Marion-Con 2016

I recently posted about some of the potential adventures coming up. Marion-con was definitely on that list! I went with my adventure partner, Aki (little sister) to Marion-con yesterday and there is quite a bit I would like to share.

Overview

Marion-Con's venders, staff, cosplayers and artists were all very family-friendly and definitely easy to talk to! Aki and I had a blast getting to know the people and experiencing another small-town convention. I have to say, I found Marion-Con much more enjoyable than Morganton-Con this year (probably partly because I had the flu--but Aki said the same thing). Morganton-Con gave a more industrial, city-type environment and it felt like everyone had their own agenda. Marion-Con, by contrast, felt extremely friendly and the environment was family-like. There was a line wrapped around the building and down the street to get into the convention, but it was a good time and well worth the wait. 

Venders

One of the things that stuck out the most to me at Marion-Con was that their were more people looking for donations for local shelters, children with cancer and other such things than actual venders. There were some venders trying to earn a pretty penny off of their products, but mostly there were people trying to raise money to help other people. That is pretty amazing to me, and I am proud of those "venders" for renting a booth to do that! Aki and I donated to some of these groups, but we didn't buy anything else at the convention. If we were going to buy something, it would definitely have been from the artists! They were all very open and friendly, and they let us take pictures of our favorite artwork. 

Staff

The staff at Marion-Con (not the venders, but the actual staff) was minimal. That is very much okay for a small-town comic-con. They were all very friendly and helpful. Everyone seemed eager to please the con-goers. 

Cosplayers

*There will be an entire separate post with pictures of cosplayers and other things*

Aki and I cosplayed as Hinata Hyuga and Kiba Inozuka from Naruto. Naturally, this got a lot of attention. There were a lot of cosplayers at Marion-Con! Aki and I counted the Dead Pools--there were only two--and we got a picture of them. There was no conga-line, but it's okay because it was their first con :) (see Diabetically Speaking > Yama-Con 2016, The Slants and a Conga Line) There was a "Pool Party" though, as the Dead Pools were playing music out of a jukebox downstairs. There were a variety of cosplayers near the music--some of which we recognized. Actually, some of the cosplays were things that we didn't even see at Yama-Con in December. It was pretty great to realize exactly how many people love the same things we do, and that they aren't that far away from us. Yes, we are complete geeks sometimes. But now we know that we are not alone! 

Artists

I think Aki and I spent the majority of our time downstairs with the artists. Some of our favorites from Morganton-Con were also at Marion-Con. (The next post with pictures will have photos of the art as well, and there will be information on who the art belongs to.) I got to talk to most of the artists and each group were very friendly and EXTREMELY TALENTED. Some of the artists were painting, drawing or doing other forms of art while at the con so people could see them work. I always enjoy watching the artists use the talent that God gave them. Others were talking to the crowd to try to upsell their products. Even with the louder marketing, none of the artists seemed pushy or rude. They all had a great personality and were very friendly.

Aki and I have never stayed for longer than an hour at one of the smaller cons, but we stayed at Marion-Con for 2 and a half hours. It was easy to do, because there were so many friendly faces and so many things to look at. It's also easy to stick around somewhere that you feel welcomed, and Marion-Con was very good at making their guests feel welcomed. This will definitely be something that I do again! 

Something else I feel is noteworthy is Marion-Con's marketing genius. Before the con there was a lot of social media presence that brought more attention to the event. The event staff seemed very enthusiastic and inviting, and so more people were willing to "like, comment, and share" their posts. This is undoubtedly part of the reason for the great turn out! Great job letting everyone know about the event, Marion-Con! You guys definitely delivered a great time!