Defeated by the economy

Unfortunately, I will not be going to EXP Con like I planned. Though there were multiple problems that arose throughout the past few months, it all boiled down to the fact that I did not have the money to go alone and stay there for all three days. Though I won't be able to give you a report on EXP Con, I will give you, my readers, some useful advice. Please note that this advice is not perfect.

1) If you are going to pre-order your ticket, it would be wise to wait until the last week before they stop taking any pre-order payments.

Most conventions don't offer refunds under any circumstances (EXP Con included). However, if you ask the right people, you may be able to have your ticket moved to the next year if a situation arises that causes you not to be able to go. In my case, the EXP Con chairman (along with the help from one of the guys running the convention...he goes by the name, MeikenhousIsEXP on the EXP Con forums) were very understanding and moved my ticket to next year. Just keep in mind that it is purely up to the convention heads to decide whether they will move your ticket or give you any other options. If you wait until the last week, you have a better chance of not wasting your money if something goes wrong.

2) If you plan on staying at a hotel with friends, make sure you have a back-up plan.

I cannot stress this enough. This is actually one of the reasons why I was unable to go. Though I had four friends that all wanted to go, for one reason or another, all of them had to cancel. Unfortunately for me, I was planning on riding with one of them and I did not have a back-up plan set up.

3) If you get a reservation for a room, make sure you have the ability to cancel beforehand without a penalty or that you get a "deposit" from your potential roommates.

Fortunately, EXP Con had a deal with their host hotel that allowed those who got a reservation to not only cancel their reservation, but allowed them to not have to pay until after their last day in the room (thank you, EXP Con!). However, if this wasn't the case, then I'd have to pay full price for a room that would have been split by five people.

4) If you followed all of this advice and still come across a problem, don't be afraid to ask those in charge of the convention.

They don't bite. They will not attack you. They will not chase after you....well, not unless you're going to Necro Con...in which case, they have zombies and I cannot guarantee your safety. Seriously though, all I did was ask and I was able to make arraignments to move my ticket to next year!

I can't say for certain that following this advice will completely protect you. However, if you keep this information in mind, it will greatly reduce your chances of encountering any major problems in the future. Hope this helps!


Donations: From this post forward, I will be adding a "Donation" link to the end of all posts. This is purely optional, but any and all donations would be GREATLY appreciated. These donations will be used for the purpose of buying items at conventions to give away to you, the readers. The more donations I have, the more I can spend on these items! Here's the link below:

Note: If the button isn't working, simply go to Paypal's site and login (if you don't have an account, it's free to sign up and use), go to the "Send Money" tab, and enter the email address, darkswordsman05@hotmail.com as the one you want to send it to.

Convention Rules 101 (Yoshiro's version): Rule #1

Everyone has their own rules that they follow when it comes to going to conventions. However, I have come up with my own set of rules. Feel free to use them yourself!

RULE #1: Thou shalt not dress up as Faye if you are a guy.

I shouldn't have to explain this. There are some guys who have pulled off cross-dressing cosplays. However, I have yet to see ANY male pull off cosplaying as Faye from Cowboy Bebop. Allow me to show you what happens when you do (using comparison pictures):

Faye:

Fail:

Need more proof? You asked for it...(Warning: Before you view the next two pics, please make sure that you have a bottle of bleach nearby)

Faye:

FAIL:

...I believe I have proven my point. Feel free to pour that bottle of bleach into your eyes now.

Top 3: JACON '09 Cosplay Pics

Here are a few pics from my first convention, JACON '09. These are just some of the best cosplay ones:

Uquiorra from Bleach: One of my favorite Arrancar...anyways, this cosplayer did a very good job staying in character by NOT smiling or showing any emotion at all. An inexperienced cosplayer wouldn't have been able to pull that off! Though you probably can't notice it from this pic, I think that if this cosplayer had made her skin just a little paler (since her character is very pale), it would have been perfect...

Shikimaru from Naruto: Good work on the costume, but what really stood out was his prop...the shadow underneath him! Sure, we can't actually control our shadows to stretch like that, but that prop makes it look like it's possible!

Aeris from Final Fantasy VII: Can't have a con without a Final Fantasy character...well, you could...but it doesn't happen!

EXP Con 2009: October 9-11

My first convention outside of Central Florida...I'm so excited!

EXP Con 2009 will be going into its second year and they promise that it will be even better than last year! Though this will be my first time going to it, I've heard good things about this up-and-coming con. Of course, you can count on me to to attend the con and tell you all about it! I'll be helping out by voluteering at this convention, so I'll be able to give you an idea on how everything is from a guest and volunteer point of view.

I'll also be staying at the hotel that is hosting the con, so other than the times that I'm sleeping (ha!) or eating (yum), I'll be at the convention! Currently, the hotel has a deal for the con-goers where the rooms cost only $99/night (it usually costs $145/night). You may be saying, "Yoshiro-san! That's $198 for two nights! I can't drop that kind of money!"...well, this hotel is also allowing everyone to pay AFTER they check out (meaning that if you reserve a spot now, you'll still have plenty of time to save up the money or find a few friends to split the cost with you...which is what I'm doing). To top it all off, for every night that you stay at the hotel, you'll receive a free weekend pass to this years con (i.e. stay two nights, receive two passes when you check-in)! What a deal!

This convention is located in St. Augustine at the St. Johns County Convention Center at the Renaissance Resort at World Golf Village. If you'd like more information, please go to www.expcon.org and while your at it, drop by their forum to find out any info not posted on the main site (VERY useful).

Introductions

Welcome to my blog, Convention Hunter!

So, you're probably wondering what this blog is about...well, as the name suggests, I want to be your source for all anime conventions in Florida (and possibly farther in the future)! I'll keep you updated on as many conventions as I can find! I'll also post up any pics from conventions that I'm at as well! Hope to see you at one of them!