Worst Con Ever
Omg, I had a rough Saturday. St. Louis just hosted a Pokecon, a convention dedicated solely to Pokémon. There were supposed to be shows and games, as well as a guest voice actor from the anime. There would of course be the usual assortment of stalls from local craftspeople and shop owners. It was held at a downtown convention center, so my friends, brother, and I hopped in the car and drove to St. Louis.
There was a small red flag that we should have caught on the website. It was vague on some of the things that were going on during the convention. All we saw was Pokémon, a convention in a big city with lots to do, and it was within driving distance. So, day trip it was.
When we got there, we found a line wrapped around the center. Struggled to get a parking space, which was expected, honestly, slipped on our cosplays, and stood in line. Luckily, it was moving pretty fast, so we weren't outside too long. Unfortunately, that was just the outside line. It zigzagged all throughout the lobby, but it was still moving fast. We finally got to the ticket station, and we saw that it was one elderly man working the tickets of this stupid, long line. This hero of a man kept the line moving so fast that we could admire his efficiency. Godspeed soldier. I salute you with my stamped hand.
We finally made it into the convention proper, and sweet Jesus, we are still trying to process what we saw. It wasn't a convention hall, it was a hotel ballroom, barely bigger than a standalone Starbucks. All the people who were waiting in line were cramped inside. Practically grinding up on each other. The traffic was constantly moving too, so we were broken up several times and barely had a chance to see what any of the booths had. The VA, she was alone in the corner, unable to speak to anyone, except for when my brother was marooned in that corner.
I was told there was a gaming booth, but I could not see it past the crowd, and I guarantee you that I stood right next to it. The majority of the booths were cards, and they were clearly run by scalpers. Box sets that were going for hundreds when I remember them being a fraction of that price not too long ago. I couldn't see any of their cases with loose cards because I was just being pushed around. There were a couple of crochet booths. I found a derpy looking Turtwig, whom I named Brick. Then there was a booth of clearly drop-shipped plushies. I was going to buy an over priced off brand Aurorus. They didn't take card though, so I immediately lost interest.
We had to leave. As we were going, we heard one guy call it a firehazard. We couldn't agree more. After being completely overwhelmed by being pressed against the bodies of strangers, we decided to salvage the day by going to the mall and finding a Build-A-Bear.
At some point, my friends compared it to Dashcon. Why? Because it was the polar opposite issue that Dashcon had. They vastly overestimated what the crowds would be like for a niche interest in a convention center most known for train shows. Pokecon vastly underestimated what the crowds would be like for an incredibly popular franchise in the middle of St Louis in what looked like a room mostly used for business meetings.
There's a convention that is held just a few miles away from me in the middle of corn country that is far more organized. The convention held at my university gives us far more breathing room while giving us so much to do, along with having droids. Who organized this? Who booked the ballroom? Who is that heroic ticket master who kept everything together?
