By the numbers, this was a very ordinary Comic Expo for me.
$200 spent. 3 panels attended. 1 photo op. 6 hours spent roaming the convention floors.
The only anomaly in that geek arithmetic, as far as my routine goes, is the photo op. I've never bought one before, mainly because I've never seen anyone in the Expo lineup that I honestly looked at and felt an overwhelming desire to be seen beside. Of course, then they had to go and book Karen Gillan. Scottish + Redhead + Short Haircut + Sci-Fi Actress = SWOON.
And, in some ways because of that anomaly, I feel that I probably won't ever go back.
It's not what you think. I'm not upset with my experience, or even slightly disappointed. Nope, it's the exact opposite. It's that I've done it. I've done the Expo. I got to take a picture with one of my personal heroes, I got to wade into the thick of one of the largest exhibitions of nerdiness in North America (with a 90,000+ attendance this year, they may have even broken the top 5), and I had a fantastic time. But now I feel like I've gotten everything I could have ever wanted.
I'm not saying with absolute certainty that I won't attend again. However, I do know that I won't be attending in the future as a passholder. If I go back, it'll (hopefully) be as a volunteer, exhibitor, or guest.
I know that probably sounds arrogant. Let me try to explain. I feel that I've gotten as much out of the Expo as I possibly can as a fan. Now I want to get as much out of it as possible as a creator. That's not a sleight against the Expo. If anything, it's a compliment. The people who run it and participate in it are industry professionals of the highest order. They inspire the attendees, including myself, to get up and do something with our lives.
So when I say that I won't be back to Expo as a fan, I hope my meaning is clear. This was a great time. Let's take a look at that in more detail, shall we?
First off, it must be said that Calgary Comic Expo has some of the best, friendliest and hardest-working volunteers I have ever seen at an event. I had to ask about 5 different volunteers for information or directions at various points during my time at the Expo. They were all immediately friendly, never dismissive, welcoming, and on two occasions even approached me as I stumbled about awkwardly in my nerd haze.
The information they gave was always accurate and easy to understand. They were also spaced out around the grounds such that I never felt like I was straining to find someone.
Superb job, volunteers.
The signage, on the other hand, was a bit lacking or confusing at times. I understand that this was the first time the Expo had expanded to include almost all of the Stampede grounds, so it's not altogether surprising that some of the directional indicators were a bit cryptic at times. By and large, though, signs were frequent, large, and visible, so no major complaints there.
I hadn't been to the Expo for the years I was in Toronto, but I'd heard there were some major complaints in previous years about overcrowding and traffic patterns. I only have Fan Expo 2013 for comparison, and let me tell you, the Calgary Comic Expo was a vast improvement.
As I mentioned, they spread this year's con over nearly the entire Stampede grounds, utilizing the Big Four Building, the BMO Centre, the Grandstand, and even had a large Pavillion tent. They also wisely set it up so that each building was given a sort of "designation" i.e. this building is photo ops and autographs, this building is the exhibitors, this building is for large panels, etc.
This had the advantage of spreading out traffic so that despite a 50% increase (!) from last year's attendance, it never felt overly crowded. To be sure, there were still some points of congestion, especially around the food services at meal times, but as somebody who hates crowds, I didn't once have a Sartre-esque episode of "Hell is Other People."
If I had one complaint about traffic and people-minding, I'd say they just need to up the number of food trucks on hand and maybe consider some outdoor seating. That said, the weather on Saturday certainly wouldn't have allowed for this, and I understand the Expo has moved their dates up a week to mid-April for 2015. So maybe this isn't a possibility. Still, something to think about.
In terms of quality of booths, guests, and panels, I'd say this was on par with any of the major cons in North America. A-list, currently relevant guests were plentiful and (generally) accessible, although some of the fees for photo ops and autographs were unquestionably exorbitant (important to note this is not the fault of the Expo; guest agents and managers set the rates for the people they represent).
The last thing I'll mention is the program book and map. This year's program book had a lot of great editorial content, and it's wonderful to see the Expo Etiquette fully in line with their campaign of "Cosplay Does Not Equal Consent." I could be wrong, but to me there was a measured reduction in creepers, and by and large when people were taking pictures of cosplayers there was a definite atmosphere of security and well-being. More people were asking to take pictures rather than simply taking them, and the response to me was very positive. I credit the Expo's dedicated information campaign for these results.
So there you have it. All in all, one of the best and tightest-run Cons that I've ever attended. And I won't be back. Not in the same way, anyway.
$200 spent. 3 panels attended. 1 photo op. 6 hours spent roaming the convention floors.
The only anomaly in that geek arithmetic, as far as my routine goes, is the photo op. I've never bought one before, mainly because I've never seen anyone in the Expo lineup that I honestly looked at and felt an overwhelming desire to be seen beside. Of course, then they had to go and book Karen Gillan. Scottish + Redhead + Short Haircut + Sci-Fi Actress = SWOON.
It's not what you think. I'm not upset with my experience, or even slightly disappointed. Nope, it's the exact opposite. It's that I've done it. I've done the Expo. I got to take a picture with one of my personal heroes, I got to wade into the thick of one of the largest exhibitions of nerdiness in North America (with a 90,000+ attendance this year, they may have even broken the top 5), and I had a fantastic time. But now I feel like I've gotten everything I could have ever wanted.
I'm not saying with absolute certainty that I won't attend again. However, I do know that I won't be attending in the future as a passholder. If I go back, it'll (hopefully) be as a volunteer, exhibitor, or guest.
I know that probably sounds arrogant. Let me try to explain. I feel that I've gotten as much out of the Expo as I possibly can as a fan. Now I want to get as much out of it as possible as a creator. That's not a sleight against the Expo. If anything, it's a compliment. The people who run it and participate in it are industry professionals of the highest order. They inspire the attendees, including myself, to get up and do something with our lives.
So when I say that I won't be back to Expo as a fan, I hope my meaning is clear. This was a great time. Let's take a look at that in more detail, shall we?
First off, it must be said that Calgary Comic Expo has some of the best, friendliest and hardest-working volunteers I have ever seen at an event. I had to ask about 5 different volunteers for information or directions at various points during my time at the Expo. They were all immediately friendly, never dismissive, welcoming, and on two occasions even approached me as I stumbled about awkwardly in my nerd haze.
The information they gave was always accurate and easy to understand. They were also spaced out around the grounds such that I never felt like I was straining to find someone.
Superb job, volunteers.
The signage, on the other hand, was a bit lacking or confusing at times. I understand that this was the first time the Expo had expanded to include almost all of the Stampede grounds, so it's not altogether surprising that some of the directional indicators were a bit cryptic at times. By and large, though, signs were frequent, large, and visible, so no major complaints there.
I hadn't been to the Expo for the years I was in Toronto, but I'd heard there were some major complaints in previous years about overcrowding and traffic patterns. I only have Fan Expo 2013 for comparison, and let me tell you, the Calgary Comic Expo was a vast improvement.
As I mentioned, they spread this year's con over nearly the entire Stampede grounds, utilizing the Big Four Building, the BMO Centre, the Grandstand, and even had a large Pavillion tent. They also wisely set it up so that each building was given a sort of "designation" i.e. this building is photo ops and autographs, this building is the exhibitors, this building is for large panels, etc.
This had the advantage of spreading out traffic so that despite a 50% increase (!) from last year's attendance, it never felt overly crowded. To be sure, there were still some points of congestion, especially around the food services at meal times, but as somebody who hates crowds, I didn't once have a Sartre-esque episode of "Hell is Other People."
If I had one complaint about traffic and people-minding, I'd say they just need to up the number of food trucks on hand and maybe consider some outdoor seating. That said, the weather on Saturday certainly wouldn't have allowed for this, and I understand the Expo has moved their dates up a week to mid-April for 2015. So maybe this isn't a possibility. Still, something to think about.
In terms of quality of booths, guests, and panels, I'd say this was on par with any of the major cons in North America. A-list, currently relevant guests were plentiful and (generally) accessible, although some of the fees for photo ops and autographs were unquestionably exorbitant (important to note this is not the fault of the Expo; guest agents and managers set the rates for the people they represent).
The last thing I'll mention is the program book and map. This year's program book had a lot of great editorial content, and it's wonderful to see the Expo Etiquette fully in line with their campaign of "Cosplay Does Not Equal Consent." I could be wrong, but to me there was a measured reduction in creepers, and by and large when people were taking pictures of cosplayers there was a definite atmosphere of security and well-being. More people were asking to take pictures rather than simply taking them, and the response to me was very positive. I credit the Expo's dedicated information campaign for these results.
So there you have it. All in all, one of the best and tightest-run Cons that I've ever attended. And I won't be back. Not in the same way, anyway.