In a special edition of GFTV’s Furry Voices, FurUM Chairman CT Wolf discussed the growth of one of Southeast Asia’s largest furry convention, Furs Upon Malaysia. This year marks FurUM’s 8th in-person event, with an expected attendance of over 1,200 people, a new record.

Humble beginnings

“It was initially thought of as an expensive private gathering.,” CT Wolf stated, “You know, if no one were to come, then it would be just that. if people come, then that would be fine.”

The furcon’s organising team has grown from an initial team of 5-6 individuals to a current team of 30, including volunteers. FurUM has evolved from “an event in a small room” to an event of greater recognition.

This year’s convention is hosted at the Armada Hotel, utilizing three floors. Additions include an arcade area, a “balloon room,” and an expanded Artists’ Alley.

“We have some new rooms on the 2nd floor, right? So a bit more overhead on that. Just having a bit more preparations there, but so far things been looking good. You know, even the tag collections have been pretty smooth so far.”

The theme for this year’s FurUM is “Furkini Bottom,” inspired by the animated series. CT Wolf indicated that the theme was selected through a team voting process, with themes planned for subsequent years.

Regarding distinctive features of FurUM, CT Wolf stated, “We are the only convention in Southeast Asia that hosts events such as MotorFurs and specific focused panels.” The convention also features three mascots: Loaf Cat, Sunny Bear, and Slappy Tiger, incorporating local cultural elements.

The challenges they met

Addressing the challenges of expansion, CT Wolf emphasized the concept of “flow”. He mentioned the implementation of a “soft limit” on attendance, with adjustments based on available resources.

“So whether things go bigger or smaller, it depends on what you’re capable of.”

Concerning ticket pricing, FurUM utilizes data from surveys to inform decisions, considering inflation and attendee affordability.

Since 2019, FurUM has partnered with local cat rescue centre Katzen Cat Sancturary as their charitable organizations. “I think since they’ve been receptive of this; the funds have been used for, I suppose, the correct purposes so far. And yeah, so we’ve just been working with them.” CT Wolf explained.

The future of furries in SE Asia

CT Wolf observed the ongoing development of the furry community in Southeast Asia: “… still very young community here compared to the overseas community in the US, Europe and so on.”

“Asia in general, especially Southeast Asia, it’s still growing. But you know, again, I think it will take a few more years before it will actually mature to what we expect.”

Regarding the potential for public access to FurUM, he expressed a preference for maintaining “a more private event” to provide a “safe space” for attendees.

When asked about future plans, CT Wolf summarized, “Just go with the flow. I’m a wolf and you can see that, you spell “wolf” in reverse, and you get the word “flow”.”

He elaborated, “So just again, (uphold) sustainability and scalability to whatever that comes to you.”

Advice for budding furcon organisers

For individuals considering organizing similar events, CT Wolf advised: “Be realistic and scale it to what you can afford. So don’t overcomplicate things. You know, just keep it simple, right?”

“And then if you’re able to, then you slowly expand on aspects that you think will make it a better convention as much as you are able to do so.”

He stressed the importance of financial planning: “You must make sure that you are not affecting your own livelihood doing this. It’s not like you put your money and then you run away with (the) income (generated).”

Words for the audience

In closing, CT Wolf expressed gratitude to supporters and shared his life advice: “Well, thank you all for your support for our convention and all.”

“Do whatever you can do in life. You know, be realistic. Don’t worry too much about things. When good things come, they will come naturally, right?”

Watch GFTV’s exclusive coverage of Furs Upon Malaysia (FurUM) 2024 here.

探秘马来西亚最大兽展：FurUM 幕后故事 – CT 狼专访

在国际兽视《兽圈之声》特别节目中，FurUM 总主办 CT 狼接受了专访，分享了这一东南亚最大兽展之一的成长历程。今年是 FurUM 第八次线下活动，参会人数预计超过 1200 人，创下历史新高。

活动筹备与规模扩张

“最初它被认为是一个昂贵的私人聚会，”CT狼回忆道，”如果有人来，那很好；如果没人来，它就会只是那样。”

从最初的 5-6 人团队发展到如今 30 人的规模，FurUM 已经从一个”小房间里的活动”成长为国际知名的兽展。今年的活动在阿玛达酒店酒店举办，使用了三层空间，包括新增的街机室、气球房间和艺术家小巷(Artists’ Alley)。

“我们试图学习海外展会的经验 … 虽然规模不及美国的超大型展会，但我们尽力为参与者提供类似的体验。”

今年 FurUM 的主题是”毛奇堡”(Furkini Bottom)，灵感来自海绵宝宝的比奇堡。CT狼透露，主题是由团队投票决定的，甚至已经为未来几年选好了主题。

当被问及 FurUM 的特色时，CT 狼自豪地表示：”我们是东南亚唯一举办车展 (MotorFurs) 和特定类型讲座的兽展。”

展会还拥有三个标志性吉祥物：面包猫 (Loaf Cat)、桑尼熊 (Sunny Bear) 和斯拉皮老虎 (Slappy Tiger)，这些角色融入了马来西亚国花木槿花和传统头巾等本土元素。

挑战与运营理念

面对规模扩张带来的挑战，CT 狼强调了”流动” (flow) 的哲学，换句话是要顺其自然。他分享道，团队设置了”软性人数限制”，并会根据资源和人力情况调整规模。

关于票价制定，FurUM 依靠多年积累的问卷调查数据，考虑通货膨胀和参与者支付能力来定价。”我们的定价结构非常具体，尽力保持价格合理。”

“活动变大还是变小，主要取决于你的能力。”

2019 年起，FurUM 开始与慈善组织合作。”我们四处寻找合适的合作伙伴，只要他们对兽展持开放态度并妥善使用资金，我们就继续合作。”CT 狼说。

社区发展与未来展望

CT 狼观察到东南亚兽迷社区正在逐步成长：”与欧美相比，这里的社区还很年轻，可能需要几年时间才能成熟。”

亚洲总体而言，尤其是东南亚，它仍在增长。但你知道，在它真正成熟到我们期望的样子之前，我认为还需要几年时间。

对于FurUM是否应该向公众开放的问题，他倾向于保持”更私密的活动”，为兽迷提供”安全空间”。

当被问及未来规划时，CT狼用一句话总结：”顺其自然！”

“我是狼(wolf)，把 ‘wolf’ 倒过来拼写就是 ‘flow'(流动) … 面对任何挑战，方式要可持续、可扩展。” CT 狼解释道。

给新兽展举办的建议

对于想创办兽展的人，CT狼建议：”要脚踏实地，根据能力调整规模。保持简单，如果能行再慢慢扩张。”

然后如果你能够的话，你就慢慢扩张；用直觉改善你的兽展，尽你所能去做。

他强调财务规划的重要性：”你必须确保不影响自己的生计。这不像你投入了钱然后带着收入跑掉。”

至观众的话

采访最后，CT狼对支持者表示感谢，并分享了他的人生哲学。”生活中要尽力做事，要现实一点。”

“当好事来临时，它们会自然而然地到来。”

点击这里访问兽视在 FurUM 2025 的特别报道。