It is said that Ohio gives rise to the entrepreneurial spirit. But enough about that, this is ponies! The group that would eventually come to be known as the core staff of TrotCon had its beginnings long ago in the general anime fandom in the state. They’ve all played various roles in anime conventions throughout this state and beyond and have built up a reputation for having an innate knack at balancing a wild-and-free party atmosphere with the serious responsibilities needed to carry out a convention with minimal logistical, technical, or other nightmares that seem to plague many an otherwise fun experience. This group had for a while been tossing around the concept of founding a convention of their own. They wanted something that wasn’t focused on anime – there were already a half-dozen of those in the state – and would allow fans of animation from around the world to come together and discuss the new and interesting frontiers being pushed in the field. A research and development phase ensued which culminated in a meeting in February of 2012. The name TrotCon was decided upon and the groundwork laid. And the very first TrotCon was held at the Ohio State University’s Union in July 2012.