FLAME Conference

In March of 2020, the world changed. We came home from South Plains LeatherFest as newly retired titleholders, and within 5 short days, the world we knew came to a halt. We looked around and saw a community of people unsure of what was next. In response, FLAME Conference was born.

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2020 was a huge success, attracting more people than we could have anticipated and raising over $2,500 for The Leather Heart Foundation. We looked at that success and knew there was only one option – we made the decision to do it again. We knew we wanted FLAME to be a space for all, and we knew it would be more than we could manage alone. We looked to our community for assistance, and they showed up. We were able to put together a fantastic staff of smart and dedicated individuals who shared our passion for education, accessibility, and expansiveness.

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As we moved into 2021 and began preparing for the second FLAME, the world was starting to open up again. More events were going virtual, and there was an abundance of online education. We as the producers began to question where FLAME would fit into the landscape of educational events once in person events started happening again.

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Finally, the weekend of FLAME was here – and to say FLAME Conference 2021 was a huge success feels like a gross understatement. We had over 700 registered attendees and raised almost $9,000.00 for The Carter/Johnson Library. We were able to see our commitment to representation and accessibility come to fruition, and heard time and again how invaluable that was to the attendees. The ability to help bring greater accessibility and diversity to the kink community during the unprecedented times we’ve been experiencing has meant everything to us.

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Now that FLAME has come on and gone, our board members have all been busy finding new and exciting ways to enhance and support our communities; teaching, organizing, producing, promoting, writing, mentoring, facilitating and creating - and for us as producers, this became a time of reflection.

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For those that know us, you know how busy we’ve been the last several years. We spent almost 3 full years in title, which meant traveling 2-3 times a month, and spending most of our time and treasurers in support of the community. We loved every minute of it, but we are now looking at our life together and asking what is next for us.

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With all of this in mind, we went to the board and had a conversation about where we saw FLAME going. It was collectively agreed that it’s time to step back and support the other amazing endeavors that have emerged to meet the needs of our global BDSM community.

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With that being said, there will not be a FLAME Conference in 2022.

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We thank each and every one of our vendors, sponsors, presenters, volunteers, interpreters, moderators, and guests for your ongoing and enthusiastic support. FLAME would not have been what it was without the contributions of every person who gave of themselves to make it happen.

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We will continue to monitor the landscape of the community and keep you all updated on the future of FLAME for 2023 and beyond. Please keep an eye on our social media channels for updates.

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The FLAME will keep burning until we see you again.

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In service,

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Master David & Brynn

Producers

FLAME Conference