Welcome to the beginning of our new blog series relating to the Pudding Guys’ experiences at conventions as we hunt down that most elusive of prey: the podcast guest. I expect that a good percentage of those reading this have already had the opportunity to attend a convention of some kind. For those that haven’t, let me tell you that there is nothing quite like attending a convention. It is a wonderful way to share a hobby or interest with a multitude of others who enjoy the same things. You can make a connection with people who you otherwise would not have had the opportunity to meet. In some instances, the convention is not hobby related, but instead associated in some way with a professional interest. These may not offer the same kind of experience, but can bestow upon the person attending a sense of being connected to something just a little bit bigger.
Going forward at the beginning of each blog entry pertaining to a convention, I will give a general rating of the con. This rating is not a traditional pass/fail kind of rating, but instead a brief description of what to expect. All rankings will be between 1 and 5. Size rankings closer to a ‘1’ means that the con is maybe a hundred or so people, possibly less. A size of ‘5’ means that you will likely be shoulder to shoulder with potentially tens of thousands of people.
“Offerings” will also be judged from 1 to 5. At the lower end of the spectrum it could mean again, that the con could be new and still attracting vendors and the appropriate associated celebrities and the like. At a 5 you will have a veritable smorgasbord of items to choose from and will be entirely unable to do everything in the span of time the convention occurs.
Timeframe will be measured in days. This one is pretty simple. Some people get bored easy, so having a shorter time might be better while others may wish to immerse themselves in the experience for as long as possible. Cost will be handled similarly. I will just list the average entry price with no extra perks so you know what to expect.
Finally, I will give the general type of convention that it is. The first four items in this list are likely to change over time, so if it doesn’t quite match how the convention is now, then all I can say is. . . thanks for going back and reading our older blog posts! It is nice to see someone interested in starting from an earlier point in our geeky expedition! Oh, and also, sorry? Check their website or Facebook page or Twitter or 3D interface assuming that exists at the point you are reading this.
Let’s try this out! The Pudding Guys visited a fabulous little Con over the weekend by the name of NWI Comic Con. Size 2, Offerings 2, Timeframe 1 day, Cost $10, Type: Comic/Cosplay/Vendor
2019 NWI occurred in Schererville, IN. This might seem a little out of the way for some, but I think it adds to the charm that this Con has to offer. It is not overly large in terms of floor space or the number of people attending, but again, I think this is kind of a positive thing.
Many times a convention tends to be of a sufficient length and size that one must plan an entire vacation around it in order to really enjoy it. By having this con last only the span of a long afternoon (ish, it started at 11 a.m. technically), you can just take a day and visit and have a good time. You don’t need to rent a room or pack or any of the other stuff that I often dread about Con prep.
While there were definitely a few hundred people there at any given time, you never really feel crowded or smooshed into anyone else. There is plenty of time and space for you to peruse everything and maybe have a chance to talk to someone. Because of the smaller space, you can’t get lost amongst the rows of vendors as there are only a few rows. At NWI most of the vendors focus on knickknacks associated with comics and popular culture as well as quite a few who do custom artwork. Specifically there were several vendors of comics of varying types and ages. I was impressed by quite a good grouping of authors and artists of various types (mostly comic related).
NWI Comiccon is $10 well spent.
In the next entry, I will go into some more detail of what the Pudding Guys encountered when we attended on the 23rd of February, 2019!