This past weekend saw the first East Coast appearance of the Once Upon A Timeconvention that took place in Whippany, New Jersey at the Hanover Marriott. Creation Entertainment are the fine folks responsible for putting this wonderful event together. It has been a long time since I’ve gone to a single themed convention. Personally I grew up on Star Trek conventions but have shifted in the last decade or so to Cons of a mixed variety. As much as I love and enjoy such gatherings, I must admit that there is something very special in attending an event where every patron is there for a singular reason and that is the love and respect of a particular show.
The event was very well attended and fortunately for all there, many of the stars from OUAT were present. Stars like Lana Parrilla (Regina), Rebecca Mader (Zelena), Emilie de Ravin (Belle) and Sean Maguire (Robin Hood) led the way. The whole experience was quite good and memorable. The volunteers with Creation Entertainment were helpful and did their best to answer any and all questions. The ticket buying experience was broken down into a couple of different packages: Gold, Silver, Copper, General Weekend and single day(s).
Location
The Hanover Marriott turned out to be a great location to hold this event. Never once did I feel claustrophobic. The hospitality was top notch. It was clean and organized. The only negative was the buffet breakfast where the wait times weren’t well communicated. The al’carte in the main lobby was ideal and fully equipped to get anyone’s day started.
Panels
Panels were nothing short of outstanding. Each panel was MC’d by Lee Arenberg (Grumpy) who was about as good as they come in entertaining the fans and bridging the gap between the different panels. While the personal experiences of both photo/autograph ops were the highlights of any convention, it was the panels themselves at this particular venue that became even more memorable. Each celebrity had their own segment with most lasting close to 30 minutes and featured a Q&A by the fans. This is where the celebs shined the brightest. I have gone to many panels in my day and most if not all have been excellent. But I can honestly say, this group of fine actors/actresses went above and beyond for their fans. For that alone I was not only impressed, but also quite grateful for their kindness. Especially entertaining was Rebecca Mader whose star has risen to new heights in my eyes, Sean Maguire who was extremely warm and charming and Eion Bailey (August/Pinocchio) who surprised me for just how funny he was on stage.
Photo Ops
Photo Ops were held at one of the gallery rooms in the hotel lobby. The photos were professionally done and the process was smooth. Every celebrity was engaging and personable to his or her fans. I left having a greater appreciation for every one of them. Afterwards, it would take anywhere between 1-2 hours before the pictures were printed and made available to be picked up at a designated area. The only negative, and its minor, came with the sold out Lana Parrilla ops. Groups were called in lots of 50 based on tickets that were exchanged for the pdf paper tickets that were given at the time of the Internet pre-sale. That was fine and made perfect sense. However, for every other star, it was not handled in the same fashion and lent itself to some confusion. Individual ticket holders just randomly lined up by the gallery while others waited in the theatre for their numbers to be called, which they weren’t. Again, not a huge deal because people would figure it out on their own but it could’ve been a frustrating experience for others.
Autograph Ops
Here it got a bit tedious and if you had young children with you, it had the potential to be a real headache. Autographs were done row by row based on the type of convention package you purchased, gold went first, then silver etc. Times were posted on when you could expect to get called but if you were not lucky enough to afford the expensive gold packages, your expected times may have gone well beyond 1 hour late and most likely closer to 1.5-2 hours. That’s just not acceptable because dinner plans and such can get out of whack. Part of the issue I believe is the overwhelming response from the public to attend this event. This is in part why I believe Creation Entertainment has expanded the event for 2017 to 3-days. This is a very wise decision and great news to a deserving fandom.
Vendors
It’s difficult when you’re a single-themed convention and your name isn’t Star Trek or Star Wars. The vendor’s room was lacking with only 4 tables and only 2 truly dedicated to Once Upon A Time. What was there to buy was nice but limited to a handful of posters, some FUNKO figures (a personal favorite), and photos to buy for your autograph ops. Also there were some t-shirts and mugs. I definitely wish there were more to choose from or see some exclusive merchandise for convention goers. Other than that, it’s hard to complain and there was plenty of money spent.
Overall, I couldn’t be happier or more thrilled by this experience. It was well run and the stars clearly appreciated their fans. It showed in their smiles and in their laughs. I look forward to 2017 and beyond.
May the Dork be with you,
JPB
The Dork Knight
