Boomslank at the Con: Aniwave
It’s that time again! Boomslank goes to another con, weeee! More and more we are finding that we actually love going to cons, like really love it! So we are now making an active effort to get out to more of these, see more of you beautiful fans, and just generally have an awesome time breathing in the anime culture awesomeness! This time around, we were checking out Aniwave (http://aniwave.org/) in Wilmington, NC. A young one-day con in it’s seventh year, we were not sure what to expect. That said we were approached by a super cool representative of theirs in Animazement back in the summer, and it was in our backyard-ish, and yada yada yada we woke up at 4 a.m. and drove the 2 hours to get there (that part sucked)!
We usually go to small cons with a slight bit of reservation. We never know what to expect revenue wise, attendance wise, so on and so forth. I will admit I walked through the doors a little guarded. I was however, instantaneously put at ease by the super friendly staff. They did everything to accomodate us and our unreasonable requests. When we thought we had a problem with our space, they weren’t even phased. Before I could even blink, the issue was resolved seamlessly. It was beautiful! It was super well run, super organized, and super staffed. A+ operation indeed.
Our fellow artists and vendors were super awesome as well. It really adds to the con experience that you have cool, talented, and passionate people to talk to during the rare breaks from the booth. We met up with some old friends, made some new ones, swapped war stories, swapped art, it was fantastic. I am most excited about the canvas I got from the wonderful Chelsea Champion (www.luckyblaccat.com), which I have already hung up in my living room for a much needed splash of color, as well as some Mighty Morphing Power Rangers posters obtained from the talented Joseph Bayer (https://www.etsy.com/shop/SpiderStopShop). Can’t wait to put those up! We also got to chat with the delightful Animetalchick (https://www.youtube.com/user/Animetalchick/), who also happened to be a volunteer at the con, making sure we were taken care of when we got there. You’re all alright in our book!
Last but not the least (really more like the mostest) has to be the attendees. There was some concern that the crowd would not be as healthy as we’d like, but within about 10 minutes of the doors being open, we were proven wrong. The anime lovers of Wilmington and the surrounding areas have clearly come to love this young con over the years. People came in from all over (one family I spoke with had come in from Texas!) and the atmosphere was great. Of course brilliant cosplays abounded. My favorite had to be the Journey piece donned by the afore mentioned Chelsea Champion. There was also an awesome nine-tailed fox that you couldn't miss.
And then there were the fans in Boomslank merch, those are by far our favorite. It cannot be overstated the warm feeling that comes from seeing someone in one of our shirts, or talking on one of our phone cases. You guys are the best.
In conclusion, kudos to the organizers of Aniwave. From a vendor point of view, I couldn’t have been more pleased. Well I take that back; I would have been more pleased if it was two days instead of one :p. Something that good should be twice as long, that’s just math. I would also suggest that the dealers be separated from the artist alley. I personally have always been a proponent of a clearly defined artist alley, just a personal preference. This con had the two in the same area. That aside, I haven’t much to say against my experience at the con. We are glad we went, and certainly plan to be there next year.
