A History of GriffCon (A love letter to GriffCon)
Welcome to GriffCon.
A Tabletop Gaming and Miniature Painting Event set up in 2022 by Brendan Mills of Griffing Gaming Harlow to bring together online friends from different Twitch communities in a welcoming and safe environment where they can meet each other In Real Life (was a bit scarry first year), get to paint together, play games together and see models in person that they had only seen on a screen before.
GriffCon is an event run for the community by the community.
In it's first year Brendan organised GriffCon on his own, with the support of his much better half Clare as well and having help from the "best employee in the world" Paige, along with some of his own LGS and Twitch community members, including GusTheHut and Turnstike.
Inviting other Twitch Streamers such as StudioJ7, ACMiniatures, Esmerelde_, Nelinde, 6PlusSave and CrystalMcDoll, as well as a couple of lesser know YouTubers MidWinterMinis and Duncan Rhodes, Brendan put on an EPIC event for it's first year!
GriffCon was however the last day that Paige would work for Brendan having been swept off her feet by an interloper and carried away to pastures new.
So when looking to year two Brendan realised he needed a bit of help, so he asked a pesky bird that had been squawking at him in DM's about GriffCon to help with putting things together. That was Raven of RavensHobbies.
The two of them spent many hours in Discord Voice Chat working together to organise GriffCon23, and it also became clear that more help was needed as well, and SimonSaysMakePaintPlay was dragged on board as well.
With some new invited guests in Peachy, Louise Sugden, Arbitor Ian, Mike Moans and JimmyTheBrush with Princess Avellana and returning guests of StudioJ7, 6PlusSave, GusTheHut and their enthusiasm to muck in and help out, joining in Panels, doing painting classes, over seeing Speed Painting Competitions, as well as the help and support of the community volunteers.
The creation of the GriffCon Hobby Lounge where you can find piles of Sprues to Kit-Bash with and then paint with the support of Trans Atlantic Games. We also invited traders to come and hawk their wears, with Exit23, AlchemistModels, Harps Corp, Cyclops Hobbies and Blast Music and Comics.
Year 2 was just as awesome, maybe even more so, as Year 1. Getting to hang out again with the people we met in Year 1 and for the first time with new people who came along.
Year 3 we expanded to a 2 day event and more space in the building GriffCon happens in, with more Painting Lessons and Panels, even more Amazing Games to try out and more Awesome Traders with Element Games, Warlord Games, Warmag, Encounter Terrain, Sheppy Models and Retroformers.
As well and new guests with Annie from Bad Squiddo Games, Mediocre Hobbies and Laurence Senter (Baharrorth the Cry of Old Paint). With more time and more space GriffCon24 was much calmer with time to do the things you wanted to do.
We are still learning as we go, and some things we did in Year 2 were missed in Year 3 but other things that were frantic in Year 2 were far more organised this year. We are not a Con for making money, and anything that comes in goes straight back into making it better for everyone.
From hiring the venue and gaming tables to materials for the hobby lounge, speed painting, and painting lessons. We want GriffCon to be a great experience for everyone involved. We are also looking forward to GriffCon25 where we will be having a big push for CosPlay. We are also taking up offers from people who have seen what GriffCon is and what it can be, to help with more of the planning.
And hope GriffCon will continue to be a place that you can be yourself with others of like mind.
With love
Raven of RavensHobbies