Back to Con (Furrydelphia 2021)

Furrydelphia 2021, also known as Back to Con, was a convention run by Furrydelphia. Held in August of 2021, it was the first in-person convention operated by Furrydelphia since the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic, and therefore operated with several restrictions to abide by state laws and local requirements, including mandating masks and vaccination records. The convention marked Furrydelphia's final year of operation in the Valley Forge Casino Resort. No guests of honor were hosted.

Response to the COVID-19 Pandemic

At the conclusion of 2020, the future of Furrydelphia's events was somewhat uncertain, with Pennsylvania state COVID-19 mandates still restricting many of the factors gatherings and conventions rely on. In late April of 2021, convention chairman Drayne announced via a press release that Furrydelphia would tentatively return in August of that year with several restrictions in place. The release detailed the tentative plans for the event as outlined by recommendations and legal requirements from the Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), including an attendee cap of 200-300 individuals (approximately 25% of the venue's fire code occupancy), temperature checks for attendees as the enter and exit the con space, and mandatory masking (with free masks being provided for those in need). At this time, the Furrydelphia convention board also announced a virtual town hall, similar to the one that occurred prior to 2020's all-virtual event, to be held in early May.

The first of multiple follow-up press releases was distributed in mid-May, following the aforementioned town hall, and amended the previous press release based on updated CDC and Pennsylvania state guidelines. It was announced via this release that the attendance cap had been waved completely, and that temperature checks would no longer be taking place. The letter also provided details for the Dealers Den, among other convention-specific topics. A secondary follow-up, billed as a "hopefully final" update, was released in July of 2021, announcing the mask mandate had been waved but would remain as an optional choice for guests. In addition, vaccination requirements were loosened per decisions made by the CDC, although proof of vaccination was still to be required for badge pickup.

On August 12, 2021, several hours before the convention was set to commence, Furrydelphia released a final press release amending their COVID-19 protection policy, requiring the use of face masks by all attendees. The change in narrative was cited as a result of Philadelphia's return to a mask mandate and the rise of a new COVID variant, among several other issues.

Venue

Following 2019's Celtic Knights debut at the Valley Forge Casino Resort and 2020's all-virtual convention as a response to the rapidly spreading COVID-19 virus, Furrydelphia returned to the Valley Forge Casino Resort for 2021. The convention implemented precautionary measures based off of those instated by the venue itself, including a requirement of masks for all attendees.

Theming

Furrydelphia 2021 is unique in that it did not have an official theme. Besides the "Back to Con" name, all promotional material, including the official website, was simply themed around Furrydelphia as a whole. To aide in this, a new logo was introduced for the convention, and has been used in some capacity in all subsequent years.

Promotional Materials

• 
  Example format of promotional material released for the 2021 convention
• 
  2021 registration hours

Attendance

Back to Con was attended by 1,554 guests. This continued growth would encourage Furrydelphia to move to its next and current venue, the Sheraton Philadelphia Downtown, for the following year.

Charity

Furrydelphia continued to support Bella Reed Pitbull Rescue, a local pit bull rescue serving Pennsylvania, Delaware, and New Jersey, as the charity of choice for Back to Con. Attendees raised $7,325 for the charity, marking the largest growth in charitable donations up to that point.

Board of Directors

The following list was adapted from the Furrydelphia website as it was published in 2021 and reflects the Board of Directors at the time of this event. A current and up-to-date list of Furrydelphia staff can be found here.

• Drayne the Wolf - Convention Chairman, Operations Director
• Higgawits - Vice Chairman
• Fray the Husky - Public Safety Director
• Yuukari Shishome - Director of Attendee Services
• Hyperion - General Manager