Here's the official story of how Fedcon USA collapsed from Tim Brazeal:
There are a dozen reasons that lead to the downfall of FedConUSA, and truth be told, none of them are pretty. We could have been more organized. We could have communicated better with the public and staff and actors. We could have done more advertising. The economy was already headed to the pits a year ago when we started this thing. El Niño, simply because it's been too long since we've blamed something on El Niño. In the end, however, it all came down to money.
As anybody who has run a convention can tell you, it's not a cheap thing to do. There are a thousand little things that add up, as well as many big things. When we started off on this endeavor with FedCon Germany at our side, we had the financial backing and experience of one of the best convention organizations on the planet. However, with their understandable withdrawal from FedConUSA, we were left without the inside experience and cash reserves.
We had expected much more walk-in attendance than we received, and hoped that we would have been able to pull things together enough that the show could go on. As you know, that didn't happen. We are truly sorry to everyone for what has happened and disappointed that we couldn't have put on a better show.
You can read the full text of Tim's comments here.
The angry, disappointed, fans who shelled out the latinum and drove or flew long distances to attend this debacle don't seem impressed or in a forgiving mood. Many had bought non-refundable airline tickets with travel restrictions and had pre-paid for expensive hotel rooms only to find themselves all dressed up (as Klingons) with no place to go. Some hit the Fedcon Usa forums trying to put together impromptu outings to kill the time while they were stuck in Dallas. Several mentioned taking a trip to the Sixth Floor Museum, no doubt fantasizing about Tim Brazeal motoring through Dealey Plaza in an open car.
The chatter on the Fedcon USA forums include terms like "fraud" and "class action lawsuit." For Tim Brazeal it will in the end, no doubt all come down to money as those on booth sides of the ticket booth demand redress. And this is not the first time Mr. Brazeal's name has been associated with Star Trek related fiduciary problems. He was behind the Trek United, "Save Enterprise" fiasco which cost trusting fans their hard-earned money and accomplished exactly nothing.
It certainly seems that accounting is not Mr. Brazeal's strong suit. Perhaps the failure of Fedcon USA was best articulated by an irate conventioneer who obviously had some experience in this arena. He lectured a group of dazed and weary volunteers holed up in the box office. "You NEVER depend on the gate to pay the bills," he growled. "You NEVER risk somebody else's money like this. You raise the seed money yourself and hope to make your investment back. You hope the dealer's room will pay for the convention and the gate will pay the actors, but unless you already have the money in the bank you have no business putting on a show."
And while the no one officially involved in the Fedcon USA (dis)organization seemed to know what was going or to be able to accomplish much other than pass the buck and make excuses, the stars did what they could to salvage the weekend. They valiantly soldiered on, like the band who stayed and played to boost the passenger's morale as the Titanic slipped beneath the waters of the icy North Atlantic. While all the actors, writers and other talent did yeoman work keeping spirits up, the posters on the Fedcon USA forums credit John Billingsley with making sure the autograph room remained open for the fans and taking the lead in getting answers from convention organizers.
I didn't get the pleasure of interacting with John Billingsley or the other guests, but I did corral Garrett Wang for a few minutes and he was most gracious. He was willing to grant me an interview even as the convention was falling apart around him. He requested that we do it in the autograph room as he promised that he would sign for the fans. He was friendly, accessible and upbeat despite the circumstances. The autograph room quickly filled up with eager fans wanting their last shot at meeting their favorite actors, and I didn't want to pull his attention away from the guests who bought tickets and flew or drove long distances for this event. I thanked him for his willingness to give me an interview, got a quick snapshot and prepared to leave. He asked for my contact info and promised to get in touch with me sometime in the next week for a phone interview under better conditions. He certainly didn't have to go that extra mile for me or the fans and I think that shows what a class act he is.
Garrett Wang-- a class act!
See a small gallery of snapshots from the con and get links to my posts on the Fedcon Usa forum in the post continuation
