Justin Russo

Convention Going 201 – Enjoying and Surviving the con

In my last post, I discussed the basics of planning and preparation in terms of budgeting to help make the con a more enjoyable and stress free experience for you. Well, in the second of this three part series we’ve come to the actual convention itself. What can you do to make it through the weekend and get the most out of your time at an anime convention while you’re there?

Before we get to the actual convention business itself, let’s back up a bit to the days leading up to the convention. You’re getting excited (don’t lie, you totally are) about the fact you will soon be spending a weekend with thousands of fellow anime fans and escaping real life for a few wonderful days, it’s only natural.

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Convention Going 101 – Planning

It seems like there is at least one anime convention going on somewhere in North America on any given weekend and while this is certainly a good thing, it can be overwhelming to someone who has never been to an anime convention before or even to someone who has been to a couple of conventions, but is still relatively new to the convention scene.

As someone who has close to 50 conventions in my con going resume ranging from super small (Pacific Media Expo) to massive (San Diego Comic Con and Anime Expo) I’ve learned plenty about attending conventions over the last 21 years. Wait, has it really been that long? It seems like just yesterday; I would say something about being old, but I’m only 42 and that’s hardly old, though some days I feel older than that. Back on topic, I want to offer some helpful advice to those of you who might be thinking of attending your first convention this year.

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Anime Los Angeles 21 – A belated recap

If I told you I went to an anime convention for four days and barely attended any programming, you’d probably assume it was a terrible con.

Honestly? Fair.

But that’s the thing about Anime Los Angeles (ALA)—it’s not the kind of convention where your weekend lives and dies by how many panels you hit. ALA has programming (mostly fan-run, aside from guest events), but for me, it’s always been about something else entirely: the people.

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