Tom Felton sent an unexpected message via Twitter to the attendees of LeakyCon 2009 in Boston on Friday morning:
And I’d like to say hello to all the Potter fans at @leaky, which is happening right now! And a very big hello to @gidge_8 and @danielle525 x
And again today:
@LeakyCon2009 wish i could join u all at the castle! me & jade are both jealous and would love to attend one year! happy sunday to you all x
His tweet was recognized with an overwhelmingly positive response from the conference coordinators and attendees.
“He recognized a community, and that makes the community feel good,” said Melissa Anelli, author of “Harry, A History: The True Story of a Boy Wizard, His Fans, and Life Inside the Harry Potter Phenomenon” and advisor of the LeakyCon board. Ms. Anelli also responded to Tom via Twitter.
To thank Tom for his efforts, Tom’s Twitter account was mentioned at several of the conference’s larger events, including “Nerdfighters” and “Pottercast.” During the Pottercast event, fans cheered enthusiastically when Tom’s Twitter message to them was announced, and the Pottercast crew decided to tweet back to thank him. Numerous fans immediately took out their cell phones to simultaneously tweeted back to Tom, “Hi from LeakyCon. Wish you were here.”
Feltbeats Army member
Gidge, pictured above on the right, passed out fliers promoting Tom’s Twitter account to vendors at LeakyCon 2009. Here, Gidge hands a flier to Medbh, owner of the “Witch to Wear” booth at LeakyCon 2009. Later, Medbh proudly posted the flier in her booth. Thanks Medbh!
An audio recording to tweet back also included a rather loud “squee” from the crowd.
LeakyCon greatly appreciated the recognition from Tom. Unlike many other venues, all proceeds from the conference go to charity, specifically, The Harry Potter Alliance, and Book Aid International. The spirit of charity and good will was evident throughout the conference, which even included a blood drive for Children’s Hospital in Boston.
“Everyone here has been working to raise money for charity – what better way to say thank you?” said Ms. Anelli, in reference to Tom’s Twitter message.
MJ Harper, one of the coordinators of the event, also agreed that it was wonderful that Tom is willing to recognize a community that loves him so much.
Feltbeats.com was also there, handing out fliers promoting Tom’s Twitter account for those who weren’t aware of it yet. Tons of fliers were passed out to participants and vendors, and a stack was left at the LeakyCon 2009 information booth. Ms. Harper said they were very popular!
We’re sure Tom will have many new followers after this weekend’s event. (Note: Indeed, Tom Felton just hit 30,000 followers on Twitter! Amazing!)
Feltbeats.com would like to thank LeakyCon 2009 for their assistance and wonderful support, PotterCast, and Gidge for leading the charge to pass out the fliers and write this article. Thank you!
