So CGL, I just came back from what might be the worst convention ever. I feel a bit like a soccer mom leaving a bad Yelp review, but this goes beyond bad planning, beyond pathetic and is overwhelmingly bad. Gonna break it down because it’s impossible to describe in one post. I’ll detail each one in another post.
1- Drinking, by not only attendees but staff and guests throughout the con.
2- Charging extra for half of panels, up to 45$ to see a panel. Schedule doesn’t mention this at all.
3- The main special guest didn’t even have his own panel. Charges 5$ just for autographs.
4- Even up to the day of the con there was TBA, aka “Nothing planned” spots throughout the schedule.
5- The schedule itself had to have been made by a 12 year old.
6- Game room smell. Bear with me on this one.
7- The amount of bad cosplay. (Not the cons fault but damn.)
1- Drinking, by not only attendees but staff and guests throughout the con.
>Through out the con I and friends I was with saw people drinking, even with thirteen year olds running about.
>The air had a constant smell of booze.
>Two broken bottles, one right out front of the central elevator. (One bad haku cosplay was allowed to run around bare foot all weekend.
>Guy sits beside me and takes out minatures an fills up his soda cup.
>Girl spills rum and coke on my guy friend while drunkenly trying to flirt with him.
>Special guests sitting behind their tables pouring beer into soda cups.
Those were incidents seen by me alone, the other two attending with me let's call the R for the guy and J for the girl had experiences of their own.
> R goes into the bathroom only to run out a few seconds later, guy in the stalls throwing up.
> J is helping some special guests friends of hers and the table next to them is constantly downing booze.
> R who is under aged (18) was offered booze not once but twice.
I wish I could make that up, but I really couldn't. I went to con staff and they cleared out the hallways, sending people back to the bar. But within ten minutes it had resumed and no one gave two shits.
A link to the schedule -
http://memphiscfc.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/11/MCFC-Programming-Schedule-2016-final.pdf
Note nothing says any panels will cost extra however;
>All two hour panels were considered guests panels and cost extra.
> Several other panels as well - “Black Eyed Kids” Josh Plock -“Haunted Doll Collector" just to name a few.
> Two had "con rates" meaning non-con attendees could come and view.
>I counted six panels I wanted to attend that cost extra.
>Gave up counting after that, still don't feel like finding the pay to free ration of panels there.
>>9263244
3- The main special guest didn’t even have his own panel. Charges 5$ just for autographs.
>Main special guest was a animator from Simpsons, ok that's kinda cool.
>Doesn't have his own panel, just a booth in the AA/Dealer's room.
>Charges 5$ to sign anything, 40$ per person to draw them.
That was it. That's the extent of it.That was their big famous main guest.
4- Even up to the day of the con there was TBA, aka “Nothing planned” spots throughout the schedule.
If you follow the link to the schedule you'll see it's riddled with TBA spots or just times left blank. This doesn't even really need green texting.
A shitty MSpaint throw together of the empty panels.
5- The schedule itself had to have been made by a 12 year old.
>Again not much to say here.
>The schedule was divided by room, then days within the room.
>Also previously mentioned they never say anything about panels costing extra.
>You need a star chart to navigate this shit.
6- Game room smell. Bear with me on this one.
Ok everyone knows that the game room is the BO center of the con. You want sweat and a new appreciation for antiperspirant? Visit the game room.
This game room though,it smelled like death. I mean actual honest to god death. R who is a fur suiter tucked his tail and ran. My neighbor once had her fridge die over a weekend trip. The smell of rotting milk and meat was preferable to this. I'm not being dramatic when I say bile rose in my throat.
Take your absolute worst game room smell experience and double it.
>Con didn't even have fans to circulate the air in the room.
I can't explain it to you CGL. I can not imagine a word vile enough to describe this stench.
7- The amount of bad cosplay. (Not the cons fault but damn.)
> After a while I gave up and spent most of my time in the surrounding area.
>What I did see though was a disaster.
>Only good cosplay I saw was a Loki, the halls were crammed with closet cosplays and mashed fandoms.
>On person was crimsonchin, red zentai suit with sharpie scribble abs and a coke box taped to his face and painted red for a chin.
The rest of the cosplay were of equal quality. (Or lack there of.)
More various but not mentioned factors.
> Comic cons tend to attract older crowds, this con was 20% 13 year old weeb, and 80% sweaty 40 year old pedophiles.
>Was hugged from behind three separate times. Each equally as creepy.
>Cosplayers walking around barefoot all weekend.
>This thing has been going on since 2010, six years and this is as far as they have come.
>Lord knows I can think of more. But at this point do you really need it?
To note, the area and hotel it'self were gorgeous. If it hadn't rained on and off all weekend it would have been prime for photos.
These are the gold mines I find when scrolling through the catalogs