DATE OF CONVENTION: March 21 - March 23 (2014)
CITY: Orlando, Florida
VENUE: Orange County Convention Center (South Concourse section)
SOME CELEBRITY GUESTS IN ATTENDANCE: Richard Hatch, Dirk Benedict, Anne Lockhart, Herbert Jefferson Jr, Vic Mignogna, Peter Mayhew, Steven Yuen, David Morrissey, Danai Gurira, Sonequa Martin Greene, Emily Kinney, James Marsters, Eliza Dushku, Allison Mack, Laura Vandervoort, John Glover, John Barrowman, Gareth David Lloyd, Eve Myles, Jonathan Heder, Jason David Frank, Manu Bennett, Stan Lee, Karl Urban
CITY: Orlando, Florida
VENUE: Orange County Convention Center (South Concourse section)
SOME CELEBRITY GUESTS IN ATTENDANCE: Richard Hatch, Dirk Benedict, Anne Lockhart, Herbert Jefferson Jr, Vic Mignogna, Peter Mayhew, Steven Yuen, David Morrissey, Danai Gurira, Sonequa Martin Greene, Emily Kinney, James Marsters, Eliza Dushku, Allison Mack, Laura Vandervoort, John Glover, John Barrowman, Gareth David Lloyd, Eve Myles, Jonathan Heder, Jason David Frank, Manu Bennett, Stan Lee, Karl Urban
the return of megacon
After a whole year of attending most Floridian conventions in 2013 (starting with Megacon), I have finally come full circle in my nerd-going activities. Between Megacon 2013 and Megacon 2014, I attended over 20 conventions all over Florida ranging from Orlando to Miami to Daytona Beach to Pensacola to Tampa (and everything in between). These consisted of small conventions and major conventions ; there were new conventions and perennial ones. And then you have Megacon...
Megacon is aptly named "Mega" (from the Greek, "megas," which means "great"). Alexander III of Macedon was Great, and so was Megacon 2013! What makes Megacon stand out from all of the other conventions in Florida? "Size" is the first answer. And "prestige" is another. The two elements go hand in hand. With numerous websites reporting an attendance of over 75,000 convention-goers on Saturday (March 22) alone, Megacon 2014 was easily the biggest convention in Florida in terms of attendance. In fact, the attendance on Saturday was comparable to the numbers put up by the nation's biggest convention: San Diego Comic Con.
Why is that important? Well, the most obvious reason: you will meet a large amount of fellow nerds when there us more of them! And that is exactly what people hope for (aside from the other obvious reasons such as celebrity meet & greets, panels, and merchandise-shopping).
Megacon is aptly named "Mega" (from the Greek, "megas," which means "great"). Alexander III of Macedon was Great, and so was Megacon 2013! What makes Megacon stand out from all of the other conventions in Florida? "Size" is the first answer. And "prestige" is another. The two elements go hand in hand. With numerous websites reporting an attendance of over 75,000 convention-goers on Saturday (March 22) alone, Megacon 2014 was easily the biggest convention in Florida in terms of attendance. In fact, the attendance on Saturday was comparable to the numbers put up by the nation's biggest convention: San Diego Comic Con.
Why is that important? Well, the most obvious reason: you will meet a large amount of fellow nerds when there us more of them! And that is exactly what people hope for (aside from the other obvious reasons such as celebrity meet & greets, panels, and merchandise-shopping).
Notable cosplayers in attendance
If you go to a convention in South Florida, you'll meet a lot of regional cosplay personalities like Heather1337, Megan Coffey, Veron, etc. Great cosplayers from the Bay Area (such as Amaya Kumikai) usually haunt the Tampa Bay cons. The Panhandle area of Florida will attract local talent, and even some famous cosplayers from the Georgia area like Riki LeCotey. The Central Florida area (where Megacon is located) is home to awesome cosplayers like Ryan Frye, The True Aquaman, etc. But Megacon is such a mecca of Florida cons that you will meet every single one of these cosplayers at Megacon (with very few exceptions). If you are a Floridian convention-goer, and you missed Megacon for whatever reason, then you are most likely depressed that you did. Everyone in Florida who attends these events always make it a point to attend Megacon each year.
And outside of Florida? Megacon is still a huge attraction nationwide. The likes of Yaya Han (from Georgia), Riki LeCotey (also from Georgia), and even Ivy Doomkitty (all the way from California) were all in attendance at this event. The attendance of these notable cosplayers speaks volumes about the prestige of Megacon has come to expect.
And outside of Florida? Megacon is still a huge attraction nationwide. The likes of Yaya Han (from Georgia), Riki LeCotey (also from Georgia), and even Ivy Doomkitty (all the way from California) were all in attendance at this event. The attendance of these notable cosplayers speaks volumes about the prestige of Megacon has come to expect.
THE VENUE
So how do you house so many convention-goers in one location? The trusted venue for Megacon has been the Orange County Convention Center (OCCC for short) for as long as I can remember. Unlike previous Megacon events, though, the new section of the OCCC being used for the event was the South Concourse. It is the perfect location for a convention with its massive halls, large convention spaces, and generally-modern architecture. However, with record crowds in attendance, even this new section was stretched to capacity on Saturday.
Without coming to any conclusions, it should be noted that the Megacon official website has announced that Megacon 2015 will be moved back to the West Building (Halls A4-B4) of the OCCC.
It should also be noted that many convention-goers were very public about the difficulties of Megacon traffic & parking on Saturday. I cannot confirm the exact details of their stories myself so I will be content in simply mentioning that fact. In my own personal experience on Saturday, I was stuck at one of the OCCC redlights for nearly 50 minutes just waiting to pull into the parking lot of the convention center. To be more specific, I arrived at the redlight at around 9:30am on that Saturday morning. I was luckily able to park my car by 10:25am. I remember this detail vividly because it was my mission to catch the 10:30am photo op for the Smallville cast.
It should also be noted that many convention-goers were very public about the difficulties of Megacon traffic & parking on Saturday. I cannot confirm the exact details of their stories myself so I will be content in simply mentioning that fact. In my own personal experience on Saturday, I was stuck at one of the OCCC redlights for nearly 50 minutes just waiting to pull into the parking lot of the convention center. To be more specific, I arrived at the redlight at around 9:30am on that Saturday morning. I was luckily able to park my car by 10:25am. I remember this detail vividly because it was my mission to catch the 10:30am photo op for the Smallville cast.
COSPLAYS photo opportunities
I know I am not alone when I say this, but 50% of the reason why I go to conventions is to take pictures of the awesome cosplayers who attend. I already mentioned some of the big cosplaying representatives from around Florida who attend these events, but there are still thousands of unknown cosplayers out there who also attend these events! The beauty of these unknown cosplayers is the uncertainty of seeing what they bring to the cosplay world. I personally do not cosplay, but I still consider myself a part of the community simply because I love and appreciate what these costumers do.
So despite Saturday's traffic & parking issues, I completely forgot about the whole affair once I saw how many terrific cosplayers there were in attendance. The opportunity for photos was an absolute goldmine! Some of these fine folks have worked on their costumes consistently for nearly a year just to have the opportunity to show off their costumes at Megacon. And others will put together costumes at the last minute. But regardless of how long it took to prepare one's costume, the end result is still the same: fun, fun, and lots of great fun!
the celebrity appeal factor
Aside from being a huge haven for cosplayers, Megacon also managed to pull in a whole new batch of convention-goers: these were the fans of "The Walking Dead."
It is no joke that the recent phenomenon, "The Walking Dead," has been a big hit in the nation (among other places). As a result, the stars of this show are considered really "hot" at conventions. If you throw in one or two stars, then you would be guaranteed a great turnout of fans. But if you promise the fans the opportunties to meet Emily Kinney ('Beth Greene'), David Morrissey ('the Governor'), Steven Yuen ('Glenn'), Danai Gurira ('Michonne'), and Sonequa Martin Greene ('Sasha'), then you can expect everyone who has a tv set to show up in such numbers that surpass even the zombie hordes seen on the show.
It is no joke that the recent phenomenon, "The Walking Dead," has been a big hit in the nation (among other places). As a result, the stars of this show are considered really "hot" at conventions. If you throw in one or two stars, then you would be guaranteed a great turnout of fans. But if you promise the fans the opportunties to meet Emily Kinney ('Beth Greene'), David Morrissey ('the Governor'), Steven Yuen ('Glenn'), Danai Gurira ('Michonne'), and Sonequa Martin Greene ('Sasha'), then you can expect everyone who has a tv set to show up in such numbers that surpass even the zombie hordes seen on the show.
If the Walking Dead is not hot enough for you, then how about the stars of Smallville? Or Stan Lee? Or Karl Urban? Or Eliza Dushku? John Barrowman? Manu Bennett? The list of huge celebrities at Megacon 2014 was immense, and there was truly something for almost every type of fandom. The star power of Megacon 2014 was the best I had ever seen at a Florida convention. I would like to say, however, that the atmosphere for meeting the stars was not as personal as I have seen in a few other conventions. Granted, the other conventions I had been to did not experience the insane levels of attendance as Megacon. So I cannot fault Megacon for that. But I must definitely applaud Megacon for inviting some of my favorite stars of pop culture.
CONVENTION ORGANIZATION & STAFF/VOLUNTEERS
I am a convention connoisseur so I did not need too much help navigating the venue. However, in the few instances that I did need help, the staff proved to be quite helpful. I encountered a handful of fantastic & wonderful volunteers working. However, it needs to be said that the stress of working at Florida's biggest convention was rather telling on some of the individuals who were working the event. I would hypothesize that the sheer amount of convention-goers was overwhelming on the staff, and it greatly affected their stress levels. With the financial success of Megacon 2014, I would hope that an increase in the amount of personnel next year would alleviate some of the burdens of working a major convention. And perhaps an increase in the amount of personnel would also be more efficient in monitoring the queues for big panel events in the future. I am supremely confident that these issues will be tackled head-on by the Megacon planners for 2015.
CONCLUSION
Megacon will be Florida's flagship for conventions for a very long time. When I want to meet cosplayers and fellow nerds from all over the state (and outside of it), then Megacon will always be THE convention. Its location is absolutely convenient as the promise of beaches, theme-parks, and shopping offers more to visitors than just a weekend of nerdy fun (although there is absolutely nothing wrong with traveling out-of-town specifically for a convention). When I want to meet the hottest stars in pop culture, then Megacon always delivers. In fact, I am already checking Megacon's website daily for any news on who might be coming next year. And I might even start browsing the fabric section for a future cosplay. Who knows?
I want to end this blog/article by sharing a few more pictures from Megacon 2014 which have left me with very fond memories of the event...
I want to end this blog/article by sharing a few more pictures from Megacon 2014 which have left me with very fond memories of the event...