In following up to Blog 314 last week, I had to make a tough, but necessary decision that I think is important to the overall success of Going the Distance. The decision was that I will largely retire from attending and speaking at fan conventions after ten years.
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The decision to retire from fan conventions were based on several factors:
Saturation: (There are so many conventions to choose from and not all of them really have the best interests of the attendees and speakers at heart.)
Audience: (Speaking at Fan Conventions would often times have me ask the question would I be able to have an audience in the first place. At the same time, I also have to ask myself if anyone would come to fan conventions to either learn about neurodiverse people like me or see their favorite stars or discuss favorite shows with other fans. This is especially true with people I work closely with that want to see me speak, but not in an environment that is overstimulating).
Competition: (When it comes to fan conventions, there is a sense of strong competition, not just more than one convention, but also at the events themselves. When I attended MyCon 2021 in Orlando, I had to compete for my audience when there were other events like a sing along going on next door.)
Financial: (As you know, there is a financial side to being able to attend and speak at these events. I invest a lot of money into being able to speak and it would not be a good practice if I speak at a fan convention, and nobody shows up. If that happened, it would be a waste of money for an event that never really cared about me in the first place).
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Now, let me be perfectly clear about one thing: I don’t think speaking at fan conventions are a bad thing. Its just that when it comes to running a business like “Going the Distance,” sometimes we have to make decisions that are tough, but necessary. A lot of the people I am currently working with are professionals that have doctorates and other high-ranking degrees and certifications and who don’t intend on attending a fan convention.
In my ten years doing Brony and Fan Conventions, I have been fortunate to have meet people that I was able to level on, but not all of them would end up being in the same boat as me. Furthermore, with each time I either attended as a general attendee or panelist, I had to ask myself whether or not I had a future speaking at fan conventions.
Sure, the admission to fan conventions is cheap (mostly under $100), but what audience can I picture myself speaking to? How can I reach out to people that have a deep passion for autism/neurodiversity? Most of the people that attend fan conventions are on the spectrum, but there are plenty of others who will never amount to anything in life and would much rather waste their lives away on something that will never amount to in the end?
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In fact, my first signs that I needed to move on from these kinds of events happened in 2017, when I was at Canterlot KC in Kansas City, MO and someone was telling me a story that a friend of his was attacked at Everfree Northwest in Seattle, WA.
Now over five years since I heard this story, I feel that if “Going the Distance” is going to be in a convention/conference atmosphere, it needs to be in a professional environment.
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What’s more is that I currently view attending fan conventions as a similarity to my day job in the grocery industry, where anyone can just walk in and make it difficult to find my audience. Not everyone has the same mindset as you and if some people aren’t going to listen to my story, then why do I even bother trying to?
I’ve also come to see that I work best with parents, professionals, educators, employers and other individuals that I am on the same level with.
The events I have presented at and attended so far were in a professional environment and just recently, I have updated my Facebook, Twitter and LinkedIn to include cover photos of me speaking at APSE Masschusetts’ event in October because if I kept my picture of me speaking at MyCon 2021, then it would not be a good reflection of what I am currently doing right now.
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Still, do I have any regrets I even attended fan conventions in the first place? No, because the Brony Fandom and Fan Conventions laid the next level of foundation that became “Going the Distance.” Like my educational journey, Brony and Fan Conventions were a good training ground for the practices I have put in now.
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Catch you all later!!
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