What do you do at conventions/Why do you go?

[philby]

With Supanova coming up I'm thinking about maybe going. It would be my first convention and I'm wondering about increasing my inner nerd level by attending. However I'm curious as to what you actually do there and why do people go. For example looking at the guests I only recognise about 3 or 4 and I'm not sure why they are exciting in general or what they do when there or what people expect of them. I'm not really into celebrities etc and I kind of think of actors as just people who do acting as a job. So Jack Gleeson was on Game of Thrones but he didn't write it or invent it or do any of that stuff, just portrayed a character. Do they talk about how filming was? Teal'c is a character I really liked in Stargate, if I wanted to get a photo with the actor then I would also have to pay an extra $50 fee on top of the ticket too.

I'm not quite ready to make a costume and dress up but it would probably be fun and interesting at looking at the other people doing that.

The Aussie Transformers collecting club Facebook group I think is having a stall so I guess there are lots of people selling merchandise etc which could be good to look at. Do people who go generally buy stuff? What are the prices like, for things that are not rare or hard to find?

It also goes over multiple days, are the days different?

I suppose more 'general' ones like this and Comic Con are different to something like Botcon which is all about one theme which is more focussed. So Just after some thoughts I guess on the appeal and what you do if you go!

[GoktimusPrime]

I've been going to cons since 1994, so for me it's actually so I can catch with a lot of my nerd friends. So it's really more to do with socially interacting with fellow fans than anything else. Same reason why I enjoy attending Transfan Meets.

Cons are just too overcrowded these days. Seeing an international guest now costs more money and you can spend hours lining up, not to mention the time lining up just for admission, even if you pre-book online and rock up early. Up to about 10 years ago, cons were relatively more fun because they weren't as crowded. You could just stroll up to international guests without having to pay for the privilege (you only paid if you wanted their autograph or to purchase their merch) -- and you could spend a long time having chin wags with the likes of John Rhys-Davies or George Takei etc. Nowadays people get treated more like numbers. You line up, have a quick chat, then, "Next!"

And it's not necessarily because the guests want to treat you like that, but often because they have to because there are so many people all waiting to have their turn to meet the guests during the allocated session times. I find it difficult these days to justify spending half your time at the con standing in queues. (-_-)

Even as a vendor, it's impossible to access some stuff because they have no down time. At last year's EB Games Expo in Sydney, they were letting people play the new Star Wars Battlefront game. I was thinking about having a go during times when there were no attendees on the floor, but this didn't happen because there were people with VIP passes who were lining up to play the game when the expo was closed to the general public! And of course, when even the VIP pass holders had to leave, it was time for all vendors to pack up and go. So I never got a chance to try it out. There are still some small cons popping up around the place, like the Heroes and Villains Convention which feels more like what cons felt like in the 90s and 00s.

I'm not quite ready to make a costume and dress up but it would probably be fun and interesting at looking at the other people doing that.

You know, you don't have to attend a con to cosplay. I did my first cosplay in 1995 for an RPG party (no, it wasn't LARPing ). Didn't do my first con cosplay until 1999.

The Aussie Transformers collecting club Facebook group I think is having a stall so I guess there are lots of people selling merchandise etc which could be good to look at. Do people who go generally buy stuff? What are the prices like, for things that are not rare or hard to find?

Yes. People absolutely go to cons to spend money. One thing that took me off guard when we did the OzFormers booth at Sydney SupaNova in 2003 was that we didn't have toys for sale. griffin was selling comics, and we had a exclusive comic on sale, but that was it. We had toys for display only, but not for sale. But we had lots of attendees asking to buy toys! The Sabretron 2004 and OzToyCon 2006 conventions had people selling TF toys, and they were very popular.

Prices can be somewhat unpredictable at cons -- it all depends on the individual seller. But just because attendees are looking to spend money doesn't mean that they're not price sensitive either. I've been to many cons and fairs where vendors have charged outrageous prices for things which fail to sell, and I see the vendor either lowering their prices or just packing up their unsold merch at the end of the con.

It also goes over multiple days, are the days different?

Saturdays are the busiest and Sundays are less busy. Usually the schedules are the same unless there's a special event happening on just one of the days. Check the convention programme for details. Some people like to attend multiple days to see what new things attendees bring, such as Cosplays.

I suppose more 'general' ones like this and Comic Con are different to something like Botcon which is all about one theme which is more focussed.

This is true. I like attending general conventions because it's just everything under one roof. It also allows you to socialise with people from across different fandoms, so they're great for diversity. But yeah, more specialised cons give you a far more dedicated and specialised convention for just that fandom. So both kinds of conventions have their pros and cons.

I would love to see a Transformers only convention in Australia -- and indeed we tried this from 2003-06, but alas it just didn't work. Especially because we didn't have official sanction from Hasbro (which is what BotCon enjoys in the US). Perhaps a dedicated TF booth at the mass media conventions might be the best we can get here.

[kup]

Supanova annoys me because it's so crowded and in a venue that is way too small. I only go if they have someone of interest there.

I prefer Oz ComicCon due to the larger venue that is much easier to walk around in. At Supanova you literally have to squeeze through a lot of people and that is not fun.

This year I may give it a go as Jade and Ryan from CheezTV will be there but that's about it.

[BigTransformerTrev]

I don't have a lot of real-life nerd friends so I used to drag a lot of 'regular folk' along with me each year to their beusement .

I used to go to Supernova and Armageddon in Melbourne when I lived there mainly to nerd out, pick up a few rare imported TF toys and maybe a few random other collectables, dress up in my weird costumes and have my photo taken with all the other cosplayers. I'd sometimes go to a talk or something if there was one that interested me (the creator of Invader Zim was pretty good).

Always enjoyed it. Think the only time I found anything confronting was the last time I went to Armageddon. Half the caucasian girls there seem to have gone through every comic until "Yes! That girls superhero outfit is two shoestrings and an eyepatch!" - I was too embarassed to get my photo with those ones . The asian girls always had the best anime costumes - so cool!

It's one of the few things I really miss about living in a capital city. I don't get to nerd out like that in the bush

[Ralph Wiggum]

I'm a celebrity seeker, but they'd have to be involved in something I've loved, ie Carrie Fisher, Karl Urban, David Hasselhoff and Christopher Lloyd.

Crowds don't bother me, at least they're a bunch of fellow nerds who actually are enjoying the moment and having fun, rather than a bunch of tryhard pretentious douchebags you get at music festivals.

There may be the odd bit of merchandise that catches my eye, but with my focus now on MP collecting only, I can't see myself ever blowing my cash at these events.

This year I'm interested in Supanova, Troy Baker will be in Perth and I want him to sign my Art of Mass Effect book. I can't imagine there being a ridiculous line for him. Shame Christopher Judge isn't coming to Perth, my girlfriend introduced me to Stargate and we're going through the boxset of SG-1.

[gamblor916]

I go to get stuff signed in person, usually comic books and prints. I take a day off and go Friday to get the queuing out of the way and enjoy the weekend days walking around.

[MEEEGGGAAATTTRRROOONNN!!!]

Went once and absolutely hated it! Too many people and not enough things to interest me -- Transformers etc is pretty much the only kind of geeky thing I'm into.

[DaptoDog]

I've never had a lot of interest in doing Botcon, but going to San Diego Comic Con is on the bucket list. Problem is it's in July every year - wish it was on during NBA season so I can catch a few Blazers games at the same time. First world problems.

[Bladestorm]

Also not all con's are the same format.

I can't speak from recent AU cons but "back in the day" (pre-kids) I attended a couple of Trek cons and a Buffy con which were a load of fun and as Gok said you could mingle a bit with the celebs and they wanted to mingle with you - meeting other like minded people was the best bit.

I hear rumour (maybe someone can confirm) Peter Cullen gets lectured by convention organisers a bit because he like to chat with the fans and gets told to "move it along" so I imagine (if it is true) even the celebs feel a bit like a production line rather than getting to enjoy themselves and can't really connect with fans these days. I've never been to a TF con but if he ever does another one that's on my bucket list if I can manage it even if I have to queue up for hours just to say hi.

In Asia (eg Hong Kong) the con's are more about the products and the cosplay and less about the celebrities. You get famous Asian singers and the odd artist but the HK con's are booth after booth of geek and anime goodness to drool over, pre-order and dream of ever having the $$ to afford as well as lining up for convention only exclusives. Then it is about the cosplay shows, the cosplay competitions and hanging out with other cosplayers. I don't do cosplay but I really love seeing them and appreciating the effort they all put in to their costumes. It's a lot more sterile than the AU cons but I still really enjoy going along because you get to see some crazy stuff, some awesome stuff and occasionally connect with like minded fans.

[philby]

cool thanks for all the comments! I'm sort of just curious about it all. Maybe I should wait for another one with more people that I would be more interested in seeing? If someone like Sarah Stone was there for example I would probably want to get a comic autographed or something. I think I might know at least 1 person going this weekend so maybe I'll go anyway to check it out.