AnthroExpo

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AnthroExpo
AnthroExpo
Other names {{{othernames}}}
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 (edit)
AnthroExpo2020.png
AnthroExpo 2020

AnthroExpo staff
AnthroExpo guests of honor

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 their official Website's Mission & Goals Page[1] 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.


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

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[12] (2SLGBT+ friendly & gender affirming).[13] The total raised from the convention from January 27th to 29th for Pivot was $14,135.

AnthroExpo decided to stay with Pivot for their 2024 event.

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: Spikes & Spraycans

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.

Leadership and Staff[edit]

Board Members and Directors[edit]

  • President: Paxton Silas
  • Vice President, Con Safety Director: Dr. Orange
  • Secretary, Vendor Relations Director: Leafe
  • Treasurer: Kinachi
  • Convention Chair: AlexanderPaw
  • Boardmember: Fiona
  • Boardmember: Minty
  • Boardmember: Odissian
  • Boardmember: CassMutt
  • Boardmember, Creative Director: Kaz/Faulty
  • Boardmember, I.T. Director: Apollo
  • Boardmember, Public Relations Director: Jarbled Coyote
  • Boardmember, Registration Director: Cocoa
  • Boardmember, Social Media Director: Slinky
  • Human Resources Director: Ryder
  • Training and Development Director: Bohannon
  • A/V Services Director: Blue
  • Special Events Director: Larc

2018[edit]

AnthroExpo's initial logo indicating a proposed 2019 event. The LLC was itself was mentioned in the 2018 Kickstarter.

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]

References[edit]

  1. From their official website Retrieved May 24th, 2021
  2. AnthroExpo 2023: "Oh, you thought we were done? ✨ Well say "hai :D" to @GoldenReliic , our 2nd Local GOH! ... @AnthroExpo tweet posted Sept 16, 2022. Retrieved Dec 9, 2022.
  3. AnthroExpo 2023: "✨Introducing @OmnomThenom - our National Guest of Honor for AnEx 2023! ... @AnthroExpo tweet posted Sept 14, 2022. Retrieved Dec 9, 2022.
  4. AnthroExpo 2023: "✨Meet @Wikiwolffstudio - a local Guest of Honor for AnEx 2023!... @AnthroExpo tweet posted Sept 12, 2022. Retrieved Dec 9, 2022.
  5. AnthroExpo 2024: "You may know this artificer with his large ears and larger paws, its Zero! @AnthroExpo tweet posted August 3rd, 2023.
  6. AnthroExpo 2024: "This sorceress will enchant you with her deep arcane knowledge of eurobeat and bring some magic to the dance floor- its Odyssey! @AnthroExpo tweet posted August 6th, 2023.
  7. AnthroExpo 2024: "This ranger is known throughout the lands to never miss a mark when it comes to animation, with clips that stun the eye and invoke the mind, its Chappie! @AnthroExpo tweet posted August 8th, 2023.
  8. Charity Auction Picnic stats. Retrieved June 9th, 2019.
  9. NAACP Charity Streams Stats. Retrieved June 26th, 2020.
  10. AnthroExpo 2020 By The Numbers by @AnthroExpo. Retrieved February 2, 2020.
  11. AnthroExpo 2022 By The Numbers by @AnthroExpo. Retrieved January 27, 2022.
  12. AnthroExpo website homepage. Retrieved November 28th, 2018.
  13. AnthroExpo Hotel Roomblock. Retrieved December 14th, 2018.
  14. 2019 Cancellation Statement. Retrieved January 31st, 2019.
  15. Stats for 2020. Retrieved April 17th, 2020.
  16. 2020 Covid Postponement Letter. Retrieved October 9, 2020.
  17. Virtual Convention Announcement. Retrieved March 11th, 2021.
  18. Hotel Block Announcement. Retrieved May 24th, 2021.
  19. Pre-Registration Announcement. Retrieved May 24th, 2021.
  20. https://twitter.com/AnthroExpo/status/1754283290108764656 Adventure complete! You have picked up the following rewards: 236 fursuiters, 1,094 attendees, and $14,000 for our charity partner, Pivot.

External links[edit]


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