Over the weekend, I had the pleasure of attending my first regional comic convention in Louisville, Kentucky. After cutting my teeth on the likes of New York's mega convention, I wasn't sure what to expect. Would it be terribly provincial? Was I too jaded to enjoy a show floor smaller than four city blocks? But as it turns out, not fighting the crowd for everything from parking to seating to the last wilted, soggy turkey sandwich was a breath of fresh air. If you've ever been on the fence about checking out your own state's geekfest, there are eight good reasons you should give it a shot.
#1 – The crowd size is manageable.
Photo By: Jereme Dickens
Did you know that attendance of San Diego Comic-Con in 2013 topped out at over 130,000 people? That's a higher population that some cities all streaming into a convention center space of about the same size as 45 football fields, shoulder to shoulder all trying to shop, show off their outfits, meet celebrities, see panels, and not pass out from an anxiety attack brought on by hitherto unknown claustrophobia.
Regional conventions are a completely different animal. After psyching ourselves up to three days of being buffeted in a sea of fellow fans moving up the aisles like a majestic geeky salmon run, it was all in vain. Sure by definition there were 'crowds' but to battle hardened con-goers it is so easy to navigate it almost feels like a trick.
#2 – The fans are respectful and not creepy.
Photo By: Jereme Dickens
Everyone reacts to meeting their idols differently. Some break down in tears, some choke and become incoherent, some repeat the mantra 'be cool, just be cool' internally and try to maintain a sense of decorum. And then there's the asshole. The fan that gets handsy, or tries to sneak behind the curtain, or feels entitled to a celebrity's time because they waited in line for six hours to get this autograph.
This doesn't seem to be the case in smaller conventions. Whether because the herd is smaller and therefore assholes would be easier to catch or because fear that being jerks will stop celebrities from ever gracing the Mid-West again, fans were content to patiently wait in (short) lines. The level of trust is so high there isn't even security keeping an eye on the back of the celebrity booths. Sure Sean Astin has his handlers but I'm literally standing less than a foot from him with nary a burly bodyguard in sight.
#3 – But talent is way more relaxed, willing to have some fun.
Photos By: Jereme Dickens
Smiling for hour after hour as a stream of crying and babbling humans files past you demanding your signature and undivided attention definitely feels like a level of hell. But celebrities are paid well to stay in good spirits for the first fan and the forty-thousandth fan.
This is slightly less Herculean task at a local convention. When there are less people, there is less pressure and also less risk for the talent. They can come out from behind the table to hug or talk or just goof off. With shorter lines, each person gets a more personalize experience, actually getting to talk for two to five minutes with their favorite celebrity and sometimes even getting a one of a kind interaction. For example, Michael Rooker – Merle from 'The Walking Dead' – tried on my Google Glass…and then bolted out onto the show floor with them. Try that at SDCC and he'd be mobbed.
#4 – The art and swag is reasonably priced.
Art By: American Dischord and Thirteenth Floor
Perhaps due to the nature of how expensive it is to have a booth at SDCC – some might even go so far as to call it borderline extortion what with paying for the space, then separately for things like the exhibitor badge, access to the wifi, tables and chairs – or perhaps due to being in a larger city, items for sale boast high price tags. Some people save literally for months in order to blow thousands of dollars in a weekend. Scoring limited edition art and action figures gives the same high as hitting the Triple 7 on the slot machines and both might cause you to put out a second mortgage on your house.
Yes the selection at a regional convention will be smaller but we were shocked how many names we recognized from other events like New York Comic-Con. And with a smaller footprint comes less overhead which gets passed on to you, the consumer. Economics! There were lots of flash sales and just straight up good deals that seemed almost obscene, like 'Buy two prints for $20, GET TWO FREE'.
#5 – The food vendors aren't making you choose between hunger and gas money.
Photo By: Jereme Dickens
As with any event where you pay good money to have semi-exclusive access to your recreational activity of choice, the vendors provide you with sustenance both mental and literal. Food can be so terrible and expensive there are whole articles dedicated to how to pack so as to not suffer from dehydration or starvation, as though attending comic-con is some sort of pilgrimage where you better have supplies and/or a sherpa or you're gonna die.
Smaller convention circuits have not yet mastered the art of preying upon our poor judgement while hungry and stressed, aiming instead to offer reasonable prices – and in the case of Louisville Comic-Con a full bar! – to keep everyone on property and not wandering out of the convention center to discover the joys of cheap tourist traps. If you're going to spend your hard earned cash, they want it to be in Artist Alley. If that means plying you with cheap pizza and beer, so be it.
#6 – The panels actually have seating.
Photo By: Jereme Dickens
Ever seen the lines outside of SDCC or NYCC for the big panels with huge talent or expected announcements? Winding round and round like the soul-sucking snake it is, there are people who spend hundreds of dollars for the privilege of sitting on hot pavement for days in order to catch a glimpse of their favorite celebrity from the back of the ballroom because the event coordinators never clear the room and a few diehard fans literally never move from their chair cities the entire weekend.
What your local cons lacks in huge breaking news, it makes up for in accessibility. Want to see Matt Smith or Karen Gillan or the cast of 'The Walking Dead' at their panels? Guess what? You can just walk right in. Seating is plentiful. Instead of regressing into a reenactment of 'Lord of the Flies' between the long-term chair squatters and the fringe of standing room only folks waiting to steal seat like the world's most deadly game of musical chairs, regional convention panels are a utopia where there is room for everyone, a Valhalla of mildly uncomfortable chairs in a loud patterns.
#7 – You'll still get to see great cosplay.
Photos By: Jereme Dickens
One of the best parts of attending a comic-con is seeing or making amazing costumes based your favorite characters. From anime to movies to television to comics and everything in between, the show floor is awash in talented people in amazing costumes. At the larger shows, cosplayers usually choose an area and hang out there for photo ops before trying to maneuver their complex creations out into the masses. Getting a picture of them can be a nightmare as one person asks for a photo and suddenly dozens of phones are out to get the shot and then the aisle is blocked and a traffic jam of sweaty human flesh spreads out in every direction.
Photos By: Jereme Dickens
Less people at a regional con might mean less traffic jams but the amount of crazy good cosplay doesn't diminished in the slightest. If anything you get the first look as fans debut their latest creations for a smaller group before taking on the all-seeing unforgiving eye of the Big Three (SDCC, NYCC, and DragonCon).
Photos By: Jereme Dickens
#8 – And you still get to play the best Comic-Con game, Where's Waldo?
Photo By: Jereme Dickens
If you haven't been playing this game, it's time to start. Without fail there will be at least one Waldo at your convention. It's in the by-laws somewhere. Armed with a camera, it is everyone's job to capture Waldo in his natural habitat – a large crowd – and then force your friends and family to find him. If enough of us do, it has to become a tradition right?