Wow, the fall season sure is a busy one for conventions!
Not too long ago, I was able to attend Anime Blast Chattanooga. This is a third year convention located in the heart of Chattanooga, TN that is very near and dear to my heart. Anime Blast had over 1,850 paid attendees this year, which was over 200% in increase from 2012! The con staff and volunteers did a phenomenal job keeping all of the attendees happy and safe throughout the weekend.
Friday was a day of meeting up with old friends and scoping out the schedule. Several panels were going on that I really wanted to get to and I enjoyed each one! I have to say, I attended more panels at this convention than I have since at my very first convention. The panels were well thought out and were appropriate for all ages (until the “After Dark” portion of the con). Unfortunately, for me, Friday was cut short by a massive migraine.
Saturday was amazing! The day started out early and never stopped going from the time that we hit the doors. About 9AM, the convention crowd started to thicken, which made the social aspect of the convention all the more fun, and kept getting larger as the day continued. The panels were all packed out and everyone seemed to be having a really great time. So much fun was being had that some of us may have forgotten to eat until 7:30 PM, but that’s part of the fun (DISCLAIMER: 2SHOTSOFGEEK.COM DOES NOT SUPPORT BAD EATING HABITS AT CONVENTIONS!).
Of course, Saturday is Cosplay Contest day! Since this is my home convention, I always participate in the contest just for fun and sentimental reasons. I have met some of my best convention friends through contests and I always love to watch them compete, whether against me or in other categories. After the contest and dinner, my group of friends headed back to the convention and attended a few more panels.
However, the best part of the night was not had at the contest or at dinner, but rather in the hallways chatting with other cosplayers that we knew or people that are now our friends. This is why I love smaller conventions, the friendships that form out of nothing more than goofing off in the hallways. We left long after midnight and laughed most of the way home.
Sunday was a laid back day for all of us. We met back up with friends, old and new, and sat around chatting while we were not in panels or looking around the Dealer’s Room. We all had a great time and can’t wait for next year!
Be sure to visit the Anime Blast Chattanooga Website and Facebook page for all the information for 2014!
Anime Blast Chattanooga’s Official Website