Something Awful Dislocates FOXmas Convention

[Kindrift]

Via Something Awful.

Last week, ALotD warned you about the FOX-mas event in December. After three years as a house party, FOX-mas was set to make its hotel debut, as one of the organizers explains: "We decided to expand it and get a ballroom, but as we negotiated with the hotel, the concept grew into a mini-convention." Unfortunately, these "negotiations" with the hotel apparently didn't include disclosure of the fact that FOX-mas was being billed as an adults-only furry free-for-all.

"I am appalled and extremely embarrassed," wrote a manager from the besieged Rochester Holiday Inn in response to the Awful Link write-up. "This is NOT the reputation we want anywhere near our hotels. In no way, shape or form did the planner mention anything about Furries as they are called and what the group does for 'fun.' I asked him about the group during negotiations. He told me this was for a mini-convention of mascots." When reached to confirm by phone, the representative described how she expected the hotel lobby to be overrun with people dressed like "the Pillsbury Doughboy and the Geiko gecko," not, say, lascivious wolves creating fursuit friction with cheetahs.

So, FOX-mas will not be held at the Rochester Holiday Inn. Feel free to resume family-friendly booking there. However, the organizers will surely find a venue receptive to their costumed romp. Furries always land on their feet.

We at Vivisector are truly sorry for those who may have lost their chance to spend winter vacation in Rochester, New York.

[Pi]

This page is currently down for maintenance. We'll be back up ASAP

[Freehaven]

God, that site design for FOXmas is fucking horrible.

Also, I see they're no longer calling it "the most important furry event ever" or whatever the tagline was.  Smart move on their part.  Then again, with the event going from being held at a hotel to (likely) returning to a house party, I doubt it could really be considered "important" in the way they wanted it to be considered "important".

Oh, and one more thing: God Bless The Goons.

[LordNagetiere]

SA still exists?

[Pi]

God, that site design for FOXmas is fucking horrible.

Yeah, it's like my web browser is a portal to 1995 all of a sudden. Hell, I hate web design and I could turn out a better site than that shit.

[Freehaven]

Yeah, it's like my web browser is a portal to 1995 all of a sudden. Hell, I hate web design and I could turn out a better site than that shit.

Naylor's Pink Nightmare site design was better than that.

SABRINA ONLINE'S SITE DESIGN IS BETTER.

I could probably come up with something halfway decent for them in a day or two, if I gave enough of a shit to try and feign caring about them.

[a pigeon]

This is from October 20th, in the Foxmas google group:

Right now FOXmas is not canceled, however, the hotel is being very
difficult and trying to cancel their involvement due to the SA link of the
day that featured foxmas.   I am persuing two courses of action (legal
action against the hotel and finding another venue)

http://groups.google.com/group/foxmas/browse_thread/thread/c5fcd54d4429d5f2?hl=en

[Freehaven]

Legal action?  Pffffffft.  The hotel can choose who they want to book the building to, and if they don't want anything to do with a giant goddamn fursuit orgy, then that's their business.  As long as the hotel refunds the FOXmas "staff" any monies they paid to book the hotel, then there's no legal issue here.

And they also need to realize that any venue they book is likely going to get informed about what FOXmas is really about, so they're better off just making it a house party again.

[kayfox]

Actually, you can sue if a hotel cancels your event's contract,  but theres probably a clause in the contract for "gross misrepresentation" of the nature of the event or so forth.  At any rate, this is the danger of being a first year event, the hotel has no idea what your event is like, so anyone can come along and paint some totally absurd story and the hotel will eat it up.

[Pi]

Actually, you can sue if a hotel cancels your event's contract,  but theres probably a clause in the contract for "gross misrepresentation" of the nature of the event or so forth.  At any rate, this is the danger of being a first year event, the hotel has no idea what your event is like, so anyone can come along and paint some totally absurd story and the hotel will eat it up.

Really, though. FOXmas is clearly a fuckfest that outgrew a house. If I were the hotel I'd kick 'em out for lying to me too.

[Freehaven]

Really, though. FOXmas is clearly a fuckfest that outgrew a house.

And anyone who tries to tell you otherwise is either FOXmas "staff" or is trying to suck off the staff suck up to the staff for whatever sort of special privileges that entails.

[ProvincialTwit]

A quick fun note to add to this.  Google results for 'foxmas':

#1: Wikifur
#2 and #3: SA Awful Link writeups

Exemplary.  While it's not hard to imagine one or more goons having personally called the hotel to inform them of the nature of the con, this situation harkens back to this weird sort of hubris furries seem to have, where they don't realize that other people use the Internet, too.  People like hotel staff, or potential employers, etc.  It's perfectly okay to parade around waving your freak flag high on the Internet, but if you attach your real name to such actions...welp.

[rodox_video]

Where exactly do conventional perverts host orgies anyway? Because hotel convention centers do not strike me as an appropriate place.

[ProvincialTwit]

The reason you never hear of such things is that conventional perverts are able to keep their fetishes under control and know the difference between what is appropriate private vs public behavior. 

Also there are gigantic porn trade shows so I suppose they could go to those hotels.

[Pi]

Where exactly do conventional perverts host orgies anyway?

The professionally-planned conventional-pervert-orgies I've been to have been hosted at this new-age(hippie) commune that rents out some of their rooms for various events, one of which just so happens to be an orgy.

The rest of them have just been "hey, we should probably go into the back room before any more clothes come off" at house parties.

[Kindrift]

I do know that at one point the San Jose Doubletree hosted a BDSM convention a few months before they hosted Further Confusion.  It certainly helps to be open and straightforward with your hotel regarding the nature of the business you'd like to conduct there.

[Kindrift]

Canceled, blaming the hotel.

[ProvincialTwit]

Exemplary.  In this instance, a victory for the goons is a victory for us all.

Also, pretty amazed that none of the comments in that linked LJ post are doing the 'freak the fuck out about goons' thing; unless they already went through that earlier and I missed it?

Either way, good riddance.

[Freehaven]

The Goons have done God's work.  All's right with the world.