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May. 18th, 2010 at 5:09 PM
The Show: Tekkoshocon
Where: The David L Lawrence convention center in Pittsburgh, PA
When: April 8-11 (Thursday-Sunday)
Which Fandoms: Anime with a giant dose of concerts and dances. The official t-shirt tagline for the show was something like "A music convention with an anime problem."
Demographic: Lots of dollfen. I'm noticing what looks like a decline in catgirls but a surge in Hetalia fans/cosplayers. Pittsburgh also has a pretty good-sized bellydancer population, and the attendance reflects that. Doctor Who fans/Doctor cosplayers seem to be gaining in number, as well.
How Many Days Did You Attend: Friday-Sunday. Programming happened on Thursday but the Alley wasn't open for anything but setup.
Why Did You Attend: The Alley
How Many Years Have You Done This: This was my fifth Tekko, fourth selling. I think. D:
Review of Con-Staff interactions: Feytaline is nice, responsive, and easy to work with. Not only did she help shut down people taking pictures of artists' work (which is pretty f'ing annoying), she put up a big conspicuous sign telling people to knock it off. Finding con staff is easy, too, since they wear brightly colored Tekko shirts.
Review of Pricing: $40 per 6'x3' table; $45 entry.
Review of Location: The convention center is pretty sweet, though it can be a maze if you don't know where you're going--very much like Pittsburgh itself. There's still very tasty food within walking distance: The Original Fish Market sells sushi in the adjoining hotel, Wholey's down the street in the Strip has godly gigantic $6 fish sandwiches as well as sushi, and Subway is within blocks. There's $5 parking across the street at the Greyhound station (very convenient if you're not carrying a ton of stuff), and discounted parking for con attendees under the building itself. It's usually $10 or $12 to park, though fifteen-hour or so stays in the convention lot run $20. (Prices noted are without the discount; I think you have to talk to the attendee to get that.) Water stations and cups are also plentiful and refilled frequently enough that you won't need to fill a water bottle out of the bathroom sink.
Review of Artist Alley: Lots of open space and good lighting. I'd forgotten what it was like to recognize an Alley head but not be worried about what was going down if they walked by. We also got to see Tekko's Dancing Guy doing his thing again, and he's always hilarious to watch.
Other Thoughts: It's a smallish con but a laid-back and friendly one, and their processing for badges, artists, and so on just gets smoother every year. Its being local means I see lots of people I've known from Tekko, from my old workplace, and so on. There's a notable number of fans who tend to not eat all weekend, so feeding them will gain you a new friend.
About the reviewer: I did this show the weekend after ABoston. Their attendance is a fifth or sixth of ABoston's but I still made about a third of what I did there.
Where: The David L Lawrence convention center in Pittsburgh, PA
When: April 8-11 (Thursday-Sunday)
Which Fandoms: Anime with a giant dose of concerts and dances. The official t-shirt tagline for the show was something like "A music convention with an anime problem."
Demographic: Lots of dollfen. I'm noticing what looks like a decline in catgirls but a surge in Hetalia fans/cosplayers. Pittsburgh also has a pretty good-sized bellydancer population, and the attendance reflects that. Doctor Who fans/Doctor cosplayers seem to be gaining in number, as well.
How Many Days Did You Attend: Friday-Sunday. Programming happened on Thursday but the Alley wasn't open for anything but setup.
Why Did You Attend: The Alley
How Many Years Have You Done This: This was my fifth Tekko, fourth selling. I think. D:
Review of Con-Staff interactions: Feytaline is nice, responsive, and easy to work with. Not only did she help shut down people taking pictures of artists' work (which is pretty f'ing annoying), she put up a big conspicuous sign telling people to knock it off. Finding con staff is easy, too, since they wear brightly colored Tekko shirts.
Review of Pricing: $40 per 6'x3' table; $45 entry.
Review of Location: The convention center is pretty sweet, though it can be a maze if you don't know where you're going--very much like Pittsburgh itself. There's still very tasty food within walking distance: The Original Fish Market sells sushi in the adjoining hotel, Wholey's down the street in the Strip has godly gigantic $6 fish sandwiches as well as sushi, and Subway is within blocks. There's $5 parking across the street at the Greyhound station (very convenient if you're not carrying a ton of stuff), and discounted parking for con attendees under the building itself. It's usually $10 or $12 to park, though fifteen-hour or so stays in the convention lot run $20. (Prices noted are without the discount; I think you have to talk to the attendee to get that.) Water stations and cups are also plentiful and refilled frequently enough that you won't need to fill a water bottle out of the bathroom sink.
Review of Artist Alley: Lots of open space and good lighting. I'd forgotten what it was like to recognize an Alley head but not be worried about what was going down if they walked by. We also got to see Tekko's Dancing Guy doing his thing again, and he's always hilarious to watch.
Other Thoughts: It's a smallish con but a laid-back and friendly one, and their processing for badges, artists, and so on just gets smoother every year. Its being local means I see lots of people I've known from Tekko, from my old workplace, and so on. There's a notable number of fans who tend to not eat all weekend, so feeding them will gain you a new friend.
About the reviewer: I did this show the weekend after ABoston. Their attendance is a fifth or sixth of ABoston's but I still made about a third of what I did there.