(Sorry, I skipped Sunday so I could rest, but here’s my wrap-up of the Comic-Con.)

This was another great Comic-Con and I enjoy going. From the games, comics and toys to the movies, people and fun, Comic-Con is a great place to be. There’s nothing else like it in the world. If you haven’t been I highly recommend that you make plans to go in the future. Just be prepared.

(And now here’s the part with my constructive criticism.)

1) Floor exclusives and the crowds that want them
I’ve been going to the Comic-Con since 2000 and have yet to see an exhibitor have an organized method of crowd control, while fairly dispersing tickets to anxious attendees who want to purchase exclusives. I just wish something would be implemented that would improve this issue because a lot of people get confused, disappointed and sometimes trampled due to the lack of communication by the exhibitors.

People who are waiting at the booths know that there’s a limited quantity of items to purchase and they’ll put up with the tight crowd just for the opportunity of purchasing the exclusive. Perhaps a method that involves scanning attendees’ badges (bar codes?) at each booth for an opportunity to purchase those rare items. Then let the system randomly and uniquely pick from the entries and have display monitors show the lucky winners at the booth. It can’t be any worse than just handing out tickets to a pushing, irked and unruly crowd, which is the way it’s done now. It’s a damn stampede sometimes.

2) Popular panels and the unknowing masses
I’m not sure what policies are in place for handling the crowds, but it was a little chaotic if you were in line for a panel in Hall H on Saturday. I know this is always an issue with any popular panel with limited seating and large numbers of attendees, but more communication is needed. Attendees anxiously waited not knowing or realizing that the room was already filled up and they probably weren’t getting in. Most of the updates arrived by word of mouth between attendees or the muffled shouts of security.

With the Comic-Con selling all their tickets this year, what does this mean going forward? It will only get more popular and more crowded. I imagine that this is something that will need to be addressed in the future. I’d be great if the convention center invested in some digital flat screens, strategically located throughout the premises to communicate to the masses. I’ve been to plenty of business conventions with these in place and that makes things easier for everyone. Security personnel already have their hands full keeping the crowds in check, they can’t be expected to be up-to-date with the latest panel info.

I spent a lot of my time just waiting in lines. It happens and I accept it, I try to stay productive anyway. At least the convention center has some great treats to snack on. Hot dogs, nachos, pretzels, cookies, sandwiches, salads and sodas help keep you going and you’ll burn off those extra calories walking around the floor. I just believe the Comic-Con would be more helpful and organized for attendees and convention employees if there was more useful communication going on.

Don’t get me wrong, I had a great time. I can’t wait until next year: July 24-27, 2008!

This entry was posted on Thursday, August 2nd, 2007 and is filed under 2007 SD Comic-Con. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. Both comments and pings are currently closed.