One facet of the older fan base was to create local meetups to socialize about the show and other elements.[1] BronyCon grew out of the local meetups in the New York metropolitan area; it was founded in 2011 by fan Jessica Blank ("Purple Tinker"), who viewed the brony movement as a "men's version of feminism".[12][13] Following the success of an "inaugural NYC brony meet" in Little Italy on May 28, 2011, which was attended by over 30 people,[14][15][16] the first BronyCon took place in Midtown Manhattan in June 2011 and drew 100 attendees.