The International Friendship Conference ( IFCON ) will hold its annual gathering at the Doubletree by Hilton Hotel Chicago—Magnificent Mile Sept. 1-5. This is the third time the conference has taken place in Chicago. Chicago hosted the second annual gathering in 1991 and then again in 2000. Chicago also hosted a Caribbean Cruise weekend in 2010.
The conference started as two annual events—International Friendship Weekend ( IFW ) spearheaded by Asian & Friends in 1990 and a separate iCON weekend hosted by the Long Yang Club International ( LYCi ) beginning in 1999. From 2005 to 2008, iCON-IFW held joint annual weekend gatherings. Since 2009, the conference has been held under the renamed IFCON banner. Along with cities across the U.S.; the conference has been held in London, Toronto, Montreal, Paris, Bangkok and Berlin.
This year's conference co-chairs are Asian & Friends Chicago Board of Directors President Angel Abcede and Chicago-area accountant and longtime Asian & Friends member John Lump. Ralph Childs and Wesley Hung are co-chairs of International Friendship Alliance, the umbrella group for Asian & Friends chapters across the country. Childs and Hung have been co-chairs for the past 10 years.
"Asian & Friends is the primary host of each year's conference under the IFCON banner, although when the conference was held in San Diego four years ago LYCi were the hosts that year." said Abcede. "The stronger chapters in the different cities host the IFCON gatherings each year for the rest of the chapters."
"The conference provides a safe and fun space to meet people, from all over the country and the world," said Hung. "I've also known a few couples who met at one of the events and are now happily together. During the weekend, there are many opportunities to meet new people and get reacquainted with old friends. A number of the attendees have been with IFCON for many years."
Hung noted that at first the conference was a small event with 50 or so attendees, however, over the years it has doubled, tripled or quadrupled in numbers.
While most conferences consist of panel discussions and workshops, IFCON is primarily a social gathering for LGBT Asians and their friends. This year's conference will include a pre-conference party on Thursday evening, a cocktail reception on Friday night, a Saturday dinner boat cruise on the Spirit of Chicago, a Sunday evening "Speakeasy" banquet, a farewell luncheon on Monday, group field trips that Saturday and a hospitality suite. Abcede and Lump are also looking to have workshops focused on transgender issues and marriage on Sunday morning, however, they're still in the preliminary stages and may not take place.
Past conferences have included workshops on immigration, a Q&A with LGBT writers, advice on day trading as a possible career, a Thai massage seminar, a sketching and photography seminar with a live nude model and introduction to bondage and usage of saran wrap. The 2005 Toronto conference included a side-trip to Niagara Falls. In 2012, the Denver conference featured white water rafting and horseback riding while the 2013 San Diego conference took the attendees to the famous nude beach—Black Beach.
"When we presented our ideas for this year's conference at last year's conference in New Orleans we got 100 RSVP's right off the bat," said Abcede. "This year we're expecting around 200 attendees and have already had 165 people confirmed to attend."
"Members of the Chicago LGBT community are also invited to attend," said Hung. "They're welcome to join us for our GALA dinner and boat cruise if they cannot make the full weekend. Tickets are already on sale on the IFCON 2016 website."
"Along with coordinating the entire conference, John and I have to raise about $2,000 to cover the marketing and website costs," said Abcede. "We also have an app for the first time, IFCON 2016, available in both the Android and iOS app stores."
"It's important to build community and that's what Asians & Friends is all about, but it's just as important to plan a great experience," said Lump. "That's what an event like the boat cruise is for. We'll have a D.J., two levels all to ourselves and the Chicago skyline as a backdrop. It was a big hit in 2000 and we know it'll be one of the best parts of IFCON 2016."
"The gay Asian community can often feel isolated from the mainstream LGBTQ community as far as the ability to communicate where language issues are a concern," said Abcede. "The issue of race is also a concern as far as social situations. This conference is a way for gay Asians to express themselves in a way they might not be able to in other LGBTQ social situations. People really look forward to this yearly event. This conference is an important platform for that kind of free expression."
"I invite everyone to check out IFCON 2016," said Hung. "We'll also announce the location for next year's conference that weekend. I heard it will be somewhere fabulous outside the US. Come join us for a fun filled weekend."
See ifcon2016.org/ for more information and to register for the conference.
