A week before it was supposed to take place in downtown Baltimore, Maryland, the inaugural Universal FanCon was “postponed indefinitely.” The convention had been scheduled for the weekend of April 27, 2018.
Financial woes were cited as the source of trouble for convention organizers, according to a statement posted on the event website.
“As we built out our floorplan, invited guests, figured out lodging/travel arrangements, and confirmed activities, our costs started to grow exponentially. Unfortunately, the support we were anticipating in terms of ticket sales and sponsorships did not materialize. Accordingly, the organizers of FanCon made significant personal investments in order to ensure FanCon’s success. In addition to these investments, we worked to scale back the number of guests and limit the convention space to create a leaner and more efficient show. Sadly, this was not enough,” the statement reads.
Universal FanCon’s initial funding came via a 2016 Kickstarter campaign, which raised nearly $60,000. It is currently unknown what that money had been spent on during the convention planning.
Many people who had planned on vending at the show or otherwise attending the event expressed their shock and disappointment via social media following the announcement, as they had been traveling from out of town and could no longer get refunds on things like flights or train tickets. Many also have claimed that they have yet to receive any formal communication from FanCon staff regarding the postponement and had only found out about the issue via word of mouth, despite having purchased a ticket online.
Meanwhile, Universal FanCon has said that they are working on a solution to refund ticketholders, though nothing official has been announced yet.