I have stayed relatively silent over the past fortnight since first finding out about this shambles, giving Jim the room to put things right in his own time. But it is now the eve of the event, and none of us (the original Messtival organisers) have received any further correspondance from anyone on the "Sploshcars" team since the transgression first came to light 15 days ago.

As you'll know, Jim blocked Penny's attempts to discuss any of the pertinant issues. And despite claims Jim made on various platforms to various people about being "in talks" with me specifically, the grand total of correspondance I have received from Jim has been ONE message (following my "receipts please" reply on this thread). That message consisted of an 'oh shit, I fucked up, but lets not overreact, ey?' and an 'I'm frankly appauled at the negative response'.
Bearing in mind, at that point I had only; politely, asked for receipts. And published a simple disclaimer on my instagram story that said "the event on 28th is not associated with us". (exact wording of both can be found in my previous posts on this thread).

Our team then discussed what actions we'd require Jim & Co to take to resolve the situation.
We worked together on a jointly written 'path to resolution' which I then sent to Jim.
This included the following.
- Change the name (obviously).
- Change just the wording of the category names which were proprietry to Messtival (only a few of them, and these were specified).
- Contact all the nominees/hosts/volunteers and any creators who had sent in footage to be used at the event to A] inform them that the event was falsely accredited as a Penny/Messtival endorsed event, giving them to opportunity to withdraw consent for their cooperation or footage to be used if they felt this was a dealbreaker, & B] request that they remove any existing social media posts using our branding to avoid confusion.
- Contact all ticket holders explaining the same, perhaps offering some form of compensation or good will gesture to those who had already booked transport/accomodation and no longer wished to attend given the circumstances of the change.
- Issue apologies to all affected by this. (including founders and volunteers).

He never even replied, and that has been the first and last communication I ever had with him. I even reached out to one of his early publicised co-organisers, who read my message and just ignored it.

To date, ONLY the name has been changed. And even this has been done haphazardly. The thread currently reads as if "The Sploshcars" was Penny's event ffs.

In the absence of any official updates (either publicly or privately) we can only assume that none of the other crucial points have been attended to either.

It still appears on all public listings related to the event that the majority of the categories names remain lifted directly from Messtival. While we would never dream of laying claim to such generic category names as "best male performer", "best gunge scene" etc, and would fully expect *some* overlap in a niche like this, the level of specific duplication here is unacceptible.

For instance, the following, word for word, are categories & their associated descriptions from our last event.
> aesthetic award (best production, vfx, set, cinematography in a scene)
> overkill award (biggest mess quantity/sacrifice to property/injury/wallet)
> webwam award
They haven't even been rewritten, they're directly copy & pasted from our post.
Are you really telling me it'd be humanly impossible to just reword those or, shock horror, had actually take a blank piece of paper and write out a couple of dozen categories from scratch in the first place?
Are you really telling me that 1,000 different sploshers on 1,000 typewriters would all come up with the same category names, word for word, and there are simply no new ideas left in this scene?
It appears, like the fresh debacle of the new event name being someone elses idea too, that the ever growing team behind this event are either unwilling, or unable to commit even the most base level creative thought to their event, and would rather just beligerently copy our homework.

We also now KNOW that nominees haven't been contacted to explain the situation and offer them the chance to withdraw. We have been in contact with many of them, who all say they have either NEVER received any direct contact from the organisers, or only received a message telling them "they'd won" and asking them for video to be sent. Many of them weren't even aware of what had happened (because they hadn't scrolled to page 5 of an exhaustive forum post to stay updated - and why would they!). It's quite telling that almost all of those who did become aware through word of mouth or just by chance, including the most high profile producers/performers currently on the scene, withdrew from the event straight away.

--

Now initially, I did personally have some sympathy for Jim. As has been stated in his defence by numerous folks here - mistakes do happen, and it sucks to be the mistake maker!
However, having learned more about the context of the way this was planned, we do not believe that this was merely a mistake at all.
I urge you to consider these facts when making up your own mind:

- The initial discussion with Penny wasn't a misremembered verbal comment (which would be understandable). It was written down, in a format that he readily had access to review at any point. And we know from the date stamps that he did actually take a screenshot of it at the end of July (long after the initial discussion took place, and shortly before "mistakenly" announcing the event on here). So it simply isn't plausible that he genuinely didn't realise.
Did he scroll back through messages to find the conversation, take a screenshot and close his eyes so as to deliberately not read it?

In the messages (which are public), you'll see that Penny even offered help with the organisation of what Jim made clear would be a distinct and separate event. If Jim genuinely did later come to believe (as he has stated) that Penny gave him permission to *take over* our event, the following details are frankly baffling;

- Jim has never contacted Penny, nor myself, to discuss the exciting fact that he was now going to be staging our event; either just as a basic courtesy, to invite us to attend as guests, offer us the opportunity to participate in some way, or to seek our help or oversight. If you did believe that you had been blessed with such a generous licence to use someones hard work, it would be *WEIRD* to flat out never speak to them again. Outright rude in fact. A "fucking liberty" even, as a well known comedy character might have put it.

- We now know that Jim, instead of speaking to us with queries about our event, decided to track down volunteers and previous winners of our events to ask them weirdly specific details about how we ran our event (such as how our voting system worked, and where we got our trophies manufactured). Again, if you believed that the organisers had granted you permission to take over the running of their event, AND explicitly offered material help in putting it together, it is ***WWWEEIIIRRDDDD*** to go to great lengths to find out the things you need to know from third parties (who couldn't actually provide those answers) instead of the actual organisers who could.

The only plausible explanation for this is that he DIDN'T want us to know the event was happening. And why would that be? Because he obviously knew all along that he didn't actually have our permission, and wanted to ride on the enhanced access our trust and reputation would afford him (in a scene - again by his own admission - that he hadn't previously built any repuation in, and desparately wanted to).
In the solitary message I received from Jim, he stated "Honestly, I thought it was dead as an event and your team were basically gone." So he had a strong basis to believe we wouldn't find out until it was over if he just didn't alert us.
For the record, we are still active, just on a temporary hiatus of sorts.

--

Another side effect of the way in which Jim went about this, and the reason we require full and sincere apologies - on a human level - are the rifts it has caused between us, the founders.
Despite being great friends outside of the WAM business, when I initially heard from a host of our last event that "Messtival was going ahead" without my knowledge, I was deeply hurt. This was confounded by the fact that when I read the forum post, Jim so confidently stated that "he had the receipts" that Penny had handed it over to him, that for a while I did actually think that Penny had betrayed our business partnership, but above all, our friendship.
Due to some quite major events that were happening in both of our lives (which I won't detail here to launder sympathy), we hadn't spoken for a little longer than usual. And with the massive pressures I was dealing with upon hearing about this, I didn't feel able to confront Penny about this. I will always regret the days that elapsed where I doubted Penny's integrity as a business partner and friend due to Jim's actions.
We were also contacted by other volunteers and previous hosts who were baffled by Penny's apparent decision to give away our joint venture to a stranger without notification. These effects rippled through our network and have required quite some emotional legwork to rectify, at a time where none of us have the spare capacity to deal with it.

His utter silence to us personally, after so massively & obviously fucking up, is deeply insulting. His brief pity statement, hosted on a third party site that few are going to be bothering to access, does not constitute even the beginnings of an apology.
And it appears that silence extends to many of the volunteers, organisers and attendees who are, right up to the 11th hour, still in the dark.
At least 3 other people have popped up on UMD alone to 'speak for' the event since Jim went silent, and some doubt whether they are all even real people. None of them have attempted to make contact with us to acknowledge the damage and assure us of the steps they've taken to satisfy our reasonable requests.

As much as we would like to draw a line under this and wish everyone an enjoyable day out, no good faith has been built since our toes were stepped on.
The way this has all been handled AFTER the fact, as well as what we are continuing to learn about the apparent underhanded ways in which they covertly planned this event do not paint a picture of someone who made a genuine mistake which he is making (really any) effort to rectify. It speaks more of a chancer who got caught, and is taking further chances just to get over the finish line, regardless of the "mess" he leaves in his wake.

I've left ample room for Jim to paint me a different picture. It's a real shame.

It would appear that you and your co-organiser have a breakdown in communication and I'd suggest that this is how this misunderstanding started...

"We have not asked or encouraged anyone to withdraw their support/nomination or discouraged anyone from attending, and have reassured people privately that we will not be hurt or upset at all if they take part in his event. (After all, we've got tickets to come along too!)"

Quote from here

https://x.com/PennyBanksWAM/status/1835683753282150847

Are you going to be forthcoming with your safety information, or gatekeep it?

I think this situation has reminded me of how uncomfortable I am with the term Messtival being associated with our fetish community.

In relation to our group it's a celebration of our fetish, adult themed media, producers of wanking material and everything else that goes with our niche fetish.

In the "civilian" world it's a celebration of scouts, children, infants and religious groups..I'm starting to feel very uneasy.

Moving forward, my own personal view is that the term should be poured down the drain like gunge after one of our sessions.

Moving forward.,what about Easygunge with an orange theme or Mcsplosh with clowns!

What could possibly go wrong

This is a very valid point actually. I literally just saw a sign near where I live for a church event this weekend for kids called 'Messtival'.

I think whenever it is that Penny and co decide to run their event again, they need to take this into consideration.

I'm just glad to hear that Mad Lovers Cosplay won the Lifetime Achievement Award. They are one of my favorite slapstick producers and are really kind and passionate about what they do.

A big thank you to Jim and all his team for such a fun event today! I really hope this comes back again next year, either as Messitval or in another guise. And well done to everyone who got messy, you're braver than me!

Though I didn't go to the Sploshcars, I'm just now back home from the pub social afterwards. My first ever IRL meetup with Wam folks, and I had SUCH a good time.

By all accounts, the Sploshcars was a fantastic event, something to build on, and everyone was in a great mood afterwards. Hats off to Jim and all the other organisers and participants - it was lovely to meet you!

Now I've met some folks and I feel more comfortable, I'd love to attend more stuff in future! Whether that's casual meets or messier gatherings.

This was a great way to kick off my week of annual leave

I went to both and had a great time, its important we support those that take initiative and make things happen, I am older than most of you here !!

I also went to both - a lovely day. I was tickled to see the lettering on the cinema readograph spelling out "The Sploshcars 2024" above the entrance along with the other programmes. I was unfortunately late but took my kit just in case. I ended up keeping a low profile for volunteering as the room was a bit colder than ideal for me - but hats off to those who did. They were very splendid, and real troopers.

I was surprised at the amount of copious pouring and full coverage going on. The compares did a great job. A highlight for me came towards the end when there were some pies to be dished out. The compare asked a willing volunteer what made him want to do it. He drew a breath thinking what to say, and just as he started to answer got a surprise splat in the face with perfect comic timing.

I estimated about 30-40 people there. I'm sure it would have been a lot more without the shenanigans, and with that in mind the event exceeded my expectations. Thanks too to Easy-As for the meet-up after. For me, this really made the day, as it was great to chat to so some lovely people over some drinks rather than just go home after the show. Some others I chatted with said it was their first live/social event and they were really happy with the experience and those they met. There were also several cases of old acquaintances being renewed, so there is clearly a place for it in the future, in whatever form it may take.

Had a fantastic day today at both the ceremony and the meet! Volunteered as a messy stooge (in obligatory clown ballerina costume) which was so much fun, as you were trying to guess who'd won each category and who was going to get the next mess!

Hats off to Jim and his amazing team for pulling off a logistically complicated event so well! Lot of material and equipment had to be brought in and removed, and the cleanup setup for us stooges was absolutely brilliant! Would 100% volunteer again!

But the real standout of the day was how lovely everybody was. This was the first real life splosh event I've been too, and the first time meeting fellow sploshers! I'm inspired to start creating content again, and to find collaborators for bigger projects, and also excited at the prospect of hopefully more live sploshing events in the South of England, and how I could help that happen.

All in all, a great day out, thankyou to everybody who made it happen!

be great if we could get a southern splosh event going

That's a great idea!!!

Thanks for the lovely message! It was great meeting you and hearing how it felt as a first event. Hopefully the first of many for you!

Mad Lovers Cosplay was also great in Ghostbusters: Afterthought," and totally deserved the win for Best Wetlook Scene, given Genevieve's excellent reactions. Likewise, "Pie Me Baby, One More Time," richly deserved the "Best Cosplay Scene" award, as it was a worthy salute to a very slime worthy star, by a very slime worthy cosplayer!

I've just found out that Mad Lovers Cosplay has decided to retire from the messy slapstick scene, so this was the last year they'd be eligible for awards. Though I'm saddened by this news, I'm grateful for how they've truly set the standard for sploshing in cosplay. Genvieve cosplayed in everything from Harley Quinn to Tifa Lockheart, to her own lovable clown character, Gracie, who managed to make oversized clown shoes look attractive, which deserves an achievement all on its own! Their legacy will be long appreciated. Thanks to the sploshing community for helping them finish their career strong!

What a lovely review! Hats off to the custard pie volunteer you mention - it was his first time! I also loved the after event (was fun for Derek and I meeting people and having them go "Oh! You're real!" hehe)

Echoing much thanks to Easy-As for kicking off the pub meet after while we frantically tidied up slime! Thank you so much for coming and really glad you had such a good time.

Editing to share the thanks to our lovely co-hosts - tricky job coordinating hosting, cuing VTs and gunging people all with someone chatting in your earpiece and they both brought the show to life with real flair!

Thanks @Knickerslopperglory! Loved the costume (and the after-photo covered in gunge was great too! )

Really appreciated the help you gave the crew with the clean down too - this guy knows his gunge!

We are indeed real.

Thank you everyone for your support, whether it was voting or coming along. It was certainly a day to remember!

Thanks to the rest of the team and for everyone's hard work.

We are having an event debrief this week and would be happy to hear any feedback attendees have.

I would just like to add my ' thank yous ' to everyone who came along to the event both audience members and participants alike !

I can only repeat what Mia and Derek have said regarding all the positive comments and it being a day to remember.
A shout out to the two comperes. They were brilliant for all the reasons mentioned.

The smiles on everyones faces afterwards made it all so worthwhile putting this event together.

Yesterday was the absolute BEST DAY EVER! I had so much fun that it's made up for the last 6 months of my life where I've not been able to make plans or even leave the house.
Everyone I spoke to was absolutely amazing and not a single boring person among you (In other words you were all as bonkers as me )
I wish I'd managed to talk to everyone!
Thank you so much to Jim who so kindly told me (not asked me) that I would stay in the pool as a stooge for the second half too! I didn't even think I would be able to make the event and the next thing I know I'm being covered in gunge (freezing btw ) and being pied in front of everyone for the whole ceremony! I meant what I said that you're my new favourite person! It was a dream come true!!
Thank you to my two gorgeous, amazing friends who made it possible for me to get there (and making sure I got to be a stooge!)
I spoke to lots of people but don't know who many of you are from your UMD names and profiles but I hope we can be friends because everyone was so great! xxxxx

Thank you for the lovely review! I'm glad you had a great time! You (and all the stooges) were fantastic and it wouldn't have been the same event without you!

OK, results for The Sploshcars 2024:

https://docs.google.com/document/d/1bJKcof9RCHViD2pWL7eq0_chFCb5UqpmVHFLTxbtEyw/edit?usp=sharing

Best Trailer
Brianna Olivier (aka Bri) - https://umd.net/downloads/model/bri-bs-messy-bakery ("Happy New Year")

Best Outdoor Scene & Best Mud Scene
Sinking Adventures - "In it" - https://jumpoff-joes-sinking-encount.umd.net/download_info/in-it

Best Wetlook Scene
Mad Lovers Cosplay - "Slimebusters: Afterthought" - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UYZVNn2fC08

Best Fetish Scene
Bananaface Invasion - "The Bet Backfires!" - https://bananaface-invasion.umd.net/download_info/the-bet-backfires

Best Gunge Scene
Rev Slymsford "Your Girlfriend + Her Bff Play A Strip + Gunge Game For You" - https://reverend-slymsfords-splosher.umd.net/download_info/your-girlfriend-her-bff-play-a-strip-g

Best Pie Scene
Rev Slymsford - "Honour May Wanks Whilst Being Pied With 20 Thrown Pies" - https://umd.net/download_info/honour-may-wanks-whilst-being-pied-with

Best Cosplay
Mad Lovers Cosplay - "Pie Me, Baby, One More Time" - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=x_PbIchRAB4

Best BBW Performer
Mary Messhall - https://umd.net/mary-messhall

Best Male Performer
Rod Whitestar - https://umd.net/downloads/model/rod-whitestar

Best Female Performer
Brianna Olivier (aka Bri) - https://umd.net/downloads/model/bri-bs-messy-bakery

Best Queer Performer
AlexaJane - https://umd.net/alexajane

Best Aesthetic
Bananaface Invasion - "You're Fired" - https://bananaface-invasion.umd.net/download_info/youre-fired

Most innovative Scene
CustardCouple - "Messy Role Play Couple Sex Movie" - https://custard-couple.umd.net/download_info/messy-role-play-couple-sex-movie

Best Comedy/Slapstick
Darla Devour - "Burglary Gone Messy: A Home Alone Parody" - https://umd.net/download_info/burglary-gone-messy-a-home-alone-parody

Best Humiliation Scene
Bananaface Invasion - "You're Fired" - https://bananaface-invasion.umd.net/download_info/youre-fired

Best Host
Brianna Olivier (aka Bri) - https://umd.net/downloads/model/bri-bs-messy-bakery

Rising Star
Bratty Shortcakes - https://umd.net/downloads/model/bratty-shortcakes

Lifetime Achievement Award
Genevieve Renee (Mad Lovers Cosplay) - https://www.instagram.com/madloverscosplay/

Ray of Sunshine Award
Shared between Bri and LeRex https://umd.net/lerex as both are just that.

Best Overall Scene
Rev Slymsford - "Lotti Rose, The Wam Inspector, Thoroughly Tests Pies + Slime" - https://umd.net/download_info/lottii-rose-is-the-wam-inspector

Helping with the clean up was the very least I could do, I had such a blast being a stooge!

Edited, sorry, I mixed up screen names, the rest of that message was for somebody else on the clean up crew!

This sounds like it was an amazing thing to have happen. Im slightly jelous haha

A big thank you to everyone who voted and congrats to everyone that got to go!

https://umd.net/profile/i/brattyshortcakes/section/videos/video/brattys-acceptance-speech

I had such a great time at this event. It was superb fun and extremely well organised. Thoroughly enjoyed getting gunged on stage alongside the beautiful @BunnyB. The after party was just lovely and it was great to see for myself what a charming community you are.

Thank you so much @naughtyjim and your team for all your hard work in staging it. You're all legends.

To those further up the thread who have been excoriating this sweet, generous and well meaning man: You sound exhausting. Maybe think about getting a hobby. Geez.

I mean, we literally did ask you and the rest of the community. That's what they nominated and voted for. But sure, if you want to tell the community their taste sucks...

I mean, if you think you can run it better, this is a one-off! Go right ahead and show us all how it's done!

Hey!! . It was great to finally meet you!! You guys were AMAZING and really brave/cool for all you did as the stooges! It would not have been the half as good an event without you all!

Thank you for your kind words too, they are very much appreciated! .

The reason why this whole thing was a joke is because we can all tell whose store make the videos that sell the most, we have daily top scenes listed. If you were to base stuff on videos actually bought, you would look at who is the top scenes throughout the year. The Man and Wife are literally the top sceneevery week when they release their weekly video. Messygirl is always a top download when they release a video.

I noticed you dodged every question put to you there...

The Sposhcars and Messtival are not a reflection of the UMD store. It's an open competition where the people are asked for their opinion and they give it. What else would you have done? If it was on UMD sales then you'd be claiming that that was all a stitch-up behind the scenes too. So again, if you want to tell all those that voted that their opinion is garbage you go for it.

Kind of like you did throughout the thread. But it was OK for you to dodge questions, just not others.