Stumbling across their web page, and seeing it was in Pittsburgh, thoughts went through my head.  First year...  looks kinda small...  runs only two days...  Hey, why not?  Plus, the fact that it was only two days meant that I didn’t have to take time off from work.

Ouch.

All went well, until shortly before I left work, when my knee acted up badly, to the point where I could barely walk.  Was this going to be the end of my plans for the weekend?  Nah.  Not long after I got home and slapped on my trusty knee brace, I was good to go.  Mostly.  So I buzzed home to Waynesboro for the night, and launched from there the next day.

Time being all variable and such...

In keeping with my perfect record of laziness, I oversleep, finally getting on the road at a time when I wanted to already be there.  Oh well.

Sigh...

So I finally get there, got my room, registration, that sort of thing.  It’s kinda lively, but it’s also a Saturday.  Went into the dealers room.  Wow, I don’t think I’ll run out of cash here.  A pair of dealers seem to be here just to unload as much VHS as possible.  There is only ONE dealer selling DVDs, and it’s a selection that any Suncoast would laugh at.  Spread some Anime USA flyers around the con.

“Room to spare?  How can there be room to spare?”

Considering the nature of inaugural conventions, I found it easy to get a seat for the Cosplay with minimal wait.  Along the wall, 8th row back.  Lotsa room.  Then there were the people that would come in at the last minute, filling the room.  Not so much room now.

After that was over,  dropped my stuff in the room and ate one of my HeaterMeals, then got a shower.  Then went back out.  There were some AMVs going on but the one I wanted to see had already been shown.  The Con Chair was taking a much deserved break just outside the game room, so I hung around and talked with her and a few other staffers and minions about how the con was going.  Their attendance was strong, (my badge number was past #500) but the hotel itself was being a source of trouble, in the form of inordinately harsh about activity in the convention.  Guess it looks like they’ll have to move for next year.

We parted ways, and I dug in for some fan parodies, but not for long.  Getting tired.  So I watched a couple of them and went to bed.

This convention surprised me.  More people than I, or most on staff, were expecting.  If only it were a three day con after all.

Eep!

Woke up, started packing my bags.  Looked outside.  WHY IS IT SNOWING!?  But it’s not snowing much.  Barely covering Yamiko-chan’s windows.  Good.

Mmm, hamburger.

Walking around, picked up an AMG CD set, and from one of the artists I got a magnet that said “Hamburger Hunter D”.  Talked for a wee bit with Angora Deb, one of the guests there, who did the voice of Rubette in Gokudo-kun.

I’m getting a little hungry, but the con’s going to be over in a couple hours.  I can wait.  Then I can find a buffet or something.  Yeah.

Gave in and got a chunk of sandwich from the hotel, then checked out Closing Ceremonies, and then the Gripe session, which was mostly about problems with the hotel itself.  One attendee asked, “Do you think you’ll move to the Convention Center next year?”  This was answered by hearty laughing from staff.  They plan to move for the reason of hotel aggravation as well as growth, but certainly no big jumps.

If only driving in the winter was always this easy...

With that over, Yamiko-chan and I hit the road, hitting mild snow showers here and there along the way home.  The sight of the dry roads in contrast to the tree branches covered in snow was indeed beautiful, as if the snow itself had some mercy on weary travelers.  Took a detour through my old neighborhood, where I was born and raised, just to see how much things have changed and yet stayed the same.  Several hours later, reached home, tired yet refreshed.

What impressed me about this convention, was not whether or not there were problems, but the fact that the problems were recognized, and dealt with however possible.  This shows promise.  They estimate having about 600 people, which is believable.  I guess there are more anime fans in the Pittsburgh area than a lot of people expected, myself included.

While it was fun enough to make everyone wish that it ran the standard three days, it’s almost certain that the lack of the third day contributed greatly to a much higher chance of survival than normal.  Would they have gotten more if they ran the full three days?  Probably, but not enough to cover the additional expenses.  Convention space costs money on a day-to-day basis, and this may be a good innovation for future start-up conventions.

Attendance:  Roughly 600, which is very good for a first-year con.

Highs:
suprisingly well organized
good selection of anime in the video rooms
very friendly and accessible staff

Lows:
woefully lackluster dealers room
hotel security using Gestapo tactics

Food:
whipped out one of those Heater Meals that I brought with me, among other stuff.

Cost overview:  Considering that the dealers room was craptastic selection-wise, I didn’t spend anywhere near as much as I could have.  Did buy some stuff, but operational expenses still took most of the bill.

In conclusion:  Definitely something worth going to next year.

Up next: Animazement 6!

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