The 1988 - 1994 Three Stooges Conventions, in Philadelphia and sponsored by fans, were successfully held and licensed in cooperation with Norman Maurer Productions.
After the DeRita & Fine vs. Maurer lawsuit of 1993 - 1994, NMP was disbanded, and C3 was reinstated with the DeRita family in control.
The 1995 Convention, in Philadelphia, was the first licensed under C3. C3 reps attended the Convention and indicated their displeasure with the event's focus and management. No agreement could be reached for a fan-sponsored 1996 event.
So...
C3 held its own 1st Annual 1998 convention in Burbank CA. 2004, as we draw to a close six years later, fans are waiting for C3 to host a 2nd 'annual' event.
Last June 2004, a C3 rep told me that they have grand plans tied into the Farrelly brothers movie. Among them are a relaunch of the early-'90s Las Vegas tribute show at one of the hotels, combined with a "mega" Las Vegas convention. Or, he said that C3 may host a Stooges convention around one of their Nascar-sponsorships. Uh huh.