As some of you may know my home town of Seattle started a new convention this year after a hiatus of conventions, and this was called Anthro Northwest. Below will be my honest review of the convention in whole, things that worked, things that didn't and my opinion as a local as to whether it is worth attending and if I myself will be in attendance for the 2018 year.
Anthro Northwest began as a way to rebuild and strengthen the ties of our community through art, education, and creativity. This was the first year it was held in downtown Seattle after a convention hiatus due to another convention was shutdown for being abundantly negligent. For the many that were concerned that this convention would be run by the same people, have the same vibe, or carry on the same patterns that this previous convention (Rainfurrest) did then I can most certainly assure you that those worries were nothing to take as a sign of failure for this event.
From the very moment I stepped into the hotel, which is beautiful by the way, I was greeted and socialized with three different staff members and volunteers who welcomed me to the convention. Now some may think or say that these people are trying to overcompensate by pleasantries to make this event work, however being one to call out an act when I see one I did not get any rehearsed vibes from anyone. The convention grew to be of bigger attendance than originally expected, and these individuals worked themselves to the bone to make it the success that it was and I hope that it continues to be.
As also made clear by their code of conduct going into this con, this con had been from the beginning set up to be a PG rated convention, no adult material would be permitted. Now as a furry I know that can be a little disappointing for those who wish to partake and are of the legal age to do so, however, this I believe was done for the pure reasoning that due to the failures of Rainfurrest and the negative stigma it left us (as locals and as a community in whole) it was in the best interest to have a hard "reboot" of our local scene. To rebuild and allow furs of all ages and generations to join in and celebrate what it means to be a furry. I don't believe that we are defined strictly by adult works, we see this all the time at other conventions even if that material is present. Others go for the dances, competitions, music, panels, so to say that withdrawing this from the convention would lead to its demise is a narrow way of thinking, and with closed minds come closed doors to allow ones self to experience everything new and fun that an event like this or any kind can offer.
Logistically this convention was smoothly handled, minus a few bumps. As stated before this was the first year of the con and so nobody should expect that it would go perfectly, no cons do given any size or amount of staff. The location was a bit harder to arrive to for those traveling, but still nothing that a tram ride to downtown couldn't fix, and as well as being a beautiful hotel (and gracious hosts I might add) we were surrounded by various restaurants and a great view of the waterfront and short walk to many tourist activities. Overall the backlash given towards this convention was sadly from a majority of people who did not even attend themselves, with a few exceptions which I am sure you can look up if you follow social media. One of the biggest concerns for con goers and those looking in from the outside as well was that there was a media presence filming us during the weekend, and given our track record with media at our events caused a bit of a stir.
While this seemed to be a last minute decision thrown at attendees, everyone who showed up was automatically "opted-out" of being on camera unless you signed a waiver to be used. At the opening ceremonies dinner I got to chat up with the production crew and the host and talk about what they were trying to say with their piece and I had no concerns after walking away from that. I believe that we as a community focus too much on past pieces of media to allow new ones in, and that fear is not only unhealthy but is a far missed opportunity to share the light to others as to who we really are as a fandom. The piece itself was not on sex, or any adult activities that some may choose to partake in but to what it means to be a furry and the different ways we choose to connect ourselves to each other and this wonderful fandom.
This convention did not lack in anything that a yearly con would have to satisfy all kinds of goers as well, from music, to performance pieces and comedy, arts, dances, the works. Nothing felt out of place or fake, this was put on by fellow locals who desired to rebuild and grow what was once a fractured region of the fandom. While still small, I can honestly say as a local this was the right step that we needed to grow further in the future for our region, to have the potential to spawn new conventions and events in the pacific northwest as time goes on and to help local businesses and residents to see that while every group has bad seeds that we can not be defined by those few individuals.
In summary Anthro Northwest for me was nothing short of a relaxing and cozy weekend. I never felt rushed or bored with not enough to do, and I never felt that my actions or attendees or events were being policed or "SFW" washed for the sake of the rating of the convention. It was enjoyable to see so many friends come from near and far to partake and support this crew, and to see us as locals come together and really cherish having a space to call our own once more. And again, this convention was not perfect, I don't expect it to be, if you desire to focus of the negatives for anything in life you can waste time and energy doing so but that isn't constructive. This convention has things they need to address and work on for the following year, but overall my end result for it remains the same. I will continue to invest into this convention with my time, support, and I will return for the following year to come. It feels good to be home.
If you are reading this and have anymore questions that I may have missed I encourage you to message me directly. I will be more than happy to answer to the best of my knowledge. Thank you.
