Norwescon happened this weekend, the same weekend as Sakuracon. The attendee said Norwescon lost most of their vendors to Sakuracon, and attendance flagged. Sakuracon is younger, hipper, and has more expendable cash, no vendor could resist. The other woman quizzed if the competeing dates were on purpose, and the Norwescon attendee said no, that Norwescon happens on Easter weekend of every year, and Sakuracon happens whenever the convention center has an opening, as they book about a year in advance.
Edit: I've since found out this wasn't the case, that Norwescon had a boatload of attendees and vendors as always, and gathers young and old alike, as always. Whew!
On the Sakuracon note, I leave you with the mind-blowing pictures from Sakuracon by Cliff Nordman, a photographer I noticed for his amazing ECCC photography.
> The attendee said Norwescon lost most of their vendors to Sakuracon, and attendance flagged.
ReplyDeleteI don't know where this person got their information, but it sure didn't seem that way to me. Norwescon had a full (and busy) dealer's room for all four days, plus all the usual suspects at the hall tables and Artist's Alley. As for attendance flagging, it's quite the opposite -- Norwescon sold out of memberships on Saturday night, and on Sunday registration was only accepting pre-registration for next year's Norwescon 34.
Your source was more correct in that the Easter weekend conflict isn't a deliberate ploy by either con, but simply a business decision. I've [posted about the date issue][1] in an attempt to clear up some of the "con X is trying to kill con Y" rumors that float around every year about this time.
[1]: http://www.michaelhanscom.com/eclecticism/2010/03/28/norwescon-sakura-con-and-easter-weekend/
Oh excellent, thanks for clearing that up! What a relief. I am protective of Norwescon because its been thrilling my friends for decades. Your blog looks great I'm going to read more!
ReplyDeleteThanks! I'm working on a post-con report, and I'll be getting photographs posted to the [Norwescon Flickr account][1], but not for a few days or possibly a couple weeks. I was the con photographer this year, and have almost 4500 shots to sift through, so it's going to take a little time. :)
ReplyDelete[1]: http://www.flickr.com/photos/norwescon/
YAY!!! Wow thank you, I love cosplay n con photos the most! I hope you dont mind if I wind up posting a couple here w/ full linkage/credit =^-^= These are great!
ReplyDeleteNope, won't mind at all! I'll try to remember to swing back by here to let you know when they're up, but my apologies in advance if I space it. Feel free to drop me a line (michael.hanscom@gmail.com) to give me a poke if it seems necessary. ;)
ReplyDeleteMichael is right about the crowded dealers room and the attendance at Norwescon. Also many of the vendors have space at both of the conventions.
ReplyDeleteBoth conventions are great.
Sakura Con and Norwescon are completely different conventions. I don't agree that it's a matter of hipness, though there's no denying that the crowd is younger. There are a lot more older professionals attending Norwescon and they have tons of disposal income.
There is some crossover for fans and it's sad that some people have to make a choice about which convention to attend. But most people who attend Sakura Con are not interested in what Norwescon has to offer and most who attend Norwescon are not very interested in what Sakura Con has to offer.
That's good to know - I was wondering what sort of merch crossover there could be - its just what I overheard and now I'm kicking myself for not asking more. It's a relief to know Norwescon is going strong!
ReplyDelete