faster route of incorporating under the less stringent for-profit statutes. The Board of Directors runs the convention on a not-for-profit basis, and intends to eventually update their incorporation to officially reflect this.

Megaplex's Board of Directors is currently chaired by [[Yappy Slyfox|Randy "Yappy" Fox]], who also acts as Hotel Liaison and Registration and Communications lead. The convention's original Chairman, [[Carl Fox|Karl F. "Carl Fox" Meyers]], stepped down after Megaplex 7, but remains a member of the Board.

Other Board members are:

* [[Kuddlepup|John "K.P." Cole]] - Vice President and [[convention chairman|Convention Chairman]]
* [[Rasvar|Jim "Rasvar" Mogle]] - Treasurer
* [[Carl Fox|Karl F. Meyers]] - Operations Director
* [[JR|Dan "Jackrabbit" Boatright]] - Programming Director, Secretary

Non-board staff members include:

* [[LiliVoop|Liesl Muckey]] - Promotions, Assistant Liaison, Volunteers
* [[Mach Stormrunner|Patrick "Mach" Dowden]] - Security
* [[Genesis Whitmore]] - Dealer's Den
* [[JadedFox|Josh "Jaded Fox" Strom]] - Sponsor Suite / Variety Show
* [[Brace Bear]] - Sponsor Suite
* [[Lynxkitten|Jess "Lynxcat" Kiela]] - Art Director / Con Book
* [[AnimeCat]] - Art Director / Art Track Coordinator
* [[WildWolf|Wild Wolf]] - Fursuiting Track Coordinator
* [[Takala]] - Fursuiting Track Coordinator
* [[Santa Fox]] - Webmaster / Fursuit Lounge
* [[EagleBeagle|Eagle Beagle]] - Audio/Video
* [[STiTcH]] - Audio/Video
* [[Salen_Storming]] - Gaming

There are also a number of staffers who do not have a specific function, but work with the various department leads as needed. The convention actively recruits new staffers through open face-to-face meetings and on-line chats. A more comprehensive listing of Megaplex staff is visible on the convention's website.

== Innovative Ideas ==

Despite its small size, Megaplex has successfully tried many creative and innovative ideas. Some of these include:

* The giveaway of custom beverage mugs to all full memberships and not just higher paying memberships (as long as supplies last). This has been one of the most popular attributes of Megaplex membership and due to the artwork on them, the mugs have become quite collectible.
* The inception of a very high dollar membership level above supersponsors called the "Megasponsor". Megasponsors were given all the perks of a Supersponsor level, and also received special gifts such as engraved pocketwatches. Megasponsors are credited for funding some of the convention's signature events such as the concerts by "Toxic Audio" and "Four:2:5".
* Introducing new game show concepts such as "Fursuit Deal or Big Deal". Traditionally hosted by [[2 the Ranting Gryphon]], this game allows contestants to be selected from the audience to play and go to the final round. The final round mirrors "Deal or No Deal", but instead of having models, the cases are opened by fursuiters.
* Broadcasting an internet stream of the convention's main ballroom events. Credit is given to Yappyfox for coming up with the idea of broadcasting all main ballroom events over the internet. Originally done in 2005, this was repeated in 2009 and many events were viewed around the world (as long the hotel's internet connection held up.)
* Sponsor Lounge. Instead of having a con suite that is open to all attendees, Megaplex offers a well stocked lounge open only to Sponsors and above. The quality of the sponsor lounge has been considered a significant enough perk that many attendees upgrade to the sponsor level just for access to the lounge. In 2009, the Sponsor lounge provided snow cones to all attendees on Sunday afternoon as a way of saying thanks to the general attendance base.
* In 2010, the convention offered registration badge number 1 for the 2011 convention in the charity auction. While this badge number is usually reserved for convention chairmen, Megaplex opted to let an attendee bid for it in the charity auction. The auctioning of badge number 1 raised over $300 for charity.

== References ==

<references/>

== External links ==
* [http://www.megaplexcon.org/ Megaplex official website]
* [http://community.livejournal.com/megaplex/ Megaplex Community] on [[LiveJournal]]
* {{con resources}}
{{Conventions}}
[[Category:Conventions]][[Category:Florida]][[Category:2002 births]]
{{featured article}}

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