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Once again we hit the road, looking forward to a con held by the same people who hosted Marion Con. I knew it was going to be fun but I could never have pictured what happened next.
The first amazingly pleasant thing to happen was the venue, for some reason I was still expecting the con to be in a community center or gym and be, well... little.
This will probably sound like an exaggeration to someone who doesn't go to very many cons but this convention center was so well ventilated that it could have moved me to tears. One of the huge things that *almost* every con has is this thing called "Con Funk" and that is basically a kind term for mass B.O. It is nothing against anyone who attends cons. Its just a fact, if you put a ton of people in the same poorly ventilated areas in a generally hot region you are going to have a ton of people sweating and at the end of the day the entire place ends up pretty rank. Shelby-Con did not show signs of Con Funk!!!!!!!!!! We were there from 12-4 so I am sure we would have noticed. Even my precious Yama-Con that I adore so much showed a little bit of Con Funk by the end of the weekend, though I guess after 3 days of partying you have to show some signs of weakness...
The vendors room was always packed, in fact it was so packed full of vendors that a few set up in the hall. It was still set up so that the floor of traffic ran smoothly. We have a few notable vendors (by that I mean I actually made it to their booth and didn't get swept away in the crowd)!!!
I have picked my top 5 favorite vendors.
1st goes to Pixie Pete Creations!!!! That link currently goes to a closed FB group but she is more than willing to add you. Their booth was really cool and had a new, fresh type of merchandise that I hadn't seen before and that is why they took 1st. They sell these really cool towels. Yes, towels. Hang on though, these towels are hooded and she puts all kinds of popular characters on them. I saw a ton of familiar childrens characters, I saw a few adult characters (Nothing inappropriate but like Ahkmed from Jeff Dunham) and all of the popular emoji's of todays youth! Mrs. Janet has actually spent a many years in the creative businesses and has degrees in that field as well and after an eventful life she has settled down into something she likes. That would be Pixie Pete Creations. I am glad I got to talk to them and I will have to pick me up a towel next time, though to be honest I would want something like This or....
This. There really would be no in between.
It would have to be chibi or Ikemon because I am stereotypical with my types :P
Please go and look at her stuff, its really awesome!
2nd place goes to....... Wynne's Wonders and her fantastic Steam Punk jewelry. Unfortunetly Baka has infected me with her love for all things steam punk so I couldn't help but appreciate the craftsman ship in her works. Hats off to you, Wynne :) Feel free to check her out!
In 3rd we have Yume Creations!!!!! Her(?) little trinkets were adorable and I think that the wide variety and the alluring business card is what drew me to her booth. Please go check her(?) out!!
The final places belong to a service and a wish list vendor.
4th goes to Felis Minor Productions!! They are a photography and videography type of business. I got their card at the con (the card is adorable) and have been looking at their pictures and videos over the past few days and they truly have an artists eyes. I would trust them with all my picture needs any day of the week. If you feel like looking at something beautiful, go check them out :)
And finally.... The 5th place goes to a shop I have only heard rumors about, a place everyone recommends but knows better than to talk about. A place where your true geek can be unleashed....
THE NERD HERD!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Now I have been trying to get to this booth for a few cons now and just recently I have figured out who owns it so you better bet that once I find you I will be spending a ton of money that I don't have! I think my problem was that they were back where Spider The Man and DeadPool of Hickory were because that is the one corner I didn't go to. Too many people for me...
None the less I will find you eventually, Nerd Herd.
(Please go check out their stuff, that way you can understand my passion and obsession!!)
Now one of my other favorite parts of the con was being able to actually meet people! You guys all know that one of my goals ever since I first started cosplaying and blogging was to actually meet people at a con. Morganton-Con and Hickory-Con were always way to packed and pretty much just one big dealers room and Yama-Con last year was what first brought me out of my socially awkward shell so I didn't have a chance there but while we were at Shelby-Con we had a good amount of down time and got to do just that!!!! I met a few wonderful people but my top 6 would be,
Harley Quinn and The Penguin.
These guys had such AWESOME cosplays and great personalities to boot! I will admit that when I first spotted Harley's Hammer I mega nerded out because it was a work of art. And The Penguin was actually very reassuring to talk to about college which, as some of you know, I will be taking my placement test for.. today. So he was definitely a confidence booster that I needed. If you guys ended up reading this, Thank you for being awesome! I hope we see you in the future!
I sadly don't have a picture of the other 4 people, one of them was an amazing lady who stopped us almost right after we got in the door. We chatted with her for quite a bit of time and I was very happy to find someone right away that was into anime! She actually gave me some pointers and reminders about how Butler and Maids would really act that helped me out in the Costume contest.
The next two were in their own little group cosplayer (Awesome last minute cosplay btw) and the other I think was a member of Team Rocket (Pokémon) and they were a lot of fun to talk to. Heiwa and I gave them the group title of "Fangirls" because they were very perky and excited and it was contagious because just talking to them made me super happy. ^_^ Also, I hope the Team Rocket one went around playing Pokémon Go. That would have been perfect.
Then the final person I sadly did not give a business card too so if she finds this post then its simply a miracle. She was with me in my rank for the Costume contest and had an epic Rae (Star Wars) costume. Her name was Grace and she was super nice and I had a great time talking to her even though it wasn't for very long. I wish I had given her a card... If anyone knows Rae/Grace can you pass this post along?
Okay, other than Penguin and Harley I only took 2 pictures of cosplayers. I know that is awful in comparison to my usual.. 200?
But because of the tight dealers room and the fact that most people were there in groups I didn't want to disturb anyone or take time from them.
(Note: I know you can't see his other hand but it is on the back of my neck. Very good placement, gave me chills because that was very authentic. I am a mega horror fan so it rocked!)
I will be ending the picture and personal feelings segment here with a picture of the crowded yet spacious hallway/walk area.
See how gorgeous the ceiling is?! Suck natural lighting!! (I am also an Architecture nerd.)
So lets get down to business, To defeat the Cons.
Pros of Shelby-Con: Cons of Shelby-Con:
Felt like day 1 of a 3 day con. Felt like day 1 of a 3 day con
Super friendly staff.* *DeadPool didn't judge the teens
Perfect building. Costume Etiquette
Variety of vendors and cosplayers. Had to be quiet
Informative Signage.*
Seating for everyone*
Panels
Clean and spacious restrooms.
Since there are fewer things in the cons section lets go over them first.
Felt like day 1 of a 3 day con means that it was really awesome and had the momentum and energy to go longer. Not really a con, just a bummer.
DeadPool didn't judge the teens costumes.. This isn't a bad thing, I do believe that the people who judged them/us were completely capable and qualified to do the judging I was just a little disappointed because I harass/talk to DeadPool on FB quite a bit and even though we go to all the same cons I haven't gotten the chance to talk to him yet so I was hoping to see him with that. That is entirely a me thing so nothing really against a con.
Costume Etiquette. Um, this is still a touchy (no pun intended) subject. I will be writing an entirely separate post about this. This was the first time someone ever made me feel uncomfortable in a costume so it did leave a bit of a bad after taste. That wont effect the cons final grade though. It wasn't their job to monitor pictures or anything so this has nothing to do with them.
For the costume contest we had to be quiet because there was a meeting going on in a nearby room. That was a little frustrating because we couldn't clap for the winners of the contest. It was unavoidable and I don't think anyone got upset about it but I would like to say this to everyone who entered the contest.
Ahem, You were all fabulous! You're costumes were great and even if you didn't win a prize that doesn't mean that you should stop trying. Keep going with what you love and never stop!
Alright, onto the Pro's!!!
It felt like day 1 of a 3 day con, It was great! We could have kept going! There should have at least been an after party :P
Super friendly staff, That is a bit of an understatement. Not only were they friendly they were also, informative, efficient, reliable and they gave you a feeling of being safe. Now I know that sounds silly but stay with me. When you are at a con a feel like the people running it are totally in control and capable and having fun themselves then it gives you a feeling of ease that helps you to just let loose and enjoy the con. They definitely had that and I genuinely appreciate it.
Perfect building, I am pretty sure I went on and on about it above so I wont say much here. The AC was amazing, the space and design was incredible and it had a strong "Wow" factor.
Variety of vendors and cosplayers. The vendors were everywhere from Comics to manga to video games. The only thing I could have asked for was stuff from shows like Supernatural and Sherlock. I saw plenty of Doctor Who stuff so why not the other of the trio? The cosplayers were even more diverse and made there way into the historical spectrum and the horror genre. It was fantastic, baby.
(That was a K-pop reference)
Informative Signage. Lots and lots of cons have very confusing buildings with very few signs. Thankfully Shelby-Con had signs everywhere. I couldn't have gotten lost if I tried. That is one of the little things that usually gets overlooked but I noticed and I am thankful!
Seating for everyone. One of the things that I adored at this building was the chairs. Now I know everywhere has chairs or benches but this place had these chairs that were big enough for two people, super comfy and were seated close enough to the other chair that you could be sitting with them but it was just far enough away that strangers could comfortably sit next to each other. That was a miracle in disguise because usually all forms of seating are wasted because of socially awkward or just introverted people. By that I mean we wont go sit in a free sit if someone is next to it.
Panels. I am so glad they added them. I have never seen a 1 day con have them before but I think they were a great addition and I hope that is something that they continue to do in the future.
Heck I would host one if they would let me.
Clean and spacious restrooms. Usually one of the biggest concerns with public events is the restrooms. They are almost always a wreck but the ones at the LeGrand center were the cleanest and most spacious ones that I have seen since Yama-Con. I was very, very pleased with them.
Overall Shelby-Con earned itself a grand 95/100 on a professional scale and an 80/100 on a personal scale. Those are really good numbers! I will definitely be recommending this con to friends and strangers and I will absolutely be back.
Ideas for improvement: If you ever add background music or a radio in the background and play things like the Cha Cha Slide or Cupid Shuffle I guarantee you that people will dance. Is it a super con thing to do? Sort of. Most cons have raves and dances and I think this would be a cute way to add that element to a one day con.
One final shout out to Spider The Man and DeadPool of Hickory, they did a fantastic job maintaining control of the costume contests and did a wonderful job judging fairly. Behind all the jokes and smiles, well I am assuming they smile, they know when to get serious and take control. Good job guys!
Thanks for the read, I hope you enjoyed it and that it convinced you to attend Shelby-Con at some point in the future!
You can catch me at my next con which will be AARC in Asheville NC on the 31st of this month.
See ya!
~Aki Ame Okami
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