Let’s all be completely honest for a moment. Every convention is a commercial endeavor. The vendors, as well as the Con itself, need to make money in order to continue existing. They are all there to sell us things – which, in many cases, we are happy to buy. No one likes to feel like they’re constantly being advertised to, though, so there is a very delicate balance that must be maintained for the event to be enjoyable. Anyone who attends a lot of conventions knows that the commercialism is more apparent at some than at others. I have heard many a complaint about Wizard World being one of the more corporate, money-hungry events, so I came to my first one with that expectation firmly entrenched.
The thing about a convention atmosphere, though, is that it’s as much about the people who attend it as it is about the organization that hosts it. Yes, I shelled out big bucks to get in the door. Yes, the price of the autograph I got was more than I would have paid if I’d met the same actor back in March at Emerald City Comicon (which was entirely my own fault). Yes, the people hawking convention t-shirts at the entrance were being really aggressive with their sales pitches.
In spite of all that, however, I didn’t spend the weekend feeling like I had stepped into a Geeks-R-Us shopping mall of commercialism. I was much too busy interacting with people, which is my favorite thing to do at any convention I attend.
Being a Pacific Northwest girl at heart, I could wax lyrical about fir trees and clean air and the amazing variety of food here until I drop. The very best thing about living in this region, though, is the people. That’s not to say that we don’t have our share of jerks, creepers, and trolls milling about, but we also have what I consider to be a higher-than-average percentage of people who are made of awesome. The sheer amount of passion, creativity, and mutual admiration within our community of artists and art enthusiasts is enough to leave me dumbstruck, wondering, “How did I get lucky enough to know these people?!”
Although my friend Natasha and I were on the road by 10:30 in the morning on Friday, Day One of Wizard World Portland didn’t officially get underway until 3pm. I was pleased to be given a plastic wristband to wear for the weekend, rather than the brightly colored, easy-to-lose badge that I’m used to trying to conceal while having photographs taken.
Not being much of a Tolkien fanatic myself, the Weta workshop wasn’t at the top of my to-do list. The life-size statue of an Orc hovering menacingly over the entryway, however, was enough to elicit the awe of even the most lukewarm Lord of the Rings viewer. Upon venturing further in, we found all manner of delightfully creepy displays and squee-inducing collectables. I would later discover that another of my friends had enjoyed the opportunity to have his hobbit ears and wig styled by a professional, right there at the booth.
As a cosplayer, I typically wear my most elaborate costume on Saturday and choose simpler, more comfortable outfits for the rest of the weekend, which allows me to attend panels and shop unencumbered. I don’t expect to draw a lot of attention as a low-key Tenth Doctor, but I was surprised by the number of people who were delighted by my outfit, particularly the plastic banana that I carried along with my sonic screwdriver. At one point, a petite Rose Tyler cosplayer came hurtling out of the crowd, ecstatic that she’d found a Ten to have her picture with. It turned out that she was already friends with Natasha, and we were soon laughing and trading social networking contacts.
Since it suited both of our tastes, Natasha and I attended a Doctor Who panel that evening, where local enthusiasts shared their experiences of the series, debated the merits and flaws of the newest incarnation of the Doctor, and challenged the audience with on-the-fly trivia. While there was a great deal of disagreement on certain subjects, the overall mood was one of shared enthusiasm and lively discussion, rather than discord. It was a meeting worthy of the oldest running Sci-Fi show on television and its multigenerational fanbase.
Day Two began with a rather frustrating journey to find parking, as I didn’t anticipate the main lot beneath the convention center being full before I arrived. Fortunately, the weather was clear and pleasant, so my costume wasn’t ruined by the three block walk from my car.
As I mentioned previously, Saturday is the day I usually bring out my best costume, so I donned my re-creation of Margaery Tyrell’s wedding dress and joined several of my friends for a Game of Thrones group cosplay. If there is anything more fun than cosplay, it is cosplaying with friends. We met up at the same spot that we’d used for Rose City Comicon back in September, which unlike on that occasion, was nearly deserted.
Having only been to two conventions at the Oregon Convention Center, I am in no way qualified to define what is normal for the venue. That said, there were a number of differences between the two events that I observed and one was the way that the convention was organized within the physical space. Rose City Comicon occupied more or less the entirety of the building for the weekend, while Wizard World was confined mostly to the exhibit hall, a portion of which was closed off and reserved for Chocolate Fest. Large halls and panel rooms were used for special presentations, but the beautiful, wide, looping hallways, which are such a lovely feature of that building (as opposed to the M.C. Escher-esque architecture that is Washington State Convention Center), were largely unoccupied.
Inside the exhibit hall, however, a sea of humanity flowed endlessly through aisles of art, gaming, merchandise, and celebrity booths. There was plenty to marvel at, both behind and in front of the tables. The cosplay community in the Northwest is a strong one and although I don’t think I saw as many costumes overall as I had at Rose City, there was still an amazing array of wearable art on display.
I also took some time on Saturday to meet the lovely Eliza Dushku and get her autograph. This is where I ran into the one true criticism I have for the event. Whether it was Wizard World itself or the convention center that was at fault, the staff who were manning the autograph areas needed to have had more thorough training. Basic questions of policy and procedure like, “If I paid for an autograph but brought my own item to be signed, can I still have a complimentary photograph?” or “I paid online and brought my printed receipt, do I need to do anything else before I stand in line?” were confusing for the people who should have been there to provide that very information.
That said, everyone was, by and large, very polite and friendly. I even took the opportunity to simply have a brief chat with Ming-Na Wen and Brett Dalton (who were both absolutely wonderful) even though I wasn’t purchasing autographs.
I took care to arrive early for Day Three and was rewarded with convenient underground parking. While most people who were at the convention center before 11am that day were herded into a gargantuan line to await the opening of the doors, I shunned this bit of direction and chose to wander the aforementioned hallways instead. I just didn’t see much sense in standing in line for something, that, once open, would be easily accessible for the next several hours.
I was once again cosplaying with friends, this time as Minerva McGonagall, and eventually met up with several Order of the Phoenix members as well as a few notorious baddies. We took advantage of the outdoor scenery at the convention center to get what I think are some truly awesome group photos.
Before we could take pictures, however, food was on the agenda and I took note of another difference between this Wizard World event and Rose City. While several eateries on the premises had been closed during the convention in September, leaving con-goers with a minimum of choices, everything seemed to be open for business on this occasion. (I can’t help but wonder, however, why the infamous Portland food truck brigade doesn’t park nearby for major convention center events, since the guests would appreciate having more variety to choose from and the trucks would probably get a lot of business.)
A panel here, a bit of shopping there, and our weekend slowly wound down to the point where we needed to start our homeward journey. It was, all in all, a really fun weekend spent with a lot of awesome friends and I would happily do it all again next year.
The thing about a convention atmosphere, though, is that it’s as much about the people who attend it as it is about the organization that hosts it. Yes, I shelled out big bucks to get in the door. Yes, the price of the autograph I got was more than I would have paid if I’d met the same actor back in March at Emerald City Comicon (which was entirely my own fault). Yes, the people hawking convention t-shirts at the entrance were being really aggressive with their sales pitches.
In spite of all that, however, I didn’t spend the weekend feeling like I had stepped into a Geeks-R-Us shopping mall of commercialism. I was much too busy interacting with people, which is my favorite thing to do at any convention I attend.
Being a Pacific Northwest girl at heart, I could wax lyrical about fir trees and clean air and the amazing variety of food here until I drop. The very best thing about living in this region, though, is the people. That’s not to say that we don’t have our share of jerks, creepers, and trolls milling about, but we also have what I consider to be a higher-than-average percentage of people who are made of awesome. The sheer amount of passion, creativity, and mutual admiration within our community of artists and art enthusiasts is enough to leave me dumbstruck, wondering, “How did I get lucky enough to know these people?!”
Although my friend Natasha and I were on the road by 10:30 in the morning on Friday, Day One of Wizard World Portland didn’t officially get underway until 3pm. I was pleased to be given a plastic wristband to wear for the weekend, rather than the brightly colored, easy-to-lose badge that I’m used to trying to conceal while having photographs taken.
Not being much of a Tolkien fanatic myself, the Weta workshop wasn’t at the top of my to-do list. The life-size statue of an Orc hovering menacingly over the entryway, however, was enough to elicit the awe of even the most lukewarm Lord of the Rings viewer. Upon venturing further in, we found all manner of delightfully creepy displays and squee-inducing collectables. I would later discover that another of my friends had enjoyed the opportunity to have his hobbit ears and wig styled by a professional, right there at the booth.
As a cosplayer, I typically wear my most elaborate costume on Saturday and choose simpler, more comfortable outfits for the rest of the weekend, which allows me to attend panels and shop unencumbered. I don’t expect to draw a lot of attention as a low-key Tenth Doctor, but I was surprised by the number of people who were delighted by my outfit, particularly the plastic banana that I carried along with my sonic screwdriver. At one point, a petite Rose Tyler cosplayer came hurtling out of the crowd, ecstatic that she’d found a Ten to have her picture with. It turned out that she was already friends with Natasha, and we were soon laughing and trading social networking contacts.
Since it suited both of our tastes, Natasha and I attended a Doctor Who panel that evening, where local enthusiasts shared their experiences of the series, debated the merits and flaws of the newest incarnation of the Doctor, and challenged the audience with on-the-fly trivia. While there was a great deal of disagreement on certain subjects, the overall mood was one of shared enthusiasm and lively discussion, rather than discord. It was a meeting worthy of the oldest running Sci-Fi show on television and its multigenerational fanbase.
Day Two began with a rather frustrating journey to find parking, as I didn’t anticipate the main lot beneath the convention center being full before I arrived. Fortunately, the weather was clear and pleasant, so my costume wasn’t ruined by the three block walk from my car.
As I mentioned previously, Saturday is the day I usually bring out my best costume, so I donned my re-creation of Margaery Tyrell’s wedding dress and joined several of my friends for a Game of Thrones group cosplay. If there is anything more fun than cosplay, it is cosplaying with friends. We met up at the same spot that we’d used for Rose City Comicon back in September, which unlike on that occasion, was nearly deserted.
Having only been to two conventions at the Oregon Convention Center, I am in no way qualified to define what is normal for the venue. That said, there were a number of differences between the two events that I observed and one was the way that the convention was organized within the physical space. Rose City Comicon occupied more or less the entirety of the building for the weekend, while Wizard World was confined mostly to the exhibit hall, a portion of which was closed off and reserved for Chocolate Fest. Large halls and panel rooms were used for special presentations, but the beautiful, wide, looping hallways, which are such a lovely feature of that building (as opposed to the M.C. Escher-esque architecture that is Washington State Convention Center), were largely unoccupied.
Inside the exhibit hall, however, a sea of humanity flowed endlessly through aisles of art, gaming, merchandise, and celebrity booths. There was plenty to marvel at, both behind and in front of the tables. The cosplay community in the Northwest is a strong one and although I don’t think I saw as many costumes overall as I had at Rose City, there was still an amazing array of wearable art on display.
I also took some time on Saturday to meet the lovely Eliza Dushku and get her autograph. This is where I ran into the one true criticism I have for the event. Whether it was Wizard World itself or the convention center that was at fault, the staff who were manning the autograph areas needed to have had more thorough training. Basic questions of policy and procedure like, “If I paid for an autograph but brought my own item to be signed, can I still have a complimentary photograph?” or “I paid online and brought my printed receipt, do I need to do anything else before I stand in line?” were confusing for the people who should have been there to provide that very information.
That said, everyone was, by and large, very polite and friendly. I even took the opportunity to simply have a brief chat with Ming-Na Wen and Brett Dalton (who were both absolutely wonderful) even though I wasn’t purchasing autographs.
I took care to arrive early for Day Three and was rewarded with convenient underground parking. While most people who were at the convention center before 11am that day were herded into a gargantuan line to await the opening of the doors, I shunned this bit of direction and chose to wander the aforementioned hallways instead. I just didn’t see much sense in standing in line for something, that, once open, would be easily accessible for the next several hours.
I was once again cosplaying with friends, this time as Minerva McGonagall, and eventually met up with several Order of the Phoenix members as well as a few notorious baddies. We took advantage of the outdoor scenery at the convention center to get what I think are some truly awesome group photos.
Before we could take pictures, however, food was on the agenda and I took note of another difference between this Wizard World event and Rose City. While several eateries on the premises had been closed during the convention in September, leaving con-goers with a minimum of choices, everything seemed to be open for business on this occasion. (I can’t help but wonder, however, why the infamous Portland food truck brigade doesn’t park nearby for major convention center events, since the guests would appreciate having more variety to choose from and the trucks would probably get a lot of business.)
A panel here, a bit of shopping there, and our weekend slowly wound down to the point where we needed to start our homeward journey. It was, all in all, a really fun weekend spent with a lot of awesome friends and I would happily do it all again next year.
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