/poner/ - Ponies

ITT, we plan a pony con

Why?
Because conventions are fun, we don't have enough, and the ones we have not always in the best location or have pozzed requirements like a mask or vaccine

But We Have Marefair
So I did the math, and figured out that Marefair is only about 0.82% of the year. That's not nearly enough. I need my fix

So what then?
We make our own con. Or try to.

Why Marefair Worked
In its first year, Marefair had 500 attendees, zero instances of the police or fire department being called, and raised $50,000 for its charity, which was the second highest ever for a Pony con at the time, surpassed only by the $92,000 of the last BronyCon. And then in its second year, it had over 1000 attendees, and earned more than $100,000 at its charity auction.

Marefair did several things incredibly well, I think. First off, I believe that the location of Orlando, Florida, was absolute genius. Orlando, Florida, is one of the cheapest locations in the entire United States to fly to, both for domestic air travel and international travel. Also, there are no pony conventions in the area. The nearest Pony conventions are SeaquestriaFest (which is not close to major airports, highways, or the rail network), and Harmony Con, each about a thousand miles away. Marefair takes advantage of an otherwise under-served East coast and Southern brony fandom

Second, Marefair had no requirements for vaccinations, masks, or anything of that nature. This was not the case for around half of the American pony conventions. It also didn't make a leftist political organization the recipient of its "charity," but picked an actual charity. It's also the only con where I heard racial slurs in multiple panels, implying a greater than average freedom of speech.

Marefair was planned on a small budget, and is notable for being the only American Pony Con to not have any show guests, instead relying on community guests.

It also helped that the management wasn't retarded and didn't fight with each other, which is much more than can be said of several conventions.

So where is ripe for a new pony con?
Pony conventions in the US are concentrated in a areas, with the West Coast having three (BABsCon, EFNW, and Vanhoover) and the Midwest having three (Ciderfest, WhinnyCity, and Trotcon) while the American South has only 2 now (HarmonyCon and Marefair) and the American Northeast and Canada east of the Rockies have exactly zero. There is only a single ponycon (unless you count Marefair) on the East Coast (Seaquestriafest).

So, this leads to suggested locations:
1. Nashville, Tennessee. This location is the current most favored one, as it is in the Upper South, a region with no Pony conventions, and is in almost the geographic center of the portion of the United States that actually has water/is most heavily populated. It's reasonable, if not necessarily convenient, driving distance from the East Coast, Midwest, and American South. It also one of the cheapest cities to fly to in the US.
2.Memphis, Tennessee. Memphis has many of the same advantages of Nashville, Tennessee, though it's a less pleasant city with a higher crime rate
3. San Antonio, Texas. Not ideal as it's too close to HarmonyCon, but the city is cheap to fly to, and close to many bronies. Also it's a nice, walkable city with many restaurants
4. Las Vegas, Nevada. The cheapest city in the US to fly to, even beating Orlando. I would have counted this out as there are enough cons on the West Coast, but with BABsCon closing, I think this location is more viable.

When?
Community Guests, as well as a large portion of Convention attendees, attend multiple conventions. It's therefore desirable to place any new convention in a time slot where it will not compete. In the United States and Canada, March does not have a pony convention. BABscon would always be on Easter, which is usually in April, but it has ended. Seaquestriafest has historically been in May, but this year it is in May. This means that the entire set of March, April, and May are open (though in 2026, Pone Voyage will be in early March, April is still wide open.

How to Make
I have money to put up for the con, and a few connections with other people who have started cons. I'm looking for anyone who is interested or may be able to volunteer. What I do not think I could do is have my name be on the corporation or Non-profit for the con.