The Fellowship attended Sci-Fi Expo at the Irving Convention Center this past weekend. Media celebrities included Avery Brooks, Kevin Sorbo, Edward James Olmos, the BACK TO THE FUTURE reunion of Christopher Lloyd, Lea Thompson, James Tolkan, and Claudia Wells, and others. The comic side was represented by legend George Perez, stars Adam Hughes, Michael Lark, Jim Valentino, and others.
The Good
The addition of TV monitors spread throughout the convention center updating attendees on the schedule and location of certain celebrities or events. It also advised you on the guests who wasn’t able to make it to the show.
A red carpet area was setup away from the exhibit hall so people can take pictures of cosplayers without hindering others who are trying to buy things or trying to get to the Q & A room, get lunch, or whatever. It worked and the cosplayers seemed to have enjoyed it as well.
The (Not-So) Bad
In October, they had setup line dividers around the escalators to control the traffic which made it easy to get on or off. They were not there this time and its absence was felt.
There also seems to be confusion on the attendees about which line to get in when waiting for the doors to open. Yes, there are signs at the front on the lines, but I saw several people with General Admission bracelets in the Priority lines and was eventually made aware of the error. There should be a couple of volunteers stationed at the back to help out with the confusion.
All in all I think it ran a lot smoother than last time and it was the smoothest convention I've ever attended. It appears the celebrities had a blast, the vendors were doing well, and the fans enjoyed themselves.
Congratulations to Ben Stevens, Mark Walters, the staff, and volunteers who made Sci-Fi Expo 2013 a blast! See you in May for Dallas Comic Con!