Matthew's Kumoricon 2021 Report: Part 7 - Epilogue

 

(Alternative Title: "10 in 2010" - A Look Back at 2010 for the California Conventions Blog | Part 4 - FanimeCon 2011 [Through the lens of Kumoricon 2021])

I'm going to try something a bit different and probably bold for this epilogue of Kumoricon 2021 - to write an epilogue while finishing up my "10 in 2010" series that I started in the beginning of 2020 and like most activity on the main page of the blog was placed on hold when the pandemic forced conventions to close up with no indication of when we would be back. 

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The last part was supposed to be a look back at FanimeCon 2011 while attending FanimeCon 2021 but a) that didn't happen due the pandemic and b) it could be disputed that we should be focusing on when we first got our press credentials as a group at Anime Vegas 2010. While I do agree that was a milestone in itself, the approval of press in my regional convention of choice and the expansion of our coverage to include video interviews is what set the standard for the blog moving forward, not to mention that we have been able to attend FanimeCon as press even during down years all the way through 2019. Plus we don't have a convention in Vegas that we frequently visit to celebrate - conventions like Otakon Vegas folded before it could be established as a Vegas staple and the jury is still out on the likes of Lvl Up Expo and Sin City Anime (who also had a couple of ACME band members on their Guest of Honor list and is located at the Alexis Park All Suite Resort, the former home of Anime Vegas).

For the most part, how exactly I go through a convention weekend hasn't changed and my methodology to approaching writing a report hasn't changed as well as the spark & drive that I have to be part of the convention itself with my friendly self, assuming that father time hasn't had a word and can't pull all-nighters like I used to. But what has changed is how we as a group collaborate when getting coverage together especially in the department of photo and video (especially interview) content, now everyone who goes is involved in the process and everyone gets to reap the benefits of inclusion of some memorable moments. And if the head man can't go, I've learned how to collaborate with my team remotely and trust in their ability to get the job done, something that was a hard lesson to learn starting immediately with Anime Expo 2011 and growing from there and even then I'm still learning at times. 

As we wrap-up Kumoricon 2021 and move into the 2022 convention year where at the time of writing is now up in the air with the Omicron variant and everyone lighting their hair on fire because someone tested positive and through contact tracing they attended Anime NYC, it feels like what we did here was a reset to what we did in 2011 - set standards and move the bar higher. From a podcast to more panels to more collaborations - old and new - to more content, there's a lot that we want to do in the next year and into the next 10 years.

 

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I had a enjoyable time at Kumoricon as well as Portland (despite what I said about the city on the podcast on living there versus visiting). I loved every aspect of this convention that I was involved and got to experience - from the inclusion of everyone and the warm welcome that we received from the Portland and Pacific Northwest community to the layout of the convention and the structure of panels and events to the staff members who helped us in our quest for coverage and working with us over the weekend.

Big shout outs to Sam over in Publicity and Kevin over in Press for inviting us to cover their convention. We love working with everyone but out of all the departments Publicity and Press were our primary points of contact which then branched out to places like Gaming and those who gave us access to the front of the Main Events hall to cover ACME and the Late-Night Parties. The hotel staff over at the Hyatt Regency Portland were awesome too as well even during times of strife with the self-parking. I definitely want to stay here again but will probably opt-in for the valet parking next year and maybe find a way to get around the hardwood floors.

Like everyone else on this blog who went, I do look forward to returning in 2022 especially with events that we missed like the taste testing and the maid café and covering them alongside everything else that we did.

But until then, Happy Holidays and Happy New Year!

A selfie with GoH Erica Mendez

私のレポートを 読むためにありがとう。
Thank you for reading my report.

- Kumoricon 2021 Report End -