With conventions closed for COVID-19, what happens to furries as a community?
by Patch O'Furr
Depression of the furry economy.
Real life cons and meets are glue for internet fandom. Closing them will make a ripple effect.
Furry fandom has had decades of rising activity, and it’s between members without depending on corporations. Up to now, their cons bring tens of thousands of people with tens of millions of dollars spent per year around the world. That’s hard to just pause and restart.
It’s tourism/live show business that makes a foundation for other businesses. Take fursuit-making. It has millions a year in activity. Shutdowns and unemployment could make commissioners less eager for fursuits they can’t use in person or afford.
Some makers have long queues for promised work. That can mean holding a lot of deposits (even near an average household’s debt — thousands per suit x dozens of suits.) Imagine the queue stopping. That’s the ripple effect.
Could that kind of problem bankrupt cons? Or are they safe if they can cancel hotel contracts by force majeure? How hard will the hangover be if it takes a year or more to restart? (Reopening too soon can hurt too, without concerted solutions everywhere.)
FYI Furry conventions can't cancel without penalties if lockdowns are lifted. Hotels can easily bill your favorite convention into bankruptcy.
Anti-lockdown protests not only put our events at risk financially, but spreading it could kill your friends.https://t.co/YXfQBSPLJR
— Essential Fox 🦊 (@chipfoxx) May 19, 2020