Every year I write about my upcoming weekend at ConnectiCon and this year is no different. Because this weekend I’m returning to ConnectiCon and I couldn’t be more excited.
I have a great deal of history with ConnectiCon. I met the convention chairman at the very first Anime Boston because we randomly had adjoining tables. I met the woman who would become my wife thanks to my involvement with ConnectiCon. I met Garth at ConnectiCon because we just happened to have tables near one another. To say that my roots are planted deep in this show is an understatement.
Webcomics have a great deal of history with ConnectiCon as well. Back in its early days ConnectiCon was “the webcomics convention” of the U.S. northeast, and many up-and-coming webcomickers would be exhibiting next to established veterans, and that benefited everyone. While webcomics are no longer the focus of ConnectiCon, those who remember know how it got its start, because many of us got our start there.
These days I am more known as the host of the Cosplay Death Match than I am for my webcomics, but being on stage for two hours in the Main Events hall hosting “the main event of the weekend” has certainly benefited my book sales there. But business benefits aside, my inner theater kid gets a thrill from being in front of a captive audience, being barefoot on stage, and having a live microphone. You can’t put a price on that.
If you’re in the area this weekend, ConnectiCon comes highly recommended from yours truly. Not just because I have a lot of personal history with it, but because the show has a lot of heart and soul. Conventions with character are increasingly rare as more and more corporations get their claws into our weekends, so support the independently-run conventions if you’re able.
See you at ConnectiCon, I hope!