To say that Botcon 2001 was the beginning would be misleading at best. I mean, I still to this day vividly recall obtaining my very first Transformer when I was still only five years old and carrying it with pride through my father's restaurant.
Now whether that is a real memory or something that has been conglomerated over the years I can't say. But while that might have been the beginning of my relationship with these little plastic toys, Botcon 2001 was the event that changed that relationship forever.