I volunteer at Anime North. Have since 2008. I don’t get paid but I enjoy it and I stay on site. I’ve volunteered at other anime conventions, prefer this one. Never want to ever do another anime convention that isn’t AN.
I went to an Ottawa ComicCon to see a Supernatural Chevy Impala 67 but it was a fake. The “tools” in the truck were the tell. The advertised place to sit or what sounded like it was a cosplay makeup place where people were in front of mirrors, smelling horrible - so much for me breathing. They HID the crafters/artists. Fakes were abound. Artists were selling things that were commercially made. I know that some artists share table space but taking things out of boxes and pulling the plastic wrap off them is ridiculous. That is a dealer. I bought a necklace from a nice, helpful dealer. I really liked the necklace but the circle holding the charm to the string broke and I lost the charm. Now I have to replace it and the place I am going to use is going to need me to provide my own chair/rope. I lost my friends at the con (they flew off everywhere, I didn’t see them again), the panel I planned to go to (sat waiting, outside) was cancelled so I waited 3 hours there for the next one, I wasn’t allowed to sit down indoors to wait (get they claimed they “accommodated” people? BULL) and the panels underwent an schedule overhaul just before the doors opened after the tickets sold out so I didn’t get to see the two panels of the Trek actors I wanted, an autograph was expensive but wouldn’t have been so bad if I didn’t have a Saturday only pass that I based purchasing of on the panel schedule being super Treky Saturday only. I’m thinking of not doing a ComicCon again.
CostumeCon was epic-ally fun. Post Covid it might be difficult but it was so interesting.
There were a few small conventions, an arena and the top of a building - excellent! No need to rent out massive facilities in a smaller city and the attendances were good and the day trips were affordable. Costumes were serious and people who would be scared to come to a huge convention came out for these little ones with parents or spouses or caregivers. I spoke directly with a super shy person who likes Star (?) too and he came out of his shell a bit and he said it was his first convention and he was super nervous. I told him he was doing great and he wasn’t the only only one there nervous or for there first time.
