Crunchy Roll Expo 2017!!!

Check Out My Weekend Adventures HERE!

Crunchyroll Con! The Con that almost wasn't! how I wound up at all is as interesting of a story as the con itself. So I signed up on a total whim. This was Crunchyroll's first time ever doing a convention so naturally I wasn't expecting it or anticipating it in any way. To top it all off, I am not a subscriber to the Crunchyroll App either. I know some people who have it. Hell, I even know some people who work for them. But even still, I am far removed from any normal, conventional way I would hear about this con.
Thankfully, I feel like the guys who put this on knew that my situation was probably a lot of people's situation, so they spent a LOT of time, money and effort on advertising and making sure the word got out that this was an event, and it was happening! So good on you!
I heard it about it because it came up as a Facebook ad. i normally take pains to block facebook ads on desktop, but they come through on my phone anyway. I saw the ad one evening when I was fresh out of the shower. I wasn't sure what to think of it, it was only last month and usually signing up for a con with a month to spare is a BAD idea, and more often than not, it usually means they don't have any space left anyway.
BUT! I was in a mood. "what's the worst that could happen?" I said, as i tapped on the "Sign Up" link. As I suspected, I was greeted with a page that informed me that the Artist Alley was full, but if i still wanted to, I could sign up for the wait list. I clicked OK and proceeded to input my info. It was a relatively painless process on mobile. I put the phone down after that and resigned myself to probably not hearing back from tham, as it would be too late for them to clear up room on their wait list for a latecomer like me.

I
WAS
WRONG

They got back to me no more than a week later, maybe less! Informed me that I had a table if I wanted it, and walked me through the process, it was all very cut and try, very simple, if not a little bit expensive. I laid back and anticipated the fun that was coming to me via this convention.

OR
SO
I
THOUGHT!

Less than a week from the first day, i was smacked upside the head with a vicious headcold! Ugh! What mortifying timing! I did my best to prepare, and rest, in the vain hope that somehow I'd be all better by Friday morning. It didn't work out that way, as it felt like the severity of the sickness spiked as the days went by. I was all ready to call the whole thing off, I didn't expect to get my money back, I was prepared to lie back in bed and just let the con chow down on my table money, grumbling, but hopefully healing.
Then, a VERY magical thing happened.
It came time to let Savannah, my long time helper and table mate, that I was sick as fuck, and that this con probably wasn't gonna go down like we hoped it would.
But inspiration struck as we talked, and together we concocted a plan wherein Savannah would man my table in my stead, while i got some MUCH NEEDED rest at home!
Looked like Crunchyroll Con was back on the table!

The big day came. I drove Savannah to the con and helped them set up. Made sure they were set in the routines and specifics of running a table. They've been with me a number of times but usually as a support character. I've never really put them "in charge" before, so I'm so so happy that it worked out. Savannah is a capable as fuck person and probably one of the best friends I got right now. I dunno who else woulda done this for me, let alone done such an amazingly good job.

I went home and slept basically all day long, it was exactly what I needed. I woke up that evening to pick up Savannah feeling like I'd turned the corner. After that I resolved to make the last two days of the con. I wasn't fully at 100% yet but I was well enough that I could at the very least sit in a chair and talk, which I did, a lot.

I didn't get up an walk around a lot. I only got to see a very small section of the con when I finally did, and it wasn't the BEST con i'd ever been to, but everything I had to go through to make it happen in the first place made it all worth it. I would definitely go to Crunchyroll con again next year. hopefully this time I'd be well enough to actually experience it to it's fullest! It's a great con that i think is trying very hard to fill the gap that Fanime left behind once it got too big for it's britches. It's even being held at the Santa Clara Convention Center, where Fanime USED to be.
I'd definitely support it through the years, because Fanime has truly morphed into a new beast altogether, and while I still really enjoy Fanime, there's a lotta things I can't do there anymore (like easily get into the Artist alley).
I think that with some luck, and a little bit more prep work, Crunchyroll could become THE con of the summer. I used to waste a lot of time and money and effort trying to make the details of Fanime work out. I could easily let Fanime take a back seat and attend that con a lot more casually (as long as I'm operating under the assumption that they won't let me back in to the Artist Alley again), and instead dump my emotional resources into making Crunchyroll Con the con that I go all out on, turn into a business AND social event! I definitely see a future here.