Convention Reviews: OMGCon 2013

Registration at 9 a.m. friday.

                OMGCon is a small con held in the convention center in Paducah, Kentucky. It's widely known as Relaxacon to the people who attend. It's a really mellow type of convention. If you enjoy hanging out and discussing fandoms more than just going for cosplay, this is a convention that you'd enjoy. Due to it being small and mellow, this will probably be my shortest convention review. So let me just cover the pros and cons. 

                First pro is the staff. They're nice, friendly, and extremely helpful in a personal manner. They don't feel like staff - which in a con setting this small, is very welcoming. They're not intimidating or overwhelming like staff at other cons. They seem to really enjoy their jobs. Attendees having a good time is their top priority. I'm giving their staff a 10/10. 

                Now the first and biggest disadvantage isn't the convention's fault, but it should be mentioned so that those reading this review and plan to attend will know what to expect. OMG Con is held at the only convention center in Paducah - but there's no attached hotels - most places to stay are 1-3 miles away. This isn't their fault - there used to be a hotel connected to the convention center but it was torn down about 4 years ago. This makes for room parties and costume changes to be a bit of an inconvenience. Unfortunately, they can't do anything about it. So if you enjoy everything being in one place and intense room parties - this is probably not a convention you'll be interested in. Though despite this blip, the con has continued to grow over the years. 

                Another good thing about OMGCon is how relaxing it is. If you are wanting a convention that breaks from the hustle that most cons have - this is a convention for you. Most of the attendees are extremely friendly and everyone hangs out with everyone. It's a great convention for making new friends. I consider it my "break" convention cause of how relaxing it is. And nobody judges anyone at this convention, you can be out of costume and still have a fantastic experience. 

This cosplay made my entire weekend. Ed, Edd, and Eddie.

                A slight disadvantage this year was that a lot of the vendors and activities that used to be there every year - did not return this year. I don't remember exactly what had happened last year - but several refused to return and it seemed to upset quite a few attendees to realize their continuous favorites were gone. Also artist alley was banned from selling fanart so it seemed a lot less active. Several attendees said this year was really lacking in the department of activities and panels. I personally enjoyed the panels this year though. Yet, this review is unbiased and not my personal experience, so it was necessary to mention this. 

                The final good thing about OMGCon is their organization. They found a system that works, and have kept it consistent every year. It makes it so you always know where stuff is and you know what to expect each year. It's very spacious and they know how to keep things flowing. 

The large open game room

Vendor hall

The nicely organized lines for pre-reg and at-the-door registration

One of the most popular panels at OMGCon - Mock Combat with Christopher Ayres.

                Now to cover the part I enjoy discussing when it comes to small conventions. The part about what distance the convention is worth traveling for. If you're a local to Paducah, then definitely come and attend - you'll make several new friends which is hard to do in a small town. Distances of up to 3-4 hour drives is where I begin to waver on whether to attend - if you have friends that will be there - then the distance is worth traveling because you'll get to spend a lot of time with those friends. If you don't know anyone and are expecting a decent and active convention, I wouldn't recommend driving 4-5 hours for this convention. This is a convention that is for relaxing and paying homage to your favorite fandoms. It's a great convention, but it's probably not worth the drive if you don't know anyone.

                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 because they have more funds to spread. 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...here's the rating:

Convention Staff and Security: 10/10

Cosplay Variety Range:  7/10

Convention Activity Level: 8/10

 Convention Panels Level: 9/10

Registration Line: 8/10

Attendance Growth: 5/10

Convention Uniqueness: 7/10

Convention Layout: 9/10

Convention friendly level: 10/10

Convention Space Utilization: 10/10

Other Issues and problems worthy of point deduction: 0

Total Points: 83/100 Points
Overall Rating: 83%
Convention Grade: B