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Fetish Con 2008 By Lilwhip Next month, fans from all over the world will be converging on Tampa, Florida for one of the biggest events of the year. Models, photographers, BDSM lifestylers, educators and the simply curious will all gather together at the Hyatt Regency Tampa for four days of spicy fun, starting August 14th. What is the event, you might be asking? Well, it’s the 8th Annual Fetish Con. And I, for one, can’t wait to attend. The event we know and love today as Fetish Con actually began as Diva Con, in March of 2000. It was then moved to New York, where the producers Vesta and Genesis Lynn quickly saw the potential for bringing the fetish community together on a much larger scale. I asked Vesta to explain to me what her early vision had been of the Con. “Fetish Con didn’t start with any real vision or goals…” she told me, “We started it as an experiment, I think. We wanted to find a way to bring the people of the adult fetish business and the fans together. I have to admit a lot of my own original motivations (and we each had our own ideas, I’m sure) were a desire to meet some of the people I had been a fan of for so long. So we really went in with no real expectations; more in hope that it would be fun and accepted.” It was. Fetish Con quickly became the largest east coast fetish trade show of the year. The Fetish community embraced the Con and was eager for more. Of even more interest was the interest garnered from mainstream society- those curious as to what fetish was all about. Journalists were flying in from all over the world to cover the shows. But what exactly was it that was drawing all these excited Con goers? Why such a positive reaction? Why was it exploding so quickly? “I
think the Con’s popularity has come out of its uniqueness. It’s the
only one of its kind that gathers such a wide variety of Fetish folks.
Models come and make money and meet fans. Producers come and get a
chance to work with models they would never get to work with otherwise.
Fans come and meet the stars of the business. Thrown in a wide variety
of vendors for your kinky shopping needs, shows, classes, demos and
you’ve got Fetish Con. The best thing is that for one weekend all of
these people hang out in harmony. I’m really happy about how it has
never formed a clique-type behavior. You see fans partying with models,
lifestyle BDSM people hanging out with producers and even vanillas who
want to expose themselves to something new. The Con is a safe place for
everyone to meet. I think this is what people are starving for and we
provide it.” Anyone who has been to Fetish Con in the past can see what a large venture it is. Every minute is an adventure. The schedule is crammed full of presenters, models, and parties that all require careful planning to execute in style. Vesta revealed to me that in the beginning, it took very little time to plan, but now with the sheer size of the Con having grown so much, it’s become much more intensive. They are now attracting international attendees as well as national, and the Con just keeps getting bigger. “We get a fair amount of international traffic- maybe as high as 10% with the bulk coming from Canada, England, and Germany. We also get a few from Eastern Europe. A couple from South Africa usually comes, and this year we have a model coming from Czech Republic.” Speaking of models, I wanted to know what the ratio of models and photographers was to regular attendees. Was this an event even a newbie would be comfortable attending, or was it geared primarily towards those in the Fetish trade? “At least half the crowd is models and photographers. Then 25% are lifestyle Fetish people, 20% are pure fans with no involvement in their day to day lives other then web sites and DVDs. They are coming out as fans to meet the models. 5% are Vanillas/Newbies that read about the Con in the local media and come out of curiosity. I think Fetish Con is a perfect place to mix all the above. If you are new to lifestyle, the Con is a wonderful place to get your feet wet, so to speak. The knowledge base is really good and everyone is so willing to share. If you want to learn Shibari bondage there will be those available to help. If you want to learn flogging or learn how to do a photo shoot…they are all taking place and people are willing to share their knowledge.” One of the biggest perks of the Con are the after hours parties. Here attendees really make an effort to shine- they break out their most magnificent Fetish wear and put on their best performances. It’s a wild time for all involved and very little sleep is attained by anyone over the course of the weekend. There are official offsite parties for every night, the last being the Annual Fetish Ball and Bash Party- their biggest and best party of the Con. Party goers look forward all year to this event and excitement runs high. It’s the perfect way to finish up four days of fun- gathering all Con attendees together in their finery to let it all loose one final time. What about other promoters who have parties going on at the same time? On their website, there are clear disclaimers that Fetish Con is not associated in any way with unsanctioned parties being thrown by another promoter. Has it hurt Fetish Con to have some competition? “It hasn’t… We used to use him to do our after parties but he could not live up to our agreement, so we got new parties. The after parties are really not a part of Fetish Con in so much as we ask other people to throw them, to give people an alternative for the nights. This year we are adding a dungeon for after hours play as well as a pool party each night plus the after parties so I think people will have plenty to do. It’s unfortunate that our original promoter and Fetish Con can’t play well together but he is not hurting us… If anything he is helping us. I suppose now people will have two more things to choose from for entertainment.” And what about future Cons? With all this growth, I was curious how Vesta saw the things shaping up in the years to come. “We will continue to look for ways to keep updating the show. It gets harder but we will keep trying. I think at some point the Con will reach a ceiling and the attendance will level out. It would be great if it continues to grow and we will strive for that. How? I am not sure yet. But so far we have been able to keep it fresh so that’s really our plan.” Finally, what did Vesta hope that attendees took away from the event? “I’d love for people to walk away from the Con with nothing but wonderful memories and time well spent; enough so that they desire to come back the next year. I spend a fair amount of time talking to people at the Con during the days. I join the parties at night, and I ask a lot of questions about what is good or bad. So I always want to hear good stories, happy people etc. I want people to take away good memories of a fun weekend.” I have not been to Fetish Con myself, but I’m going to be there this year. After talking with Vesta, I’m even more excited about attending. I urge you all to come out to join me and enjoy all the hard work Vesta and Genesis Lynn have invested to make this event so successful and exhilarating. And if you see me, tell me how your experience is going. We’ll be doing a follow up on Fetish Con 2008 after the event. I won’t be hard to find. Just look for the little blonde girl rushing around starry-eyed, pen and notebook in hand, looking as if she hasn’t slept in four days. More to come! -Lilwhip
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