Welcome Weebs, and Thank You💖

When running an event over the weekend, we rarely get time to process everything, and as staff, it could take months before we remember. A weekend it the culmination of months and months of effort and struggle as we attempt to make the next SunnyCon different yet somehow familiar. We work in a creative industry with boundless amounts we can try, and some succeed, and some may fail. Over the last 10 years, especially while running at St James, we have racked up enough failures that most events are now pretty smooth. It is in part thanks to the amazing community we have and their understanding that some things can, and will, go wrong. We can have a fantastic weekend, and yet 1 negative can consume our existence; we are driven to make this a weekend to remember for the right reasons. I personally want to acknowledge the queue issues from Friday, as our anticipated numbers were vastly wrong and caught us off guard. Add to this the fact we've only had a month to prepare with the construction and upgrades, it's fair to say this has been a bloody hard weekend. 

All that said is we take what we've learnt and use it in the future. And what a future!
As I sit here and type, I'm aware St James is renovating for a reason, and whereas we seem to have caught bad timing, especially at a milestone decade in Toon, we are filled with equal parts excitement and dread of what a fully fitted, brand new set of rooms and areas we can have access to for 2027. We have the opportunity to add more or just keep things the same, just with sparkly new stuff. We know the need for evolution and change. There aren't that many events like ours that have run for 15 years, I think, like 1, maybe 2 anime cons that are older than us now in the UK.  And as we start looking to the next 10 years, we want to reaffirm our commitment to our weebs and proudly state we are for you. The world is a terrible place at times, and we all need that one place where we feel we belong. Where we are accepted as our true selves, not an escape but a home where you can be you, and you are loved. We, the staff, have put our heart and soul into this. We come from a time when anime was so niche that only the darkest parts of the internet hid it, and it was not to be spoken of in society lest you be smited by god. We come from a place of fear, loneliness, and not fitting in, where there was no desire or effort for others to understand, just judgment and shame. But here we are still ourselves, but in our own world where we have created acceptance, love, and memories that will last lifetimes. Bonds that are stronger than blood and a path that lights the way for future generations to find their way as they discover new passions, friends, and fandoms. There was a time not that long ago, we wanted to expand, have different events in different cities, and become global. However, that time passed as we learnt that one of the things that makes SunnyCon special is that there is only 1 a year (1.5 if we include chibi), whereas there are a plethora of events out there every single week. There will only be one SunnyCon, and once it's gone, that's it for another year. Yet we still plan, we still move forward, knowing next summer will be just as fun as the last. 
So we want to leave you with this message. We won't waste 1 second between now and next SunnyCon. We will improve and go all out to make 2027 the best year yet!

-Tucky