F.A.C.T.S. 2014
We’re already October and the end of the year is getting closer. This means that it is time to give you some extra information about F.A.C.T.S. This convention is probably one of the most popular sci-fi, comic and anime festival in the Benelux. Last year was a special edition and the organisation did a big effort, but how was it this year?
The convention was hyped a lot and it really showed, seeing the halls were packed with fans of all kinds of geekiness! Although the queues might have been long, you were ‘served’ quite fast. F.A.C.T.S. was held in one major hall and the workshops, clubs and performances were located in a smaller hall. There was another small hall where the cosplay event was situated. This arrangement might be better than last year, because the events and the cosplay competition were separated. This means that the attendants that were interested in the competitions, had a full room for themselves. It has to be said, it seems that there weren’t that much cosplayers present this edition. If you were dressed, you could get your photo taken so you could get a souvenir.
The main hall was packed with shops that were filled with anime, sci-fi, comic books and other collectibles. Although some of the booths had similar items, the prices were quite high at times. There were a lot of the same shops as last year and a lot of them were on the same spot, so frequent visitors were able to find their trusted shops once again. For some this might sound quite dull, whilst other frequent customers might find this fun and easy. Another remark is that a lot of shops looked more like a second hand shop, which might be great to get some deals, but it creates the impression of a market instead of a convention.
Also in the main hall there was an area that held some game developers and there were some famous cartoonists and artists as well, showing off their work and giving you information. If you wanted to play some games, this was also an option. For example Nintendo offered you the chance to play Pokemon X and Y and Super Smash Bros for the 3DS, whilst Ubisoft offered you the chance to try out some upcoming releases.
Walking around might be tiring but luckily there were quite some possibilities to sit down. There were benches and seats in the center of the main hall and at the side was a food bar with some chairs. The upper restaurant was open, so you could get some nomnoms there as well. You could also bring your own snack if you wanted to.
If you ventured through the main hall, you could also go to the smaller area. This room was filled with workshops and film props. This area might be a bit too small as the main hall is huge in comparison to this one. It would be better to have a bit more activities rather than the multiple shops with similar items.
A lot of visitors want to get a glimpse of some famous actors. This year, F.A.C.T.S. invited Christopher Judge (Teal’c from Stargate SG1) and Carrie Fisher (Princess Leia from Star Wars) to give you a few examples. It is great to see your idol but if you wanted to get an autograph, you needed to pay a fee. This didn’t scare a lot of people when we saw the waiting lines.
There is one small remark though with infrastructure. It would be great if there were more trash cans. It was a pain to find one and if you finally saw one, it was cramped and overflowing with rubbish.
This edition was great, but if you went last year, there wasn’t that much new to see. I truly hope the organisation keeps working on certain points so it keeps on growing and getting better.
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