What's the best convention you've ever gone to and why? And what was the worst? Post your recommendations and opinions here!
London anime and gaming con is the worst I've ever been to
>>9555888
Which anime convention accurately fits pic related?
>>9560448
>people actually went to dashcon
>>9560630
A-Kon! Four days of programming that you could honestly have fit into one. I'm just not going this year.
>>9560651
*this coming year. Sorry, I just got off work. Brain not working yet.
I really enjoy Anime Fest every year. It's one of the only truly anime conventions left.
>>9560651
If you didn't leave the CC sure. But there was full programming in 2 other hotels besides the CC.
>>9555888
Anime USA was a waste I could have 100% ghosted it, gone to no panels, just taken photos and still had fun. AUSA is the worst con -9999/10/
Best was AX, Colossal is third, second is tough I will say Sakuracon.
>>9560829
Thinking of taking the bf and I to Colossal next year. Is it really that good? We'd be traveling from Illinois.
>>9560910
You go to Colossal for beach cosplay in the waterpark, drinking, drugs, and hooking up. It's the best party con.
>>9560910
I went this year for the first time after all the hype I heard and was actually let down because of all the hype I heard. It was fun (I like drunk, party cons) and the location was cool but it's not con Mecca. Also the huge presence of beach cosplay made for a lack of good, canon cosplay.
>>9560630
Colossalcon. Good time because Kalahari. Shithole because Sandusky.
>>9560910
It's extremely different from pretty much every run-of-the-mill con, so people either really love it or really hate it. It's a fun weekend rather than a place for top tier panels, dealers, guests, and cosplay. There's the waterparks, Cedar Point, a really good game room and the Kalahari's own arcade, and several events outside of the usual con programming.
If you're into cons for actual con stuff, you probably won't like it, but if you're into cons for the social gatherings and fun times, then you'll love it. The biggest downside now is that since it's hosted at a unique resort our in the middle of nowhere rather than a big chain hotel with lots of other surrounding chain hotels in a city, it fills up super fast and parking is a nightmare.
>>9560448
such a bad con that even denny's make fun of you
>>9560448
You actually went to this? What compelled you to go to this?
Kami-Con. Small, friendly, comfy. Everyone there is relaxed and happy to just hang out. They keep the panels and guests varied and a little unusual. (ask anyone who went about the shunarrah hype last year)
Worst? I really hated the atmosphere and location of Megacon this year.
Shimakon 07 on south padre island. Nothing comfier than a con right on the beach. Can't believe that was 10 years ago, definitely my favorite.
Can't think of a bad one
>>9562412
Nice location. Crap convention. It got worse when Joshua tried to start a convention who were flat out retards. After Johnny fucked it up with his money box stealing shit cons there is never going to be an anime con again around there.
I'm french and attend Japan Expo yearly and my local con (Anim'est). Another con had its first year even closer (Metz Toori) but I had to study for exams.
I think Anim'est is the best : good artists, decent dealer's room (I'm going to help them track bootlegs this year). People are friendly and some cosplay are pretty great, plus there's a lot of cheap food places nearby.
We only have shitty cons in Vancouver, the non big name expos were the worst. Namely Halloween Expo and Nihon Expo. Lots of hot air hype that ended with the only thing worth watching is the wota cheering on the odottemitta groups and no one else.
>>9555888
The worst con I've ever been to was the first adult-only Desucon Frostbite. Everywhere smelled like cheese and the atmosphere was super elitist at times. Also, ehm, alcohol usage. And almost all booths were about hentai or really crappy alternative weeb fashion (like hot topic tier kid sized shit, which is really weird for a supposed "adult mature quality con desu"). The only good thing was that there weren't any teen weeaboos glomping and groping strangers but that's about it. Maybe my expectations were too high but whatever.
The best con I've ever been to on the other hand? Uhhh... Don't know, I've been to a lot of great cons and had really nice experiences, It's hard to decide which one was the best really.
>>9555888
Only con I ever went to was San Diego in 08'
>>9555888
>best
Colossal probably. I don't think I've ever not had fun there.
>worst
Hawaii Matsuri
I don't know if the boycott hit here but that bitch was fuckin DEAD. The entire dealer hall had maybe a total of thirty booths and they were so spread out, it was....after one day I couldn't do the rest.
>>9561796
>midwest cons
Ohio cons were generally chill and good medium sized cons. Not amazing but not shitty, it's just a good chill weekend.
>>9563281
>Hawaii Matsuri
Does anyone have pics of this? I remember seeing that dealers room in an old Matsuri thread and would like to see it again.
Is there any better Hawaii anime con, too?
>>9555888
The worst
Anime League coventions, too small, and nothing to really do.
The Best
Hyper Japan
Not warm and sweaty, no shitty orange carpet.
even though ive never been to it, id say colossalcon is the best con because it has a waterpark!! plus i heard their parties are really good
>>9563688
>Never been to con
>The best con for things that have nothing to do with the actual con
Try again anon.
>>9561796
Anime Midwest is a smaller con but it's generally pretty fun. I tend to like it better than Acen. It does attract a younger crowd, but in the evening there's more older people and it gets really fun, at least in my experience.
>>9560820
>Actually defending A-Kon
>>9561914
I went to Kami-Con this year and was pleasantly surprised. I actually had a really good time.
>Best
Katsucon. We always have a balcony room and we always have a blast.
>Worst
MTAC. I feel awful saying it because I have some friends that staff it, but god. It's so bad.
>>9562570
You must have missed Anime Evolution back around '07. Those late decade AniEvo's were great for parties. Started to go downhill after the move off of Burnaby Mountain.
Colossalcon is extremely overrated, cgl always shills for it but if you want to race to get expensive rooms and pay for travel to stand in lines at a waterpark and drink all weekend as you could anywhere else that's your choice
>>9564268
Seconding MTAC
>>9563292
We still have Kawaii Kon, which is still the biggest convention. There's two comic cons over the summer. Then there's /neet/, which was great even for a one night event, and Anime Ohana, which was so abysmal that they skipped a year.
Dragon*Con post pedophile court case has gone down hill considerably. I guess people really don't want to go anywhere with any associations to pedophiles...
Anime Expo is easily the worst for me.
>>9564325
it most likely fell like all things popular in that it got too big with nowhere to go. the initial charges were in 2000 and he didn't actually get hit til 2013.
>>9564325
>>9564339
DragonCon has been the same forever, just getting more and more crowded lol what are you talking about?
My biggest complaint with Dragoncon is that they refuse to change or update their programming, they're so slow on newer things in 'geek culture', if it's not standard old nerd shit it gets relegated to a tiny room.
>>9560910
Colossal is easly one of the worse run cons in the midwest. Any pleasure you get from it comes purely from it being at a resport.
>Programming is terrible. The selection is often cringy. Mics often dont work. >Panelists are often blasted and cant present well.
>Security is an actual joke.
>Hallways are always cramped and dark to the point hall shots look like hot garabge.
>There is completely lack of good photo shot spots which doesnt matter bc there are barely any good canon cosplays since it's at a water park and people do half assed bikini cosplays.
>The game room is meh.
>Dealers is bleh.
If you like drinking a whole lot you might fool yourself into having fun but over all it falls on you to find fun and the con isnt going help much with that.
>>9561796
>any good midwest cons
Honestly Youmacon. They just give a really consistent experiance. It's pretty well staffed. They have pretty ok guests. There are good photo locations. Just a nice weekend every year.
>Best
I know it has its problems but probably Otakon for me. Dealers is A+, good gathering sizes, good photoshoot locations, p good game room, screened panels that people took time to make, Amazing food near by. Ive personally never had problems with security. If only the homeless problem and heat could be fixed. Oh well we'll see what DC brings.
>Worst
There are some baby cons like Anime Punch I could shit on but a con of any significance? I'd say Matsuricon. They get amazing guests that are above their league. Thats all I can give them. Game room is shit. Dealers is small and also shit. They normally rent too much space so the con is empty enough that it feels depressing. Staff is clearly a cirle jerk of friends because the same incompetent people show up every year. No real panel support to speak of. Gatherings are small and mostly disorganized. I went for 4 years and I just had to stop. I have asked myself why they keep going for years now.
>honorable mention
Anthrocon is actually really well run. Furries are still niche so the con wasn't over rum with annoying drunk normies and I forgot what that felt like. If you want to be advantageous it's worth a try.
What cons would you guys say are the best/worthy of travelling out of state for? I live in Texas and make it a point to go to Katsucon every year, and am going to Colossal for the second time next year. Been to Otakon, AUSA, and Tokyo in Tulsa but wanna mix it up. I'm mainly a cosplayer and I dont do a lot of gaming/comics/guest stuff.
>>9564473
That sounds generic tho for issues? You go for the resort and pool time aspect, and it seems to deliver on that.
>>9564483
Matsuricon actually is run by a circlejerk of friends so
I have been to many cons in the midwest and Youmacon is by far my favorite. Good combination of price, attendee size, cosplay variety, and space.
wish there were more quality cosplays, better rave, and better shoot areas
>>9564492
katsucon is good for quality cosplay. colossal is good for cosplays as far as shoots and mingling. I found the inside of colossal to be very cosplay unfriendly bc the lighting was garbage, lots of doors and crowded hallways.
i spent most of my time by the pool socializing and a little time at the overwatch shoot. Made some fantastic friends and memories. Colossal is expensive for rooms. but so is katsu
>>9564539
Yeah, Ive gone to Katsu every year since 2010 and it's my favorite con so I don't want to knock it out of my lineup. I usually go to my local cons but they all fall before the halfway point of the year so it makes travel iffy because of work. I'd like to find something thats around the September/October range so I can plan my big vacation time around it and in the event that I'm not able to continue making Colossal an annual thing.
Thought about doing HolMat next year, but I hear mixed reviews. Would love to try SakuraCon but it's right after Katsu. Never going back to Otakon either. The only other big con Ive heard good things about after August is DragonCon but the target audience is not something I enjoy.
>>9555888
Best: Katsucon
Worst: RICC for sure.
>ctrl+f
>no Ohayocon
Ohayocon.
>>9564759
Best or worse?
>>9564677
> I'd like to find something thats around the September/October range so I can plan my big vacation time around it and in the event that I'm not able to continue making Colossal an annual thing.
Colossal East is the obvious choice, then.
>>9564473
It was said elsewhere in the thread. If you want a con for all the usual con stuff, Colossal is not for you. That doesn't mean it's a terrible con, it's just different and more like a fun weekend for con-goers than a gathering of devoted nerds doing devoted nerd things. There were a few years when they had great dealer variety but the past couple it's just been mostly generic booths. Hall lighting is bad but not anything the con can control, but the rest of the location is pretty great for outdoorsy shoots.
Security and programming are both on an upswing. They lost their long-time department heads right around the time the attendance really spiked and have unfortunately cycled through very unsuitable people since. Now they have a more stable team for both departments.
I know plenty of people, including myself, who enjoy the con without needing to be shitfaced the whole weekend.
>>9564873
worst.
my biggest complaint is that its overcrowded
>>9564759
Honestly Ohayocon is my best and worst con. A few years ago it was just miserable. Staff were terrible, no new panels to go to, same old guests, same shit in the dealer's room, just boring and same. I went last year and I had a fucking blast. I didn't have like any problems and all the staffers I met had their shit together, everyone including attendees were just in a good damn mood. I'm hoping it keeps improving because I can't justify the anxiety Colossalcon gives me anymore.
>>9564677
What's wrong with D*C's target audience?
>>9565020
Nothing, really, I just tend to expend more attention on anime and anime cons, I know D*c is really more of a media con than specifically anime though, so knowing there's even less content that appeals to me just doesn't seem worth it. If I want to spend a fuckton of money on a big crowded con I'd rather invest in AX.
Never forget
I'm not sure it technically counts since it was canceled about 5 days before the con but the owner stole all the pre-reg and AA money and stranded guests in NOLA.
>>9564896
Yooooo! I've been volunteering there and this is because they turned over almost all the department heads. At least they got rid of a lot of the toxic staffers.
>>9562570
Can't you literally drive to Sakura tbf, it felt like half of Vancouver was down here
>>9564473
as a photog lol if you take hallshots also use flash you punk literally a baby 50 dollar flash can boost the light reeeeeee
I live in southern Florida, and there are no good cons anywhere close to me. They're either extremely small (I'm talking <50 people) or have nothing to do except buy stuff from vendors who do online sales for cheaper. The only tolerable one I've been to is Tampa Bay, but that's only because of the occasional great panel.
>>9564473
>There is completely lack of good photo shot spots
Are you out of your mind? As long as you bring a thematically-appropriate cosplay that works either in the waterpark or in the grassy fields, it's easily one of the best photoshoot cons I can think of.
Worst for me has to be SacAnime. I've been to cons that were run worse, but nothing comes close to the level of cancer that is Sac's attendee base.
Best is hard to say. I love Fanime but it's been going downhill the last few years. I want to say AniMagic but I'm viewing it through rose-tinted nostalgia glasses. Honestly not sure.
>>9564306
>Kawaii Kon
Thank you, anon! I'll look into that next time I'm around Hawaii.
>>9564331
If you want to stay in TN, hit up Akai or Anime Blues. Still MTAC sized, but usually better with programming. Anime Blues doubly so if you're 18+ or 21+.
Otherwise, travel to Atlanta. Momo and AWA are good anime cons and are much bigger than any in TN currently.
>>9562562
Ugh, I've started to hate Anim'Est, they can't deal correctly the line and it always lead to major waiting times. Plus now that they've crammed everyone in the lower room it's a major pain, all the noises mix and browsing is impeded with the amount of people in there. It's my hometown con so I still go every year, but damn they need to do something.
>>9566002
This is sadly true. we need a convention in Miami Lakes/Gardens. I don't really have the opportunity driving to Supercon every time. but the thing is, where could you start a convention?
Worst I've been to was the thankfully now dead Animeland TuCon in 2011
>Old crumbling hotel
>Hotel lost our reservation
>A/C couldn't keep up with the AZ July heat
>Dismal attendance numbers
>Dealer's hall was three booths all selling bootleg figures
>Video programming was all shown illegally
>Half the convention was only accessible by going through a service hallway
>Got roped into being in a Hetalia ask a character panel
I had a good time with friends but I don't think I've ever been to a con that was less well run in a shoddier hotel
I know this isn't always a popular opinion but Katsu stands out as one of the best cons I've ever been to. A lot of what I like is the location and strong cosplay scene so I can see why non cosplayers are less impressed by Katsu.
Best:
MAGFest. Non-stop video game party. Did shots with the voice of Duke Nukem once. Good times.
Worst:
New York Comic Con. Mostly cause I hate going to conventions in NYC but also cause it was crowded as fuck with not a lot to do.
>>9564341
D*C refuses to change anything. The fact that they use a big text box for us to manually enter registration info is mind-blowing. And don't get me started on their lack of a proper hotel site.
RTX 2017 worst con. Though technically not a con, I was on pre-reg line to get my badge for 3.5 hours AND another 2 hours to get into the expo floor. The best part is that the venue opened at 12 and closed at 6, giving everyone about 30 minutes of actual walking time.
>>9561069
Colossalcon... there's some pictures of me because I was dorking out in the swimming pool... And at the end of being a dick I realized there was a photoshoot going on at the edge of the water and I might have been in the shot...
I think, though, it might just look like I was crouching to get out of the shot. I hope...
I've been doing cons for 9 years now in both Ontario and all over the eastern US, and oh boy there have been some rough ones.
>Best US con
Colossalcon will always be my favourite. I like the outdoor photoshoot locations, everyone is friendly and fun (and probably tipsy). I never have a bad time, there's always something to do. Sundays the best day to just chill at the waterpark and wind down. AA and Dealers are fucking sad, though.
Runner ups are Katsu and D*C.
>Best Ontario Con
Anime North, mostly due to size and variety. Everyone goes, panels are run by the community which you dont get with a lot of other cons here (looking at you, fanexpo). AA is always good.
>Worst US con
AUSA. I had an awful weekend, staff was rude, no one was there, not many photoshoot locations that didn't have construction in the background. Washington in general was just a bad time.
Runner up is probably Ohayocon? I never really had fun at Youma either- no ones social there for some reason? AA is always a disaster.
Special mention goes to Alternicon, which cancelled right before the con, after my girlfriend had already travelled to Boston.
>Worst Ontario con
There are so many bad cons but its definitely a tie between Frostcon and Fanworld- which cancelled the Canadian section this year. Both have all sorts of drama, con runners are idiots, AA and dealers rooms are shitshows.
Both of the bad cons happened in 2009, so bear with me (both are now defunct conventions):
Worst con I've personally been to was JACON X:
>Supposed rape
>Crowded Rave
>Pepper Spraying at rave
>major bathroom for con had a collapsed roof because of rain from two days before
>Wasabi Anime's Rave in a box
^whoever thought that up was as sharp as a bag of oranges
Seriously, me and my friends went to the hotel next door for the majority of Saturday during the day and didn't miss anything. Had a good time though, I'll say that.
The other con was ZonaCon, and oh boy was that a mess:
>ran by mother and son duo
>the mother used the con facebook to bitch about her personal life and insult her boyfriend(s?)
>mid-con on saturday the family duo both give up on the con and leave, leaving one of the vendors (pretty cool dude) to run the con and try to fix whatever was fucked up
>after he fixed almost everything, they come back and take control again
>being holed up in the cafe room after hours saturday night because of a gun scare from (supposedly) 2 miles away
>people holed up in said room are barricaded in, and told to be quiet and to sit in a pitch black room for like (what i remember it feeling like) 2 hours, with this resulting in some people turning the brightness on their screens all the way up and others yell whispering for whatever reason they had.
>Terrance Zdunich (GraveRobber from Repo! The Genetic Opera) bitching throughout the whole con in backrooms and elevators.
The whole thing was a lesson in how not to have/run a con, quite laughable really.
I'd have to say that my best cons were probably early Metrocons, with the best parts usually consisting of the raves and the pool parties afterwards.
Jello Syringes, strippers, and chairs in the pool, even had a cop give me a glow stick. Good times.