[Touring Toronto] Fan Expo 2013
Before I start writing about my Fan Expo 2013 experience; I want to
write down a small blogging goal. I am hoping to have at least one blog
post up every 2 weeks (either a personal or food review post) from now on. I
have been brainstorming
some blog topics during my 1 hour commute home from work, so let's hope
I can keep it up. Anyways onto my Fan Expo blog with tips for next
year's event (that I learned from my experience there).
Fan Expo Canada was held over the weekend of August 22 to August 25, 2013, at The Toronto Convention Center. This year was my first time attending the popular event, and I will definitely be coming back next year. Apparently, this year they expanded to the north building and also added a new Sports Expo area as well so a lot more space.
Pictured: I spent the last 30 minutes browsing through the Lego exhibit (near the food court), and taking pictures with the Logo sculptures. This was one of the features there which was The Hobbit in Lego.
I was thinking of going on Saturday but didn't want to deal with the overbearing hoards of people, so I went with friends after work on Friday (took a half-day) instead. After reading online about the large masses of people who attended the event over the weekend, I was glad that I went on Friday instead. I made it in time to line up for the Sailor Moon’s 20th anniversary panel as I was a huge Sailor Moon fan during my adolescent years. I got myself a middle seat and got a decent viewing of the voice actresses, actor, and director.
Pictured: I spent the last 30 minutes browsing through the Lego exhibit (near the food court), and taking pictures with the Logo sculptures. This was one of the features there which was The Hobbit in Lego.
I was thinking of going on Saturday but didn't want to deal with the overbearing hoards of people, so I went with friends after work on Friday (took a half-day) instead. After reading online about the large masses of people who attended the event over the weekend, I was glad that I went on Friday instead. I made it in time to line up for the Sailor Moon’s 20th anniversary panel as I was a huge Sailor Moon fan during my adolescent years. I got myself a middle seat and got a decent viewing of the voice actresses, actor, and director.
Pictured: Linda Ballantyne (Sailor Moon),
Susan Roman (Lita/Sailor Jupiter), Katie Griffin (Raye/Sailor Mars),
Toby Proctor (Darien/Tuxedo Mask) and director John Stocker.
The four days event had everything from signing sessions (celebrities' autographs), hundreds of small and retailed vendors, food court, displays, booths, panels, thousands of people cosplaying, and a newly added sports section.
Tips For Next Year's Fan Expo 2014:
1) Save Money Ahead of Time -- Going to Fan Expo isn't exactly cheap if you take into accounts the ticket prices, photo and autograph sessions with celebrities, and also an array of vendors made available. If you are interested in any of the above mentions then it'd be a good idea to save some money ahead of time. Photo ops are between $40 to $80 and autographs are between $30 to $50 (per celebrity).
Tickets for this year's event was Thurs ($25), Fri ($35), Sat ($50), Sun ($40) and deluxe pass for all four days ($115).
2) Buy Your Ticket(s) In Advanced -- You can buy your tickets online in advanced of the weekend's events. Although there is a $5.00 surcharge; at least it will guarantee that you'll have your ticket. I'd recommend buying your ticket(s) online if you want to attend Fan Expo on the Saturday as it's usually a mad house at the box office after 12:00 pm.
3) Plan Your Day Before Going -- All information and schedules are posted online on the official Fan Expo's website, so it's best to check it out before attending. That way, you can map out what you want to see or do at Fan Expo, what panels are available, decide on which celebrities you want to see and get an autograph or photo from, and which vendors will be there.
4) Take The Program Guide With You -- Before entering the tunnel to purchase my ticket, the volunteers were
handing out the guide books. It greatly helped me a lot throughout my
day. The program guide book provided a lot of useful information such
maps of the floors, times/locations of where the panels and celebrities
are, vendors information, etc ... All of the information that are
found online is condensed into this soft cover book. graph or photo
from, and which vendors will be there.
5) Bring Cash -- If you're planning on buying entrance tickets to Fan Expo at the booth office; they only accept cash or debit. Additionally, many vendors prefer cash transactions over debit/credit (some are cash only). Try to withdraw cash from your local bank before attending the event as the line-ups for the indoor ATMs can get pretty long.
6) Bring Snacks -- You're probably going to be either moving around a lot or wait in lines for quite some time. So it's a good idea to bring along some snacks such as granola bars, cookies or a small bag of chips. It's also best to bring your own bottled water as it's a little more expensive at the food court. This was my first year here so I wasn't prepared at all. I didn't bring anything to eat and after waiting in line for Stan Lee; I got myself a plate of nachos/cheese and a bottle of water for $10.00.
7) Comfortable Shoes -- I love heels so I managed to last 6 hours of walking and waiting in 4 inches heels. However, for those who can't do that then I'd suggest wearing comfortable shoes. No one stepped on my toes that day (phewwwww), but I can imagine that happening on the packed Saturday.
8) Bring A Fully-Charged Cell and Camera -- If you're going with your friends then it's a good idea to bring your cell phones so you can connect with each other (in case you get lost). There is so much to see and do, and by bringing a camera ... you can capture the moments and memories of your day(s) at Fan Expo. Most of the photos that I managed to get are of myself posing with cosplayers and also of the Lego exhibit which I thought was really nice.
9) Deodorant -- Trust me, you'll need it as it gets really hot indoors, and you'll probably be sweating if you're in a cosplay outfit.
10) Line Up Early For Panels/Photo Ops -- You can expect lengthy line ups for popular panels and photo ops at Fan Expo. The only panel that I attended was the Sailor Moon’s 20th anniversary panel. This specific panel started at 2:30 pm and I got there around 1:30 pm. There must have been at least 150-200 people there ahead of me. So generally, if you want to attend any of the panels then get there 1-2 hours before it starts.
See you at Fan Expo 2014 =)
6) Bring Snacks -- You're probably going to be either moving around a lot or wait in lines for quite some time. So it's a good idea to bring along some snacks such as granola bars, cookies or a small bag of chips. It's also best to bring your own bottled water as it's a little more expensive at the food court. This was my first year here so I wasn't prepared at all. I didn't bring anything to eat and after waiting in line for Stan Lee; I got myself a plate of nachos/cheese and a bottle of water for $10.00.
7) Comfortable Shoes -- I love heels so I managed to last 6 hours of walking and waiting in 4 inches heels. However, for those who can't do that then I'd suggest wearing comfortable shoes. No one stepped on my toes that day (phewwwww), but I can imagine that happening on the packed Saturday.
8) Bring A Fully-Charged Cell and Camera -- If you're going with your friends then it's a good idea to bring your cell phones so you can connect with each other (in case you get lost). There is so much to see and do, and by bringing a camera ... you can capture the moments and memories of your day(s) at Fan Expo. Most of the photos that I managed to get are of myself posing with cosplayers and also of the Lego exhibit which I thought was really nice.
9) Deodorant -- Trust me, you'll need it as it gets really hot indoors, and you'll probably be sweating if you're in a cosplay outfit.
10) Line Up Early For Panels/Photo Ops -- You can expect lengthy line ups for popular panels and photo ops at Fan Expo. The only panel that I attended was the Sailor Moon’s 20th anniversary panel. This specific panel started at 2:30 pm and I got there around 1:30 pm. There must have been at least 150-200 people there ahead of me. So generally, if you want to attend any of the panels then get there 1-2 hours before it starts.
See you at Fan Expo 2014 =)
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