Dragon*Con 2011
A Captain America gathering.
Location: Atlanta, Georgia
Dates Attended: September 2nd, 3rd, and 4th, 2011
This was my first Dragon*Con! I was both excited and terrified to travel on my own to a city I don’t know at all for a con I’ve never been to. Fortunately I met a lot of great people who know the con well and were happy to help me find my way, whether it be from the airport to my hotel on public transportation, or from my hotel to the con hotels.
I arrived on Thursday because I wanted to get settled and get my badge without having to worry over standing in line for hours on the actual first day of the con, thus potentially missing panels and con events. I think this was a really good move on my part. On Friday when the con started I was all set and able to just go and have fun. I was also able to use Thursday to scout out places to take pictures, find food, and just generally get myself oriented with the con location. Registration moved fairly quickly for the most part. The convention tried out a new system this year that required everyone to bring a postcard that was sent out when you registered. Each postcard had a barcode that could be scanned to get you your badge. From what I understand this made things much quicker and more efficient, save for a few hours on Thursday when a long line and wait developed due to computer systems going down for a bit. What with sending the postcards, I wonder if it might make things even easier if the con just mailed the badges out like New York Comic Con does.
As for my hotel, I stayed at the Marriott Downtown on Spring Street, across the way from the Westin used by the convention. The Marriott Downtown is not one of the con hotels, but it was a fairly short walk to all con locations. The hotel was also wonderfully quiet, and we never had a problem with the elevators. The staff was helpful, nice, and interested in the events and costumes. I was also able to check in right away when I arrived at noon, even though the given check-in time was 3:00 pm. Needless to say the early check-in was a major plus. I got to get myself settled and iron my cosplays before going to get my badge. :)
I started off Friday by having a photoshoot with a friend of mine over on one of the Hilton terraces. The location worked pretty well for her costume- a Transformer. Given that it was early, things weren’t crowded yet either. Directly following that, I was off to the Hyatt to see the panel “An Hour With Tom Felton”. I got there an hour early, and being that it was the first panel of the day, we were allowed in to find seats and watch Dragon*Con TV. Dragon*Con TV was hilarious and truly entertaining. Imagine the funny bumps on Adult Swim, mixed with silly commercials and skits, and you will get the idea. It was, for lack of better phrasing, an unexpected touch of awesome. When 11:30 rolled around, the Tom Felton panel started right on time. The panel was an hour long question and answer session where fans could line up at the back of the room, step up to a mic, and ask Tom a question. It was very well run, and the questions asked were good ones. Tom was also an excellent speaker and very, very funny. The hour flew by! The staff was also vigilant to see that every seat was filled so as many people could get into the event as possible.
When the panel ended my friend and I decided to check out one of the two Exhibitor Halls—there were two Exhibitor Halls, as well as a Dealer’s Room and a Professional Artists Alley (though no fan artists alley). All of the Exhibitor/Dealer areas neat stuff to look at and buy, but they seemed to be consistently very crowded. The Dealer’s Room was probably the worst for crowding; every time I found myself in there, there would come a point when it became difficult to even move. I’m not sure there’s a better way to set things up though, and I’m not sure how a crowd control situation would fare for the area. Would people wait to get in and buy things like they would for a panel or party? We also visited the "Walk of Fame" area, where all of the guests had tables to sign. Unfortunately, a lot of autographs were pretty expensive, so if you are on a budget, be aware that most signatures will cost at least $20, and some much more. I didn't get a look at all of the prices, but did see some listed at $60 and $70. There is no list of all prices, you just have to go to the tables to find out. Everyone seemed to have signs on their tables. The lines were maybe a little confusing, and seemed to be set up with tape on the floor, but often out in the middle of the floor, so it was difficult to tell what lines were going where. Fortunately there were people on hand to offer directions.
Outside of the Dealer’s Room was the “Froggy’s Photos” area, where people could pay to get a guaranteed picture with one of the celebrity guests (or a group of them). I had bought a ticket to get a photo with Tom Felton in advance, but things were slightly confusing in the area so I ended up not getting a digital copy of the photo which I had wanted. Not the worst thing that could have happened though- I just have to scan the photo I was given. The line for the desk area was more of a crowd than a line, but I did get to speak to someone and receive directions. Unfortunately, that was also probably when I should have ordered said digital photo. Now I’ll remember for the future to ask about that as well! Getting photos taken seemed fairly organized, and the line, which was kept in a separate room, moved incredibly quickly. I recommend ordering photos in advance if this is something you would be interested in. It’s cheaper! Also, keep an eye on the website for actual schedules, they do not e-mail the times for the shoots out. After an hour I got to go back and pick up my photo, a really nice 8x10.
In the evening, my roommates and I decided to check the “An Evening in Bree” party, run by the Lord of the Rings track. Emerald Rose was playing live music, and the Lord of the Rings costume contest was to be hosted. When we arrived it seemed there was no one there waiting, but then we were told to line up. We did, thinking perhaps the room was already at capacity. After a little while we were informed that more chairs were being set up, and eventually they started letting people in, in small groups. We were pretty surprised when we finally did get in, to see that there were many, many empty chairs and the room was nowhere near full. Still, they seemed to only be letting in a few at a time with intervals in between. Emerald Rose was already playing when we got in, and there were people dancing. The band was very entertaining and the music was fun. I’m not sure how much of the set we missed while waiting to get into the room though, because it seemed almost no time before the costume contest started and the music was taking a break. I’m not terribly familiar with Lord of the Rings; it’s been a while since I’ve seen the movies, so I was admittedly a little bored with what seemed to be a very chatty host to the competition. After about an hour only two categories had finished and I decided I was tired and headed back to the room to call it a night.
Saturday started with another photoshoot, this time by the beautiful pool of the Sheraton hotel. There really are tons of wonderful places to take pictures between the four hotels, but I especially loved this spot which was totally different from anything offered anywhere else. Afterwards, I headed to the “Anime Dubbing 101” panel in the Hyatt. The panel was run by the Anime Track and hosted by Kyle Hebert. It was super silly and fun, but also informative as to how dubbing really works. I had a good time and only wish I’d gotten a chance to try my voice acting skills! This was also the first panel of the day for the room it was in, so it started right on time, and there was someone to assist with all technology needs. He was definitely knowledgeable and handy.
Later on Saturday I attended the “Voice Acting” panel, also hosted in the Hyatt. I got there about an hour early and saw no line, so I wandered a little, then returned to ask where the line would be forming. I was told it was across the hall area. Unfortunately, there were several lines over there, and I had to ask around to find out what people were waiting for to find the right one. Lots of people proceeded to ask if we were the right line, so I can safely say I wasn’t the only one who was uncertain. The panel was supposed to begin at 5:30, but didn’t actually even let in until 5:30, possibly even a few minutes after. People were seated quickly, however, and things got under way quite smoothly once the panel began. There were six voice acting guests on the panel- one was actually a surprise extra guest. I think they may have gotten all of the voice actors at the convention for the panel; it was a really nice gathering. The panel was run by the Animation Track and moderated by a man from “Voice Actors News”. He asked all of the questions, but the questions he asked were good ones, and the panelists were engaging, honest, and funny. I greatly enjoyed hearing what they had to say. The panel ended with a “Yoda-off” in which ten audience members were picked to do their best Yoda impersonation; the one with the best audience reception won a program signed by all of the panelists. There were also prizes for all of the other participants, and some random prizes tossed out into the audience. It was a fun panel. :)
Saturday was, without a doubt, the most crowded day of the convention. There were times in the Marriott when I could hardly move at all, which made me slightly claustrophobic. It also made for it to be very hot, even indoors, especially while wearing a costume with an outer layer of pleather. I think to call the crowds “a crush of people” is about as accurate as I can be. It was somewhat overwhelming, and caused me to mostly avoid the Marriott all day. I had been warned that Saturday would be crowded by people who had been to the convention before, but it was still somewhat overwhelming.
On Sunday, the crowds were much more manageable again, which was a relief. I attended the “Brigands and Buccaneers: Myth and Reality of Pirates” panel, run by the Alternate History track and moderated by author A.C. Crispin. The panel was in the Westin and let in early. A.C. Crispin and the other authors talked to people who approached them, as well as signing books and book plates. Most of the authors on the panel had dressed up in pirate garb, and they hung a pirate flag off the front of the table. The panel started right on time and was incredibly engaging. The authors obviously love pirates, and it was wonderful to hear what they had to say on the history, the myths, and the realities of them. A.C. Crispin asked most of the questions, but her questions were excellent; then at the end she opened things up for the audience to ask questions as well.
Sunday night found me and some friends hanging around the Marriot, having dinner and taking photos of more amazing cosplayers. I have to say that food was super easy at the convention. There were booths set up in most of the hotels to get things like burgers and hot dogs, and there were even a few Papa John’s pizza booths. The Hyatt and Marriott were also both directly attached to a mall food court with plenty to choose from. There were restaurants like The Hard Rock Café right in the area as well. Hard Rock actually had a set of special Dragon*Con pins that they were selling!
I went home early on Monday, and it was sad to say goodbye. I took a shuttle from my hotel to the airport. It was late picking me up, but fortunately I’d given myself a lot of time and did not run into any lines at the airport.
I can honestly say that every panel I attended was excellent; I enjoyed them all. I also saw tons of incredible cosplays, and met some really wonderful people. I would love to go back to Dragon*Con in the future, but I am not sure I will be able to. It is, unfortunately, a very expensive convention, mostly because of the hotel stay and the cost for a flight to Atlanta. But, who knows what the future holds. Maybe I will see Dragon*Con again someday! I know I have friends that I’d love to share it with.
Dates Attended: September 2nd, 3rd, and 4th, 2011
This was my first Dragon*Con! I was both excited and terrified to travel on my own to a city I don’t know at all for a con I’ve never been to. Fortunately I met a lot of great people who know the con well and were happy to help me find my way, whether it be from the airport to my hotel on public transportation, or from my hotel to the con hotels.
I arrived on Thursday because I wanted to get settled and get my badge without having to worry over standing in line for hours on the actual first day of the con, thus potentially missing panels and con events. I think this was a really good move on my part. On Friday when the con started I was all set and able to just go and have fun. I was also able to use Thursday to scout out places to take pictures, find food, and just generally get myself oriented with the con location. Registration moved fairly quickly for the most part. The convention tried out a new system this year that required everyone to bring a postcard that was sent out when you registered. Each postcard had a barcode that could be scanned to get you your badge. From what I understand this made things much quicker and more efficient, save for a few hours on Thursday when a long line and wait developed due to computer systems going down for a bit. What with sending the postcards, I wonder if it might make things even easier if the con just mailed the badges out like New York Comic Con does.
As for my hotel, I stayed at the Marriott Downtown on Spring Street, across the way from the Westin used by the convention. The Marriott Downtown is not one of the con hotels, but it was a fairly short walk to all con locations. The hotel was also wonderfully quiet, and we never had a problem with the elevators. The staff was helpful, nice, and interested in the events and costumes. I was also able to check in right away when I arrived at noon, even though the given check-in time was 3:00 pm. Needless to say the early check-in was a major plus. I got to get myself settled and iron my cosplays before going to get my badge. :)
I started off Friday by having a photoshoot with a friend of mine over on one of the Hilton terraces. The location worked pretty well for her costume- a Transformer. Given that it was early, things weren’t crowded yet either. Directly following that, I was off to the Hyatt to see the panel “An Hour With Tom Felton”. I got there an hour early, and being that it was the first panel of the day, we were allowed in to find seats and watch Dragon*Con TV. Dragon*Con TV was hilarious and truly entertaining. Imagine the funny bumps on Adult Swim, mixed with silly commercials and skits, and you will get the idea. It was, for lack of better phrasing, an unexpected touch of awesome. When 11:30 rolled around, the Tom Felton panel started right on time. The panel was an hour long question and answer session where fans could line up at the back of the room, step up to a mic, and ask Tom a question. It was very well run, and the questions asked were good ones. Tom was also an excellent speaker and very, very funny. The hour flew by! The staff was also vigilant to see that every seat was filled so as many people could get into the event as possible.
When the panel ended my friend and I decided to check out one of the two Exhibitor Halls—there were two Exhibitor Halls, as well as a Dealer’s Room and a Professional Artists Alley (though no fan artists alley). All of the Exhibitor/Dealer areas neat stuff to look at and buy, but they seemed to be consistently very crowded. The Dealer’s Room was probably the worst for crowding; every time I found myself in there, there would come a point when it became difficult to even move. I’m not sure there’s a better way to set things up though, and I’m not sure how a crowd control situation would fare for the area. Would people wait to get in and buy things like they would for a panel or party? We also visited the "Walk of Fame" area, where all of the guests had tables to sign. Unfortunately, a lot of autographs were pretty expensive, so if you are on a budget, be aware that most signatures will cost at least $20, and some much more. I didn't get a look at all of the prices, but did see some listed at $60 and $70. There is no list of all prices, you just have to go to the tables to find out. Everyone seemed to have signs on their tables. The lines were maybe a little confusing, and seemed to be set up with tape on the floor, but often out in the middle of the floor, so it was difficult to tell what lines were going where. Fortunately there were people on hand to offer directions.
Outside of the Dealer’s Room was the “Froggy’s Photos” area, where people could pay to get a guaranteed picture with one of the celebrity guests (or a group of them). I had bought a ticket to get a photo with Tom Felton in advance, but things were slightly confusing in the area so I ended up not getting a digital copy of the photo which I had wanted. Not the worst thing that could have happened though- I just have to scan the photo I was given. The line for the desk area was more of a crowd than a line, but I did get to speak to someone and receive directions. Unfortunately, that was also probably when I should have ordered said digital photo. Now I’ll remember for the future to ask about that as well! Getting photos taken seemed fairly organized, and the line, which was kept in a separate room, moved incredibly quickly. I recommend ordering photos in advance if this is something you would be interested in. It’s cheaper! Also, keep an eye on the website for actual schedules, they do not e-mail the times for the shoots out. After an hour I got to go back and pick up my photo, a really nice 8x10.
In the evening, my roommates and I decided to check the “An Evening in Bree” party, run by the Lord of the Rings track. Emerald Rose was playing live music, and the Lord of the Rings costume contest was to be hosted. When we arrived it seemed there was no one there waiting, but then we were told to line up. We did, thinking perhaps the room was already at capacity. After a little while we were informed that more chairs were being set up, and eventually they started letting people in, in small groups. We were pretty surprised when we finally did get in, to see that there were many, many empty chairs and the room was nowhere near full. Still, they seemed to only be letting in a few at a time with intervals in between. Emerald Rose was already playing when we got in, and there were people dancing. The band was very entertaining and the music was fun. I’m not sure how much of the set we missed while waiting to get into the room though, because it seemed almost no time before the costume contest started and the music was taking a break. I’m not terribly familiar with Lord of the Rings; it’s been a while since I’ve seen the movies, so I was admittedly a little bored with what seemed to be a very chatty host to the competition. After about an hour only two categories had finished and I decided I was tired and headed back to the room to call it a night.
Saturday started with another photoshoot, this time by the beautiful pool of the Sheraton hotel. There really are tons of wonderful places to take pictures between the four hotels, but I especially loved this spot which was totally different from anything offered anywhere else. Afterwards, I headed to the “Anime Dubbing 101” panel in the Hyatt. The panel was run by the Anime Track and hosted by Kyle Hebert. It was super silly and fun, but also informative as to how dubbing really works. I had a good time and only wish I’d gotten a chance to try my voice acting skills! This was also the first panel of the day for the room it was in, so it started right on time, and there was someone to assist with all technology needs. He was definitely knowledgeable and handy.
Later on Saturday I attended the “Voice Acting” panel, also hosted in the Hyatt. I got there about an hour early and saw no line, so I wandered a little, then returned to ask where the line would be forming. I was told it was across the hall area. Unfortunately, there were several lines over there, and I had to ask around to find out what people were waiting for to find the right one. Lots of people proceeded to ask if we were the right line, so I can safely say I wasn’t the only one who was uncertain. The panel was supposed to begin at 5:30, but didn’t actually even let in until 5:30, possibly even a few minutes after. People were seated quickly, however, and things got under way quite smoothly once the panel began. There were six voice acting guests on the panel- one was actually a surprise extra guest. I think they may have gotten all of the voice actors at the convention for the panel; it was a really nice gathering. The panel was run by the Animation Track and moderated by a man from “Voice Actors News”. He asked all of the questions, but the questions he asked were good ones, and the panelists were engaging, honest, and funny. I greatly enjoyed hearing what they had to say. The panel ended with a “Yoda-off” in which ten audience members were picked to do their best Yoda impersonation; the one with the best audience reception won a program signed by all of the panelists. There were also prizes for all of the other participants, and some random prizes tossed out into the audience. It was a fun panel. :)
Saturday was, without a doubt, the most crowded day of the convention. There were times in the Marriott when I could hardly move at all, which made me slightly claustrophobic. It also made for it to be very hot, even indoors, especially while wearing a costume with an outer layer of pleather. I think to call the crowds “a crush of people” is about as accurate as I can be. It was somewhat overwhelming, and caused me to mostly avoid the Marriott all day. I had been warned that Saturday would be crowded by people who had been to the convention before, but it was still somewhat overwhelming.
On Sunday, the crowds were much more manageable again, which was a relief. I attended the “Brigands and Buccaneers: Myth and Reality of Pirates” panel, run by the Alternate History track and moderated by author A.C. Crispin. The panel was in the Westin and let in early. A.C. Crispin and the other authors talked to people who approached them, as well as signing books and book plates. Most of the authors on the panel had dressed up in pirate garb, and they hung a pirate flag off the front of the table. The panel started right on time and was incredibly engaging. The authors obviously love pirates, and it was wonderful to hear what they had to say on the history, the myths, and the realities of them. A.C. Crispin asked most of the questions, but her questions were excellent; then at the end she opened things up for the audience to ask questions as well.
Sunday night found me and some friends hanging around the Marriot, having dinner and taking photos of more amazing cosplayers. I have to say that food was super easy at the convention. There were booths set up in most of the hotels to get things like burgers and hot dogs, and there were even a few Papa John’s pizza booths. The Hyatt and Marriott were also both directly attached to a mall food court with plenty to choose from. There were restaurants like The Hard Rock Café right in the area as well. Hard Rock actually had a set of special Dragon*Con pins that they were selling!
I went home early on Monday, and it was sad to say goodbye. I took a shuttle from my hotel to the airport. It was late picking me up, but fortunately I’d given myself a lot of time and did not run into any lines at the airport.
I can honestly say that every panel I attended was excellent; I enjoyed them all. I also saw tons of incredible cosplays, and met some really wonderful people. I would love to go back to Dragon*Con in the future, but I am not sure I will be able to. It is, unfortunately, a very expensive convention, mostly because of the hotel stay and the cost for a flight to Atlanta. But, who knows what the future holds. Maybe I will see Dragon*Con again someday! I know I have friends that I’d love to share it with.
This review was written for Jolt Photography. Do not repost without written permission.