Is the fledgling comic con created by Steve Wozniak the model that conventions should follow in the future?
Now in its second year, I once again marveled at the SVCC and how unlike most modern conventions it is. I ended up spending my time not just checking out the panels and showroom, but thinking about why I felt this con was something special that everyone should check out. And here are my 5 main reasons that the Silicon Valley Comic Con isn’t just special, but you should take the time to visit.
1. It’s not commercialized
Many of the younger convention goers that are reading this may not remember, but fan conventions used to basically be a place for fans to get together, meet their icons, show off their passions through art and costuming, and shop for all sorts of stuff. And while all of that still happens at cons, it is often overshadowed by the major distributors of these fan-loved series and products using the convention scene as a place to hype and market. At SVCC, there are no presentations dedicated to make you want to watch or read or play the new products. No one is going to use this occasion to try and sell you something you’re probably already hyped for (not that the bigger cons that do are bad, it’s just nice to have a more classic experience). You’re probably wondering then, what makes SVCC so special if it doesn’t have that? Well…
2. It’s filled with stuff for the high tech aspirations
One of the most prominent groups at the con this year was NASA itself. Not only did they have a section on the showroom floor to check out the new tech they’ve developed, they filled the weekend with all sorts of panels showcasing new ideas and behind-the-scene developments in aeronautic designs, as well as the hopes and ideas they have for the plans to make it to Mars. Plus, one of the featured guests of the con was legendary astronaut Buzz Aldrin himself. And that’s just one group. On Friday night, William Shatner introduced a panel of women in the S.T.E.M. fields to discuss not only that, but encouraging more young people, especially girls, to pursue those careers if that’s their passion. Adam Savage, Kari Byron and Tori Belleci of the Mythbusters were on hand, not only for autographs but to answer science inquiries. The feature film Contact was screened with live commentary by SETI scientists. And that’s just the tip of the iceberg of science enjoyment at the con. Not that artistic types are excluded because…
3. Many of the presentations encourage fans to pursue their dreams in the creative arts
As you can read in my profile here on site, I’m also an indie author. And I spent a sizable chunk of my con experience checking out the many panels about being a writer and breaking in now with the modern use of tech and the internet. And I probably learned more about that part of my career than I did back in school, mainly because of the honest and to-the-point presentations. And that’s just in my personal interests. While exploring, I attended stuff on cosplay and costume making, producing fan films, and other such topics. In fact, one of the last panels I attended was about how to use your passion and fandom to forge a career in becoming just like the people you follow and admire. And it all works so well because…
4. The fans are treated like equals
Whether it’s at a celebrity’s session like I attended with horror icon Robert Englund, talking about the pros and cons of the modern publishing world, or fan panel talks about good and bad reboots, the fans were treated with the utmost respect, allowed to raise hands and ask questions, or being immediately open to the questions right away. In this way, the crowd felt less like a group of anonymous people and more like a collection of peers getting information from the featured people. It’s rare to have an experience like that at a convention when meeting those who are referred to as guests. And last, but not least…
5. The tech of the con is the wave of the future
Most attendees, like last year, got to wear scannable chip wristbands that you tapped when entering and exiting, and this year, despite my not getting a program, it didn’t matter because they’ve developed the SVCC app for mobile devices. This handy app not only let me see the schedule, guests and map of the convention, but allowed me to add what I wanted to see to my own personal schedule, and with a simple tap I was shown exactly where on the map a panel or event was occurring. And these tech measures, I imagine, will start to catch on in other cons.
There are, of course, plenty of other things to see and do, like meeting celebrities for autographs and photos, the massive video game area, the artist alley where fans sell their wares. But the five reasons I’ve listed are the ones that I think make this con worth attending alongside some of the biggest in the industry. If you can, next year make time to come to San Jose and see what the future of fan conventions should be.
