Tonight was the VIP-only sneak peek night for Mid-Ohio Con 2006. Having shelled out my $50 for a VIP pass, I was one of the lucky few who got an early glance of the upcoming festivities.
First, the new location. Mid-Ohio Con, in previous years, had been held at the Hilton Hotel at Easton, but, due to the ever increasing size of the show, it was forced to move onto a larger location, namely the Columbus Convention Center. This proved to be a minor obstacle in that I’ve had very little experience driving around down town. Luckily, MapQuest saved the day and I only had a minor issue finding parking in the dark. (Also, if someone tells you that there is an easier way to get somewhere that contradicts MapQuest, go with the MapQuest. Trust me on this one.) Once I was there, I was immediately impressed with just how BIG this place was. When I had originally heard that MOC would only be occupying one large room, I was disappointed as it had taken two plus a few hall ways back at the Hilton to barely accommodate us. But when I saw how large these rooms were in comparison, all concerns flew out the window. It proved to be a double-edge sword, however, as I made the mistake of parking at the Northern end of the building with the Con in the Southern part of the building. Crossing one building doesn’t sound like much, but I swear that hall was going to just keep going on and on forever.
But, when I finally made it, I knew that it had all been worth it. Now, tonight was just a preview. The guests were more or less all absent and only about half of the vendors were set up and ready. That being said, I was still almost thrown into sensory overload. Even only half full, there was still so much to see. I must have just walked around the place three or four times before I even made my first purchase.
And, I tell ya, I got some cool stuff.
First, the freebies. Obviously, I got a program of events, which is standard for all guest. But as a VIP member, I got a whole bunch of other cool swag, including: A Justice League of America poster, a Hulk tumbler glass, a free issue of “Love & Capes”, and a free, con EXCLUSIVE Buffy the Vampire Slayer action figure. (Though, it wasn’t Buffy. It was an “Ice Cream Xander”.)
My first buy was some costuming stuff. I got an extremely movie-accurate Wolverine dog-tag, which I have added to my Geek Jacket, and a few pen caps used on Jedi belts. They aren’t 100% accurate, and they still require some work on them, but they are the closest you’re going to get to the originals used in the movie. And with that purchase, I got a free “World Famous Comics” bag. Finally, I bought this really nice Japanese katana for only $20.
AND THAT WAS JUST ON THE PREVIEW NIGHT!!!! HAHAHA!
I can’t wait for tomorrow. I plan on hitting up the guest first thing and checking out the artist. I always love checking out the artist area. You see some really cool stuff there. I even got a commission from one guy last year and I’m thinking of having another one done again this year. I’ll be keeping you updated all weekend.
And now for some pics:
