Host City: Owensboro, KY
Venue: Owensboro Convention Center
Date: June 13-15, 2014
Greetings and salutations, ninjas!
You may be wondering why I seem a bit more enthusiastic than usual, given the caps in this entry's title. Well, that's because I am even more excited than normal. Every one of us convention addicts started somewhere, and OMGcon was one of the first conventions outside of my GenCon/SugoiCon bubble, back when I was still a shy, uncertain thing in regards to big events with lots of people. Yes, there was a time when Ro was shy and uncertain, and also quiet. Maybe I'll tell you about it sometime.
OMGcon held a lot of "firsts" for me. First time visiting Paducah, KY(the con's original home). First time entering a costume contest, and first time winning a costume contest(though it was purchased and assembled, not handmade, and it was in a group with my Phoenix Wright buddies). First time meeting the staff of EvilleCon, another convention that is among my perennial favorites. First time rolling up to a convention at night with windows down, sunroof open, blasting Tachikoma music. The list goes on and on.
So as this convention holds a little bit of personal significance for me, I think it suitable for me to talk a little about where it comes from before talking about this past year. Though, really, that's probably a good approach for every convention going forward. I'll have to remember that.
OMGcon - the Con, the Myth, the Legend
*Full disclosure: I'm not going to go into the myth or the legend here(though if you're interested in that, keep an eye out for my upcoming book "An Interactive Collection of Anime Convention Myths and Legends, VR Edition," to be released in a hypothetical future where I'm not addicted to League of Legends and hemorrhaging away my free time).
OMGcon started in 2006, as Paducah's very own anime convention, and one of (if not the) first anime conventions in Western Kentucky. For 8 years, it called Paducah home, growing bigger and connecting with more and more of us geeks. And though Paducah isn't a very large place, that didn't stop OMGcon from attracting guests. Greg Ayres, voice actor, frequent DJ, and overall pleasant dude, makes certain to be there every year(and usually plays the big dance parties), and his brother Chris, artists Emily and Robert DeJesus, actor Josh Grelle, and artists/awesome folks Rikki(the voice of GIR!) and Tabitha Wolfgarth-Simons are all regular guest attendees. It's really no surprise that OMGcon has been a big hit year after year, and one of my signature geek soirees for several years now. I was personally introduced to the convention thanks to the proprietor of Sew Peach, a personal friend whose business expansion at the time led her to seek out a number of anime and gaming conventions, and thus expanded my own knowledge of the scene considerably. We set up in the artist alley several years ago, and the weekend was such a blast that I've been hooked ever since.
Unfortunately, the Julian Carroll Convention Center, the riverfront location where OMGcon had moved to in 2009, lacks an adjoining hotel, or any hotels within several miles. As proximity to lodging is a big concern, this was kind of a huge issue, so in 2014 the convention bade Paducah farewell and moved northeast to Owensboro, KY. And thus, the new era of OMGcon began.
Movin' On Up(Moooovin' On Up)
Enter Owensboro. Thanks to what seems to be some pretty smart remodeling projects in recent years, Owensboro sports a shiny new waterfront district - complete with a new convention center - that is the place to be on weekends. Consequently, this also makes it a phenomenal location for my conventions. I mean, just look at this place.
And with a Hampton Inn next door(the official con hotel), housing was no longer an issue. Of course, venue changes can sometimes lead to mixups, since a new hotel or center's staff might not be familiar with our particular kinds of crowds, but from my perspective at least, everything seemed to be smooth sailing. We had a minor situation with our room getting booked out from under us, but the hotel staff gave us an extra one for our group and comped it, which was a pretty solid move on their part. It helps to know that your people are appreciated by venues, and it definitely makes you want to come back to the same place - the years that OMGcon was still in Paducah, I had similar positive experiences with the Drury Suites, which I really want to still give a shout-out to here for being awesome.
Anyway, back to this most recent OMGcon. You've heard about the past venue, and my ramblings about my own prior experiences. Now get ready to hear about the new hotness.
New and Improved Vendor Hall/Artist Alley Designs
You knew I was going to talk about it. Or at least, you should have known. OMGcon has suffered occasionally from the ever-present problem of how to situate these two hubs, with more than a few attendees in years previous having a hard time finding the artists in particular. Well, no more; not only were the two side-by-side, they were visible from the convention center's upper levels through huge windows, so even if you missed the considerable signage, you'd be hard-pressed to miss this:
Ask-a-Character Panels
I don't usually do these kinds of panels, as I'm more about the educational ones, so it was a good change of pace to stop in at a couple. The two I caught were Adventure Time and Avengers Press Conference, both hosted by quite possibly the largest cosplay panelist groups I've ever seen(with some overlap among group members between them). The major takeaway? Everybody loves BMO(duh), and Steve Rogers and Sam Wilson have an epic bromance(double duh).
Taiko Drummin'
Not the arcade game - OMGcon brings in an actual troupe of taiko drummers, equipment and all, to both give concerts and host panels teaching the audience how to play. Rolling sticks on a giant taiko drum while shouting at the top of your lungs for extra mojo? Yes please and thank you.
OMGcon Photo Booth
I'm a little surprised that I haven't seen this done before, but the official OMGcon photo booth was free-of-charge for a set of three photos every day, with attendees having the option of having extra photos taken on any given day at a small charge. Conventions frequently have photographers, but not for free, and there's definitely a different, quirky charm to booths.
Phantasy Star Online 2
If you're a fan of the Phantasy Star series, and online gaming, you're probably aware of this unicorn of shared interests that has been around for years yet sadly can't get an American release. Well, I know a guy who can help you with that. This panel, run by a longtime convention buddy of mine, went a little into the history of PSO2 - including its tale of frustration and woe in search of a North American version - and also gave audience members a how-to for getting access to the English servers. It ended with a "match the emote" game pitting volunteers against each other to copy an in-game character's actions, so naturally hilarity ensued.
GetGeeKY Disney Photo Shoot
This wasn't an official event so much as a gathering of a bunch of us like-minded geeks who already knew each other, but conventions tend to have a ton of side events like this. Sometimes they're actually listed in the events program because the staff sets certain spaces aside for open photo shoots and meet-ups, but they're just as often organized entirely by attendees wherever they can find space.
So next time you're milling about a convention with some free time, keep your eyes peeled for off-the-radar gatherings, yo.
Red Steel Owensboro High School Concert
Right what it says on the tin - some students from Owensboro High's Red Steel steel drum band came to the convention center in costume, set up their instruments in the lobby, and held a geeky concert. How awesome is that?
Question and Answer
Q: "So Ro, should I come to OMGcon?"
A: "Yes. Haven't you been paying attention?"
In all seriousness though, this really is one of my favorite shows. The programming is solid, the venues are excellent, the staff is friendly, and the general atmosphere is cozy, comfortable, and safe. So far as "places for a geek to be a geek," OMGcon shows up to the scene with a giant boombox on one shoulder, smacks you in the face with it, then proceeds to do a quintuple head-spin while your whole crew watches in awe. It's that fresh- *short-circuits, reboots, reloads 2015 lingo module*
It's that fresh, yo(I've been playing Splatoon, I can still get away with that phrasing). So come check it out, this year and every year. 2015 is the 10-year anniversary, and for the first time ever, the con has posted the event schedule ahead of time, so you even get to see the full list of happenings before you arrive. So do it. Do eeeeet. And come give me high-fives, or low-fives. Or five-dollar bills, if you'd rather.
That's it for OMGcon 2014. Until next time, this is Enthusiastic Ro, fighting the good fight.
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