I-CON has been dormant for a while, and thanks to a certain world-wide pandemic, we had to wait a little bit more than we would have liked. But even during those times we were talking, taking notes and watching. We’ve seen the landscape for conventions has changed these days. We applaud many of the other conventions that have since emerged. Fandom should be supportive of each other. Now we’re back; but small steps at first, and those steps might be in a slightly different direction.
The legacy I-CON conventions of SUNY Stony Brook had been going strong with over 30 events across as many years, if not more. Kids grew up going to our conventions, some even met their future spouses there, and then they would bring their children to I-CON. How many of you have a story you still tell that happened “that time” during an I-CON? Do you remember your first I-CON? Those were fun conventions and hard work went in to make them happen. We loved those times… and it’s a legacy we’ll honor.
It’s 2023, and we are re-launching, but we’re not going to try to reclaim those “glory days”. Realistically, we feel a lot has changed and as such, things have a way of moving on. Those changes have given us an opportunity to pivot and reimagine, reinvent, and to explore trying something different. We might get back to some of the familiar aspects, but for right now, we’ve other things in mind that could be kind of fun to try, and hopefully it will be fun for you all as well.
Chances are, you’ve probably been to at least one I-CON. This time around, we’d like to bring some I-CON to YOU!
Instead of ONE 3-day convention, we’ll bring a little bit of I-CON around the island on several different date throughout the year. Bigger events, or small more intimate gatherings. Maybe it’s a science-themed event, or anime related? We host a picnic in the summer! Or a pop-up gaming event in the fall, maybe a movie night at a local theater or a… well, we don’t want to spoil anything, but you get the idea. It also gives us an opportunity to help support some of the local businesses that supported us and who have had to struggle during the pandemic, like the local game shops, or book stores and comic shops across the island. By partnering up with them for an event, maybe we can help shine a light on them; support local business, local authors and artists, local theater, and other local groups. After all, the I in I-CON stands for Island.
That’s kind of where we are headed. And as we mentioned.. small steps at first. This is a rebirth for us, and in a way uncharted territory, but with exciting opportunities!
We are open to any ideas and suggestions! We’ll listen and if it has potential we’ll see if we can put something together. We couldn’t do I-CON with out the support of our friends and fans, and we still can’t. We hope you’ll join us!
As part of of our rebranding, we’ve refreshed our logo, from our dragon logo (now associated with the legacy conventions) opting to embrace our rebirth and rebuilding with that of a phoenix. Driving this next generation of I-CON is a talented team of passionate professionals, who care deeply about our convention’s past and future– affectionally known as “Team Phoenix”. You can read about some of them now and we’ll have more for you in the coming week and months. Stay tuned! And Thanks for supporting us!
I attend the recent Mini-con in Hicksville where I met author Michael Jan Friedman who told me that I-con wasn’t dead, and about your last meeting – which I didn’t know about.
I certainly want to go to the next one, so I’ll be keeping tabs on this site!
Welcome back!
I often find myself looking up I-Con on a whim. Sometimes to relive the old memories, other times to check for news, despite how long it’s been. But this time it seems my search has finally bore fruit. I grew up on I-Con at Stony Brook, I went to the last one when it was held at Suffolk County Community College, and I’ve missed it dearly ever since. Other cons on Long Island have filled the gap in the market, but not in the same way, or with the same spirit or energy that I-Con had. I can’t begin to describe how much this project means to me. It’s a shame I didn’t hear about the relaunch party sooner, but rest assured I’ll be keeping abreast of future events. I have lived through the twilight years of I-Con, and I hope that I’ll have the honor of participating in its rebirth. I wish you all the luck in the world, and congratulations on keeping the flame alive.