DashCon

DashCon was a fan-run convention for Tumblr users. It is famous for being disastrously run in a similar way to Ultimate Fantasy. Public opinion is divided as to how much of this was incompetence and how much malice or scam artistry. 
As of August 2014, DashCon LLP was dissolved, a new limited company was formedThe name was "So Attacked Entertainment." Could be a reference to the meme I came out to have a good time and I'm honestly feeling so attacked right now. and the new ownersMegg Eli and Cain Hopkins, who was a staff member of Dashcon), moved on to host a new convention, Emoti-Con 2015. In December 2015, this rebranded convention was also canceled for unspecified reasons:
Today, DashCon is still vividly remembered as one of the most spectacular disasters in recent fandom history. For many on tumblr, it deflated the myopic fantasy of the site as an idyllic haven for fandoms, and acted as a lurid deconstruction of popular posts speculating what tumblr would have been like as a school/island/etc. Some saw the event as a testament to the cringe-worthy nature of fandom culture on tumblr and even cited it as the cause of SuperWhoLock's downfall on the site; others saw it as an unfortunate scam leveled towards some kids who just wanted to have a fun time.
==Origins and History==
Originally titled "Tumbl-Con," the event was renamed DashCon (referring to the tumblr dashboard) and moved to 2014.
From the DashCon welcome page:
And:
The preliminary schedule offered over 4 tracks of programming, a vendor's room, a fan art gallery, and guests. The 2014 draft schedule was made available online at http://www.dashcon.org/2014-schedule/ (broken link). The convention hoped to attract 3,000-5,000 attendees. The minimum age for admittance was lowered to 14; however, 18+ photo ID was be required for many panels and live events.
==Admins ==
As of November 2013.
* Megg
* Roxanne
* Sam
* Lochlan
* Angela
* Amber
==Organization==
===Committees & Fundraising===
In a unique twist for fan run conventions, the organizers had solicited Tumblr affinity groups to help raise the necessary capital to host such a large scale event. The exact relationship between these affinity groups and the convention, however, was not clear. The "committees" were arranged based on fandoms (Star Trek, Supernatural, Teen Wolf) along with other communities (YouTube, video games). In the fandom committees, members were offering commissioned fanfic and fanart. 
The Star Trek Committee planned to split their funds 60/40 - with 60% of the amount raised going to the convention and the remaining 40% to help members of the committee to attend the convention.NOTES FROM THE MEETING!!!! post from the Star Trek DashCon Committee tumblr dated Feb 2013; reference link. Below is a gallery of some of the banners for various fandom committees. More information about the committee structure can be found here.reference link.
The convention also solicited for funds directly and in March 2013 announced a $5000 initial fund-raising goal along with plans to apply for grants. From their Tumblr:
Tickets went on sale in the summer of 2013. Shortly after Yahoo bought Tumblr rumours began circulating that DashCon was not a fan run event. The convention issued an explanation that it was fan run and also pointed out that any funds left over would be used to organize DashCon 2015:
File:Tumblr mjpxesc5AM1s6wb5po1 500.png|Star Trek DashCon Committee flyer
File:Tumblr mk8cw6mwJs1qksijlo1 500.jpg|Sherlock (BBC) DashCon Committee flyer
File:Tumblr mjzuf9660K1s6u9pro1 500.jpg|Tolkien DashCon Committee flyer
File:Tumblr static spn committee.png|Supernatural DashCon Committee icon
File:Tumblr ms2ouwsu5T1s6kqoyo1 1280.jpg |Video Gaming DashCon Committee flyer
File:Tumblr mmm0de0BY51s6p3keo1 r2 500.jpg|Hetalia DashCon Committee flyer
File:Tumblr mkrx96kVu11re48nho1 500.jpg|Harry Potter DashCon Committee flyer
File:Tumblr mjxm6r3VyY1s6at5mo1 250.jpg|Hunger Games DashCon Committee flyer
File:Tumblr miggco44nK1r2jj5io1 500.jpg|Teen Wolf DashCon Committee flyer
===Panelist Requirements===
Panelists were vetted "to determine their qualifications in several different areas, including but not limited to subject knowledge, leadership abilities, and public speaking skills." They also needed to be willing and able to submit to a Skype video interview before being selected. A list of panelist requirements is posted here. Panelists who managed to attract more than 50 attendees across two panels held the same day were promised that their membership for that day would be comped. Panelists who exceeded a head count more than 100 (or full house) would receive their membership for that day free. 
This policy was a departure from most fan run conventions, where fans participated in programming without regard to compensation. Nor is the quality of fan panelists typically measured by the number of panel attendees.
===Volunteers===
In June 2013, the convention made a request for volunteers. 
After October 2013, the event stopped accepting volunteers.
==Reactions to Announcement==
The vast majority of fans welcomed the convention announcement with excitement:
Some fans raised concerns that the convention might not be real or might not actually take place.
to which the convention organizers responded:
Not everyone welcomed the convention however.
Fanworks:
Because many fans were under 18, a slightly tongue in cheek slideshow was created "How To Convince My Parents To Let Me Drive To Another State To Meet Strangers on The Internet"reference link. 
Because for many fans, this would be their first face to face meeting with people, "Party at DashCon Hey!", a filk song was created about how to deal with the anxiety. The song was posted to Youtube.
:"meeting all my friends for the first time,
: am I gonna fit in?....
: So hard without a laptop in front of me
: it's definitely not an online party
: 'cause all I see are real people
: I wonder how this is gonna go?...
: I'll be back online tonight....."
==Convention Weekend and Controversy==
DashCon debuted to reports of problems including misused funds, and panel and guest cancellation.DashCon 2014 - What Happened? tumblr post dated July 12, 2014; WayBack machine link; reference link. The number of attendees were lower than the initial projections of 3000-7000, with some estimating around 500 attendees at its highest pointkirbeh tumblr post dated July 12, 2014; Reference link. and 1000 for the whole weekend.DashCon - emmagrant01 livejournal post dated July 14, 2014.
There were supposedly two weddings at the hotel during the con weekendhttps://www.tumblr.com/decaffinatedplease/91520790943/alright-motherfuckers-heres-what-really-happened—on Saturday, according to one source—which the official dashcon tumblr account acknowledged.https://www.tumblr.com/dashcon/90764875156/attention-dashcon-attendees
Late into the opening day of the con, the organizers announced that the hotel was "threatening to shut down" the convention unless they could pay $17,000 by 10 p.m. Central Time.- URGENT PLEASE HELP tumblr post dated July 11, 2014; reference link Attendees at the con as well as people following their tumblr were asked to donate. People were encouraged to rally for fandom solidarity, with the organizers claiming that they "suspect it's due to the fact that upper management doesn't like the people at the con." The organizers managed to raise the money in time for the payment and deleted the original request, though some have pointed out that there has been no confirmation that the money went directly to the hotel.hythe's Dashcon tumblr post dated July 12, 2014; reference link. Subsequent reports contradict the amount of money actually raised by con-goers, with one person claiming that attendees contributed $3000, with the remaining $17,000 coming from ticket sales.not burnie's "Final Revised Post" on tumblr dated July 14, 2014; reference link. As of July 14, 2014, the convention organizers have not yet supplied a full accounting. However, given that the attendance on Friday night was estimated to be around 500-1,000, the $3,000 figure seems a more plausible figure to have raised within one hour.
The following day the organizers posted an explanation of the situation, stating that they had an earlier agreement with the hotel to pay in installments over the course of the weekend, but on July 11 the hotel management requested $20,000 to be paid immediately. The con organizers' plan had been to use the money from weekend's walk-in attendees to cover the total costs, so they did not have the funds on-hand to cover it.THE EXPLANATION tumblr post dated July 12, 2013; WayBack Machine link. The organizers promised to refund everyone who'd loaned them the $17,000, including those who donated in cash and do not have written proof.bisexual-books tumblr post dated July 12, 2014; reference link. She also repeated these facts during an redditt interview: " It was all honor system. I was there when Roxanne announced that on Saturday morning. She claimed anyone who donated more than $1 if they came to the staff office and wrote down their name, email address they used to buy their con badge, and the amount she would refund them all on honor system. I don't know anyone who asked for a refund though." Source dated July 14, 2014. However a closer read of the July 12, 2014 "Explanation" post have led some to speculate that refunds may be limited to PayPal users."Those who donated VIA paypal, we will be refunding you guys after the convention as soon as possible, starting with the largest amounts, and moving down from there.". A second-hand report from a con-goer who'd talked to the staff says that the hotel requested the payment when the organizers could not fulfill the room block they had agreed with the hotel management; attendance was only 15% of what they'd expected.
Several members of the cast of Welcome to Night Vale (WTNV) were invited to the convention and scheduled to appear for a panel, but pulled out when the organizers were "unable to pay for [their] flights, hotel, or performance fee".Apologies to fans in Northern Illinois tumblr post dated July 12, 2014; WayBack Machine link. The organizers responded on their official tumblr they did have money to pay the cast but had technical difficulties that prevented it from happening.CLARIFICATIONS AND BACK UP PLANS- tumblr post dated July 12, 2014; WayBack Machine link A staff member posted on their personal tumblr that the cast of WTNV lied, and that they actually were paid but chose to leave anyway.Wtnv Lied Just So You Know… tumblr post dated July 13, 2014; reference link The organizers offered various prizes to attendees who'd paid for tickets to the panel, including "an extra hour with the ball pit", which has since become a meme in discussing the convention. On an anti-Dashcon tumblr, an anonymous commenter claimed that some of the prizes were supposed to be rewards for backers of the convention's IndieGoGo fundraising campaign.Trashcon tumblr post dated July 13, 2014; reference link. 
The organizers had trouble fulfilling their promise of covering the hotel rooms of other invited guests. The Sherlock Holmes podcast group The Baker Street Babes found themselves having to pay for their hotel rooms when they discovered that the organizers had withdrawn their card from the hotel account without informing them. The group were initially unable to contact the organizers and threatened legal action.Dash Con, The Baker Street Babes tumblr post, dated July 13, 2014; WayBack Machine link The group updated on July 13 that the organizers have contacted them, claiming that there was a misunderstanding, and the account is being settled,Dash Con, The Baker Street Babes tumblr post, dated July 13, 2014; WayBack Machine link. but on July 14 found that they're still being charged for the bill.Dash Con, The Baker Street Babes tumblr post, dated July 14, 2014; reference link Other invited guests who similarly found themselves billed for their rooms are Gingerhaze, who was a "Featured Artist",Dashcon Featured Artist announcement - Gingerhaze tumblr post dated July 12, 2014; WayBack machine link"Found out I'm footing the bill for my own hotel room after all, so that's cool. Not surprised tbh"- gingerhazing tweet, dated July 13, 2014; WayBack Machine link as well as geek bloggers Lyndsay Faye and beinggeekchic.Dashcon: Where I Draw the Line tumblr post dated July 13, 2014; reference link All these guests were reimbursed a few days after the convention.
Response to the convention had been critical, with some speculating that it was a scam, while other think that it wasn't malicious, and was result of poor management and incompetence.GOOFCON: DASHCON ISN'T A "SCAM" IT'S JUST SILLY - Black Rectangle post, dated July 12, 2014; WayBack Machine link.Over the course of a weekend, DashCon 2014 descended into chaos - The Daily Dot, posted on July 13, 2014; WayBack Machine link. The organizers' lack of experience has been criticized,scifigrl47 tumblr post dated July 12, 2014; WayBack machine link. as it has lead to questionable decisions such as setting a comparatively high ticket price for a fan-run convention, announcing a partnership with actor Misha Collins' non-profit organization Random Acts despite that not being true,DashCon and Random Acts— The partnership of awesome! tumblr post dated July 10, 2014; WayBack machine link.Random Acts is not partnered with Dashcon - tweet dated July 13, 2014; reference link only releasing 500 daily tickets which would have made it almost impossible to achieve the projected 3000-7000 attendees, and already refusing refunds for advance tickets a year prior to the convention itself.Welcome to Hell: A DashCon Experience. By: seh221/Sarah H. tumblr post dated July 14, 2014; link Random Acts has released a statement that they're not partnered with Dashcon, and has advised people who've donated to contact them, and to always obtain a receipt when making donations.Random Acts tumblr post dated July 14, 2014 A former committee member has posted their personal experience of the preparations that went into the convention, claiming poor communication, lack of transparency, unrealistic goals such as trying to get Dylan O'Brien from Teen Wolf and Tom Hiddleston from the Marvel films guests, and a poor to non-existent screening process to allow people to join the committee.augustinesycamore tumblr post, dated July 12, 2014; Reference link.augustinesycamore tumblr post Part 2, dated July 13, 2014; reference link Some have voiced concern that the organizers were able to pay the salary of at least one staff member, when fan-run conventions are usually volunteer.
Aside from the larger money-related controversies, the convention was generally disorganized, and rife with miscommunication and last-minute changes.Dashcon masterpost by a vendor tumblr post dated July 13, 2014; WayBack Machine link. However, some attendees claim that the outside reaction is overblown and exaggerated,DashCon fics - Mark Does Stuff tumblr post dated July 12, 2014; WayBack Machine link and even those who found the convention chaotic add that they had fun, and the staff were nice and doing their best. At the end of the convention, the organizers announced that they will still go ahead with their plans for a 2015 convention in Indiana.HIGHLIGHTS OF THE DASHCON FEEDBACK PANEL tumblr post dated July 13, 2014; WayBack machine link"#dashcon already has money to go to 2015. Someone asked why not use that money but the money was from 6 mo ago. Down payment made." - SarahKFetter twitter, posted on July 14, 2014 They also stated that there will be no refunds for the full weekend, and on July 13 updated the rules on their website to state that there will be no refunds for the canceled WTNV panel.hythe tumblr post dated July 14, 2014; reference link Additional live updates can be found here.
On July 9, 2015 a tumblr blog made a callout style post concerning the rumored 'second dashcon', now called Emoti-Con Indy.https://emoticon-indy.tumblr.com/post/123696489380/so-whatever-happened-to-the-dashcon-team-or-how
===The Ball Pit Meme===
During the convention, Emma Grant, an attendee, created a faux 'postcard' and posted it to her tumblr. The image was immediately reblogged many times and ultimately became the source of the Ball Pit Meme. However, it was not until the Welcome To Night Vale live reading event was canceled, and fans who had paid for it were promised "an extra hour in the ball pit", that the meme was born.
=== Legacy ===
A parody blog for 'Dashcon 2' was made in 2020https://www.tumblr.com/dashconstaff, possibly inspired by the chaos of November 5, 2020. 
DashCon 2 was announced in July 2024, many found out through the YouTube Channel Strange Aeons in the video DashCon: An Extensive Oral History.
==Panel Reports, Notes and Videos==
* DashCon 2014 - LGBTQ&A (Video); Video announcement here.
* Circular Gallifreyan Slideshow (Doctor Who)
*BDSM Panel Report by journeytogallifrey and BDSM Panel Report by asarimindmeld
*Stage Combat Panel (Report and Video)
*The Brony Panel (Report and Pictures)
*The Nightvale Meet and Greet (Report and Pictures)
*Homoerotic Subtext panel (Report and link to presentation)
*Omegaverse Slides
*Hannibal: Where Did We Come From? (Slideshow)
==External links/Additional Reading==
===Official Messages===
* The Dashcon official website
*Video of the Friday night emergency fund-raiser Part 1 and Part 2 posted July 11, 2014
*Video of the convention organizers explaining the emergency fund-raiser posted July 13, 2014.A transcript of the video is available at the Youtube page and a reference copy is available here. Additional notes can be found on hythe's tumblr here.
*Video of the WTNV panel posted by The Geekiary on July 13, 2014
*DashCon: Separating Facts from Fiction – An Official Statement dated July 16, 2014 (link goes to the archived version as the post is stored on the website front page which changes).
*Follow-up Questions and Answers to the "DashCon: Separating Facts from Fiction' post dated July 17, 2014WayBack machine link.
===Third Party Essays/Articles===
*Dashcon at knowyourmeme
*Dashcon webgame - Kongregate
*DashCon Disaster – Welcome to Night Vale Walks Out & More - The Geekiary, posted July 12, 2014
*DashCon or DashConned? - Fandom Wank, dated July 12, 2014
*Tumblr Convention "Disaster" Unfolds at Illinois' DashCon - The Escapist, posted July 14, 2014
*The Tumblr User Convention DashCon Was a Beautiful, Hilarious Shitshow - Jezebel, posted July 14, 2014
*Over the course of a weekend, DashCon 2014 descended into chaos - Daily Dot, posted July 13, 2014
*The $17,000 Ball Pit -- how Dashcon went from Tumblr Con to Conning Tumblr - Blastr, posted July 14, 2014
*DashCon Follow-Up: Random Acts Partnership Didn’t Exist, But Was DashCon Really a Scam?? - The Geekiary, posted July 14, 2014
*DisasterCon: how a fan convention’s big dream became a nightmare - The Verge, posted July 15, 2014
*You Know That Tumblr Convention That Went to Shit? It Wasn't That Bad - Vice.com, posted July 15, 2014
*Oh Dashcon No tumblr post by vastderp in response to the Official Dashcon Statement, posted July 17, 2014
*An Open Letter to the DashCon Folks - tumblr post by beaubete in response to the Official Dashcon Statement, posted July 17, 2014
*Tumblr convention in Schaumburg implodes - Daily Herald, dated July 17, 2014
*The Failure of Dashcon | The world's first Tumblr convention by Internet Historian, posted to YouTube on February 22nd 2017
*Tumblr's Failed Convention: The Story of Dashcon by Sarah Z, posted to YouTube on July 27th 2020
===Convention Volunteer and Attendee Reports===
*augustinesycamore blogs about their experience volunteering with Dashcon before the convention began: Part 1, Part 2, Part 3 posted from July 12, 2014 to July 15, 2014 Reference Link Part 1, Reference Link Part 2, Reference Link Part 3.
*Dashcon masterpost by a vendor dated July 13, 2014
*My unofficial opinion as an attendee at Dashcon: posted July 13, 2014
*ikunihattori's Dashcon 2014 con report dated July 13, 2014
*the-winds-of-fate's Day 1 report and Day 2, dated July 13-14, 2014
*This is a VERY VERY long post about all that has gone down at Dashcon posted July 13, 2014 Reference link.
*Well. It’s over posted July 13, 2014
*OK here is my summary of Ellie’s magical adventure to Chicago and Dashcon dated July 14, 2014
*Emma Grant dated July 14, 2014 Reference link.
*Mark Oshiro dated July 14, 2014WayBack machine link.
*Dashcon Recap dated July 14, 2014
*hippiegrungequeer's convention report dated July 14, 2014
*Gingerhaze's tweets about his con experience posted by hythe on July 14, 2014
*hythe's interview with a volunteer dated July 14, 2014
*Do you think DASHCON will be bigger next year dated July 14, 2014
*spontaneousmusicalnumber post dated July 14, 2014
*baneberrydragon's convention report dated July 15, 2014
*niffernotniffox's attendee POV dated July 15, 2014
*Masterpost of Facts About Dashcon by journeytogallifrey, posted July 15, 2014 and updated
*hythe's interview with a dashcon artist dated July 15, 2014
*emilydickensen's report with several reviews of panels, dated July 15, 2014
*DashCon Discourses: Through a Feminist Lens dated July 16, 2014
*Michelle Lehr posted a 3 day convention report at animesecrets: Friday, Saturday and Sunday (dated July 16, 2014)
*here’s my reaction to Dashcon’s official statement posted July 17, 2014 reference link.
*Alright Motherfuckers: Here's What Really Happened by decaffinatedplease archived posted July 12, 2014
*report by therealraewest archived posted July 12, 2014
=== Photos/Media Artifacts ===
* cosplay photos and con commentary by ask-the-ackermans archived posted July 15, 2014
* the original(?) infamous ballpit pictures by themonsterghosts archived posted July 13, 2014
* slenderman cosplay in the ballpit by therealraewest archived posted July 12, 2014
** additional photo by creepiefarm
* cosplay photos by widzi and atlasisreal archived posted July 21-22, 2023
* dashcon badges by coneboyofficial and therealraewest archived
* assorted photos by mthylbenzene archived posted December 31, 2014
* homestuck cosplay photos by atlasisreal and therealraewest (1) (2)
=== Misc. Tumblr Posts ===
* 4chan dashcon raid warning posted July 12, 2014
* posts tagged 'dashcon' on heritageposts
=== Retrospectives ===
* commentary and pictures by atlasisreal archived posted July 22, 2023
* tumblr ask response by therealraewest archived
==Similar Disasters==
* New York Star Trek '76 (1976)
* Con of Wrath (part of a series, but collapsed in 1982)
* Slanted Fedora (part of a series, but collapsed in 2003)
* Tentmoot (2003)
* Flanvention II (2006)
* JumpCon (2008)
* FedConUSA (2008)
* DashCon (2014)
* RainFurrest (2015)
==References==
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Category:Scandals
Category:2014 Conventions
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