Author Topic: Ranking Conventions you've attended in 2019  (Read 1508 times)

Offline sylent_asassin

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Ranking Conventions you've attended in 2019
« on: January 08, 2020, 10:07:57 AM »
With 2019 in the rear view and the big con season behind us, I had a moment to sit back and reflect on all the conventions that I attended, which was a fairly good amount of medium to large-scale shows. To rank them from worst to best:

10. SacAnime Winter – I like this show for the cosplay, and because I know a great many of the vendors and cosplayers, but that’s about all. I’m not really an anime person, but they do sometimes get pretty decent guests. The vendor’s floor is packed and pretty spacious at the Sacramento Convention Center, but this current brand of contemporary anime is just not my scene.

9. Silicon Valley ComicCon – Okay show held at the San Jose Convention Center, but a definite step backwards when compared to the past two conventions. Lines for photo-ops were a disaster, but cosplay was decent and the guests were good. After meeting the lovely Morena Baccarin at NYCC back in 2010 for a signing that they didn’t allow photo-ops for, I finally got a photo with her. Bucket list checked.

8. Las Vegas Toy Con – Pretty good guest line-up if you watch WWE or you’re a fan of G1 Transformers, but that was about all. Randy Orton kind of ruined my con experience just by being himself. If it wasn’t for the awesomeness of Asuka and Peter Cullen and meeting my long-time internet crush, this would have been last on my list.

7. FanX Fall – Don’t let Utah fool you! This was a good show with pretty good guests and decent cosplay, but what drops it on the list is the cancelling of the Star Wars panel. Also, I didn’t get to the con at the time that I wanted and ended up waiting in line for most of the show for signatures and photo-ops because my friend is a procrastinator. Lesson learned. Don’t depend on others.

6. San Diego ComicCon – This used to be my all-time favorite convention, but the lottery system ruined it for me; it’s unbalanced. In addition, it’s nigh impossible to meet anyone from a tv show or movie unless you win said lottery, and you have a snowball’s chance in Hades to win one for an exclusive or signing, let alone multiples. The panels were good, but hard to get into unless you sacrificed a good portion of your day and waited in line for several hours… in the heat.

The cosplay, compared to past shows was almost nonexistent. I, and many others were shocked at the lack of cosplay for such a major convention. Couple that with increasing high prices, registration madness and ridiculous hoops you have to jump through in order to grab a decent, nearby hotel and you have a recipe for disaster. Also, this show has become a 4-day commercial that no longer caters to the fans, but kisses up to Hollywood.

With this being the 50th Anniversary, my expectations were probably far too high. I expected this to be the con of all cons, a spectacular, grandiose event, but there was nothing extraordinary about it compared to past SDCC’s; it was just another con, only with less SWAG and very little cosplay. The only saving grace for me was visiting family and seeing friends while in San Diego and staying at the Hilton Bayfront for the first time ever. Oh, and by chance meeting Christine Adams from Black Lightning in the elevator and getting a selfie with her. She was very sweet!

5. FanimeCon – Held at the San Jose Convention center, this is one gigantic cosplay party, but it’s only anime-friendly and the cost to get in is a bit much. Guests are typically anime-related voice actors and singers. It’s a really light-hearted, fun show, but doesn’t really cater to the casual fan.

4. StocktonCon – This was a nice convention and the price was right for a 2-day badge. It had fairly decent guests for a show of its size and was well-organized. Vendor floor was decently-sized, but cramped in spots. The organizer of this show is a HUGE wrestling mark, and always gets big time WWE guests. It’s just too bad the Kevin Nash and Scott Hall cancelled.

3. FanX Spring – I had a great time at this show. I got to (somewhat) meet Lynda Carter, although it was a hollow, apathetic experience. She was almost propped up like Weekend at Bernies while people took photos with her. She just sat there and didn’t speak to anyone while doing it. Furthermore, you couldn’t touch her otherwise (I heard that) she would freak out; people normally put their arm around you for photos (or vise versa), but she just sat there with a glass smile as people stood beside and behind her. Besides that, the show was really good with a great guest list, the people were friendly and the cosplay was amazing. It’s just a shame that the Spring edition of this show was cancelled going forward. It was one of my favorites.

2. WonderCon – This is how a comic convention should be; it’s a large-scale convention with a small con feel. The panels and guests were good, but there were a great deal of actual comic book artists and writers rather than it being a celebrity cash grab. The cosplay was amazing, the cost for badges was affordable and it was easy to grab nearby hotels without breaking the bank. The only downer is that the stupid CCI lottery infiltrated this show, so it’s damn near impossible to win anything for signings and exclusives. Fortunately, I don’t attend this show for either. Oh, and Disneyland literally is across the street.

1. DragonCon – One gigantic, 4-day masquerade party. The best show I attended this year by a significantly comfortable margin… mostly because Jamie Chung from “the Gifted” hugged me, told me that I smell delicious and let me pick her up for a photo. I love that woman! :D At any rate, this show featured amazing guests, amazing cosplay, a wide array of good artists and comic book creators, a separate vendor hall with 4 floors and best of all, badges are affordable and NEVER sell out. Additionally, getting a nearby hotel isn’t a hair-pulling, gut-wrenching situation that you need to recruit a group of people or take a morning off from work or school. Best of all, there are no lotteries to meet celebrities and to get autographs. Sure, you’ll have to pay for them, and some guests ask for a high dollar figure, but you won’t waste time waiting in an endless line and hoping to get what you want by winning a lottery. Panels are great because they clear out the rooms after each session and there’s no squatting to hold spots. This show receives the Sylent seal of approval!

With all the shows and conventions that you’ve attended in 2019, how would you rank them?

Offline sorb3t

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Re: Ranking Conventions you've attended in 2019
« Reply #1 on: January 08, 2020, 12:15:54 PM »
Nice list!

I really wish Silicon Valley Comic Con was a more thoughtfully run convention. There were lots of frustrations throughout the whole thing for me. Getting accurate information online was a challenge. For a technology convention the app hadn't been updated in a year. When trying to get in there was tons of confused con goers who didn't know where to pick up tickets purchased online, which line to stand in to get in, or who to ask for help. There wasn't enough signage, staff, or online information available to address this. Also, the comic book vendors were all very upset with how they were treated when it came to access and set up. This con has a lot of potential and I hope it finds it's way. The Bay Area has tons of fans and should be able to support a couple cons every year, but the organizers have to be thoughtful about it and plan far ahead. Not just put on a show and expect that people will show up. I won't even mention the recent Wizard World show in Oakland.

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Re: Ranking Conventions you've attended in 2019
« Reply #2 on: Today at 06:57:44 AM »

Offline stl_ben

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Re: Ranking Conventions you've attended in 2019
« Reply #2 on: January 08, 2020, 12:52:51 PM »
So in 2019 I went to SDCC, Mondo Con, Designer Con, and SXSW.  They are each so different but Ill try my best:

1. SXSW - This was the first year we went with an actual badge....and it was worth it!  Got to see some great screenings, great concerts, picked up lots of swag in the convention hall, met the cast of Stuber, picked up some new art from Mondo, got to kayak on the lake....and had a TON of free food.

2. SDCC - We have been alternating years between doing SDCC with family and then alternate years with friends, 2019 was Family.  So had my Mom and 4 year old daughter with us.  Scheduled way more activities for her this year like Peppa Pig live, Sesame Street live, and the D23 Disney party.  With three adults in the group we alternated nights with the kid so that we could still go out and check out Conan Comedy shows, The Fandom party, and such.  Way less swag for me this year, but my daughter got tons as booths were just loading her up.  Met the cast of Emergence, Went to a boat party, and enjoyed another year of Rick & Morty live on the Green.

3. Designer Con - Man this show moves up the list every year for me.  Picked up so many great pieces of art of all kinds of forms.  Got some sketches in my sketch book by Gondek, Steven Harrington, D-Face and a few other great street artist.  Outside of the con we checked out Gondeks gallery show in LA, went to the new Funko store, and got to watch a screening of Up at Disney Studios.

4. Mondo Con - Well....this used to be my favorite con, and unless they revamp it this year was probably my last.  The artist themselves had lots of great art, and I bought plenty.  The quality of artist there seem to have a slight decline though.  And the art that Mondo themselves produced was drastically down.  The highlights were easily the screenings each night and catching up with all my friends in Austin.

Offline hikanteki

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Re: Ranking Conventions you've attended in 2019
« Reply #3 on: January 08, 2020, 04:45:57 PM »
My rankings of conventions attended in 2019:

8. Silicon Valley Comic Con - Where do I begin. During the show I tried to stay upbeat about it, and it did have some good parts about it, but looking back now...honestly, this year's SVCC was a dumpster fire. Same price as previous years, but about a third of the panels (which used to be their strongest point) and barely one or two interesting ones outside of the celebrity guest panels. Speaking of guests, the two biggest names (Momoa and Schwarzenegger) did not even have panels. Any improvements in organization that they made after the first year completely went down the drain this year, and communication (which was probably their only truly weak point in years 2-3) was completely non-existent this year as well. 0% of SVCC staff and Exhibit Hall staff were able to correctly answer my questions. The only decent part was the exhibit hall, but it was just decent (not great), and certainly not good enough to save it.

7. SacAnime Winter - A generally reliable mid-sized anime convention that doesn't do too much out of the ordinary, but does punch above its weight when it comes to guests. The Mario & Co. and Goofy & Co. panels were great, and I didn't realize that Eric Stuart (Pokemon VA) was quite a competent musician. 

6. Emerald City Comic Con - I've been harsh on this convention the past few years, although to be fair my gripes with this con are more due it not living up to either its potential or its past greatness, than due to anything inherently wrong with the convention itself. Each year it gets closer to being a generic, mid-grade, oiled ReedPop convention with forgettable guests than the quirky, indie-leaning, slightly rough-around-the-edges convention with moments of greatness of years past. But it's well organized, has a great artist alley, a decent exhibit hall, and exclusives are probably the one area that has consistently gotten better under ReedPop. However, there was hardly anything notable about 2019, and for the size and stature of this con, it also really needs better panels.

5. FanimeCon - A mostly reliable big anime con. Their concert (where they bring in a major label rock/pop band from Japan; this year it was the Beat Garden) is always a highlight, and the 24 hour viewing rooms and game hall never hurt. Of all the anime cons I've been to, their exhibit hall is the gold standard.

4. Salt Lake FanX Fall - This convention was a well-needed breath of fresh air for us. It had just about the best celebrity guest list of the types of conventions that focus on that, and literally all of them had panels in a room big enough for walk-ins (Except for the McDiarmid/Christiansen one which got cancelled at the last moment.) Tom Holland's panel was just about the only one that got full but they did a well-organized lottery for it. Twisted Toonz was a highlight with the same script but a much better cast than ECCC's (Wizard of Oz.) The one area where I think they could step things up is having a better selection of smaller panels, but there were still a couple fun local network studio panels.

3. WonderCon - Amazing selection of panels, most of which don't require a long wait (or any wait.) I really like the studio panels with full casts and clips/premieres, and the anime room also had some gems this year (i.e. Penguin Highway.) The premiere of Batman vs. TMNT was an unexpected highlight. While the vendor hall has become more of a flea market since it moved away from SF, it's still a better flea market than the vendor hall at most of other comic cons, and it was cool to meet Tuli of Tulipop, who signed my figures. I honestly don't like the location though (the only attraction within walking distance is an amusement park with admission that costs more for one day than all 3 days of WonderCon combined, and the nearby restaurant selection is pretty abysmal aside from Roscoe's and Sabrosada), but I have to admit that this convention itself is as good as it has ever been.

2. Crunchyroll Expo - This is probably the anime con version of WonderCon (with AX:SDCC.) Full of anime studio panels featuring exclusive footage, full casts, directors/producers from Japan, many of who don't normally make appearances overseas. Diverse programming, very well organized, free autographs (although this more common for anime cons than comic cons) and the New Crunchy City theme was delightful. They even partnered with a food vendor to make Crunchyroll-themed bento boxes. The only thing that wasn't ideal is the extra charge for the FLOW concert ($25), but even that was justifiable considering that it sold out relatively quickly.

1. San Diego Comic-Con - While I agree that this was an off year for SDCC...an off year for SDCC is still going to be head and shoulders above a great year at most other conventions. It's true that some things are out of reach without maximum planning/wait times...but even with minimal planning, way more is within reach at SDCC than at nearly any other convention.

« Last Edit: January 08, 2020, 05:09:03 PM by hikanteki »
SDCC 07 12-14 16-19 22-24 | CCSE 21 | ECCC 12-19 21-23 | WC 10-11 16 19 22-24 | RCCC 15 21-22 24 | SVCC 16-19 21-22 | DCC 16 22 | SLCC 19 21 | SFFX 22-24 | ABQCC 23-24 | SWC 15