Emilie de Ravin @ The FACTS Convention in Belgium!
Emilie might not be going to a lot of cons in the US the upcoming time… but she’ll be heading to Ghent in Belgium next month! (7 + 8 of April)
READ THE OFFICIAL ANNOUNCEMENT HERE
The FACTS Convention is one of the oldest comic cons in the world. I’m very proud to say that I’ve been volunteering for 10 years at that convention, but it’s been around a lot longer! (Since I was 10 - 1993!). The way that it has grown is incredible. The first edition there were about 40 people present, last year about 45 000. It’s the biggest con in Belgium - possibly the Benelux - and there’s something for everyone there. In general, it’s a well-run show with a lot of activities and a lot of merchandise.
So yeah, as a volunteer I can give you a lot of info about going there - unfortunately I can’t give you much time at the con itself cause I got the photo-booth crew to manage. (Which is amazing cause I get to see all the actors up close as well and it’s the most grateful job in the world seeing happy fans walk away with their beautiful pictures.)
What makes it even more awesome to me is cause I’m a huge fan of Emilie (hence my icon which I’ve had for 5 years or so) and the moment she and Rebecca got sacked from the show, I immediately started dropping hints among the organization like: “HEY GUESS WHO WILL BE AVAILABLE NEXT FACTS EDITIONS NOW?!” - I didn’t realize they were actually listening!
Last edition they got Jared Gilmore - and I thought “Darnit, they haven’t interpreted my question correctly, I meant for them to get Bex or Emilie” - but I didn’t realize immediately that this was also them testing the waters a bit. They didn’t have an idea of the size of the OUAT fandom in Belgium, and honestly, neither did I! Jared is, let’s be honest, not as expensive as his co-stars that have 20 years on him. Personally, I was (irrationally) scared that Jared wouldn’t do well and would ruin the chances of them ever inviting other OUAT actors - luckily for us Oncers, I didn’t realize there were many more Oncers in Belgium besides me.
The organization didn’t know either if he would sell anything or not, but the fandom in Belgium popped up out of nowhere and they were grateful and well-behaved, and Jared had a wonderful time and so did the fans! It’s thanks to them that the organisation has seen that OUAT actors are a great addition to the show and are beloved by many. So thank you, Jared!! <3 All kudos go to you.
And Oncers, unite again, come to FACTS - even if you’re from abroad - you really have to at some point in your life anyway (even if you don’t know it yet) and you can combine your visit to the con with a day in Bruges, Antwerp or Brussels. Those places are really worth a visit too. Get some good Belgian chocolate, drink some beer (though best not to do this on the days of the con, you don’t wanna walk around with your first Belgian beer hangover) and have some great food. (Or just go to the IKEA opposite the convention if you need to eat on a budget).
Also, if you support Emilie, then actors like Bex, Sean, and maybe even Lana might be the next ones invited! Always support the actors of your favorite shows, if you don’t, they won’t invite the bigger fish. (That’s convention-logic that fans often forget.)
If you’re in doubt whether to go to Dutch Comic Con in the Netherlands for Emilie (a week earlier I believe) or go to FACTS, go to FACTS.
Why? FACTS has more experience with running a con, a little bit more room, and the photo-booth experience is better in Ghent, though I might be totally biased cause I’m partly in charge of making sure everyone has a good time. ;-)
[Dutch Comic Con is also great though - but personally I’m not a fan of the way they set up the activities around the actors. It’s not bad per se, but I like the dedicated room for the Q&A at FACTS (more seats too), as well as the fact that you get pictures that are twice as big printed out straight after you take them, and it’s slightly quieter than DCC. (Dare I say that Dutch people are loud? I do. They know this of themselves too. :-P I love them - but they’re loud lol. <3)]
Also, Emilie’s in good company so far, and there are probably a few more guests going to be announced. Unfortunately, Holland Roden and David Wenham had to cancel, but they might be back one of the next editions.
Also, if you’re a Gillian Anderson fan - she has announced it will be her final year of conventions. Don’t think “I’ll get her at another con” - it’s unlikely you’ll see her at any again in the future. So keep that in mind if you want to go for more pics but need to prioritize who you spend money on. The others might be at many more cons, Gillian probably won’t be.
Also, a Brazilian fan of Gillian Anderson announced she’d be coming to FACTS. Are you coming from far away for Emilie? Let me know. I’ll rub it in the organization’s face how far the fans of OUAT are willing to travel. ;-) Cause man, am I going to be hyper about this guest for a while! :-D They’ll be sick of me by the time the con arrives.
Got more questions? Feel free to ask. I’ll tag all my posts #factsconvention.
