FANCOUVER! A review of FanExpo.
Vancouver finally had it’s first major comic-con this past weekend! FanExpo has organized the Mecca of Canadian comic-cons in Toronto for 18 years. Before coming to Vancouver this year, comic conventions in Vancouver were usually nothing more than glorified comic book swap meets in community halls or hotel basements.
Creation Entertainment did put on Stargate SG-1, Battlestar Gallactica, Supernatural and Star Trek conventions in Vancouver for several years, but the target audience was fans of just one show, a very specific niche market. FanExpo Vancouver covered everything from comic books, to science fiction, to horror, to anime, to video games to animation and film.
So what was it like at the first ever FanExpo Vancouver ?
THE AWESOME
1. The Fans!
The place was packed both days. Vancouver fans turned out big time to support the event. I heard there were over 10,000 fans on the Saturday alone. Of course, with lots of fans come lots of awesome fan costumes! There were some truly amazing fan-made costumes. They really add a lot to the atmosphere. 
(Photo vancitybuzz.com)
2. Fan Organizations
There were some awesome and very knowledgeable fan organizations at FanExpo. Two organizations in particular stood out to me: The Ghostbusters of BC and the 501st Legion, a Star Wars group.
As mentioned they’re both very knowledgeable about their favourite film, but also very friendly and seemed to genuinely enjoy interacting with fans. They also made most of their own amazing costumes and props, and were there to raise money for charity..jpg)
3. Artist Alley
While there might not have been the big blockbuster names that some other comic-cons attract, there were some very talented and successful artists at FanExpo. Even if you couldn’t afford their work (some of it was surprisingly affordable) it’s a joy to wander by and take in the artwork. The artists I talked to were all very friendly and happy to chat with you and look at portfolios. Most artists were happy to autograph anything you brought with you for free. It was nice to see a lot of Canadian artists as well.
THE GOOD
1. Celebrity Guests
Being the first year of the event, the celebrity guest list was not amazing, but pretty darn good. There were definitely some big names: Adam West and Burt Ward (Classic Batman and Robbin), Lou Ferrigno (The Hulk), Kevin Sorbo (Hercules), Michael Dorn (Star Trek TNG & DS9), Marina Sirits (Star Trek TNG), John DeLancie (Star Trek TNG, DS9 & VOY), Alan Ruck (Ferris Bueller’s Day Off), author Spider Robinson and the cast of Continuum.
The Q&A session were truly enjoyable, and having the hosts of Inner Space as moderators was a great idea. Now that the event is an established success, hopefully the guest list will be even more impressive next year - I’m looking at you Sir Patrick Stewart and Stan Lee, guest start attendees of Calgary and Toronto but not Vancouver :P
As with any convention you could expect to pay quite a fair bit for an autograph or photo-op. I also wish Alan Ruck would have done a Q&A session, but it was nice of him to come all the same.
Note: Marina Sirtis is quite the bitch, but in an endearing and hilarious way :P But very genuine and nice to fans.
2. The Vendors
The Vendors room was packed, you could easily spend 2-3 hours in there, at least twice that if you’re a comic book collector. Besides 1000s of comic books and graphic novels, you could find art, movie posters and props, t-shirts, hats, hoodies, costumes, artist prints, collectable cards, sports cards and autographs, characters busts and statues, video games, DVDs and BluRays, and vintage toys from the 1940s to 1990s as well as brand new toys.
There were some very good deals to be found, although not everything was a deal. A few vendors were way over priced, possibly on purpose given that they had a captive market.
The only knock on the vendors area is some of it was very repetitive.
(Photo vancitybuzz.com)
3. The Price
At $30 for two days, the price was very reasonable compared to other conventions I’ve attended.
THE BAD
1. Event Organization
I purchased tickets online the day they went on sale. After being told that those who pre-ordered tickets could arrive at 9:00am, an hour before the on-site box office opened, I arrived at 9:15am. Where I stood in line… for 45 minutes.
Finally at 10:00am we were ushered to the ticket pick-up queue, at the same time as people who were lined up without tickets. Huh?
That being said, having a pre-ordered ticket a few hours later in the day would have made a world of difference. Around noon the box-office line-up was down the escalator, out the door, past Canada Place, and turned up Burrard Street.
The website advertises workshops where “The pros give exclusive, live instructional training and give insider tips on what it takes to break into the exciting world of comic book illustration and storytelling.”
No such events took place. As someone who has just begun an illustration career, that was disappointing.
Also the event organizers failed to post a list of celebrity autograph fees, either before or at the event. There wasn’t even a price by the line up or on the name sign over the celebrity’s table. There have been prices clearly advertised at every other con I’ve been to, so “the celebrities never tell us” is a pretty weak excuse.
Conventions such as this often have “exclusives” for sale, some sort of collectable that is of limited editions and available only at the convention. This only exclusive for FanExpo Vancouver was pin with R2-D2 and C-3PO within a heart, with sales going to The Variety Club. I love raising money for charity, but this was not exclusive. You can buy the same pin in stores all around the lower mainland.
2. Security
I know this probably isn’t FanExpo and Hobby Star Marketing’s fault, as they likely had no say in the individual security guards, but my goodness were some of them pushy.
One security guard chewed us out while accusing us of trying to sneak into a Q&A session. Yes, the two of us with the shiny 2-Day pass bracelets were trying to sneak in. Perhaps it was more likely that we just didn’t realize the black curtains without a sign was the entrance to the main theatre. Our bad.
Once while sitting on a couch in a hallway, myself and many other attendees were asked to leave. Our crime? Despite still being within show hours, we were not attending a session or in the vendors room. Seriously? Then what are all those couches there for?
3. Use of Social Media
FanExpo Vancouver had a facebook profile, which they updated quite regularily with event news. However, hoping to have one of your questions answered by leaving a comment on the wall was boarding on futility.
They also had a Twitter account that did nothing but collect cyber dust until the week leading up to the event.
Given that their market is almost exclusively nerds, I would have though I strong social media presence would have been more important to them.
4. The Venue
The Vancouver Trade and Convention Centre is a very nice building, and I love how eco-friendly it is. Perhaps no one expected so many people to attend, but it just seemed overly crowded at times
The smaller session room was always standing room only, and I’m sure the artists/vendors room could be expanded in the future.
The main stage for sessions was standing room only for some guests. Also, the room had one heck of a big pillar in it, so many of the seats had an obstructed view. Someone had a nice idea to put a big screen TV on the back of the pillar for the audience behind it, but for some reason it was never used.
Unfortunately, the Trade and Convention Centre doesn’t have any bigger rooms. The only solution is a bigger venue (BC Place has free WiFi, just sayin’), or sell less tickets.
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Of course this is the first year, and I’m sure many of these wrinkles will be ironed out for next years event, which I will not miss! Thanks to all the guests that came to Vancouver, and to Hobby Star Marketing for finally coming to the west coast!
Check out VancityBuzz for more event photos.
