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| Main convention floor for Hamacon |
Hamacon
is a small convention tucked away in the city of Huntsville, Alabama. This was
the convention's fourth year and the best one they've had so far. This is my
first small convention review, so I'm excited. Yet since it's a small
convention, the review will be shorter. Overall I had a very fun time at
Hamacon 4. Without further ado, here's the pro/con style of review you've all
grown accustomed to from me.
First
advantage of Hamacon is their staff. This was quite a relief after dealing with
Anime Central. Their staff wasn't overwhelming to be around nor were they
offensively large in numbers. You felt you had your freedom around the
convention, but when you did need a staff member - you knew exactly where to
find them. They were very enthusiastic, helpful, considerate, and knew how to handle
themselves as well as situations that arose. I had mentioned to one of the
staff members doing registration about my long drive and how the last event I
went to was less than satisfactory in just general conversation. Yet it blew me
away when that same staff member found me later that night to check up on me
and make sure I was having a good time - they had no idea I was a reviewer
either so they just thought they were checking on an attendee. That's the kind
of dedication you can expect from the staff at Hamacon. I'd rate their staff a
9.5 out of 10 on the scale.
The
first problem I'd say that Hamacon had was the convention layout. It wasn't a
huge problem, but the layout was confusing despite mostly all being inside one
room. They had signs hanging from the ceiling to announce where things were -
but unfortunately most attendees didn't think to look up. That made it
difficult for Artist Alley the first day because they were tucked away behind a
wall of black cloth that most attendees mistook for a barrier that meant the
con space was over at that mark. Luckily for the event, attendees that found
where things were would tell others where everything was and by Friday night
the layout confusion was reduced and activities flourished.
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| Layouts. Main convention hall (pic 1). Dealer room (pic 2). Main Events room (pic 3). Event circle (pic 4). |
Even so, the fact most events were all inside
a large room divided by fabric walls made the convention seem a lot smaller
than it actually was - especially because a large portion right in the middle
of the room was set aside for these character battles that when the battles
weren't happening just made the event look empty and bland. The battles were
quite distinctive though and actually got featured on the local news. It was a
unique layout though, so if you like cons that are completely different from
all the rest - you'd probably really enjoy this layout. I'd give their layout
and utilization of space a 5 out of 10.
Another
big pro of this small convention would be the one of their kind activities they
had for all different ages. They really thought about accommodating activities
that would be appropriate for several different age groups. This was the first
convention that I went to that actually had a coloring book area set up to give
young attendees something to do during down time. Although, hilariously - most
of the time the people taking advantage of the coloring books and etc were us
adults. It was probably my favorite spot to just chill and relax with other
attendees at. They also respectfully had areas set aside for older attendees as
well. They had a giant battle arena set up where you could make certain people
in character outfits duke it out sort of like a live-action Yu-Gi-Oh battle.
Even the anime viewing rooms had a unique twist to them. Not only did they show
anime, but they'd have discussions about the anime episodes afterwards. This is
a great way to get people to start participating and socializing. The favorite
battle monster was usually the Dalek from Doctor Who. They knew their audience
quite well when organizing this event because there was definitely a large
variety of age groups. I'm going to give their panels and activities 10 out of
10.
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| Activities: Chalk drawings (pic 1), Coloring book tables (pic 2), I suck at coloring LOL (pic 3), Battle Arena (pic 4) |
Another
small disadvantage that was somewhat related to the first one was that the
space they had for the convention was huge. Usually this would be seen as a
good thing, but because of the way the convention was laid out, the fact that
it was in such a large space made the convention appear to be a lot smaller
than it actually was. When you'd enter the main con space - which was just one
giant room, you'd see groups of people in only two of the sections. My initial
impression upon walking into the con space was that the event was extremely
small and that most people were bored out of their minds and just sitting
around because they ran out of things to do. Yet upon further observation I
quickly realized that this was how the convention was laid out, and that the
attendees were having a ton of fun and had chosen those two areas as the peak
points for socialization and that there was much, much more going on at the
convention than what it appeared. Even so, because they had so much space, it
still gave off the appearance that the convention was much smaller than it
really was. This could also be an advantage if you're the type of congoer who
enjoys a lack of crowding at an event. If the event were to grow by 2,000
attendees for next year, there would still be a lack of crowding. I give space
utilization for this con a 6 out of 10.
Another
benefit of Hamacon was the attendees themselves. Every con I run a test where I
take a good amount of time off from cosplaying and roam around in normal
clothing to see how attendees react to a non-cosplayer. Most of the time when I
do this, I get disapproving stares from attendees and get avoided simply
because they assume I'm not a cosplayer which makes me feel alienated. At
Hamacon that was not the case. Attendees were friendly to everyone - I was
approached for conversations even when I was just walking around in a T-shirt
and jeans. My level of fun at Hamacon didn't decrease just because I wasn't in
cosplay. That tells me that the attendees are more interested in making new
friends, discussing fandoms, and having fun rather than putting all their focus
towards cosplay. It was a nice change of pace and made me feel the way I did
when I first began attending conventions - which was a long time ago and back
then there were a lot less cosplayers at events. Yet even the cosplayers were
extremely friendly, helpful, and supportive of each other. Cosplay bullying was
almost nonexistent at Hamacon 4. I give the attendees friendliness and respect
for one another a 10 out of 10.
I've
basically run out of disadvantages for this convention at this point, but I
will mention a slight disruption that limited activities for a while. Saturday
night a severe thunderstorm overtook the convention within minutes. It came out
of nowhere so quickly that a lot of cosplayers and attendees that were outside
chatting or doing photo shoots at the beautiful location were unable to make it
back inside before it started pouring. Tons of people got drenched and I'm
guessing at least one person's costume got ruined. They had to shuffle everyone
inside and keep people away from the doors for about an hour. Even so, there
was so much stuff going on inside that it did not halt the convention or cause
any true issue. Everyone pretty much went inside and went into the dealer room,
panel rooms, or the coloring book area. This was an unforeseen disadvantage and
thus I can't with good conscious deduct points from the convention on this
because it was completely out of their hands and their amazing staff handled
the situation beautifully. There are two more good things I wish to mention
after this, but I've run out of issues to discuss - which as a reviewer who
likes to see a convention do well - it is a very good thing when I run out of
issues to mention.
Another
really good thing about the convention was the location. The hotel and
convention center as well as the surrounding flora and decor were amazing for photo
shoots. There were lakes and even a paved stream with a fountain that stretched
under the skywalk like the rivers in ancient Italy that were absolutely
breathtaking. The cosplays at this convention were also extraordinary. Usually
at smaller conventions you expect to see more average level costumes, but at
Hama the costumes were intricate, diverse, and extremely detail orientated that
even the judges for the costume contest were boasting about how difficult
judging was going to be because the costumes were so well made.
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| Some of the fantastic cosplays at Hamacon. Picture credits go to Mage Teevee Sho. |
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| The Cosplay Contest winners. They all really put in so much effort to their costumes. Lets give them and all the contests a round of applause. |
Lastly,
the rave was handled superbly. The convention made good efforts to keep the
convention center well air-conditioned which was fantastic since it was almost
90 degrees outside all weekend. The fact it was nice and cool inside made it so
almost nobody left the rave. Usually at conventions the raves get so hot and
sweaty that people are constantly shuffling in and out to get breaths of air -
but not at Hamacon. People went into the rave and they stayed in it. I only saw
about 10 people leave the rave and it was only to get water and go back in. The
music in the rave was anime and video game based as well which kept people
excited hoping that something from their favorite shows would be included in
the lineup.
Overall
Hamacon was a very well put together small convention. From the guests, the
attendees, staff, activities, and the location - they did their convention
right. Here's where I get to touch base on the segment that will be included in
my reviews of all small conventions, and since this is the first small
convention I've got to review, this will be a first time additional segment so
I'm excited about covering it.
Small
conventions are extremely unique from each other and so it's extremely hard to
determine which ones are worth traveling out to - especially if you plan on
traveling a very long distance to go to them. This next segment will be my
opinion on whether a small convention is worth attending from local standpoints
and for those who are planning to travel a far distance for the event to
possibly either aid in your decision to attend and to give you a little
preparation on what to expect.
Hamacon
is a fantastic convention to attend if you live in the Huntsville area. If
you're a local and an otaku, I highly recommend this convention. If you live at
least a 2-3 hour drive away such as Nashville, Birmingham, Memphis, or Chattanooga
and enjoy the smaller conventions, I also highly recommend this convention to
be added to your list for future cons to attend. If you live a lot further away
such as 5 hour drives or more my opinion starts to waver - it is an excellent
event, but at that distance it's not as much worth attending unless you have
friends that are going who you plan to meet up with. If you live far enough
away that you have to fly to the convention and pay over $200 for the flight,
I'd recommend waiting a few more years for the con to grow before spending that
sort of money to attend Hamacon. Also,
if you're a big of wild and crazy small cons - usually referred to as
"party cons" - then this convention is probably not the convention
for you. Yes this convention is small, but it focuses more on the fandom than
outrageous drunken fun because as I stated before, this is a convention for all
ages so the crazy parties are limited. If you're more a fan of larger
conventions with tons of rooms and a large number of attendees - this is also
not a convention for you, at least not at this point in time. It will grow
eventually though, so don't automatically write this convention off - just put
it in the category of "has amazing potential, but it won't be my taste of
convention for at least another two years" and keep your ears peeled for
further statistics for Hamacon.
This
concludes my first review of a small convention. There will be two more small
conventions added to my list of reviews by the end of the month because my next
two events are OMGCon in Paducah, KY and Anime Blues Con in Memphis. I'm
looking forward to attending both events and I hope you all are looking forward
to my future reviews.
So let's
rack up the points now and give this convention its rating. Small conventions
are rated a bit differently than large conventions so some categories have
changed. Guests' rating has been removed because small events have more limited
funds and it would be unfair to judge them on the amount and variety of guests
that big conventions should be rated on.
Con Space Utilization has been added because smaller events usually have
smaller locations, less space, and are new to organizing a convention floor and
thus they should be rated on how they handled that hurdle. Without further
ado...
Hamacon 4 Convention Rating Breakdown:
Convention Staff and Security: 9.5/10
Cosplay Variety Range:
10/10
Convention Activity Level: 10/10
Convention Panels
Level: 8/10
Registration Line: 8/10
Attendance Growth: 6/10
Convention Uniqueness: 8/10
Convention Layout: 5.5/10
Convention friendly level: 10/10
Convention Space Utilization: 6/10
Other Issues and problems worthy of point deduction: 0
Total Points:
81/100 Points
Overall Rating: 81%
Convention Grade: B
Overall Rating: 81%
Convention Grade: B
Review written and conducted by: Abra Gauthier (Warkified
Chocobo) of NerConEct
Several photos used provided by Mage Teevee Sho - Check them
out or follow them on their facebook: Mage Teevee Show Facebook Page
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