Good Evening All!
I hope everyone is enjoying the wonderful weather we are experiencing and
taking advantage of an eventful weekend here in Indianapolis! With that being
said, below you find my final review of Indiana's first official Comic Con.
I want to give fair warning though on two key aspects of my review, so
please keep these in mind.
1. I only attended today, Saturday. I didn't attend Friday due to fewer
events scheduled (and other priorities that took higher urgency than the Con). I
also do not plan on attending tomorrow (this is a mixture of how today went but
other factors did play into my choice).
2. This is the first year for this organization and style of Con in
Indianapolis. I could write several blogs comparing this Con's first year to
Gen Con, but that is just not fair... they are on completely different levels!
With this in mind, Let's Proceed!
Before Arrival:
As I mentioned in the pre-review of the convention, I was worried of hotel
availability and parking issues due to the mass of events planned for this
weekend in Indianapolis. The city had the Big Ten Tourney, Saint Paddy's
celebrations(just for you Sarah), and the Librarian Convention. Fortunately for
my wife and I, we live in the right outside of Indianapolis. No hotel was
needed for our trip the Con. As for parking, we have a monthly pass, so once
again parking was no issue for us. When we arrived and made our way to the
convention center, we noticed many parking garages were doing 10-15 dollar all
day event parking. This to me is extremely reasonable and many garages were in
easy walking distance to the convention, considering the nice weather. We only
had one roadblock on our way to the Con! For future reference, never try to
cross in front of a 5K, apparently the cops do not like it "Do not
interfere with the Runners!".
Overall, it doesn't seem like with the all events occurring, anyone had trouble
making it into the city and to the Convention. I would still say a weekend with
less might be more favorable. I will give one to the organizers of the event.
During my initial interview with Stephen from Action 3, he made this comment
,
“Indiana Comic Con exhibitors stand to gain from Big 10 attendees that are
"casual" fans of what a “comic con” has to offer." This
moment actually occurred when my wife and I first arrived. A Father and Son
were looking for the Con and asked the information desk for directions. One of
the women replied, "I am surprised you are asking, you don't look like the
typical people going to Comic Con". They replied they were looking for a
specific Comic for a family friend but were in town for the Big Ten!
Before Arrival Grade: A- (Remember this is my grade! If you had an awful
time getting a hotel or finding parking....please let me know!)
Arrival/Entry to Con:
Okay, this is going to get rough. As mentioned before in the pre-review, I
was frustrated about ticket prices. If you bought pre-sale, you paid roughly 11
dollars in processing fees for each ticket or you could wait in line and
purchase tickets at the box office. I finally gave in and purchased my tickets
online to avoid long lines and forgoing the possibility of being sold out. I
went to pick up the tickets at the local Walmart that had a Ticketmaster
counter, I did this on Friday. Since it was Friday, the event official started,
my tickets were then printed at Will Call and I would have to pick them up on
Saturday. This was a nuisance but nothing to ruin the day, so we shrugged it
off and planned to go to will call. (To note: The organization has stated that
they plan on going another route for ticketing to avoid fees.)
Now the fun begins. As we arrive to the convention center, we realize we
have no idea where will call is or even where the convention is! We begin to
look at a map and find the ticket box and assume this must be where will call
is located as well. We begin our journey of looking for the ticket box, but
alas none is found. Eventually where hear the convention is located in exhibit
hall D and begin our way. Then.....
Three long lines with absolutely no volunteers and the only signs visible
are the ones at the entrance/exit of the exhibit hall. My wife and I found a
bench to relax on and watch as others look confused and frustrated. Jumping
into lines they think they may need to be in. Eventually my wife finds a
volunteer and asks where the will call for presale tickets, his response
"You need to get into the line for people who haven't bought tickets
yet.". That is right, the line for those who haven't purchased tickets
yet........although I have already given them money but have not received a
ticket, and we must stand in a line with no ropes, no organization, and one
volunteer yelling just to pick up our tickets with those who haven't purchased
one yet. Seriously! Why the hell was the option to print at home not available!
After roughly a thirty minute wait and restroom break, we arrived in the hall
and picked up our tickets and then.......waited in another small line. Finally,
we arrived.
Entry/Arrival: D- (Once again, this is only Saturday. I understand that
Friday probably went much smoother and Sunday will most likely be better as
well. The only reason I honestly didn't give this portion an F is simply this
is the first year of the Con here in Indiana. Still, this is an organization
that puts on Comic Cons in other states; this is truly unacceptable and hoped
for much more organization. I also thought I would mention that on Facebook, it
was quoted that "
the box office for
purchasing tickets at the door will open before the comic con doors open. This
is in an effort to process attendees over a larger span of time and avoid the
build-up of a massive line, should the turnout be very large. The box office
will open at 10 AM on Friday, 8 AM on Saturday and 8:15 AM on Sunday." And yet, when we arrived shortly at 10, hundreds had yet
to purchase tickets?
The Con:
As we arrived in the hall, I could only take in
one fact. The con was in one major hall, a quarter of the hall was taken up by
ticketing, and another by the panel floor for celebrities and the rest of the
floor contained a small area for comics/toys and an artist gallery. That is it.
I understand that this is the first year in Indiana, but really one hall?
During my interview with Stephen, they were estimating low 5,000 to high of
10,000.....but where would you even put 5,000 attendees??????
As our tickets were torn, we walked into the Con
and immediately hit a wall of attendees. We would not have a two feet radius
from someone else for another 2.5 hours. This caused basically a mentality to
continuously walk and just glance at booths, expect for those who thought it
was a good idea to take a photo of cos-players and block a walkway that was
already blocked.
I wish I could tell you how the booths were, but
I can't. I'm sorry but I am not a fan of battling others just to see a
collectible....especially when many of them are just innocent kids having a
good time. I can mention briefly the artist alley. It was small, but we did see
many talented artists and even had a small chat with Billy and
Brandon/WatchMovies. Still the alley was small, but once again I assume this is
due to the first year.
The panels seemed to be lacking something as
well. Although the topics were good, the lack of panels was evident. We did sit
on the panel with Maisie Williams and enjoyed her answers and break dancing!
After walking through the hordes of guests in a
small confined space, we decided to have lunch at McNivens where during the
meal began to hear that the Con was sold out and overcapacity and that people
were being turned away. At this point, I just gave up, enjoyed my beer and went
home to do yardwork and enjoy an evening run.
The Con Grade: C+
Although I mentioned many negatives, I cannot
say it enough that this is the first year. Yes the organization and crowd was
dealt with poorly but the number of guests, vendors, and artists will only
increase as the Con goes forward! I'm hoping that they can see what changes to
make next year that will create a better atmosphere and more enjoyable experience.
Overall Grade: C
It is hard to say I enjoyed the day, mainly
because I didn't. I had to deal with ticket issues, extremely long and
unorganized lines, and barely saw the con due to an overcrowded room. The Con
can still succeed though. With more volunteers, structured lines/information,
and larger space, the Con has a chance to become an annual event here in
Indianapolis. I look forward to Pop Con, but I have to say I still want Indiana
Comic Con to succeed because having two great Cons a year is something I want
to look forward to!
Let me know what you think about the Indiana
Comic Con and your experiences at @ShwoodyLove or commenting below!
As always, Thanks for reading and until next
time!
Kyle
@Shwoodylove
