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Seriously about the fans
Fan Expo Philadelphia 2024 seriously proves they are for / about the fans. Going way beyond a traditional comic con / fan expo. Every year, from the moment I leave, can't wait until the next one (as of this article only 375 days!). Always curious how it will evolve / improve. Curious? Several reasons for Fan Expo Philadelphia making this extremely short list.
Community: Fan Expo goes beyond Pennsylvania Convention Center. Having After / Before Hours events (Aloft Hotel / Federal Chicken and Donuts) including local businesses. Reason I am planning an overnight in 2025, have to get gull experience!
Layout: 2024 I noticed an improvement on overall layout. Even though Saturday is always packed, there was enough room to maneuver / walk around with few choke points. Moving Food court area outside of main floor definitely helped. I always do a straight line for Artist Alley. Walk in / make a quick right / right there. Celebrities / Autographs / Photo-Ops were placed towards the back. This provides all guests a way to experience the entire expo / highlight vendors and artists. Large hanging signs help people navigate to their top priorities. Trust me, this is a definite maze, after a few hours walking around found new vendors / artists. Main Suggestion is in this category: move Creator Stage off to one side. Attended a discussion on Comic Book Self-Publishing, Saturday. It was hard to hear with crowd noise.
Cosplay: A Cosplay red carpet allowed everyone to feel like a celebrity / model. This was one of my top priorities to experience / photograph (after Artist Alley). Check photos / videos to see the amount of people in costumes!
Crew / Volunteers: Arriving around 10:30, decided to wait for the line to go down. Main entrance to Fan Expo Philadelphia was on Broad Street. Waited on steps around the corner. Counted 3 block breaks in the line before I merged with the traffic. Block break: break in crowd long enough for red light. Line: at least 4 blocks long. Entering Crew / Volunteers made sure line moved fast, was surprised how quick I was in the building. Security was a top priority including a cosplay props check to make sure no weapons were brought in. Metal detectors / bag check right off. Crew / Volunteers were easily seen throughout the expo. Very helpful / making announcements when necessary.
The "going way beyond part" also includes ways to take a break. Trust me, you will need one spending the day here. Honestly, plan at least 4 - 5 hours depending on your priority list. A Gaming section (tabletop / video) is a great way to sit down / maybe find a new favorite game. Sensory Room to give people a break from possible overload (crowd / noise / amount to do). Japanese video arcade for another break in the action. I really did pick the wrong day to hit the asphalt (see below), always next year...
Important Note here: Due to a fall in Lehigh Valley before arriving in Philadelphia, pain factor mid to extreme level throughout the day. Serious apology for not having more photos / video clips of different aspects. Despite pain, seriously had an incredible time and met a lot of great people / vendors / artists.
Very special Thank You to everyone involved with making Fan Expo Philadelphia 2024 an incredible experience. Again, I can't wait for Fan Expo Philadelphia 2025. Probably forgetting a few more points. Scroll down to check video article / photos / videos.
Community: Fan Expo goes beyond Pennsylvania Convention Center. Having After / Before Hours events (Aloft Hotel / Federal Chicken and Donuts) including local businesses. Reason I am planning an overnight in 2025, have to get gull experience!
Layout: 2024 I noticed an improvement on overall layout. Even though Saturday is always packed, there was enough room to maneuver / walk around with few choke points. Moving Food court area outside of main floor definitely helped. I always do a straight line for Artist Alley. Walk in / make a quick right / right there. Celebrities / Autographs / Photo-Ops were placed towards the back. This provides all guests a way to experience the entire expo / highlight vendors and artists. Large hanging signs help people navigate to their top priorities. Trust me, this is a definite maze, after a few hours walking around found new vendors / artists. Main Suggestion is in this category: move Creator Stage off to one side. Attended a discussion on Comic Book Self-Publishing, Saturday. It was hard to hear with crowd noise.
Cosplay: A Cosplay red carpet allowed everyone to feel like a celebrity / model. This was one of my top priorities to experience / photograph (after Artist Alley). Check photos / videos to see the amount of people in costumes!
Crew / Volunteers: Arriving around 10:30, decided to wait for the line to go down. Main entrance to Fan Expo Philadelphia was on Broad Street. Waited on steps around the corner. Counted 3 block breaks in the line before I merged with the traffic. Block break: break in crowd long enough for red light. Line: at least 4 blocks long. Entering Crew / Volunteers made sure line moved fast, was surprised how quick I was in the building. Security was a top priority including a cosplay props check to make sure no weapons were brought in. Metal detectors / bag check right off. Crew / Volunteers were easily seen throughout the expo. Very helpful / making announcements when necessary.
The "going way beyond part" also includes ways to take a break. Trust me, you will need one spending the day here. Honestly, plan at least 4 - 5 hours depending on your priority list. A Gaming section (tabletop / video) is a great way to sit down / maybe find a new favorite game. Sensory Room to give people a break from possible overload (crowd / noise / amount to do). Japanese video arcade for another break in the action. I really did pick the wrong day to hit the asphalt (see below), always next year...
Important Note here: Due to a fall in Lehigh Valley before arriving in Philadelphia, pain factor mid to extreme level throughout the day. Serious apology for not having more photos / video clips of different aspects. Despite pain, seriously had an incredible time and met a lot of great people / vendors / artists.
Very special Thank You to everyone involved with making Fan Expo Philadelphia 2024 an incredible experience. Again, I can't wait for Fan Expo Philadelphia 2025. Probably forgetting a few more points. Scroll down to check video article / photos / videos.
video review
Cosplay Red carpet
short tour and crowd photos
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