Convention

My second ever con fell on my birthday weekend and as such a group of 6 of us took to Glasgow for some time away to nerd-up and chill-out. This time I decided to give cosplay a go and spent the summer on and off planning and building myself a reasonable Adrian Toombes (“Vulture”; Spiderman: homecoming) costume. It’s not the most amazing but given that it was my first go at this I am quite proud. The con itself was another exciting demonstration of the vast array of nerdery and the cosplay lived up to this.

Hero Conventions’ Edinburgh Comic Con was a first for me on two grounds. Firstly, it was my first ever con (or simply anything like it) and, secondly, it was my first time going anywhere with a press pass. I was both excited and nervous as well as slightly unsure what to expect on either account. One of the biggest things which struck me was the shear inclusivity of it all. There are certain stereotypes about gender which are totally smashed by the diversity of the attendees and that was utterly wonderful to see (though, I suppose a little saddening that I found that note-worthy!).

Day 2 of the UK Games Expo is done and dusted.  It was a little less manic for me than Day 1, I didn’t really leave the Hilton tournament rooms all day; but I still didn’t get home until gone 1am this morning.  Here are my highlights:

Well, Day 1 of the UK Games Expo is in the bag. I’m back home, utterly exhausted, but very very happy.  Here, in no particular order, are my highlights of Day 1, and games to keep an eye out for if you’re heading down over the weekend.

You know that sound?

That ‘gnnnhhh’ sound?

The one that you do in earshot of young children when you have just stepped on a piece of Lego and don't want to use profanity?

Well imagine the sound of dozens of adults having to crawl on hands and knees in a 20 foot square pit of Lego bricks some 6 inches deep. 

Many a profanity was uttered, which must help the makers of Denmark’s finest toy fulfill their remit of educating children through play. I would suggest they didn't really mean like that though.

A university may seem an odd choice of a venue for a convention but, on reflection, it has all the necessary facilities that a convention requires. There are large lecture theatres and stages for guest interviews, sports halls for trader zones and signings, large outdoor spaces for attendees to show off their meticulously crafted costumes, and innumerable other spaces that can be re-purposed for photo ops, workshops and all manner of other activities. So, congratulations on the choice of venue. Truly inspired.

Having reached the tender age of 21, The Sci Fi Ball (formerly Starfleet Ball) has now left its hometown in Bournemouth and headed out towards pastures new. In this case, the pasture is that of The Grand Harbour hotel. The Grand Harbor is an impressive venue on the seafront of Southampton overlooking the ferry ports which, for this weekend, would serve as a haven for hundreds of Sci Fi, Fantasy and Comic fans.

This past weekend saw the Raddisson Blu Edwardian Heathrow Conference Centre taken over by this year's NineWorlds Geekfest. Unlike most other UK conventions, NineWorlds is a multitrack residential convention that covers a ridiculous number of fandoms over the course of a weekend. There truly is something for everyone whether you're into Cosplay or Comics, Game of Thrones or Doctor Who, LARP or Board Games, Food or Knitting, Future Tech or Podcasting there are panels and activities for you.

After a whole day in bed variously sleeping and hacking up chunks of lung, I'm almost feeling human enough to give a brief account of our weekend away at the Sci-Fi Weekender 4.