Science fiction covention canceled the day after it began

FedconUSA organizer Tim Brazeal canceled the convention almost 24 hours after it began, leaving celebrity guests and fans — some dressed as Klingons — stranded in Dallas with nowhere to go. Personally, I don’t know what I would hate more - being dressed as a Klingon or being stuck in Dallas.

Tim Brazeal posted a message on his website concerning the cancellation:

For a first time convention, getting financial support in today’s economy is next to impossible. There are so many upfront costs – flights, hotel rooms, convention space, food, guest fees, etc – that need to be paid before the convention even gets under way. From day one, FedConUSA has been operating in the red, with hopes of recouping our funds and making enough to continue on and make this an ongoing and fantastic convention experience for all of America.

Obviously, that just didn’t work out. 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.

Expected more walk-in attendance? That’s a lot like expecting to win the lottery even though you don’t buy any lottery tickets.

If Brazeal wanted to cancel, he should have done it before the event was to take place. He shouldn’t have done it during the convention.

Over on the FedConUSA message board, there is a argument taking place between FedconUSA organizer Tim Brazeal and Aaron Douglas, “Chief Tyrol” from Battlestar Galactica. I don’t expect the message board will be around much longer.

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