A convention and social gathering for fans of all genres, this year’s Fan Expo Canada has, quite incredibly, grown in size and, based on the first of its three-day run, attracted larger crowds than previous years. The already massive show, which consists of smaller conventions devoted to comic books and anime, science fiction and fantasy, horror and video games, has expanded with a new section devoted to board games and a larger schedule of sessions, talks, and celebrity signings.
Today was the first of its three-day run and it has already received the kind of packed crowds traditionally found on the second day of the show, the Saturday when attendees can get away from work. It would appear that the downturn in the economy has had little effect on the imagination industry, although it might also be the large gathering of celebrities the show has attracted for autograph sessions.
Mary McDonnel, Beau Bridges, Leonard Nimoy, Tony Curtis, Walter Koenig, Linda Hamilton, James Tyson Lee, and Billy Dee Williams were among many actors and directors appearing at this year’s show.
Studios and publishers filled the halls with large booths and spectacles. Disney dazzled attendees with a mock-up of its new lightcycle design for their upcoming Tron Legacy film while DC Comics handed out flashing Green Lantern rings and allowed fans to fill their bags with free comics.
Samsung, who participates annually in the Expo through the World Cyber Games video game tournament, offered attendees a chance to play games using their 3D monitors.
For most of the crowds, the bigger draw can be the smaller companies, the vendors and independent shopkeepers who’s booths, packed with rare items and unique paraphernalia, line the halls with collections as far as the eye can see. No slouch in the spectacle department, many vendors decorate their booths with wild visages and creepy characters.
Although the halls are divided into sections for each genre on paper, once the crowds fill the aisles, it can all blend together and no sooner do you walk down one aisle filled with ghouls and apparitions than you can drift into another populated with cute figurines and sweet animals.
With most conventions and trade shows, you can usually take in the sights within an hour if not less, but this year's Fan Expo has enough booths, activities, and events to carry visitors over for the entire weekend, living up to the price of its $50 weekend pass.
Stay tuned for more details from the show this weekend as I explore the Expo's side gallery for independent and student artists, it's panels and discussion sessions, and the wild displays of character costumes by many of the show's attendees who arrive dressed as their favorite characters.
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