One of the hardest things to pull off is a convention. This is especially true if it doesn’t begin with San Diego or New York in front of its name. To be fair, those big two had humble beginnings as well. This past weekend I partook in a comic con in my backyard, the Hudson Valley Comic Con in Poughkeepsie, New York. Located a good 70+ miles north of Manhattan, this 2-day event started off with some hiccups but by the end of day 2, I think the organizers had some valuable takeaways that will only serve to make future events bigger and better.
The venue took place on an indoor soccer field as part of Gold’s Gym. I must say, the setup was very well done and allowed for easy maneuvering. The setting was small compared to what I’m use to but quaint nonetheless. The biggest showcases that drew the most attention were Gasoline Alley. Here iconic cars like Ecto-1 and 1-A from Ghostbusters, the General Lee from Dukes of Hazzard, the DeLorean from Back to the Future and the ‘66 Batmobile were on display for guests to see up close and for a small fee, take pictures in them. KITT from Knight Rider and the Mystery Machine from Scooby Doo were also on display on the other side of the show floor.
Some of the things I did like were areas for kids to play and unwind. There was a Kid’s Zone for the kiddie’s to have fun coloring their favorite superheroes while allowing mom and dad to take load off their feet and rest. If coloring wasn’t your thing, the opposite side of the floor showcased a video gaming section. If you were hungry, there was a pricey Café with subpar food that I would recommend skipping. The show floor had hot dogs, popcorn and pretzels that were easier on the wallet.
Like any good comic con, there was an Artist Alley some of which featured local artists of the Hudson Valley area which I believe is a brilliant thing to do. There were a few panels to be seen including a Walking Dead panel with some walkers from the show. The biggest celebrity draws were Ernie Hudson from Ghostbusters, Gigi Edgley from Farscape and James Tolkan from Back to the Future. Each one gave so much of their time to each and every guest they met.
As with any organized event, there were some issues that needed to be addressed. Both days had a slight delay from its 10am start as well as some technical difficulties. Depending on whom you talked to, the reasons for this varied. Parking or the lack thereof became a nightmare for those who arrived at or just after 12 noon on Saturday. Unfortunately several people turned around and left all together. The good news was this event had garnered a lot interests across the area. The bad news is if they want to make this an annual event, a new plan for parking needs to be looked at for next year as well as better communication with ticket holders and ticket buyers. But these things happen, it’s part of the learning curve. As I said in my opening sentence, it’s not easy putting an event like this together. There will be ups and downs to be sure. All you can do as organizer is take note of what worked and what didn’t. Rome wasn’t built in a day and neither was comic con. It’s important to support your local cons. I look forward to seeing what improvements they make for next year and beyond.
James aka “The Dork Knight” is a blogger and writer based out of Upstate New York. For James, it all started with a long time ago in a galaxy far, far away… when he dragged his mom to see The Empire Strikes Back 10 weeks in a row. He lives and breathes nerd culture. James is proof that a Star Wars fanatic can be a passionate Trekkie as well. So much so James dressed up as Captain Kirk to the premiere of Star Trek VI in 1991 and still has the uniform.
When it comes to Comic Books, Sci-Fi or Fantasy whether in print or digital, in the theatre or on my TV screen, I’m all about it and I love it. So bring your Phaser (set to stun), Lightsaber, Sonic Screwdriver, a Wand, Mjolnir or the Ring to rule them all, because this site is for the dork in all of us.
