SMOF News, volume 4, issue 28

Sekai Guild strikes back, CCI goes almost actually international, ReedPOP wants to get bigger, and news in brief.

Sekai Guild Responds to Lawsuit

After being sued by CESI, the organization behind Ohayocon, and subject to a restraining order which stopped short of actually preventing Sekaicon from happening, Sekai Guild has now responded to the original complaint with counterclaims of its own.

The response first denies all claims made in Ohayocon’s complaint, except for basic facts like event dates and places of residence. It then argues that the Ohayocon staff which have now formed Sekai Guild were poorly paid employees of CESI:

11. The Individual Defendants performed labor intensive and technical tasks for the CES Convention including, providing IT support, organizing vendors throughout the year, managing payment for the conference, recruiting attendees, managing volunteers, booking accommodations, and otherwise keeping the gears of a 10,000+ attendee conference turning.

…

14. For the Individual Defendants, unlike conventional volunteers, the weekly hours dedicated to planning the CES convention could, in the week before and of the convention, exceed 60 hours. It was common for Individual Defendants to dedicate dozens of hours to the convention, even in non-peak times.

15. In 2023, the Individual Defendants, collectively, estimate that they spent no less than 1,000 hours planning the CES convention.

16. While some Individual Defendants were issued a 1099 for their services and trivial payment (never exceeding $1400 in a given year for any Individual Defendant), Defendants were not properly compensated for their work at the CES Convention.

A 1099 is a United States tax form.

CESI’s statement in October 2023, when the rupture first broke into public view, strongly implied that all staff were unpaid volunteers:

While CESI would love its Ohayocon volunteers to have the ability to unionize, National and Ohio State Labor Laws prevent unpaid volunteers of any kind from forming a union. As such, no Ohayocon union has ever or could ever exist, and no “union busting” has or even could take place.

Though it admitted that it needed true paid employees:

Yet for too long, Ohayocon has overworked and underappreciated some of our most loyal volunteers simply due to the sheer volume of tasks and responsibilities. With the shift to a nonprofit status, CESI is elated that we will be able to bring on full time and seasonal staff that are paid and valued, independent contractors, provide stipends to key Senior Leadership Team volunteers, in addition to offering all of our phenomenal volunteers the perks and accommodations that they know and love to ensure that all of their time, talent, and treasure is valued.

Sekai Guild further makes a counterclaim for damages, due to its own convention being harmed by negative publicity:

36. As a result of this lawsuit and other actions of Plaintiffs, Sekaicon has been damaged and Defendants predict that Sekaicon has lost no less than 1,000 attendees due to Plaintiffs actions, which, if each attendees generates approximately $100 in revenue which includes income generated from admission, and all other sources, comes to $100,000 in lost revenue due to Plaintiffs’ tortious actions.

It is unclear how the $100 number was calculated. Admission to Sekaicon currently costs $55 for the full weekend.

Comic-Con International Goes International, Sort Of

While San Diego Comic-Con has not yet followed through on its threat to move its headline event, Comic-Con International, out of San Diego, it has licensed an international event to expand its presence into Europe.

The newly announced San Diego Comic-Con Málaga will be held September 25-28. According to The Hollywood Reporter, the agreement was made via IMG Licensing, making this the first tangible result of the agreement between SDCC and IMG which was announced in 2022.

It does not appear that SDCC will be directly involved in the running of the new event at all.

ReedPOP Events Still in “Growth Mode”

Kristina Rogers, head of fan conventions for ReedPOP, gave an interview to ICv2 this week to talk up how Reed wants to compete against bigger and bigger events:

The real question for shows of every size is what are fan cons going to become. For ReedPOP, we're taking a festival approach. We're competing with Coachella, with spring break and summer vacations and other big events. So how do you bring that kind of excitement inside? We see it as all pop culture, so we're taking more of a Worlds Fair approach as a company.

Fan historians will note that the World’s Fair has a notable place in convention history: the World Science Fiction Convention started as a one-off event held during the 1939-1940 World’s Fair in New York City. The World’s Fair metaphor would later be invoked to justify moving it all over the United States, and then the world.

ReedPOP conventions, though, lean much more heavily on doing the same thing year after year:

Every year, we remove the bottom 15% of programs, because we count seats and measure a lot of stuff to see what’s popular. That makes room for new material.

In Brief

• Big Bad Con has announced on BlueSky that it will not be holding an in-person event or an online event this year.

• Anime Arizona (Glendale, Arizona, March 21-23) has added Vivian Nixon, Marta Svetek, Cherami Leigh, and David Wittenberg.

• Game On Expo (Phoenix, Arizona, April 4-6) has added Reed Shanon, Dawn M. Bennett, and Alejandro Saab.

• Anime Central (Rosemont, Illinois, May 16-18) has added Fuminori Honda, Tomoyuki Kurokawa, Eriko Nakamura, and Kiyotaka Oshiyama.

• Otafest (Calgary, Alberta, May 16-18) has added Alejandro Saab.

• Trek Long Island (Hauppauge, New York, May 30-June 1) has added Patrick Kwok-Choon.

• JAFAX (Grand Rapids, Michigan, June 27-29) has added AMHCosplays and David Errigo, Jr.

• ATL Comic Convention (Atlanta, Georgia, July 18-20) has added Doug Jones, Spencer Grammer, Harry Belden, Ian Cardoni, Ryan Colt Levy, and Holly Marie Combs.

• Tampa Bay Comic Convention (Tampa, Florida, August 1-3) has added Abby Trott, Doug Jones, Keith David, Kari Wahlgren, and A.J. Beckles.

• Terrificon (Uncasville, Connecticut, August 8-10) has added Joëlle Jones, Theo Solomon, Jeremy Adams, and Tim Downie.

• Tucson Comic Con (Tucson, Arizona, August 29-31) has added Kevin Eastman.

• FanX Salt Lake (Salt Lake City, Utah, September 25-27) has added Doug Jones, Vivian Nixon, Ray Chase, and Max Mittleman.

Event Calendar

Weekend of March 14-16

• BashCon 39 (gaming), Toledo, Ohio, USA

• Plattecon 38: Into the Dragon's Den (gaming), Platteville, Wisconsin, USA

• Zuiderspel (gaming), Veldhoven, Netherlands

• Ludesco (gaming), La Chaux-de-Fonds, Switzerland

• LeiriaCon (gaming), Leiria, Portugal

• Terminal City Tabletop Convention (gaming), Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada

• KennyCon (gaming), Marietta, Georgia, USA

• AireCon (gaming), Harrogate, UK

• TokenCon 2025 (gaming), Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, USA

• Breakout 2025 (gaming), Toronto, Ontario, Canada

• Escape Winter Con 2025 (gaming), Orlando, Florida, USA

• Concrete Cow (RPGs), Milton Keynes, UK

• Louisville Arcade Expo, Louisville, Kentucky, USA

• Ani-Me Con 13.0 (anime), Fresno, California, USA

• Harucon 2025 (anime), Jerusalem, Israel

• Kawaii Kon (anime), Honolulu, Hawaii, USA

• EvilleCon: Year of the Snake (anime), Evansville, Indiana, USA

• Heroes Made in Asia (anime), Utrecht, Netherlands

• Indiana Comic Convention, Indianapolis, Indiana, USA

• Toronto Comicon, Toronto, Ontario, Canada

• All-Con (media), Dallas, Texas, USA

• Paris Manga Sci-Fi Show (media), Villepinte, France

• Florida PolyCon (media), Lakeland, Florida, USA

• Sunrise Comic Con, Sunrise, Florida, USA

• Dublin Comic Con, Dublin, Ireland

• Collective Con (media), Jacksonville, Florida, USA

• Power Comicon, Florence, South Carolina, USA

• Ve Neill’s Vampire Weekend (fantasy media), Burbank, California, USA

• conAgeddon 5 (The 100), Boston, Massachusetts, USA

Weekend of March 21-23

• MidSouthCon 40, Olive Branch, Mississippi, USA

• Geek/Art CONfluence, Syracuse, New York, USA

• 46th International Conference on the Fantastic in the Arts, Orlando, Florida, USA

• Wild Wild West Steampunk Convention 13, Tucson, Arizona, USA

• World Steampunk Exposition, Lafayette, Louisiana, USA

• Thaitails 2025: Gleaming Gala Night (anthropomorphic), Nonthaburi, Thailand

• Furnal Equinox (anthropomorphic), Toronto, Ontario, Canada

• GameStorm 25, Portland, Oregon, USA

• WittCon XX: Steve vs. Sherman (gaming), Springfield, Ohio, USA

• Gary Con XVII (gaming), Lake Geneva, Wisconsin, USA

• NerdCon (gaming), Robinson, Illinois, USA

• Braunschweig Spielt (gaming), Braunschweig, Germany

• MidWinter ‘25 (gaming), Haugesund, Norway

• COSCON XXXV (RPGs), Butler, Pennsylvania, USA

• Ambercon US (diceless RPGs), Livonia, Michigan, USA

• SIMCON 46 (boardgames), Rochester, New York, USA

• Hotlead (miniatures gaming), Stratford, Ontario, Canada

• Zenkaikon (anime), Lancaster, Pennsylvania, USA

• Anime Arizona, Glendale, Arizona, USA

• Isekai Anime Con, Sandy, Utah, USA

• Tora-Con 2025 (anime), Rochester, New York, USA

• AnimeJapan 2025, Tokyo, Japan

• ExpOtaku Almería 2025 (anime), Almería, Spain

• SFW 16 (media), Great Yarmouth, UK

• Cult Classic Convention (media), Bastrop, Texas, USA

• Shoufu-Con (media), Lansing, Michigan, USA

• Fan Expo Cleveland (media), Cleveland, Ohio, USA

• CarrierCon 2025 (media), Alameda, California, USA

• Colorado Anime Fest 2025, Denver, Colorado, USA

• Salute to the Women of Sci-Fi (media), Burbank, California, USA

Weekend of March 28-30

• AuthorCon 5 (books), Williamsburg, Virginia, USA

• Tell-Tale Steampunk Festival, Pikesville, Maryland, USA

• Motor City Furry Con: Hitchhiker's Guide to the Furry Con, Ypsilanti, Michigan, USA

• Golden State Fur Con: Urban LA (anthropomorphic), Los Angeles, California, USA

• Paradice (gaming), Worthing, UK

• Circle DC (gaming), Washington, DC, USA

• Great Plains Game Festival, Lincoln, Nebraska, USA

• Ludinord (gaming), Mons-En-Barœul, France

• Alamo City Game Convention, San Antonio, Texas, USA

• Tennessee Game Days Spring 2025, Franklin, Tennessee, USA

• Scrum Con (wargaming), Silver Spring, Maryland, USA

• Adepticon 2025 (wargaming), Schaumburg, Illinois, USA

• GOBfest (boardgames), Edmonton, Alberta, Canada

• Charger Con (video games), Huntsville, Alabama, USA

• LAN All Night Eleven (LAN gaming), Grapevine, Texas, USA

• FreeCon 21 (anime), Tallahassee, Florida, USA

• Anime Las Vegas, Las Vegas, Nevada, USA

• Manga-Comic-Con, Leipzig, Germany

• Nadeshicon (anime), Québec City, Québec, Canada

• Anime Detour: Syndicates and Spies, Minneapolis, Minnesota, USA

• Triad Anime Convention, Winston-Salem, North Carolina, USA

• Anime New Mexico, Albuquerque, New Mexico, USA

• Karoshi-Con (anime), DeKalb, Illinois, USA

• SwampCon 2025: Your Cup of Tea! (anime), Gainesville, Florida, USA

• ZAPP! Con 6 (comics), Wayne, New Jersey, USA

• Fluke 2025 (independent comics and zines), Athens, Georgia, USA

• GalaxyCon Richmond (media), Richmond, Virginia, USA

• ETSU-Con (media), Johnson City, Tennessee, USA

• Island FanCon (media), Langford, British Columbia, Canada

• Atlantic Entertainment Expo (media), Charlottetown, PEI, Canada

• Sci-Fi on the Rock (media), St. John’s, Newfoundland, Canada

• PeoriaCon 2025 (media), Peoria, Illinois, USA

• WonderCon 2025 (media), Anaheim, California, USA

• Supanova 2025 – Melbourne (media), Ascot Vale, Australia

• Power On Con (Captain Power), Colorado Springs, Colorado, USA

• Vampire Fan Weekend (Vampire Diaries), Allen, Texas, USA

Weekend of April 4-6

• Roscon-2025, Moscow, Russia

• Fandom Fest of Southwest Michigan, Benton Harbor, Michigan, USA

• Windy City Pulp and Paper Convention, Lombard, Illinois, USA

• FilKONtario (music), Markham, Ontario, Canada

• 13 Gears (steampunk), Minneapolis, Minnesota, USA

• Furry Down Under 2025: Gods & Monsters (anthropomorphic), Surfers Paradise, Australia

• Marmalade Dog 27 (gaming), Kalamazoo, Michigan, USA

• FallsCon 25: Journey Into the Cosmos (gaming), Wichita Falls, Kansas, USA

• Play (gaming), Bologna, Italy

• Game On Expo, Phoenix, Arizona, USA

• MEPACON (gaming), Lehigh Valley, Pennsylvania, USA

• Roll Initiative Con (gaming), Ewijk, Netherlands

• Gondreville est ludique (gaming), Gondreville, France

• Festival Draconis 2025 (gaming), online

• Long Island Tabletop Gaming Expo 2025, Garden City, New York, USA

• FriendCon Spring 2025 (gaming), Portland, Maine, USA

• Havoc XXXIX (miniatures gaming), Marlborough, Massachusetts, USA

• Seven Hills: Generations (RPGs), Sheffield, UK

• Midwest Gaming Classic (video games), Milwaukee, Wisconsin, USA

• RetroCon Saar Level 14: Childhood Heroes (retro video games), Völklingen, Germany

• OKiCon Tulsa (anime), Tulsa, Oklahoma, USA

• Ithacon 48 (comics), Ithaca, New York, USA

• Romics (comics), Rome, Italy

• Angers Geekfest #6 (media), Angers, France

• FACTS (media), Ghent, Belgium

• RodCon (media), Cedar Falls, Iowa, USA

• SC Comicon, Greenville, South Carolina, USA

• Hill Country Comicon, New Braunfels, Texas, USA

• ASU NerdCon (media), Boone, North Carolina, USA

• Fanfaire NYC (media), New York City, New York, USA

• Philip K. Dick Film Festival, New York City, New York, USA

• Armageddon Expo Christchurch (media), Christchurch, New Zealand

• Awesome Con (media), Washington, DC, USA

• Bedford Who Charity Con 10 (Doctor Who), Bedford, UK

Weekend of April 11-13

• Fantaxia/Italcon 51 (Italian national sf convention), Genoa, Italy

• LuxCon 2025 (Luxembourgish national sf con), Luxembourg City, Luxembourg

• Virtual Can*Con, online

• HAL-CON 2025, Kawasaki City, Japan

• Fantasy-Con (fantasy), Vienna, Austria

• Corflu 42 (fanzines), Newbury, UK

• Jack Williamson Lectureship 2025: Worlds Beyond, Portales, New Mexico, USA

• 221B Con (Sherlock Holmes), Atlanta, Georgia, USA

• Woods Flock (anthropomorphic), Spencer, Tennessee, USA

• Texas Furry Fiesta: Murder on the TFF Express (anthropomorphic), Dallas, Texas, USA

• Furcationland 2025: Fuzzytown Fair (anthropomorphic), Portland, Maine, USA

• UBCon XXXIV (gaming), Buffalo, New York, USA

• HandyCon 16 (gaming), Milton Keynes, UK

• Mayhem III: The Mayhem Revolution (gaming), Lebanon, New Hampshire, USA

• Tabletop Utopia 3 (gaming), Hartford, Connecticut, USA

• DayCon (gaming), Kettering, Ohio, USA

• Ratinger Spieletage (gaming), Ratingen, Germany

• Conpulsion 2025 (gaming), Edinburgh, UK

• Keks-Con 8 (RPGs), Hannover, Germany

• Chaosium Con USA (Chaosium games), Ann Arbor, Michigan, USA

• VGM Con: Dimensional Riff (videogames/music), Plymouth, Minnesota, USA

• J-Tsoon6 (anime), Talinn, Estonia

• Sekaicon (anime), Newark, Ohio, USA

• Mang’Azur (anime), Toulon, France

• Atlantic Entertainment Expo (media), Fredericton, New Brunswick, Canada

• El Paso Comic Con, El Paso, Texas, USA

• Comic-Con Prague, Prague, Czech Republic

• Yellow City Comic Con, Amarillo, Texas, USA

• Fangaea (media), Mission Valley, California, USA

• Chicago Comic & Entertainment Expo, Chicago, Illinois, USA

• Creation Boston (media), Boston, Massachusetts, USA

• CyPhaCon 2025 (media), Lake Charles, Louisiana, USA

• Supanova 2025 – Gold Coast (media), Broadbeach, Australia

• PortmeiriCon (The Prisoner), Portmeirion, UK

• Dairycon 2025 (Transformers), Fond du Lac, Wisconsin, USA

Coda

• Meteorite-topped ice cream (Boston Globe)

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