Small Conventions vs. Large Conventions

I guess I've screwed myself over, guys. Over the summer, I headed out to San Diego for San Diego Comic-Con International. At the time, I knew it was huge. I knew it was awesome. BUT, I didn't know exactly how huge and awesome it was. I'm in New York City as I write and I've been attending New York Comic-Con with a Press pass (that means there's lots to come for you guys!) and I've noticed a lot of differences. Going to San Diego Comic-Con has, naturally, made my expectations VERY high.

To show how much I've been thinking about this, I'll make a list.

1. Farts/Body Odor: Obviously, you're not NOT going to notice this at a convention. There's a LOT of people and the closer they are, the longer you have to hold your breath. Definitely a PRO of NYCC. It's MUCH smaller, so there's more room to move and room to run if you have to. Sometimes, you can even pin it on a specific person.



2. Artist's Alley: As an artist, this is usually always my favorite part. Getting to look at different styles, picking up inspiration and ideas is always a nice charge to the artistic batteries. Here, it's much easier to talk to the artists and really get to know their thought process. This is something that I REALLY wanted to do in San Diego Comic-Con. I DID get EXTREMELY lucky and got to interview Jill Thompson, but as far as small-time artists, I really wanted more interaction. I get that here without feeling like I need to move on because of massive flows of crowds.

3. The City: In San Diego, the convention center was nestled in the middle of the city...well...sort of. There weren't any big distractions (I mean, come on! There's miles and miles and miles and miles of convention!). For someone who's NEVER been to NYC, the city is EXTREMELY distracting. When I'm not in the convention, I feel like I should be. When I'm in the convention, I feel like I'm missing out on the New York City experience. When I'm in my hotel room, I feel really crappy. There's so much other stuff I could be doing! I wish the convention were somewhere less distracting.

4. Variety: San Diego, obviously, offers much more variety. I will give NYCC this: the Anime fest is AWESOME! At San Diego, there were so many panels that I was interested in that I couldn't make nearly everything that I wanted to. Here, I'm having to search to find panels that look good. There's more for me on the floor here in New York than there was in San Diego. There were more panels in San Diego for me than here.

5. Prices: Stuff seems to be cheaper at the convention here in New York. Maybe it's because Chinatown is nearby and vendors can get stuff for dirt cheap (haha! You KNOW it's TRUE!). I feel like you can get more for your money. If there's sales on the last day of the convention like there is everywhere else, holy crap! My last $30 will go a long way. LOL.

Overall, there's a lot of good things about smaller conventions AND larger conventions. As far as which one is best for me...I'll always have a soft spot in my heart for my first Comic-Con (San Diego), but I think that this comic-loving girl hearts ANY kind of convention.