Well, movies in theaters are back, and now so are pop-culture conventions.
The folks who run the FANBOY EXPO series have been kind enough to let us cover the Las Vegas iteration of the event from April 22-24. Having never attended a FANBOY EXPO, I am interested, as I always am, about how different events handle fan and celebrity interactions, along with the omni-present pop-culture vendors.
What makes FANBOY EXPO different from FanX Salt Lake (my home event) or the Fan Expo (Dallas, Denver, Canada) series of events? Well, those two are held in convention center type places, whereas FANBOY EXPO Las Vegas is being held in a hotel convention space (other cities with FANBOY EXPO events are held in convention centers).
In this instance, the Rio Hotel and Casino (which, to be fair, handles lots of big events, because it’s Las Vegas, and that’s what they do).
A subtle difference, to be sure, but one which, depending on the size of the crowd the organizers expect, can make or break the fans’ experience.
Why do I mention this? Good question.
I mention it because, after having attended a lot of these events around the country, I’ve learned to focus on the small things. I mean, the celebrity lists speak for themselves (and I’ll address the Las Vegas list in a future post), and those interactions are pretty standard no matter where you are.
No, I like to look at the “bigger picture,” which is weird because to do that, I look at the “small stuff.” Part of the small stuff is looking at the venue the event is at. But it’s not the only part of the small stuff.
I’ll be interested to see–as I always am–how they handle the inevitable, unexpected turn of events that always–ALWAYS–pop up.
Whether it’s a last-minute guest cancellation, facility issues, or maybe even a global pandemic… who knows?!–that is where an event really gets to shine.
And if you’ve been to events where you haven’t seen something like that, it doesn’t mean that it didn’t happen, it simply means the organizers have done their jobs well.
Now, since this event has been going on for a few years (at least since 2018 if my research is correct), it’s obvious it isn’t some shady, fly-by-night event (which I’ve attended in the past, BTW). I expect they will have a firm grasp on most of the routine things that comprise an event such as this.
But the proof is in the pudding, so they say.
We look forward to being in Vegas next month to experience FANBOY EXPO’s take.
Stay tuned for a report on the guest list and other news in the lead-up to the event.