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TanaCon Was Such A Disaster, The Company That Organized It Is Facing A Lawsuit

Lauryn Higgins

Some fans of YouTuber Tana Mongeau are so upset with the way TanaCon turned out, they’re discussing a class-action lawsuit against the event’s organizers. 

TanaCon was initially created to rival VidCon — the annual convention for YouTube creators and fans — after Mongeau was upset with the limitations VidCon was imposing on her. She partnered with a production company called Good Times, and the two parties eventually set TanaCon on the same street and same weekend as VidCon. The convention advertised Mongeau and a number of appearances from other YouTube creators — and more importantly — free general admission tickets. 

But when the day of TanaCon came, everything seemed to be a disaster. Nearly everyone appeared to have the $65 ticket option, causing some to question the validity of the free tickets; people waited in line for five hours in the heat and sun without food or water; the Marriott hotel was not at all big enough for the attendees; and the event was eventually canceled. 

Now, YouTuber Anamarie Olson is gathering defendants for a class-action lawsuit against Good Times. According to The Blast, she believes ticket holders should be given full refunds — including travel — and compensation for “mistreatment during the event.”

“I started feeling less and less excited about the event because I had a feeling it would be very unorganized, but I hoped for the best,” she told The Blast. “After waiting for about 5 hours in the sun, with no shade or water or food, a representative of Good Times made an announcement that the event was canceled for the day but would resume as scheduled Saturday with an additional location.”

That never happened, though. As a result, she’s currently in talks with the same firms suing Fyre Festival, and claims to have around 200 people in joining her in a lawsuit. 

Popular YouTuber Shane Dawson is also unhappy. He was scheduled to make an appearance at the event and after it was canceled he called TanaCon the “worst decision I ever made.” He released a documentary series to detail what specifically happened, and eventually revealed that Good Times’ CEO signed a contract with a ticketing agent, Veeps, that would ultimately make Good Times responsible for any refunds. Those refunds are now estimated to be around $325,000.

Though the source of the money is currently unknown, the ticketing company announced on July 4 that refunds would be issued to those who reach out to Veeps. 

No official suits have been filed as of yet. 

Lauryn is a 2014 graduate of Mars Hill University where she majored in Business with a concentration in marketing and finance. While in college Lauryn was the Founder and Editor of Her Campus Mars Hill. She is currently a candidate for her Masters in Journalism and Mass Communication at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln. She lives for a good plot twist, a great cup of coffee and new running shoes.