Oklacon 2010 - The Great Depression
Fuzzy Productions, LLC
Our convention is very fortunate. In over eight years of brainstorming the idea of the first annual convention in the Great Plains, designing the vert first outdoor convention in America, and in going through the annual cycles of rigorous convention coordination and execution, the faces haven't change much year after year. Each year, we see our same supportive attendees, some of who have come out to join us each fall for almost a decade. Similarly, the energetic folks behind the scenes who perform the rather mundane duties of budgeting, negotiating contracts, coordinating logistics, and figuring out how to top each successive year in terms of the amount of good we can accomplish for our charity also have changed little over the years.
We are a large team of volunteers, serving either as officers or managing members, as con-chairs, as volunteers, as panelists, as cooks and servers, as sweepers and cleaners, or just lending our voices and suggestions. Together, we have created a unique and memorable convention experience that has created a compelling alternative to the explosion of hotel-based conventions and has even inspired others to replicate our succesful convention formula. If imitation is a form of flaterry, we're blushing hard!
Our convention has, however, undergone a number of cosmetic changes. The name of the convention itself, as well as the organizing body that produces it have changed over the years. For some time, Oklacon was produced by a not-for-profit 501(c)(7) non-tax-exempt entity called OAAA. While this top-heavy organizational structure reflected the mutual desire of all involved to protect accountability, transparency, and the voice of the entire community in the decision-making process, inevitably, the bylaws, tomes of 'Rules of Order', and other structural requiremnts to maintain this entity to produce a convention for about 300 attendees proved not only cumbersome, but threatened the continued production of the convention itself. In the end, we found we wanted to focus on getting the intricate job of producing a convention done right, on-time, and transparently, not spending our time following the same rules as Congress to make decisions.
Today, Oklacon is produced by Fuzzy Productions, LLC, an independent limited liability company devoted to the continuation and growth of Oklacon's designated charity, Safari's Interactive Animal Sanctuary. Like many changes in Oklacon's storied history, this change is mostly cometic: the convention remains a non-tax-exempt entity, remains inure to the benefit of Safari's Interactive Animal Sanctuary of Broken Arrow, OK, remains accountable and transaprent to its charity, which has full access to the accounting of the company, and the same faces that brought Oklacon into existance in 2003 remain deeply involved with its continued success. Fuzzy Productions is governed by a group of long-time Oklacon attendees, long-time Oklahomans, and long-time members of the furry fandom, who serve the organization equally and without the possibility of personal financial gain from its operations. All proceeds from the numberous charity events we host are donated directly to Safari's Animal Sanctuary in Broken Arrow, OK on behalf of the convention. Everything else goes back into the purse to make the following year a reality and accomodate our continued growth.
Most importantly, Oklacon entirely owes its success to giving a voice to the furry community in Oklahoma and surrounding states. Just as in its inception, each Oklacon attendee has a voice in how we plan for and execute each year's events and activities, and Fuzzy Productions remains committed to making Oklacon not only successful for its charity in terms of goodwill and donations collected, but also to meet and exceed the expectations of our long-time attendees and new-found friends. The success and continuation of Oklacon is in large part due to our loyal and committed attendees and our volunteers, without whose dedication, generosity, and input, our efforts could not be realized.
We appreciate the opportunity we have to serve you and our wonderful charity, and we encourage you to get involved this year and next. As a whole, we look forward to seeing you this year, and each October as we work hard to have a great time in the beautiful landscape of Western Oklahoma to meet old friends, kindle new relationships, and work together to raise money for hungry animals at Safari's in the coming winter months.
LLC Members
 BlueOtter |
 Cute Puppy |
 Horses' Ghost |
 Pardus |
 Wolff |
For information on how to contact us, please click here.