Universal FanCon, celebrating diversity and inclusion in pop culture, ‘indefinitely postponed’

One week before it was to open, Universal FanCon — a crowd-funded “multi-fandom Con dedicated to inclusion, highlighting Women, LGBTQ, the Disabled and Persons of Color” — has been abruptly postponed, and postponed indefinitely, with refunds for patrons and booth sponsors currently up in the air.

“Unfortunately, the support we were anticipating in terms of ticket sales and sponsorships did not materialize,” organizers said in a note posted earlier today.

Universal FanCon had been scheduled for Friday, April 27 to Sunday, April 29 at the Baltimore Convention Center, striving to attract a crowd of 10,000. Celebrity guests scheduled to appear included Kristian Nairn, the actor who portrays Hodor on HBO’s Game of Thrones; Mehcad Brooks (Jimmy Olsen on The CW’s Supergirl) and Billy Dee Williams (Lando Calrissian of Star Wars and Harvey Dent in 1989’s Batman).

The idea for the con began in December 2016 with a fundraiser seeking $25,000; it raised more than twice that amount, $56,498 from 1,187 donors. But “as we built out our floorplan, invited guests, figured out lodging/travel arrangements, and confirmed activities, our costs started to grow exponentially,” organizers said in today’s statement.

The organizers acknowledged that “we’ve made mistakes in the process of trying to inform all our stakeholders ... and have caused significant inconvenience to many who trusted us.” Their statement tried to walk back earlier news that Universal FanCon had been cancelled outright, which they said was “due to a miscommunication from one of our partner hotels.”

The organizers posted an FAQ that was light on specifics. They said that the $55,000 raised by the Kickstarter “was allocated towards securing space at the Baltimore Convention Center, initial marketing, and convention operations,” but didn’t say if that money was still good for staging the con at a later date. As for tickets purchased, “We are determining how we can support refunds. We have emailed all ticket holders.” Likewise for Kickstarter donors, “We are determining how we can support refunds.”

Yet they insisted this does not mean Universal FanCon is canceled. Still, for those who made and paid for travel including flights and hotels, Universal FanCon’s leadership advised attendees to contact those providers and work through their cancellation policies to avoid being charged, if possible. Anyone holding a ticket for the event next week will have it honored when Universal FanCon is ultimately held, if at all.

Polygon has reached out to Universal FanCon’s leadership for additional comment.

The organizers’ statement did not directly answer why the con was postponed so soon before it was to open. “It became clear in our last team meeting that we would not be able to deliver the event the fans deserved without more time,” they said. Nor did they say how long the con would be postponed, or when (or where else, if necessary) it would open. “Once we are able to fully assess our options, we will make an announcement.

“We recognize the financial impact this decision has had on our stakeholders and supporters,” organizers said in today’s statement. “We know you’re angry and we want to try everything possible to do right by” attendees and donors, they said.