Gdakon

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Gdakon is an annual convention in Gdańsk. Initially organized to fill a gap in the event schedule during the winter period, it is one of the largest conventions in Poland. Gdakon attempts to follow the examples of foreign furry conventions, while adapting them to Polish settings.

Initially it was not a typical convention, but merely a furmeet, but with time and growing popularity more and more guests started to come, including the growing percentage of foreign guests. Because of that, the organizational capacities of Bursztynek hostel were exceeded and the organizers decided to move the con to the Amber hotel.

Beginnings[edit]

Before "Gdakon" became a convention, it was a series of furmeets organized in Gdańsk mainly by Raksha. As time passed, it was decided that the meetings could be organized in the form of a convention and the next edition took place in the Bursztynek hostel.

Attendance (approximate) Location Organizers Date (approximate)
20 Private apartment October 2007
50 JustHostel, Gdańsk Winter 2009
30 Dom Harcerza, Gdańsk Winter 2010

Previous editions of the convention[edit]

Gdakon's official mascot, Gdakonek!
Themed Logo Main theme Number of attendees Location Convention date Chairman
Gdakon 2011 logo.png Hawaii data unavailable Hostel Bursztynek, Gdańsk 27th - 30th January 2011 Raksha
Gdakon2012-logo.png Medieval Times 59 Hostel Bursztynek, Gdańsk 23rd - 26th February 2012 Raksha
Gdakon 2013 logo.png Vikings 74 Hostel Bursztynek, Gdańsk 14th - 17th February 2013 Lemurr
Gdakon 2014 logo.png Horrors 121 Hotel Amber, Gdańsk 20th - 23rd February 2014 Lemurr
Gdakon 2015 logo.png The Jungle 157 Hotel Amber, Gdańsk 5th - 8th March 2015 Lemurr
Gdakon-logo-2016.png The Savannah 178 Hotel Amber, Gdańsk 9th - 13th March 2016 Lemurr
Gdakon-logo-2017.png Magic vs. Technology 252 Hotel Amber, Gdańsk 1st - 5th March 2017 Lemurr
Gdakon 2018 logo.png Back to the stone age 247 Hotel Faltom, Rumia (near Gdańsk) 21st - 25th February 2018 Lemurr
Gdakon 2019 logo.png Ancient Greece - gods of Olympus 341 Hotel Faltom, Rumia (near Gdańsk) 6th - 10th March 2019 Lemurr
Gdakon 2020 logo.png Wild West 406 Hotel Faltom, Rumia (near Gdańsk) 26th February - 1st March 2020 Lemurr
Logo Gdakon 2021.png Gdakon cannot into space 0 Cancelled Cancelled Fuckie
Logo Gdakon2022.png Pirates 373 Hotel Novotel Marina, Gdańsk 9th - 13th March 2022 Fuckie
Logo Gdakon2023.png Paranormal Spooktivity 460 Hotel Novotel Marina, Gdańsk 1st - 5th March 2023 Lemurr

Name and mascot[edit]

A sketch of the Gdakon mascot made by Agent

The name Gdakon is a portmanteau of Gdańsk and the word "convention"[1], which initially was met with mixed enthusiasm, which was related to the onomatopoeic sound of "gdakanie" (the Polish word for hen’s cackle). It was instantly caught by the artists, who created the first unofficial mascot – a chicken. With time the organizers decided that it is distinct and good enough to become an official mascot, taking a form of a gryphon.

Before the mascot (called now "Gdakonek") became official it looked like Chocobo, appearing sometimes as a joke element of the website, e.g. as a replacement avatar for the site users.

[edit]

A joke varation on the logo. Author: Fuckie
A fixed version of logo used across all editions. Author: Fuckie

Due to the unwillingness to set a single, fixed logo for all convents, it was decided that it will be connected to each year’s main theme. Thanks to this Gdakon has no fixed logo, and its different variations will be introduced each year. Although in 2017 a need for a fixed logo has led to creation of one.

Organizers and Staff[edit]

After the 2020 edition it was decided that the role of the chairman will be flipped each year between Lemurr and Fuckie (with the exception of 2021 which had to be cancelled due to Covid).

  • Bakus – Core organizer, filming & montage, hotel negotiations
  • Fuckie – Core organizer, main graphic designer, current chairman
  • Lemurr – Core organizer, former chairman, IT team and con registration system
  • Raksha – Core organizer, Fursuit Longue and logistics Team
  • Derresh – Security
  • Rozz – Con registration during convention
  • Soren – Photographer and fursuit photoshoot
  • Thar – ConOps
  • Tygrys – Events and helpers
  • Wofik – Decorations and logistics team

Cooperation with other conventions[edit]

The organizers of Gdakon cooperate with other, foreign conventions to exchange experiences and organizational means. Currently, the organizers work most closely with SachsenFurs from Germany, whose members Konu Eikuku Hentaru and LeTigre are also co-organizers of Gdakon, helping e.g. with organizing the furdance. Symmetrically, the organizers of Gdakon (Lemurr) take part in organizing partner convents, by helping with the member management system.

Trivia[edit]

  • Gdakon was one of the first conventions to introduce and popularize the idea of two furdances[citation needed] – completely by accident. In 2012 in “Bursztynek” hostel due to the curfew the furdance had to be finished by 11 PM, which made it way shorter than originally intended. Due to the disappointment of the participants, the organizers had to repeat another furdance on the following day, this time without time limits. Since that time it became a fixed part of the convention’s program.
  • On every edition’s website there are several Easter Eggs.
  • The first conbook (from the third edition) was printed on a single sheet of paper, which basically made it a simple information flyer.
  • Initially, the next hotel (after the "Bursztynek" hostel) was not meant to be the "Amber" hotel, but due to increasingly complicated organization from managers of the first hotel, the "Amber" hotel was chosen – a few weeks before the convention’s beginning.

References[edit]

  1. In this case, the English letter "C" is substituted for "K" in Polish.

External links[edit]


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