Convention Fans

As I mentioned, there are cons to everything, even the much beloved large conventions that continually draw 30,000+ people. However, it should be noted that since the attendance numbers seem to be steadily climbing for the behemoth conventions, these “cons” don’t seem be too much of a deterrent.

Cons of a Large Convention:

1. Queue Lines Worse than Spring Break at Disney World

Being an Orlando native, I have always jokingly told people that I know how to queue like a pro. After all, I had Disney, Universal and Sea World in my backyard. However, large conventions make a Disney queue line look trivial by comparison (and at least at Disney they have the Fast Pass!). It seems like no matter what you do (get to the convention a day early or pre-register), you’ll still end up in a line. I’ve seen lines at Otakon wrap around the entire convention center. I’ve seen lines at Dragon*con wrap around an entire city block. Lines at Megacon have filled the entire entry way to the vendor’s ballroom. And you haven’t even gotten INSIDE yet. You’re going to wait to get into the autograph room. You’re going to wait to get into that Joss Whedon panel. You’re going to wait for an elevator to get to your room. You’re going to wait for a bellhop to check out, wait some more at the counter, and wait even longer for the valet to get your car. Attending a large con is an exercise in patience.

2. Con Crud (*cough hack*)

It happens to us more often than we’d care to admit: the con crud. The coughing, sniffling, hacking, and otherwise disgusting side effects of having come into contact with 30,000+ people who were all touching the same door knobs, hand railings, etc. One year, mine turned into full blown bronchitis. Although you can do your best to prevent the crud (hand sanitizer, vitimin C, getting enough food and sleep), sometimes it gets you anyway.

3. It’s Just So Overwhelming and Crowded!

A “Light” Day at the Marriott (Dragon*con 2008)

If you have anxiety, or don’t like crowds, tight spaces, loud noises, etc., than a big convention is probably not for you. With so many people, activity, noise, and stuff to do, it can definitely be overwhelming. Even the most level headed of cons goers can find themselves having an anxiety attack by Saturday night. If you’re going to attend one of these large conventions, be prepared to kiss personal space goodbye, and try to go with the flow. You just cannot see and do everything at a convention that has dozens of programming tracks, events, concerts, signings, shows, panels, costume contests…sheesh. I get a little overwhelmed just thinking about it all! Where’s my highlighter pen and schedule?

4. The Expense (a.ka. Is My Wallet Actually Hemorrhaging Money?!)

This may come as no surprise, but big conventions aren’t cheap! While some attendees may live locally, and are only out the cost of entry (which can still be a pretty penny), a lot of people travel a decent distance to attend these large conventions (see the Pros of a Large Convention for the “why”). By the time you pay for the entry, the travel (gas or plane tickets), and the hotel costs (and maybe parking or wireless internet too), you can easily come up with a bill topping $1000 for the weekend, and we haven’t even factored in food, spending money, or what you spent on your costumes already. Granted, these costs can be whittled down by splitting them with other people (raise your hand if you’ve ever shared a hotel room with more than five other people), but it can still add up. Many people have to save for a greater portion of the year in order to afford a convention like Comic Con or Dragon*con (now raise your hand if you haven’t started saving yet).

Note about an upcoming entry: What conventions do you recommend as good “day pass” cons? You know, the ones that are great for just a quick Saturday trip? Post your recommendations in the comments! Don’t forget to include a link to the convention’s website or MySpace page!

Technorati Profile

A big welcome to any and all new readers of the blog, especially you Dragon*con fans! You can always rely on this blog to have a new post every day! I’m already working on some interviews with some cool convention attendees and organizers, so look for those interview segments to start appearing!

Pros of a Large Convention:

While I’ve never attended the big daddy of all cons (Comic Con), I have attended three rather large East coast conventions over the years: Megacon (Orlando), Dragon*con (Atlanta) and Otakon (Baltimore). Both boasts some pretty hefty attendance numbers. Although I don’t really attend small conventions anymore (see Not as Much “Bang for Your Buck” in my previous post), I do want to reitterate that I have experienced many conventions of many sizes.

1. Did You Say NATHAN FREAKIN’ FILLION and ALAN TUDYK?! OMG and Michael Dorn too?!

Fillion introduces himself & Tudyk to Dorn (Dragon*con 2008)

What can I say? That was my reaction last year to the 2008 Dragon*con line up. Now add about another two dozen or so actors from Star Trek, Firely, Star Wars, Buffy the Vampire Slayer, Harry Potter, Smallville, Battlestar Galactica, and… you get my point, and you have Dragon*con’s final line up. They filled an entire ballroom with stars from some of the most popular (and obscure) sci-fi and fantasy series and got them all to Atlanta for a weekend to sign autographs and given talks. You just can’t beat the ability of these large cons to attract big name stars from such a wide variety of shows, movies, comics, etc. I met more Star Trek actors in a single year at Dragon*con than I did in three years attending smaller conventions.

2. A Seemingly Infinite List of Stuff to Do

One of the benefits to renting out an entire convention center or multiple hotels is that you have a great deal of space for events and programming. A large con can run three or four big ballroom events in at a time, and another two dozen smaller ones in meeting rooms. Don’t want to see the Harry Potter actors? You can go across the hall for the Miss Klingon Empire Beauty Pageant (and if you haven’t seen that you haven’t truly lived), or take a gander at the Buffy Horror Picture Show, or go hit up one of the many viewing rooms for anime and independent films. If anything, attending one of these big conventions will make you want time traveling powers just so you can do it all.

Miss Klingon Empire Beauty Pageant (Dragon*con 2008)

3. Vendors Vendors Everywhere

Need a set of D20s? Need stuffed animals shaped like microbes? Need that one episode of that show that never aired on TV in the United States on DVD? The dealer’s room at a convention like Comic Con probably has it. Not only will they probably have it, but they’ll have the corporate sponsors handing out free t-shirts and posters for it. Large cons have the ability to bring in vendors from across the country, selling a variety of items, and offering plenty of freebies. They’ll teach you how to play their new card game. They’ll show you a new preview of their game that hasn’t been shown anywhere else. You can literally spend hours in their vendor and exhibition halls, and still not see everything available.

4. Premiers and Other Exclusives

This is sort of related to number three, but deserves separate mention none-the-less. Big conventions tend to attract exclusive releases and content. For example, a lot of film companies have been debuting trailers at Comic Con over the past few years. Another example: Dragon*con’s Trek Trak hosted the world premier of Star Trek: Of Gods and Men in 2008. They even had Tim Russ (Tuvok of Voyager) in attendance. Otakon 2003 hosted the very first US concert by J-Pop sensation T.M. Revolution, which was no small feat.

Whether it’s a release party, or never-before-seen footage, large conventions are often able to bring exclusive content to the fans like no small convention can.

Next: The Cons of Large Conventions

As with so many things in life, there are “cons” to attending a small convention versus a larger one. Here are some of the top cons to consider if you’re trying to decide whether a small convention or a large convention is right for you.

Cons of a Small Convention:

1. Lack of Diversity in Guests/Vendors

Up Close and Personal with George Takei (Vulkon 2007)

As one might suspect, the smaller the convention, the fewer choices you have as an attendee. Whereas a larger convention like Comic Con can bring in hundreds of guests, a smaller convention may only have one or two main guests and a few extras thrown in. The same goes for vendors too. Some larger cons have multiple ballrooms dedicated to vendors and exhibitors, whereas the smaller cons might only have one medium to small sized ballroom. One thing I have noticed is that a lot of the same local vendors tend to come out for the same conventions year after year, so if you’re looking for something new, the small convention’s vendor room may not be your best bet for finding it.

2. A Great Deal of “Dead” Time

While some may see this as a “pro”, when you’re paying money for entry (and maybe investing in a hotel room and travel), you probably want to be entertained the majority of your time at the con. While large cons have almost non-stop activities from start to finish, smaller conventions tend to end earlier each day and may only provide one or two events at a time. If you aren’t interested in what is being offered in room 1 or 2, you may not have any other options. Since many conventions offer the same panel discussions and events at every con, repeat small con attendees may find they’ve already attended a lot of the events being offered, and will be hunting for something else to do.

3. Problems with Organization and Planning (Mainly for Newer Conventions)

I will be the first to say that not all large cons have it together, and not all small cons are poorly organized. I’ve experienced all combinations. However, in my experience, newer conventions tend to be smaller and less organized than larger, well-established conventions. This can manifest in difficulties with obtaining your badge, not having the proper AV equipment available, lack of signage, lack of staff, and overall lack of planning. I have attended more than one new anime convention that suffered from all of those problems, and more. If you’re thinking of attending a newer convention, be aware that you may be in for quite an experience.

4. Not as Much “Bang for Your Buck”

Let’s face it: conventions get more expensive every year. I remember when I could get a weekend pass for a convention for $20 or less (and maybe even get an autograph included). Not anymore. You’d be lucky to get anyone’s autograph for under $30 these days, much less a badge t00.

While convention prices vary widely based on guests, the number of days, location, autograph inclusion, etc., you are probably getting less for your money at a small con. There are fewer guests to see and meet, fewer events, fewer vendors, etc. etc. Now, if having a more personal encounter with a guest at a nice quiet convention is worth the $70 badge (not to mention potential hotel and travel costs) for a weekend, then maybe this isn’t a “con” for you at all. Whatever floats your boat! However, if you’re looking for a lot to see and do during your weekend, you may want to invest your money at a convention that has a lot more programming and guests to offer for roughly the same badge fee.

Tomorrow: The Pros and Cons of Large Conventions

For many years, I only attended small conventions. While the term “small” is certainly relative, it has been my experience that a small convention is usually one with 5,000 attendees or less. “Large” conventions would be classified as around 25,000 - 50,000+, with “medium” conventions falling somewhere between the two. Feel free to disagree, but that is a general estimate of size. Having said that, I have attended some with as few as 1,000 people in attendance on the main convention day (Saturday). There are certainly pros and cons to each of the convention sizes I mentioned, and over the next few days, I’m going to post a list of pros and cons of both the small conventions, and the large ones.

Feel free to post your own “Pros” in the comments!

Pros of a Small Convention:

1. You Don’t Have to Fight Your Way Through the Vendor Areas

The crowded vendor room at Megacon 2004 in Orlando, FL

If you’ve ever attended a large convention like Comic Con or Dragon*con, you know how frustrating it can be to have to elbow your way through throngs of people in order to see what’s for sale. Heaven help you if you’re wearing a costume with wings, or are not a particularly tall individual.

2. Lack of Huge Queue Lines

I’ll never forget the first time I walked into Dragon*con, and saw the line for one of the Firefly panel discussions. People had been lined up two hours before it even got started. I experienced the same thing while waiting for the anime version of MST3K at Otakon 2003. While small cons can have some lines (I waited four hours to get Robert Beltran’s autograph once at a Vulkon), they certainly pale in comparison to what the larger cons have.

3. Opportunities for Up Close & Personal Guest Interaction

I have had the best experiences with guests at small conventions. I once got to share an elevator with Armin Shimmerman (Quark of DS9), after he had been hanging out in the hotel bar chilling with fans. But my best experience, by far, was the Hour of Shakespeare with Jeffrey Combs (Weyoun/Brunt of DS9) and Marc Alaimo (Gul Dukat of DS9). For an extra $20 on top of the general admission, myself and twenty other fans (give or take) got to see these two classically trained actors perform pieces from Shakespeare. It was one of the most intimate theatrical performances I have ever attended, and it was worth two or three times what I had paid for the opportunity.

Of course, this is not to say you can’t have these experiences at larger conventions, but the guests definitely seem to be more relaxed and available to con goers at a smaller event.

4. A Relaxed Atmosphere

Smaller conventions tend to have a more laid back atmosphere in general. There isn’t an entire convention center (or four hotels in the case of Dragon*con) to traverse. There aren’t 40,000 people to wade through. There isn’t a line you have to be in two hours early just to get a seat. You can generally take your time, see the events, meet the celebrities, and not need a vacation from your convention when you’re done.

Next: The Cons of Small Conventions