Fan Expo Dallas has once again landed at the Kay Bailey Hutchinson Convention Center. The celebrity guests were abundant and the panels were well executed. It was hard to find anything bad about this convention. However nothing in this world is perfect so lets look at some of the good and the bad from this weekend.
The Good
The Vendors
There is always a plethora of vendors at Fan Expo Dallas who carry anything today’s geek could be looking for. There were booths for clothes and accessories, some for cooking and kitchen utensils, as well as art and prints to decorate you house with. Of course there are always comic books and toys both old and new for sale. There were so many things to see and buy that it was difficult to decide what to purchase on the budget you have.
The Celebs
There is always a great lineup of celebrities at Fan Expo and this year did not disappoint. From Chevy Chase from National Lampoons Vacation to Vivien Lyra Blair who stole our hearts as the young Leia in Kenobi the lineup did not fail to disappoint. The voice actors were also there in force.
Everyone from Jodi Benson, the voice of the Little Mermaid, to the cast of the Mario video games, there was something for fans of every genre. The openness of the autograph section was an extra added touch. Even if you could not afford the autograph of your favorite celeb you could at least wander through and see them as they signed.
James Arnold Taylor answers questions at The Clone Wars panel
Cosplay
There is never a shortage of cosplayers at Fan Expo events. There were characters from Anime and video games and of course it would not be complete with out the appearance of the 501st legion. They did a parade through the convention on Sunday morning complete with The Imperial March playing.
We can not exclude Star Trek either. Fans of the series were also there and in full costume. One of these individuals even attended Vivien Lyra Blair’s panel. He stepped up to ask his question and immediately she said “You’re dressed as the enemy”. (for coverage of her panel Click Here)
Nick Fury was one of the many cosplayers at the event
The Bad
With good always comes bad. The folks at Fan Expo put on an amazing show and it is difficult to find anything wrong with it. In fact the two things I did find wrong was well beyond the control of the Fan Expo crew
Flight Delays
Peter Weller, The actor who played Robocop, was one of the celebrities attending the con and he was supposed to have a panel on Friday evening. We were informed that his flight into Dallas had been delayed and the panel was not happening on Friday. The event coordinators were quick to remedy the situation though and moved his panel to Sunday morning so that no one would miss out. Tremendous thunderstorms on Sunday stranded fans and celebs alike for hours at DFW airports.
Crowds
Again this was completely out of the control of Fan Expo and is to be expected at an event of this scale. On Saturday there was a literal sea of people and the merchant area. The attendance for that day alone was estimated to be at least 30,000 with over 50,000 attending for the weekend. Add to that the fact that there were not enough food vendors or places to sit and eat it just made for a less than stellar experience, but again well beyond the control of the Fan Expo crew.
Saturday at the autograph area
Final Thoughts
Overall Fan Expo Dallas was an amazing event and well worth attending. The three day pass will make sure you see all there is to see and well worth the value. It is good to see that cons like this are back and people are attending in a post pandemic world.
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