DashCon (originally titled Tumbl-Con USA) was a fan convention catering primarily to users of the blogging service Tumblr, with a particular emphasis on fandoms.

[7] The convention was to focus on works that had developed significant followings among Tumblr users at the time of its conception, such as Doctor Who, Sherlock, Supernatural and the podcast Welcome to Night Vale.

[9][10] The convention was organized by DashCon LLP, a Hudson, Ohio-based limited liability partnership owned by Megan Eli and Roxanne Schwieterman.

Among the guests originally scheduled to attend were actor Doug Jones, webcomic artist ND Stevenson, and the cast of Welcome to Night Vale.

DashCon organizers claimed to have verbally negotiated to pay the venue gradually throughout the convention using ticket sales, rather than issuing an upfront payment despite their contract suggesting otherwise.

[7][9][10][13] The ball pit – roughly the size of a kiddie pool, in an otherwise empty concession hall – and the notion of an "extra hour" in it, quickly became a meme among attendees and other Tumblr users, inspiring parodies.

Stevenson, whose hotel payment had not yet been resolved, defended criticism of DashCon by other users, arguing that they were unfamiliar with what typically occurs at a convention in the first place.

The announcement faced criticism as people noted significant similarities between Emoti-Con and DashCon, such as the use of the same venue, reusing the much of same text in the website, and policy of no refunds.