DashCon
From Invertopedia, the encyclopedia of how things fail
DashCon was a fan convention for Tumblr users, held July 11–13, 2014 at a hotel near Chicago[1]. The organizers expected about 5,000 people but drew somewhere between 500 and 1,500[1]. On the first night they told attendees they were $17,000 short and the hotel wanted payment at once, and the crowd raised it[1][2]. When a headline act pulled out, ticket holders were offered an extra hour in the ball pit[1].
Contents
The bet
The organizers booked the venue a year in advance[1] and expected about 5,000 people[1]. By their own later account, they planned to pay part of the hotel bill before the event and the rest out of money taken in during the convention[3].
What happened
| A year out | The organizers book the Renaissance Schaumburg a year ahead.[1] |
|---|---|
| Jul 11, 2014 | DashCon opens. Turnout is far below the organizers' estimate.[1][4] |
| Jul 11, 2014, about 9 p.m. | On the Friday night, attendees are told the convention needs $17,000 by a little after 10 p.m. Money is collected in a paper bag.[4][5] |
| Jul 11, 2014 | The money comes in within about an hour.[1][5] |
| Jul 2014 | Welcome to Night Vale, one of the main draws, does not perform. The group says the organizers "were unable to pay for our flights, hotel, or performance fee."[4][5] |
| Jul 2014 | Ticket holders for the cancelled show are offered "an extra hour with the ball pit," a kiddie pool of plastic balls in an empty room.[1][2] |
| Jul 13, 2014 | The convention ends.[1] |
| By Jul 18, 2014 | The organizers publish a statement: the hotel had been paid $21,000 beforehand, leaving $7,000 to come from convention money, plus more than $10,000 for event services they say they had not been told about.[3] |
The kill shot
The plan only worked if thousands of people paid at the door, and the organizers said they hadn't read a contract that made the full payment due on day one.
The organizers claimed they had not read the contract, which required full payment on the first day, Pollstar reported[1]. With turnout a fraction of the 5,000 they expected[1], there was no money to cover the gap, so the bill was passed to the people already in the building[1][2].
The guests were paid out of the same pot. Night Vale said its travel, hotel and fee had not been paid[4], and the organizers' statement said the same thing, that the group left because it had not been paid on time[3].
Red flags ignored
- Paying the venue out of the door. Part of the hotel bill was meant to come from money taken in during the event.[3]
- An unread contract. The organizers said they had not read the term that made full payment due on day one.[1]
- A wide guess at attendance. Projections ran from 3,000 to 7,000.[4]
- Headliners not paid in advance. Night Vale said its flights, hotel and performance fee had not been paid.[4]
The cost
About $17,000 from attendees in one night[1][5]. The organizers' statement listed $11,779.86 paid to the hotel in cash and $6,000 through DashCon's PayPal debit card[3].
Tickets were not refundable, so Night Vale ticket holders got no money back, only the ball pit hour[3]. Donations could be refunded only if claimed before 11:59 p.m. on Saturday[3].
The inversion
Have the money to run the event before you sell the first ticket.
What survived
The ball pit. A pool that fit about six people[2] became the one thing everyone remembers about DashCon, and a stock example of an event that promised more than it had.
References
- ^ “The Story Of The Ball Pit”. Pollstar, July 16, 2014. Dates and venue, booked a year ahead, 5,000 expected and 500 to 1,500 came, the $17,000 shortfall and that it was raised, the unread contract with full payment due on day one, Night Vale, the ball pit hour.
- ^ “The World's First Tumblr Convention Was a Disaster”. The Stranger, July 14, 2014. $17,000 taken from conventiongoers, the extra hour in the ball pit, a pit that fit about six people.
- ^ “DashCon organizers tell their side of the con disaster story”. The Daily Dot, July 18, 2014. The organizers' statement: $21,000 paid beforehand, $7,000 left, more than $10,000 for event services, the cash and PayPal payments to the hotel, Night Vale not paid on time, no ticket refunds, the donation refund cutoff.
- ^ “DashCon Disaster: Welcome to Night Vale Walks Out & More”. The Geekiary, July 12, 2014. The Friday-night fundraising ask, the 3,000 to 7,000 projection and 1,000 or fewer attending, the Night Vale statement.
- ^ “You Know That Tumblr Convention That Went to Shit? It Wasn't That Bad”. Vice, July 15, 2014. The 9 p.m. announcement and 10 p.m. deadline, the paper bag, the money raised in about an hour, Night Vale as a main draw.