I’ve been to a few conventions in since I started getting into anime. I’ve been to big ones, such as MCM Birmingham, and I’ve been to small ones, such as Hull Comic Con.
Every convention I’ve been to has been incredible. However, today, I’m going to be discussing about my dream convention. I’m going to be discussing who would attend my con, where it’d take place and much more, so grab a cuppa and stick around because this is going be a long one! (I didn’t expect to write as much as I did, I’m sorry!)
The Aim
Perhaps this is slightly biased on my half, but my ideal convention would be one that brought everyone involved in the comic, anime, K-Pop and gaming niches (and more potentially!) together. It’d have a little bit there for everyone – sort of like the MCM conventions, really, but with more emphasis on certain niches. I’ll be talking about this some more in other sections, so this is all I’ll say for now.
The Guests
Arguably, one of the most important things to be announced about a convention is the guests. I know that for me at least, if there’s no special guests that I’ve heard of or don’t really care for, I’ll be less inclined to want to go to that convention. So, at my ideal convention, there’d be voice actors, TV and movie actors, teams that had worked on video games, YouTubers and/or bloggers that specialise in these niches.
Every convention I’ve been to has had a famous actor at some point, whether that was Billie Piper (Doctor Who) or the likes of Norman Lovett (Red Dwarf). Sometimes they even have perhaps “lesser known” actors such as Jon Campling (Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows). Regardless, it’s always nice to meet a familiar face from a franchise you’ve grown up with or one that you love so much. The same applies to voice actors. Just hearing a familiar voice in person or being able to actually put a voice to a face is quite a special thing, as I found out when I met Vic Mignogna (Ouran Highschool Host Club, Free!) at MCM Birmingham in March.
Most of the time, several fanbases overlap each other and they’re able to come together with their love for video games. So, to bring them together and allow them to embrace the newest release or reminisce over a classic at a panel or an interview, I think, would be great. They could ask the development teams questions about the game’s creation or any future developments and I think it’d be a super cool way for developers to market their games as well. Of course, video games aren’t exactly a speciality of mine, so who am I to say what’s cool, really?
And why YouTubers/bloggers?
Some people yawn at the idea of conventions such as Summer in the City (SitC), which dedicates a three-day long convention to YouTube and its creators, allowing people to meet people such as Emma Blackery, Jack Maynard, Ricky Dillon and Dodie Clark. I don’t necessarily think that this is a bad thing, however I sort of want to see more exposure in the UK to creators such as TheAnimeMan who – self-explanatory – talks about anime and manga. But then again, of course I do, because anime is my niche. So, why not include people such as PewDiePie and Markiplier for the gamers? Or Your Movie Sucks for the film fans?
As for the bloggers, well, this is might be biased, but- bloggers are usually the ones who, like YouTubers, are most passionate about their niche. They literally scour the internet for hours looking into the latest news about their subject and are more than likely one of the first to connect with the rest of the niche, giving their opinions on this series, that film, this company, that song… Everything. Because of the rise of YouTube as a platform, bloggers don’t necessarily always get the attention they deserve, especially in some niches, and so for them to join the YouTubers in, let’s say, doing panels or interviews? That’d be great… At least in my eyes.
The Location
Oh, boy. This is where it gets complicated.
You see, I come from a small town where nothing really happens. I go to university in a small city where, nothing really happens either. So, would I consider these places? If I was to be selfish and think of how easy it would be for me to attend these events – absolutely.
But I’m not like that. I’m more of a practical person and neither of these places would be practical, really, for the size of this convention, nor are they particularly accessible for people to get to. I’ve always remembered the story of the guy I met at MCM Birmingham who had travelled all the way from Aberdeen and, because of that, I believe it should be somewhere quite central – Birmingham or Manchester, I’d say, would be reasonable. The actual venue? Haven’t got a clue, although I’m sure the NEC would be sufficient… Right? ^^”
People I’d Like To Meet
So I’ve mentioned what sort of guests I’d have, but who would I actually like to meet? Personally, I reckon Jeremy Renner (Thor, The Avengers) would be an awesome guy to meet – he always seems really down-to-earth and seems like he’d be great to meet at a con. The same also applies to the likes of David Tennant (Doctor Who). I’d also love to meet J. Michael Tatum (Ouran Highschool Host Club, Black Butler) – especially considering I had to sadly miss an opportunity to meet him earlier this year – and also Todd Haberkorn (Fairy Tail, Axis Powers: Hetalia) as they’re both voice actors whose work I enjoy somewhat. Coming away from actors, and tapping into my own interests, I’d also quite like to meet the K-Pop group SHINee, but whether I’d actually be able to talk to them is a different story!
What I’d Wear
And finally, I’m going to talk about what I’d wear. Every convention I’ve been to thus far, I’ve dressed in cosplay. My first one was Anna from Disney’s Frozen and after that, I turn to anime. I was Umi Sonoda from Love Live! for Hull Comic Con and I’ve also been Toko Fukawa from the murder mystery anime (and video game) Danganronpa. So, what would I wear for my dream convention? Don’t get me wrong, I love dressing as Toko – she’s by far my favourite character to cosplay as, but I’d probably try something different for my dream convention. Maybe I’d make my younger self happy and dress as Austria or Latvia from Hetalia, or Ciel Phantomhive from Black Butler? Perhaps I’d go slightly more up-to-date and do a cosplay from Persona 5 or Haikyuu!? Regardless, I’d definitely have to be in cosplay attire!
That concludes my post on what my dream convention would be! It’s not likely to ever exist in its entireity and I know for a fact that I’ve not covered everything, but it definitely brings a lot of my interests together, as well as bringing several communities together… It’d certainly be very busy!
Maybe you’ve been inspired to perhaps organize your own mini-convention? If so, Eventbrite is the ideal website for you to plan it! Sign up here to get started!
In the meantime, why don’t you let me know what your dream convention is? Who would be there? Where would it be? What would you wear? Let me know in the comment section below!
Until next time!
– Amelia x
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