Kaji-Con 2010 Pictorial and Review

So it’s been roughly a month since my exploits at Kaji-Con, and I finally get to sit down share my thoughts for a mini-review. First off Kaji-Con is a college based convention. If you’ve never been to a college based convention they are essentially a smaller conventions on campus, and are usually free. As you can guess from that sentence alone most of these conventions do not have the same luxuries in comparison to the more major chains (ie Metro, AWA, etc.) and typically attract a smaller local attendance while still carrying the ambition to expand. Perhaps the largest convention in this vein is MomoCon which attracts 7,000 which is owed from its constant promotional events and the hot spot of being in Atlanta, Georgia. Therefore any fellow readers should lower their expectations a bit after reading this paragraph.
However, Kaji-Con now entering it’s second year is still in that growing phase and is in a rather more desolate part of Georgia known as Valdosta. Nearing my arrival I found it a bit difficult to find the place since the very confusing website did not offer any pictures of the actual location itself and the address was simply that of the campus which took up most of the street. However upon finally making it to the building it was in the outside area provided plenty of parking despite the outside area reflecting that of a Walmart parking lot with a generic fountain in front of it. So as you can imagine there wasn’t going to be any grand photo locations which is to be expected.
My first small thing out of the ordinary I noticed was the staff which there was plenty of. Once I arrived I was greeted by the staff who whilst friendly insisted I sign the guest book and collect my badge before entering further (including my attempt to use the restroom). After exploring the place for awhile and taking pics I attempted to enter the viewing room to check out what was playing until I was stopped by one of the staffers. He kindly asked me to not enter due to the fact I was carrying a camera and even though I explained I was not going to take any pictures he insisted I not enter anyway. I found this a bit jarring considering all of the conventions I have attended I have never been prevented from entering a room because of my camera. However I suppose this was redeemed a little when I walked by the area and the staffer who took over told me they didn’t care if I entered or not. Also despite being a free convention staff would always check for con badges when entering a room.
The number of cosplayers was also a bit low with mostly females and I was practically the only semi-professonal photographer there. Everyone though for the most part was very friendly, but I could tell with some of the attendees this might of been the only convention they have been too. The video game room while not the worst could of used a little more variety. Then again it’s not everyday I see every version of Smash Bros on display. Unfortunately there was no artist alley or dealers due to Campus regulations. It seemed as if the con wasn’t advertised very well either. In fact I only heard about the convention from a friend who was staffing and I never saw it posted on all the hot websites like cosplay.com. Supposedly there was some local advertising so I may be wrong..
So while it may seem I’m knocking on the con I should probably move to the Kaji-Con’s drawing moments. That would be its actual content… the panels. Kaji-Con provided a huge variety of panels running all day from cosplay tutorials, contests, and even a paper crafting panel. The panelists also seemed very knowledgeable when it came to each subject they covered. However the most unique panels came later at night such as the cardboard box Gundam panel. In this panel a few people were chosen to don the cardboard armor taped to them which they were allow to wear the rest of the con. There was also a game show (which I missed since I had to leave early) on as its main event in which people had to sign a waiver for. Despite not seeing the game show itself apparently it was a lot of fun and involved some volunteers enduring some semi-torturous exercises for prizes.
To sum this up Kaji-Con was far from a total bust, but could utilize more things to truly grow and expand its audience. If I could throw a few suggestions I’d recommend a better website, better advertising, and slightly less stricter approach. Considering the numbers Kaji-Con drew (400-500) in its second year that is already quite an accomplishment. Hopefully rather than relying on things going well this year that they can use that achievement in order to push themselves into reaching out to more people. Kaji-Con already has more than enough to separate itself from even the most prestigious conventions, but still needs to do more in order to grow. Kaji-Con may not offer the guests it could of had or stuff to buy but it definitely has the right direction at its core. I would recommend this con to almost anyone within that 1-2 hour range assuming you can grasp what to expect.

Review and Photographs by Kenneth Davis