Final production work for the next issue of WV has distracted me from posting here, but some new shit has come to light, as the The Dude would say, and I wanted to get the word out so people can adjust their plans. HowlCon II, the Pacific Northwest werewolf convention scheduled for February 6 and 7, has officially been cancelled.
January 21 edit: here’s the official statement from HowlCon.
I say “officially” despite lack of an update on the HowlCon web site (as of this post, anyway) because I’ve been in touch with the convention’s organizer, Stephen Couchman. He told me over the phone that the demolition of the convention’s original home and the subsequent venue change had a big impact on pre-registration, which in turn affects cash flow and logistics. There were some other issues as well, most of which were out of Stephen’s hands… but some of which, in my armchair quarterback opinion, could have been avoided with better planning and/or project management.
It’s a shame that the event has been cancelled, and it’s kind of a pain in the ass that we’re only hearing about it now, less than three weeks before the event – and that you have to hear about it from me, rather than the event organizer. My overall impression, though, is that HowlCon II has been cancelled not because the idea is bad (the idea is extremely good in theory and in practice), or because the organizers don’t know what they’re doing (they clearly do, judging by the success of their other big convention) but because conventions are extremely hard to plan, fund and execute, and sometimes things just don’t work out. I have faith that HowlCon will return in some shape or form, and I look forward to supporting it – and attending it! – when it does.
Stephen tells me that an official post about HowlCon II and future plans will be up at howlcon.com within the next 48 hours. In the meantime, if you booked a hotel reservation or made travel plans, now would be a good time to get a refund.