Comic Con Antwerp 2017
More and more conventions are popping up in Belgium and a new one has entered the scene in Antwerp. Before, there was a con called Antwerp Convention but it was postponed indefinitely. With Comic Con Antwerp, yet a new event is held in this ‘capital’ city. As it is organised by the same people from Comic Con Gent, Comic Con Brussel and Elftopia, it is clear that they already have some experience in the convention world, but will they also succeed in bringing one to life in Antwerp?
The con was held on the same location as GameForce at its earlier days, so it wasn’t unknown territory. We were kind of curious on how the organisation divided these two halls and truth be told, there might be some improvements here and there. First of all, there wasn’t any area to sit down and rest for a while, which is actually the biggest nuisance of the day. Even at the stage, there wasn’t anything foreseen while there were quite some activities that took longer than five minutes. Also, as there were a lot of cosplayers, it would have been nice for them to have a bit of room to rest their feet after running around in an elaborate costume. Even outside, where the food stalls were located, wasn’t any seating possibilities provided. Yes, there were some high party tables, but that’s not enough to rest some of the worned-out attendants. At least the weather was great to relax a bit just outside the convention but still, this shouldn’t be the only possibility.
There were quite some stands, in both of the rooms, where you could find a lot of merchandise. As it is a comic con, it is normal to find more comic-related shops, but it was a bit of an overkill. Also, some of the stands were shrouded in shadow due to the bad lighting. This location is not really the brightest place and although the organisation tried their best to light up the place, it just felt more like a ‘bunker’ than a pleasant day off. At least the organisation invited quite some guests which were available for autographs and a talk, which is always nice. Of course, cosplayers were also present and made everything so much more colorful. Some of them also competed on the catwalk, showing off your work is always great in front of an audience. It would have been nice if there was a bit more room around the stage, as the contestants stood in the crowd and there wasn’t much space on exiting as well, blocking the view for quite some attendants.
Drinks could be obtained on two locations, while all the food stalls were outside. This means that, if you wanted to get something to eat or drink, you had to go outside or find that one bar. The advantage of having everything centralized at one location is that you have a direct overview of what the convention offers, but it might be a bit tedious to go outside to grab a bite and then continue your tour inside. This is just a small remark though, but can be marked as annoying by some people.
Truth be told, while the above may sound negative, the organisation worked with the means they received. The location isn’t ideal, but they filled up the halls quite nicely and offered a lot of merchandise in a fairly tiny spot. There were rather big names attending the convention, and the cosplay part was properly represented, thus the main components were all there, but the location, the spreading of the food and drink options and perhaps the many similar booths overshadowed an otherwise decently organised event. We hope to see this convention move to the location Antwerp Convention allowing it to unfold properly with a great venue at its disposal. We have no doubt this will bring a lot more expenses, as these halls are a bit more suited for a convention such as this, but it would allow a lot more people to fully enjoy the event.
Conclusion
All in all, it was the first time it was held on this location and in general it wasn’t a bad experience but it would have been nice if there was a bigger variety of wares and seatings so people could rest or enjoy their lunch instead of having to sit on the ground outside of the convention. It has to get some tweaking here and there, which would improve the experience for the attendants a lot.
Comic Con Antwerp 2017,
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