Kumoricon 2019 - An Indepth Look into a New Convention.
Hello everyone, Cruellica Kain here with a report on my adventures at Kumoricon in Portland, Oregon. It had its ups, downs, and all arounds. However, overall it was an interesting convention in a fun new town.
The hard part of going to a new convention is that you do not want to compare it to the other conventions you have been to. Not only is that not fair to the hardworking staff of the new convention, but also to the other conventions that you are putting up on a pedestal. That is my first PSA (public service announcement) of this blog post, make sure to treat every convention as a new adventure and not spend all your time comparing it to others. Enjoy what you can within the convention and work to build new relationships with fellow fans in this diverse and crazy community.
In this blog, I am going to try something new. Rather than outlining the pros and cons of Kumoricon, I am going to channel Clint Eastwood and look at the Good, the Bad, and the Ugly.
Good:
The Badging System – At Kumoricon, they take family friendly to a whole new level. Rather than everyone having the same types of badges, you have Adult, Youth, and Child. I highlight this as a good thing as it eliminates concerns about safety of children and reduces confusion on who can attend what panels. While those 18 and over still have to show ID in order to obtain a stamp that will allow them to get into certain events, having the Adult and Youth badges specifically reduces confusion on adult only panels, speeding up the entry into the panel process.
The Autograph Lottery – Before I go too far, I will note that this will also be going into my ugly section as well. However, what was good or great about this is that every attendee who wants an autograph from one of the guests can enter an impartial lottery. Through their website, Kumoricon lists all of the autograph sessions throughout the entire weekend and as an attendee you can select all of the ones that you would like to be put in the lottery for. If you win the lottery or are on the waitlist, you receive a text confirming this in advance and just go pick up your ticket for a placement in the autograph line.
The Kumorimarket (Dealer’s Room, Autograph, and Artist Alley area) – There was a vast selection of merchandise and everything is well spread out so it does not feel overly cramped. Also, as this is a huge highlight of the convention, the hours for shopping are great so one can browse throughout the day and not feel rushed to get there by a certain time.
The Dance Lesson and Singing Panels – These were fascinating panels types for fans who want more something more. They can learn to dance in different styles such as tango or Kpop. Or showcase their singing abilities in a fun and open forum. Throughout the entirety of the convention, there were different sessions for attendees to get engage