I've been going to different conventions for about a decade now, but most of the conventions I go to are usually on the East Coast (save for San Diego Comic Con), but I had some time and a few good travel deals this year so I decided to give Crunchyroll Expo a go. In its third year (2nd year at the San Jose Convention Center) the convention is poised to continue its growth if they continue to expand upon all the things they're doing right (and great!).
Pros
- ORGANIZATION. I love fan conventions but geez do some of them become a clusterf*ck of chaos and confusion. CRX is a "corporate" con, and to some that may have negative connotations but the plus side is that you get all the perks that having a corporate structure, corporate budget and connections can give you. Plus the staff are PAID here and totally professional (at least from my interactions).
- Industry Guests. This was to be expected since the company is a leader in the market for streaming.
- SPACE. Sure, the convention doesn't fill up the San Jose Convention Center... yet. But in my opinion that made things BETTER. Navigating the exhibit hall and artist alley was a breeze. I didn't feel like I was going on a crash collision into a cosplayer's keyblade - not even on Saturday! It's a nice change of pace especially if you tend to go to larger cons a lot.
- Industry Panels. If you want to learn more about the industry or have an interest in possibly working in the industry in some ways, this is definitely the right convention for you. The workshops in the Anime Academy section of the convention were interesting and engaging - plus perfect networking opportunities for you and (potential) fellow future industry insiders. Some of the industry panel offerings included directors talking creative process, translators talking about their jobs, voice actors giving lessons, professional artists giving portfolio reviews, Podcasting 101, and Crunchyroll employees talking about their jobs.
- Branding. Ok, this may be just a *me* thing. But I really love the themed branding. This year was a "city" theme with the con representing itself as a fictitious metropolis complete with its own "Grand Station" (largest ballroom for special events), Nightclub (for some evening music/djing), it's own local paper (kinda clever way of handing out paper programs imo) with its own newsies hawking it at the door. I feel like the organizers were focused on giving a dedicated experience with this approach and I kinda dig it.
- Security. People may find it annoying, but as part of the regular current con landscape it's a necessary evil. Some places do it very well like Crunchyroll.. some other cons... not so much. But even though you had to scan your badge (or rather Isekai Airlines boarding pass - to keep up with the theme) and had to be screened by security every time you entered, it was pretty well organized with multiple entrances and did not take long.
- Quiet Room. I realllllly appreciated having a dedicated space that featured low stimuli and a calming atmosphere to take a break from con activities.
Cons
- The arcade is lacking a bit, but hopefully they'll continue adding things to the space to round out the selection more.
- The people of San Jose might come for me for this, but I totally see why San Jose is deemed the most forgettable city in Silicon Valley. If you come to the convention, I still recommend staying downtown. And I guess there's other things to do, depending on what your scene is. But for me... well not so much. But hey, I was there for a specific event so I didn't really carve out time for sight seeing anyway.
- Late Night Programming. I know that's more of a fan-convention feature but I still miss it. Programming at this con typically ends around early evening and while there are some evening events, you can pretty much expect everything to go dead come 10pm. If you're a night owl you're on your own. There's always fan parties, right?
- I still don't understand how they can be thoughtful and considerate enough to create a dedicated quiet area and children's area, but then subject the people at the tables closest to Rising of Shield Hero "training" camp with constant loud balloon popping. But hey, can't win them all, right?
Overall, I had a fantastic time and if time/money allow it next year, I'd totally be back! read more