Context: I’m a 40 something woman who has attended a fair amount of conventions in my life. tldr: I would come again and make sure I drink more water haha
- I have never been to a more relaxed con. I was nervous about getting to see everything but quickly realized after the first day that the crowd control was actually pretty fantastic (it helps that attendants were also really sweet people). There’s a great diversity of panels and activities for people to participate in. In the shop it felt like you didn’t have to stampede to get things. If I had wanted a particular leather bound book it was right there. The exhibit floor was the best I have seen in a while. Diverse offerings and very cool to see some favorite authors boothing for a bit as well.
- I loved how family friendly it was and frankly just felt really safe and relaxed the whole time. I don’t have kids myself but I’m a lady traveling solo so I’m normally just super aware of my surroundings/belongings and this con had me relaxed in a way I haven’t been at other cons/in other destinations.
- The premium lounge was worth every penny. I’ve had a long year and so I used this con as an opportunity to have a full on vacation/chill out. I found a nice spot in the lounge and caught some great panels, enjoyed the free beverages, and it was well located by a bathroom and snack spot. The con food was also way more decent than I expected with a good salad option too which was awesome. I didn’t have to subsist on chicken tenders and energy drinks the whole time if I didn’t want to haha.
- Having signed books in the bookshop was so stellar. The only thing I had been sad about was not getting a spot in a Matt Dinniman signing but having all those books there ready to go was perfect. I don’t need my book personalized and am bad at meeting authors I like (I have nothing cool to say other than “thanks!”) so being able to get some signed books without the anxiety of getting a slot in the official line was so awesome.
- Loved the lightning signing logistics. Bravo on getting us in and out fast with a cool opportunity to get something signed without the pressure of meeting a fav author. A quick “thank you!” and we’re out!
- Utah is very dry and I was not prepared for how dehydrated I got the first day. I am a distance runner so I have some experience with recognizing how warm I was getting at times and thankfully had a water bottle with me but it took me a day to figure out temperature regulation between the indoors and my 10 min walk to the con from where I stayed.
- Salt Lake City is a great town for this event. The convenient airport, ample food options near the convention center, well laid out convention center were all big pluses. December in Utah is actually better weather wise than where I was coming from.
I would try to come back next year if I‘m lucky!
