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RBW, England's Largest Furry Convention...
2007 was a crazy year for all of us! At the start of 2007 RBW was
just an idea, a simple evening party on the Thames. By the 1st December
it was the largest gathering of furs in the UK ever held, and ranked
number two in Europe with a total of 242 in attendance across the two
days. Was it an easy ride? Did we pull it off perfectly? No. But then
RBW 2007 was our first year as a major event so we gained a lot of
experience from anything that was less than perfect. With everything we
learned from RBW 2007 we all sat down and set about planning this years furry
convention. We had some clear objectives that we felt made RBW special,
and highlighted areas we needed to improve so to make sure we earned our international acclaim. These key points
were:
- Find a large venue so we could provide a full spectrum of events and facilities.
- Make sure we keep the ticket price within everyone's reach.
- Not to TELL people to have fun, but simply offer opportunities for fun to happen.
- Let everyone who attends RBW make it his/her convention and give them control over its direction.
- Work with the many other furry groups across the UK, Europe, and the globe
- To secure top class guests of honour that will teach and entertain us all.
- Not to make a penny profit and give 100% back to the community!
We are well on our way achieving these goals and by the time RBW 2008
comes around you can bet that its going to be a magical and fun time
for everyone! Better yet, if you want to actually be part of the RBW gang, too lend a paw and make RBW 2008 the best it can be, you can head over to the staff page and offer find out how!
Until then, have a great year and we look forward to seeing you at RBW 2008: The Masters of Alchemy.
What is furry?!
Defining a furry is like defining a doctor. A doctor has a common goal to help the needy or ill. Now whilst they all share this common goal, every doctor chooses to specialise in a particular area of aid giving. So whilst a brain surgeon, a psychologist, or a G.P. are all classed as 'a doctor', they all differ widely. This example then becomes relevant when we come to the subject of defining 'furry'. A answer from one individual would not be relevant for the next person who you put the question "what is a furry?" too. To offer you a brief definition of furry we shall instead share with you about the common characteristics that join us all in a truly diverse, educational, and productive community.
Furry in a short executive summery would be said to be 'the appreciation of anthropomorphic animal characters'. Furries all share this common interest, of course the way that people choose to express this appreciation of this interest can manifest itself in allot of different ways. Some furs simply choose to place a small tiger toy on their dashboard of the car, others have a extensive library of Disney and children cartoons on DVD or VHS,and some might play a Tourin on World of Warcraft. Others take it further and turn it into a hobby through drawing, story telling, or costuming, among other things. Whatever way members of the furry community choose to express this interest, you can guarantee that they will come from all walks of life. In fact, just looking a the RBW staff, you can find pilots, public servants, game designer working on AAA titles, Hollywood animators, programmers, and marketing gurus. So no matter what you may of heard in the popular press - the world of furry is made up of some awesome people and stands proud in our modern world.
If you would like to find out more about furry then you would do well to visit the furry wiki over at www.wikifur.com. If you are a member of the press, a researcher, or have a corporate interest in the UK furry community then please feel free to drop your enquiries to:
press[-a-t]rbw.org.uk
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The RBW company
As many of you know, RBW is operated by a company called A.R.F.
(Anthropomorphic Representation Foundation). This company was created
not only to run and organise RBW each year, but also to offer its
services and give advice to anyone or any group in England who needs
it. As you can see from our company name we include the term
'Foundation', this means that any income to the company gets used to
run future events and fund other projects. In the future once A.R.F.
has enough funds, it is the intention of the company to make available
small amounts of cash to support up and coming artists, fursuit makers,
and other ventures that would benefit the furry community. Please do
feel free to check out the company web site once it is up and running
later in the year. |
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