Stephen (Fluffy) Baker to be new Convention Director following staff adjustments from past year
The staff for Ohio’s Ohayocon tournament announced on Wednesday its new senior leadership crew. Stephen (Fluffy) Baker is the brand new Convention Director. William T. is the Affiliate Convention Director, Xander S. is the Director of Operations, and Andrew T. is the Director of Social Media, Public Relatives, and Advertising and marketing.
Ohayocon 2025 will host anime director Shinichi Watanabe, furthermore identified as Nabeshin, (Excel Saga, Nerima Daikon Brothers, Puni Puni Poemy, The Wallflower, Tenchi Muyo GXP) and American trade guest Samantha Inoue-Harte, who’s currently Head of Manufacturing at N LITE.
Ohayocon shared a quote from new Convention Director “Fluffy:”
“Having been a part of Ohayocon and working the events over the past 15 years, I am excited to take on the role as Convention Director. We already have great changes in the works including a brand new senior leadership team, that will bring a fresh and fun perspective to the convention. Along with the change of location to Dayton, which will benefit the attendees by reducing costs across the board, we are thrilled to bring a new experience for those who look forward to this conference yearly.”
The following tournament will happen from January 31 to February 2, 2025. The tournament is interesting from Columbus, OH to a new space, the Dayton Convention Center in Dayton, OH.
Ohayocon 2024 took space final January. On the other hand, over 91 folks, along side ragged senior leadership contributors and year-spherical volunteers, boycotted the conference final year following the termination of Cody Marcum, Ohayoncon’s ragged Convention Chair who had been with them since 2009, and Erin [last name withheld by request], the ragged Director of Advertising and marketing.
Talks between COVEN, a collective formed by ragged Ohayocon volunteers who sought to handle concerns with Ohayocon’s governing body, and the CESI Board of Directors (CESI) began as early as March 2023. COVEN’s requires incorporated pretty compensation, the prohibiting of CESI board contributors “from receiving compensation over the everyday compensation cost of staff leaders who attain not take a seat on the board,” the rapid adoption of a code of habits that all people would be beholden unto, extra transparency in budgetary matters, updated labor policies, and for CESI’s “outright buy and possession of Ohayoconʼs mark materials, along side emblem and mascot.”
There had been arguments concerning topics corresponding to funds. Eventually, it was a emblem dispute concerning the conference’s real emblem on the time — a crimson horrifying in a circle with a white background — which was assumed to hang violated the Geneva Conventions, and a new “sakura” emblem — one other crimson, spherical emblem, but with a white sakura flower within the guts — that at final ended in Marcum’s termination. On the Red Contaminated’s ask, Ohayocon modified its emblem by along side a blue background, which the Red Contaminated approved. The old senior leadership crew later made up our minds that this adjustment was not ample and opted to swap to the Sakura bear, which had copyright concerns revolving spherical Sakura of The United States’s a related emblem. Ohayocon obtained feedback concerning the bear and declined its ask to revert to the old emblem. In step with the CESI, Marcum had modified the emblem without their approval. The CESI requested Marcum and Erin present entry to the conference’s social media platforms and numerous crucial login files. Following their refusal, Ohayocon made up our minds to halt Marcum’s location, vote casting to eradicate him and ragged Director of Advertising and marketing Erin in October 2023.
While there may be extra to the paunchy sage that has been detailed here, this all at final ended in the resignation of several of the conference’s senior leadership contributors and boycott of this year’s tournament. In step with Ohayocon, 9 senior leadership contributors submitted their resignations in hiss. While some staff contributors signed the COVEN manifesto, they had been welcomed relieve to staff Ohayocon and are restful fragment of the crew.
Exchange: Added further statements and clarifications to background files from Ohayocon. Supply: Email correspondence
Supply: Email correspondence
