LOCATION: Pensacola, Florida
VENUE: Pensacola Civic Center Inc. and the Crowne Plaza Grand Hotel
CONVENTION DATES: February 21-23, 2014
GUEST LIST: over 90+ names (including Billy-Dee Williams, Walter Koenig, Burn Gorman, Deep Roy, Daniel Logan, Ernie Hudson, Kane Hodder, Tony Moran, Kristian Nairn, Finn Jones, Veronica Taylor, Monica Rial, Richard Hatch, Monika Lee, Riki LeCotey Timothy Zahn, Walter Jones, David Yost, Peter Mayhew, Priscilla Barnes, Dirk Benedict, Anne Lockhart, Herbert Jefferson Jr, Christopher Judge, Cerina Vincent, Mackenzie Lintz, Samm Levine, Brutus the Barber Beefcake, Greg Valentine, the Honkey Tonk Man, Parker Stevenson, Vernon Wells, Nicholas Brendon, Lew Temple, Theodus Crane)
VENUE: Pensacola Civic Center Inc. and the Crowne Plaza Grand Hotel
CONVENTION DATES: February 21-23, 2014
GUEST LIST: over 90+ names (including Billy-Dee Williams, Walter Koenig, Burn Gorman, Deep Roy, Daniel Logan, Ernie Hudson, Kane Hodder, Tony Moran, Kristian Nairn, Finn Jones, Veronica Taylor, Monica Rial, Richard Hatch, Monika Lee, Riki LeCotey Timothy Zahn, Walter Jones, David Yost, Peter Mayhew, Priscilla Barnes, Dirk Benedict, Anne Lockhart, Herbert Jefferson Jr, Christopher Judge, Cerina Vincent, Mackenzie Lintz, Samm Levine, Brutus the Barber Beefcake, Greg Valentine, the Honkey Tonk Man, Parker Stevenson, Vernon Wells, Nicholas Brendon, Lew Temple, Theodus Crane)
a Pensacon cosplayer takes a break to enjoy the fine weather of Pensacola
my convention background
I consider myself a nerd-convention junkie. In 2013, I attended 19 conventions in Florida (ranging from Megacon to Supercon). Based on my convention experiences of 2013, I found myself mostly drawn to conventions that had a strong lineup of celebrity guests. There were other factors too that made a convention stick fondly in my mind: venue, celebrity accessibility, cosplays, vendors, organization, and attendance.
When I first heard about Pensacon, I was very intrigued. As the name suggested, Pensacon was based in Pensacola. I had yet to journey up to the Florida Panhandle for any convention which made this event quite obligatory. How could I truly consider myself a complete, Florida convention-goer without attending a potentially-major convention in Florida's panhandle region? This was as much a calling to my inner-nerd as it was to my adventurous side. Not only that, but this also was a first-time outing for Pensacon as a convention (which added a high level of mystique to its nature).
When I first heard about Pensacon, I was very intrigued. As the name suggested, Pensacon was based in Pensacola. I had yet to journey up to the Florida Panhandle for any convention which made this event quite obligatory. How could I truly consider myself a complete, Florida convention-goer without attending a potentially-major convention in Florida's panhandle region? This was as much a calling to my inner-nerd as it was to my adventurous side. Not only that, but this also was a first-time outing for Pensacon as a convention (which added a high level of mystique to its nature).
my objectives for pensacon
My main objective at Pensacon was to take pictures with these celebrities: Daniel Logan (young Boba Fett in "Star Wars: Episode II - Attack of the Clones"), the "Game of Thrones" guests (Finn Jones, Kristian Nairn, Burn Gorman), Deep Roy (who was every Oompa Loompa in "Charlie and the Chocolate Factory"), Richard Hatch (from both the classic and re-imagined "Battlestar Galactica" series), Timothy Zahn (famous Star Wars writer), Veronica Taylor (voice of Ash Ketchum in the famous "Pokemon" series), Brutus "the Barber" Beefcake (famous WWF wrestler), Walter Koenig (the famous 'Mr. Chekov' from the classic "Star Trek" series) and Monika Lee & Riki LeCotey (famous cosplayers who starred on the SyFy show, "Heroes of Cosplay"). Due to budget constraints, I had to limit myself to the above names. The fantastic thing about Pensacon was that I only listed a small percentage of the total number of celebrities that attended the event. Pensacon boasted a celebrity guestlist of over 90+ names. As much as I loved all previous conventions in Florida, I have never been to any other event in this state that featured as many big names. Even with the expected cancellations of a few guests, any celebrity-seeker would have easily gotten their fill at Pensacon.
With a full tank of gas and my cameraman keeping me awake during the trek, I made the 7 hour trip from Orlando to Pensacola. I planned to attend all 3 days of this event. The next order of business: nerding out at Pensacon!
With a full tank of gas and my cameraman keeping me awake during the trek, I made the 7 hour trip from Orlando to Pensacola. I planned to attend all 3 days of this event. The next order of business: nerding out at Pensacon!
THE VENUE
the Pensacola Civic Center Inc.
The main venue for Pensacon was the Pensacola Civic Center Inc. The convention was held on two levels of this structure. The main arena (bottom level) was the location of most of the vendors. The professional, photo opportunity area was adjoined to this section. Also on the first floor was the gaming room.
The second level of the Civic Center contained the tables for many of the artists, and also, the highly-desired celebrity rooms (where you could meet the celebrities at their designated tables). The panel rooms were scattered throughout the building and across the street at the Crowne Plaza Grand Hotel (which also contained another vendor room and a few table-top gaming areas).
There was a little bonus feature inside this convention center: the 10,000+ seats surrounding the arena which offered visitors a convenient place to rest their feet.
The second level of the Civic Center contained the tables for many of the artists, and also, the highly-desired celebrity rooms (where you could meet the celebrities at their designated tables). The panel rooms were scattered throughout the building and across the street at the Crowne Plaza Grand Hotel (which also contained another vendor room and a few table-top gaming areas).
There was a little bonus feature inside this convention center: the 10,000+ seats surrounding the arena which offered visitors a convenient place to rest their feet.
Celebrity accessibility at pensacon
Along with Fanboy Expo and Spooky Empire, Pensacon made the celebrity experience superior to most other conventions in Florida. Pensacon has a designated section where most of the celebrities sat around at their tables all day to meet their fans (except during their breaks, panel events, and scheduled photo ops). This gave the visitors the opportunity to engage in actual conversations with their favorite celebrities, and purchase their autographs.
In most conventions in Florida (even the major ones), the celebrities only come out to meet their fans in quick, scheduled intervals. There are several drawbacks with scheduled meet & greets such as long lines, and less of a chance to actually talk in earnest to a celebrity. One of the worst things that can happen at a convention is driving to another city, and then missing the chance to meet a celebrity because you failed to line up two hours early for their scheduled meet & greet.
Pensacon gets it absolutely right in this regard: the vast majority of celebrities were available at their tables for most of the day, and hordes of visitors had the opportunity to engage in actual conversations with such folks as Richard Hatch, the Heroes of Cosplay girls, the Game of Thrones' actors, etc. The bottom line was: most of the celebrities were very accessible, and visitors such as myself knew where to find them. I managed to interact with every single celebrity that I set out to meet (which is actually a huge accomplishment as any convention veteran would know).
In most conventions in Florida (even the major ones), the celebrities only come out to meet their fans in quick, scheduled intervals. There are several drawbacks with scheduled meet & greets such as long lines, and less of a chance to actually talk in earnest to a celebrity. One of the worst things that can happen at a convention is driving to another city, and then missing the chance to meet a celebrity because you failed to line up two hours early for their scheduled meet & greet.
Pensacon gets it absolutely right in this regard: the vast majority of celebrities were available at their tables for most of the day, and hordes of visitors had the opportunity to engage in actual conversations with such folks as Richard Hatch, the Heroes of Cosplay girls, the Game of Thrones' actors, etc. The bottom line was: most of the celebrities were very accessible, and visitors such as myself knew where to find them. I managed to interact with every single celebrity that I set out to meet (which is actually a huge accomplishment as any convention veteran would know).
Cosplays
Another huge source of enjoyment for attending these conventions are scoping out the cosplays. "Cosplay" is short for "costume play," and it applies loosely to anyone who dresses up as their favorite character from a movie, tv show, comic, manga, videogame, book, etc. It is always interesting to hear how cosplayers put together a costume with a limited amount of resources, and to hear why they chose their particular fandom. Aside from the two, world-famous cosplayers (Monika Lee and Riki LeCotey), there was also a vast array of both local and out-of-town talent. Taking pictures of these cosplayers is one of my favorite things to do at a convention:
VENDORS
Different people attend conventions for different reasons. I personally go mainly for celebrity photo ops, but I know some people who go exclusively to see what kind of merchandise is available in the vendor area. Although it is not my main focus, I still have a hard time attending a convention unless there is a dazzling array of nerd goodies. The entire arena floor of Pensacon was filled with vendors. Everything was available from Medieval-Fantasy weaponry to the latest manga. I even saw Timothy Zahn in the vendor area autographing his books for fans. I luckily remembered to bring my copy of "Scoundrels" for him to sign! Truly, the vendor area is a significant landmark for any convention, and Pensacon was packed to capacity with them.
the vendor area was overlooked by the 10,000+ seats in the arena (a perfect place to rest during the convention)
Attendance
I initially had no idea that this was a first-time convention for Pensacon. I have attended several, first-time conventions, and these only managed to attract a few hundred people. So when I attended Pensacon on Saturday, you could not blame me for thinking this was an already-established & recurring convention when there was a turnout of over 11,000 visitors at Pensacon just for that day (as reported by the local radio station, WUWF Public Media). The sheer amount of people reminded me of the major conventions in Tampa, Orlando and Miami. I cannot explain how so many people came to learn about Pensacon, but those numbers are absolutely incredible for a first-time convention (even for an established convention).
I have two explanations for this:
1) extremely aggressive & effective marketing campaign by Pensacon and/or
2) a nerd-rich region that has been starving for a convention like this year for years.
By their own estimates, Pensacon generated 5,183 room nights at the local hotels. That figure alone only factors in visitors from out-of-town (such as myself) who do not know anyone locally. The amount of locals or daytrippers in the area would easily increase the numbers in attendance.
Whatever the case, Pensacon tapped their resources really well, and the local economy must have experienced a huge boom in their monetary gains for that weekend. I personally spent two nights at a La Quinta. I had lunch 3 days in a row at McGuire's Irish Pub, dinner at the Founaris Bros., and then my final local dinner at La Hacienda Mexican Restaurant. I filled up on my gas tank in Pensacola before departing, and I shopped at the local Publix. I definitely did my small part to inject some capital into the local economy.
I have two explanations for this:
1) extremely aggressive & effective marketing campaign by Pensacon and/or
2) a nerd-rich region that has been starving for a convention like this year for years.
By their own estimates, Pensacon generated 5,183 room nights at the local hotels. That figure alone only factors in visitors from out-of-town (such as myself) who do not know anyone locally. The amount of locals or daytrippers in the area would easily increase the numbers in attendance.
Whatever the case, Pensacon tapped their resources really well, and the local economy must have experienced a huge boom in their monetary gains for that weekend. I personally spent two nights at a La Quinta. I had lunch 3 days in a row at McGuire's Irish Pub, dinner at the Founaris Bros., and then my final local dinner at La Hacienda Mexican Restaurant. I filled up on my gas tank in Pensacola before departing, and I shopped at the local Publix. I definitely did my small part to inject some capital into the local economy.
convention organization
The organization of Pensacon seemed quite fine. There were volunteers and staff-members located at every entrance and every strategic point. A visitor only needed to walk a few feet forward to find a volunteer if one was lost. Every photo ops & panel event ran on time. The only negative aspect I can think of was the parking situation. I do not think the venue and its surrounding areas were big enough to accommodate the huge flow of visitors. In the three days that I was there, I could not once find a parking spot in any of the designated areas. But considering that this was a first time event for Pensacon, I could not place this blame on anyone since nobody could have possibly known how many visitors would have been in attendance.
Closing thoughts
Out of the 19 conventions I visited in the last year, I would easily rank Pensacon in the top tier of other Floridian conventions alongside the other major events (Megacon, Tampa Bay Comic Con, and Supercon). I personally enjoyed this convention the most due to the sheer amount of celebrities present, and the ease at which I could meet them. The only thing preventing me from attending Pensacon every year is the 7 hour drive from Orlando. But if you live within a closer radius of the Florida panhandle, then there is no excuse for a convention-goer to miss one of the greatest, nerd events in the state.
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