This is a blog repost of Drop The Spotlight member Alex Pomes as he ventured to Fandemic Tour Sacramento: Here is the original link to POST: http://alexpomes.com/fandemic-tour-sacramento/
I went to the first Fandemic in Sacramento, California last month on behalf of Drop the Spotlight. And for a new comicon, it was surprisingly free of hiccups.
They did a lot right, including floor layout and crowd control. I know it’s silly, but directing foot traffic correctly can make or break the experience. One of the nice things about going to a new and mostly-unknown con is that there are no long lines or overcrowding. Although I wish this new event all the success in the world, I enjoyed the lack of sweaty bodies bumping into me left and right. There was a great mix of vendors and featured artists as well.
Furthermore, despite being new, there were some heavy hitter celebrity names at Fandemic, including Norman Reedus, Bruce Campbell, and Michael Rooker. The highlight for me, however, was getting to interview Sean Gunn. He was the only celebrity guest I had the chance to speak with as a member of the press, but the trip to Sacramento was totally worth it just for this chance. Most of my questions were about Guardians of the Galaxy and Infinity War (where was Kraglin?!), but as per usual with any MCU actor, didn’t get any solid answers about future movies. Stay tuned for that video coming soon!
Another highlight was getting some pictures in a replica of the 1960s Adam West Batmobile. Cheesy, I know, but made for great Facebook pics (I know, I’m basic). As far as cosplay goes, Fandemic had the basic characters you see at every convention, but one stood out: a guy dressed as Russell from “Up”, complete with his own Snipe–brilliant.
My one critique of Fandemic, and I would say this about several cons I’ve been to, is that their after hours or “extracurricular” events are lackluster. For example, lots of cons have been doing speed dating as of late. While I’m sure it was a great idea at first, it’s too often repeated in one weekend and not well attended. Also, the lack of adult happy hour or late night events is always surprising to me. It’s time for all cons to start rethinking these aspects of their business. I have plenty of ideas, but that’s for another article.
All in all, I had a great time and look forward to seeing this new con grow into something even greater. Thanks to Drop the Spotlight for sending me!
