Our event operations experts had quite the eventful weekend this past week! From working on the front lines at Chicago fandom phenomenon C2E2, to making sure the fan experience ran smoothly at gaming expo PAX East, to fulfilling badge orders for excited attendees at Pensacola, FL’s beloved comic convention, Pensacon, read more to find out what we did to support each event and relive some of our favorite moments!
Chicago Comic and Entertainment Expo – Marilyn Beltran, Event Operations ManagerÂ
This weekend, in the heart of Chicago, was C2E2, the Windy City’s annual comic and entertainment expo! The event was jam-packed with fun every single day, and our team was delighted to have played a role in making this beloved fandom experience a reality. While on-site this year, we collaborated with our friends from ReedPOP to set up the registration booth and merch shop, and contributed to the internal scanning that our partners at Thuzi, a fellow product of Patron Technology, facilitated for the show.
There were lots of memorable moments throughout the weekend, but one of my favorite highlights was getting the chance to explore the unique art showcased throughout the Artist Alley. This was the comic book and graphic novel fan hotspot! From getting to hang with local Chicago artists, to meeting the legends behind some of my favorite comics, it was fascinating to see the minds behind the artistry. Overall, C2E2 was a success this year and, as always, it was so much fun working with ReedPOP!
PAX East – Brooke Hess, Client Support Representative
Gamers young and old alike united this weekend at PAX East in Boston, MA! Our duties consisted primarily of fulfilling registrations, but the PAX team knows our system very well already, so it was an easy breezy process at the registration booth. As far as the event, there were tons of fans, cosplayers, and social media influencers. On the show floor, there were a lot of really interesting booths! One fan-favorite was the Nintendo/Animal Crossing booth – they had overhead projectors creating the illusion of a river on the floor. Lots of the show floor booths had huge props that attendees could take photos with, making PAX endless fun!
Additionally, I was able to experience working with one of our fellow Patron Technology products, Thuzi, up-close and personal. We walked around with the Thuzi team monitoring their different fan activations set up throughout the show floor. It was exciting to watch the attendees interact with their branded experiential marketing set-ups. Also, shoutout to my colleague, Katie, and the registration manager, Jen! It was great working alongside these two a majority of the weekend.
Pensacon – Steffan Langguth, Client Success Manager
The fandom community was strong down south at Pensacon 2020, located in Pensacola, FL. Our team helped execute on-site badge registration and wristband fulfillment. The Pensason team was happy with how quickly all of the staff were able to pick up and learn the system. A lot of the Pensacon team was new for 2020 and had never worked with ShowClix, so being able to jump in and learn the system was important. It was really neat to see how the whole town gets involved with the event, and to witness the sheer levels of support within the community! The airport is totally rebranded with signage everywhere and officially renamed as the “Pensacola Intergalactic Airport” for the weekend. In addition, a lot of the local bars and restaurants go all out with themed parties surrounding the con. A couple that I saw were Stranger Things and David Bowie themed, with staff in full cosplay and themed decorations everywhere. Also, with multiple locations celebrating the con for the weekend, you’re likely to run into celebrities wherever you go! I ran into Lou Ferrigno, aka the Hulk, a couple different times.
Everyone that I worked with was extremely friendly, many of them being volunteers. You could really tell how much they loved being a part of the con. All that excitement and energy from the fans and the staff was contagious and really shows why this is such a successful and popular event each year!