C2E2 2014 – Overall Convention Thoughts

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The Chicago Comic & Entertainment Expo hit the Windy City again this past weekend, and ASM once again had a great time!

This is the fifth annual C2E2 show, and we’re proud to have been at every one of them. When the show first started in 2010, it was a much smaller affair, one that we easily could see in a day. But the show showed promise of growth, and boy did it grow.  By 2012, we decided it was large enough to warrant a weekend trip, and our instincts were proven right.  Each year C2E2 has been bigger and better, so would 2014 continue that trend?

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You bet your con badge it would.  Now in the fifth year, the show is the biggest it’s ever been, but unfortunately, we could only attend for a day. That was fine in 2010, but is it possible to see a show of this size in one day? Yes — if you make sacrifices and choose carefully what you want to see. If you want to see panels, that might negate seeing some of the show floor. If you want to get autographs, you might be stuck in line for hours and miss seeing a lot of the costumes.

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We went in there with the mindset that we were going to see as much of the show as we could while still meeting the several celebrities we wanted to.  We would make the choice to skip part of the dealers booths so that we could visit the company displays and artist alley.

And so we did exactly that.  It was rushed, and, like we thought would happen, we didn’t visit at least half the exhibition floor, but we got a great taste of C2E2 2014, and we could see that what the show has become in five years is even more awesome.

DSC_0963Some of the many positives of the show:

  • There was truly a variety of interests on display. Whether it was comic dealers, toy shops, tattoo parlor, or a reptile booth, C2E2 provided truly an eclectic mix, and it’s great to see that.
  • The queue to get into the show when it opened was handled extremely well. Rather than a long snaking line, several wide queues were formed, each queue going into the show into succession. Even though you were surrounded by lots of people, it didn’t feel cramped, and it felt like you got into the show quickly.
  • Similarly, autograph lines were handled extremely well. Large queuing areas, constant volunteer/staff presence, intelligent layout to keep people orderly and not in aisles — not a single complaint here.
  • Although we didn’t take advantage of it, there was a large area with tables and chairs for attendees to use, although as you could expect, pretty soon there wasn’t an empty chair to be had.  There were other wide open spaces for you to grab a patch of the floor, though, which is what we did.
  • The floor layout in general was (in general) extremely well thought out.  From the moment you entered the floor from the queue line (or the main doors), you could immediately go in whatever direction you wanted.  There were no huge bottlenecks of attendees blocking your path, and the high attraction areas were placed away from the entrance.

DSC_1101There were a few areas that could be improved upon, though:

  • The fan booths (such as the 501st Legion, Rebel Legion) and family area was on a separate floor from the rest of the show. We got lost trying to find it, actually. After we realized it was where we had entered the building from the parking garage, we were astounded — we walked right past it and didn’t even realize it was there. How many other people missed this? Last year, the family area was not part of the main hall but it was across from it, and it was easy to find. I hope that Reed Pop can figure out a way to bring the fan booths and family area back to at least the same floor. If not, better signage would be helpful to make sure people don’t miss out.
  • While most of the floor plan was well designed, the walkways in Artist Alley were a bit too narrow to easily walk through in some parts.  We got jostled and bumped into more often in Artist Alley than in the aisles between dealers’ booths.

The biggest thing we took away with, though, is just how awesome the vibe is at C2E2.   Everyone there is excited.  Stars from comics and all walks of entertainment are there.  Costuming has grown exponentially to the point that different groups plan photoshoots.  C2E2 now requires the biggest hall that McCormick Place can provide, so there are more dealers and artists.  The comic companies there have huge booths and displays that catch your eye.

Mix all this together and you get an electric atmosphere, full of excitement and fun.  I’ve never been to San Diego Comic Con, but my hunch is that C2E2 provides a lot of the same attitude and joy that you can find in California.

So, good to see you again, C2E2.  We hope to stay longer next year, but if not, we’ll be there for as long as we can, because you’re worth it.