I wish I understood years ago, attending these conventions, just how much time and dedication it takes to bring one together. Even more so if you plan on being around 5 years down the road. I think about all the years I have attended Midwest Furfest, or the years I have attended Anthrocon. I wish I could go back and properly thank those people. I'm not just talking about the convention chairmans, but all the departments that make it happen. People just don't understand what it takes to make a large scale weekend come together for an attendance of hundreds to thousands of furries. And I think I speak for most event runners, in that that's precisely the point. If things are going well, you will notice us as little as possible. Some event runners are more "center stage" than others, but everyone just wants you, the guest, to have fun - hangout with friends, make new friends, have a good time. That's the most important thing.

So let's talk about Furry Migration. Furry Migration, for those who don't know, is a Minnesota based furry convention that is going into it's second year. Our first year we had a little under 500 attendees. Our second year, we are set to hit around 600+. I run "The Hotel Department", along with my co-head,  kitsunekla. We have a scary job that entails a lot of hours. Our job for this year's convention started while last year's was happening. Finding a new hotel. Kitsunekla and I emailed hotels, talked on the phone with representatives, visited and did walk throughs of hotels, received bids from hotels, negotiated for our convention, and in the end, signed with the Hyatt Regency Minneapolis - Sister hotel to the Hyatt Regency O'hare - current home to Midwest Furfest. This all was done over the course of a month or two of when last year's convention happened. A hotel selected, a contract signed, you might think our job was done. Far from it.

Next we setup meetings between the convention and the hotel. We find out what each department in the convention wants and we work with the hotel to provide it. We make maps and diagrams for the hotel to reference in setting up the space. We coordinate the electrical needs of the convention since electricity isn't cheap. We work with the hotel to cater special events like the Sponsor Brunch. We work with the hotel restaurant to provide tailored options that fit with our attendees. Then there's coordinating the room block - the number of different types of rooms, Guest of Honor needs, and so on. We coordinate load in/load out times with the hotel's dock space. And most importantly, we weigh each option with our convention's budget so that the convention doesn't go broke. And then at the convention, we are on duty as well - acting as a go between for representatives of the hotel and representatives of our convention.

That is the Hotel Department. I don't even want to tally the hours Kitsune and I have put into this. It's a lot. We each have put in close to 200 hours for Furry Migration 2015. 200 hours for one department.

Let's talk about other departments. Con Ops - develops and drafts procedures, both safety and security, radio protocols, and other things my brain can't wrap itself around at the moment. If the hotel department is Engineering, Con Ops is the Bridge. You have the Programming department that finds and coordinates with panelists, artist alley, dealers, main stage, web. The Gaming Department coordinates with game stores and individuals/organizations to supply games, tournaments, and other fun social diversions. You have your Dealer's department that spends countless hours coordinating with all the Vendors, seeing to their needs, setting up spaces for them. You've got the Main Stage department that sets up all the rigging for main stage, brings in all the lighting and audio equipment and sets everything up and coordinates with any programming that takes place on the main stage. Registration, that creates a system for people to use to preregister and then implements at the door registrations, organizes badge printing and sponsor bags and OMG lots of things. Our web department builds and maintains the website www.furrymigration.org and you can bet are already working to get next year's site online following this year's convention. You have Publications that coordinates the conbook - pretty much designing it from scratch and coordinating for artwork and content - not to mention helping coordinate convention badges, signage for around the convention, the restaurant guide... it's crazy. Our Treasurer, who constantly watches over things to make sure WE HAVE MONEY and that we stay on budget - not to mention handles tax forms and all sorts of annoying IRS paperwork. And then you have our convention chairman who oversees the entire ship and makes sure every department stays on coarse. He has to keep tabs on everything that is going on from every single department.

And all of that and you still aren't done. You have an event coordinator at the hotel - in this case, The Hyatt Regency Minneapolis, spending tens of hours gathering necessary staff, coordinating with them how we want the convention laid out. You've got hotel security, you have a guest room guru who is tasked with making sure all of our guests for the convention are centralized. You have the catering department at the hotel sourcing the food that the convention is going to eat.

It's just crazy. If you take the time to think about it. Just for one weekend, between the convention staff and hotel staff, THOUSANDS of hours of labor go into it. It's awesome. It's amazing. It is a HUGE accomplishment. When you think big picture here and all the moving parts... I get dizzy. It's incredible.

I personally love this. I can't even begin to describe how satisfying it is being a part of it all. It takes up so much time, but it is so worth it. Everything, the thousands of hours that go into planning just one event - it is all realized when -you-, not somebody else, but YOU, when you and your friends smile and laugh. All the work is just for that one moment.

One moment. Of pure happiness.

And that is why, in the end, YOU are the most important part of our convention, or any convention. You attending the convention, bringing YOU there - your personality, your humor, your laughter. Everyone running the convention; it's not about us. You are what matters.