Before we get into it, these are my thoughts and experiences at Phoenix Fan Fusion. You may have had a similar experience or maybe you had a wildly different experience but this is mine. With that said, I had a GREAT time! Let’s break it down by day:
Friday: I arrived downtown around 9:40AM and parked at the Regency garage (which for my money, is the most convenient parking garage). I picked up my kid’s sidekick badge at the Adams and 2nd St with exactly zero wait. I think the the badge shipping really helped, as I didn’t see much of a wait at any point during the weekend. I then had to pick up my press badge all the way down on 5th St which was a little cumbersome but not the end of the world. Finally made it to the lobby of the exhibit hall 2 minutes before the opening. There was a nice sized crowd waiting to enter and within seconds the crowd manage to empty the lobby. My day consisted of walking the exhibit hall, collecting a comic book signature, checking out a few panels and ultimately enjoying a meal outside of the con.
Saturday: It felt like Saturday got off to a sloooow start. I took various 10 second videos from different vantage points of the convention and it felt like it took some time to really ramp up.
Sunday: Sunday was a pretty quick visit, maybe only 3 hours but it was spent finishing off walking every aisle in the exhibit hall and snapping pics of cosplay. Sunday also felt pretty busy, especially in the back left corner by the Star Wars area.
That was a high level recap of what I was able to do at the con but let’s touch on a few pros and cons. Let’s get the cons out of the way: If we are going to have to go thru security check points, at least make it consistent. After a few trips past security, subsequent visits where a roulette of whether or not I was going to have get my bag checked or if they were going to waive me through. Even the DSLR camera uproar was a point of contention with security as I had one with a removable lens and twice I had security debate themselves if I was allowed to bring it in. I realize the security is separate company from the convention and the convention center but hey, any one involved is eligible to end up in this spot.
My second con will show up on the article every year until I get it back: BRING BACK THE HALL OF HEROES! Okay, so I am sure its some sort of combination of a way to save money or maybe not enough vendors but man, being able to split the crowd between the third floor and bottom floor helps so much. Maybe next year? If I had to pick between the return of Thursday or the return of the Hall of Heroes, I think I would pick the Hall of Heroes.
Pros: Programming! From the TMNT film screenings, the silent discos, the wrestling event, laser tag, escape rooms, there was just a lot to offer. I know some of the events required an additional ticket but for the big price of the badge this year, I really felt there was a lot of things to do to get your money’s worth.
My second pro and I think the most important is that everything just seemed smooth. No long waits for badge pickup or security, no fire alarm, no shut down, and no drama I was made aware of.
Overall, I had an enjoyable three days and the things I had to complain about were really not that big of deal in the grand scheme of things. Really good panels, programming, guests, and cosplayers. Speaking of cosplay, I put together a gallery of all the cosplayers I took photos of which you can check out right here.
I would be remiss if I didn’t mention the MVP of the weekend: Optimum Nutrition Amino Energy! They were handing out free drinks all weekend. If you follow me on Twitter you know how much I love free drinks at conventions.
Legion of Sand 