Fan Expo, whos going, whats it like?

[razin]

Fan Expo is coming up soon and the wife and I were thinking of going. We have never been but I've got a few friends saying we need to go! For me I'm more interested in the dealer room. What can I expect? of course TF's are #1 priority but I also like TMNT, Voltron and some SDCC exclusives. Can I expect to find a lot?

My daughters are anime freaks so I hope there's a lot of that to entertain them.

My wife will be on the hunt for the SDCC She-Ra polly pocket set. We did see one @ TFCon, he wanted $40 but were out of cash at that point.

So who's been, and going this year? Advise, suggestions?

[Nightscrabbler]

FanExpo is enormous, so if you're interested in the dealer room and your kids love anime, you won't be disappointed. Just be prepared for long waits, extreme crowds, and sensory overload. It's just one of the biggest events there is of its kind. You may have heard that last year it was overflowing, so they couldn't let people who went out for lunch back inside immediately, due to fire code rules.

I might be there... promoting Scrabble. I find the show to be more exhausting than fun personally, but it's worth checking out and you can meet some cool people--if you can find them!

[Prowl_2009]

I am going this year for the first time. I was supposed to go last year, but my nephew died and I was unable to attend. I am leaving bright and early on Saturday morning and hoping against hope that I can score the following 3 items most of all:

DCUC SDCC 2011 Swamp Thing
Star Wars Delta Squad SDCC 2011 Exclusive
United Frenzy and Rumble

For anyone who's been, what do you think the odds are of me scoring those 3 pieces?

[Dragon Knight]

You can expect enormous crowds, and lines....lots, and lots, and lots of lines.

[Tekkamanraiden]

My wife and I have been going to Fanexpo for the past 7 years. It's a lot of fun but he first thing you have to understand is that it's a anime, comic, sci-fi, gaming and horror convention. Each section is quite evenly represented so expect to see quite a diverse crowd (only place I've even seen a Stormtrooper, Freddy Kruger, Sailor Moon, Master Chief and Superman all in the same line). The convention floor is usually divided into sections but their is a bit of overlap.

It gets really busy especially on Saturday afternoon (take the busiest time at tfcon and multiply it by at least 4. It is literally at times wall to wall people.)

They did have a bit of an issue last year with people having to wait to get back in. This was largely due to the fact they had the entire convention in the north part of the convention centre instead of the much larger south part. As well as adding an extra day this year they are going back to the south part. That said be prepared to wait in line for a while for autographs (my wife waited in line for two hours to get Bruce Campbell autograph) and a lot of time you'll have to pay. If you don't preorder tickets you'll have to wait in line to buy they. If you do buy advanced tickets you'll still have to stand in line to have they verified. Be careful not to mix up which line you need to be in or you'll be waiting extra (as we have many times, though you can meet some really nice people waiting).

Being downtown there are lots of options for food besides the convention centre and there are a lot of places to park. I would recommend getting their in the morning or early afternoon as the Jays are playing at home all weekend and the price of parking at the lots tends to go up.

Pricing of items is about on par with what a comic book shop charges (most of the comic book shops in toronto are there).

There are transformers but nothing like you'll find at tfcon. Its usually current stock but there has been a seller the last two years that was selling a decent variety. Unfortunately his prices were a bit of the high side ($30 for an animated Arcee last year.)

As for exclusives Hasbro flat out said they were not bring SDCC items but I just got an email saying that they will have a booth and they will be selling stuff. I have no idea about Mattel but I'm hoping to pick up a She-Ra Polly pocket set for my wife.

Hope that helps.

[Dragon Knight]

Anime guests normally don't charge for autographs though.

Do Gaming guests charge?

[damani_d]

The Fan Expo experience last year was pretty good for me and it was my first year attending any event of this sorts well kind of.

TFCON I did attend last year and that broke the ice for me in terms of being at any sort of con for the first time.

The video game guests do not charge for autographs in fact they are the most approachable, down to earth people at the expo. Each member from Reviews on the Run was there to mingle with fans they did not let any ego, if they have one, get in the way.

Somehow I did not get caught up in last years mess of a line up (of course to get I was in line), get stuck outside (because I brought food) and so forth.

Who's attending from here? We have a big meet up on Friday that we're doing and we should be hanging out with Shaun Hatton from Reviews on the Run either on Friday or Saturday..

Any cybertron peeps are welcome to join, the more the better..

[damani_d]

Tekkamanraider I sent you a message btw, in regards to parking I hope you can help me out bro : )

[CobraCommander]

I'm on the fence, not sure if I should go on Fri or Sat? Friday a bit cheaper, probably less crowded, would have to take a day off work. Sat more doah, but also more folks dressed up.

[Dragon Knight]

Originally Posted by CobraCommander

I'm on the fence, not sure if I should go on Fri or Sat? Friday a bit cheaper, probably less crowded, would have to take a day off work. Sat more doah, but also more folks dressed up.

If you're going there just for the guests, or to do shopping I'd suggest go on Friday then.

damani_d: That's good to know, thanks. Lance Heindricksen is also a horror and sci-fi guest though...so I think there's a chance he may charge.