By: Peggy Sue Wood | @pswediting

Last weekend (16-18 August 2024), I attended the Queen City Anime Convention in Charlotte, NC. I had never been to this event before, though I had heard about it from vendors at a few events in the past year. Having been provided mixed reviews, I took it upon myself to go check it out and the result is… well, a mixed review.

This convention is small. It was hosted at a Sheraton Hotel in Charlotte, and usually I would say that the size and scale generally makes it good for first-time convention goers, particularly if you are not great with being in large crowds and struggle in long lines. The parking availability is great if you get there early, but even if you arrived somewhat late you could get parking in the uncovered part of the parking lot. However, the cost made this not great which I’ll explain near the end. Let’s pause on that topic here though to discuss the finer details:

Size and Scale + Food Alley

Location: Charlotte, NC – Sheraton Charlotte Hotel

Size: Small

Food Alley: The hotel restaurant was closed for the duration of the event, at least during the times I checked, but there were alternative food options. A few food trucks were available, and the hotel offered a catered area for lunch and dinner. The food trucks were reasonably priced, with fresh options. I personally enjoyed the rice bowls, which were around $14 with tax, and I ordered them twice because of how good they were.

The catering, however, left much to be desired—nothing terrible, but it wasn’t anything special either. The highlight of the weekend food-wise was the hotel’s lasagna, which was delicious, though I do wish they had provided more garlic bread with it.

Drinks from the hotel lobby were priced at $3, which, while more expensive than typical, wasn’t as outrageous as the prices I encountered at AX in LA earlier this year. A nice perk was that you were allowed to bring your own food and drinks into the venue, which is becoming more typical of events like these. It’s reasonable considering this event was hosted within a hotel. Plus, there was plenty of seating available for attendees to rest. (Some attendees even took advantage of the space to nap between events… #me.)

Health and Safety Policy

Security measures were decent but not overly strict. They were diligent about checking that attendees had proper badges, which helped maintain a sense of organization and control. However, I didn’t notice any weapons checks at the entrances. After asking around, I learned that for an event of this size, a weapons check might not have been deemed necessary, or it was conducted so discreetly that I didn’t see it.

Personally, I felt safe throughout my time there, and the overall atmosphere in the hotel was comfortable, but I still might have preferred more visible security measures, especially regarding weapons. I didn’t encounter any issues and felt that the event was well-managed in terms of general safety, so I guess I’m looking for an extra, preventative measure to make me feel that much safer.

Vendor Hall / Artist Alley

There was an unexpected closure when the fire marshal intervened, temporarily shutting down the Vendor Hall on Day 1. Afterward, staff had to monitor the number of people entering and exiting the Vendor’s room to meet safety regulations. This created some logistical issues, and you could sense the stress among vendors and attendees. Despite the disruption, the vendors were generally positive when I spoke with them and attendees didn’t seem to mind the wait too much. Vendors overall, at least the few I spoke with, seemed to appreciate the turnout and the opportunity to showcase their work, though the sudden changes added some pressure to their weekend.

While the fire marshal’s visit introduced some challenges, the vendors handled the situation well, and the atmosphere remained upbeat once things were back on track.

Entertainment – Attendee Experience

Although I didn’t attend many panels, I did go to a few academic ones, which were enjoyable. I even connected with some panelists about possibly sharing their panels here in the future, so stay tuned for that!

Regarding panel quality overall, while I didn’t love every panel I attended, I wouldn’t say any of them were bad. Some speakers were new to public speaking, which led to a few awkward moments, but others were seasoned and very comfortable in front of an audience. Most of the panelists were knowledgeable and engaging. That said, the overall experience was mixed. I wouldn’t have bought a ticket solely for the panels, but there were definitely some standout moments.

The entertainment at the event was solid. It featured a live performance by The Living Tombstone and hosted panels throughout the weekend, even if some were hit or miss for me. There was always something to do in a day. Between panels, there were plenty of rest areas with couches and chairs where I could relax, watch YouTube, or just unwind.

However, by the end of the first day, the entertainment started to feel limited. I found myself with a lot of ‘down time,’ which often meant spending time in the small vendor hall. I managed to see everything in about 30 minutes on my first visit, and by the end of Day 1, I had likely browsed every stand at least eight times—more so by Day 2. Because the event was small, it mostly featured smaller vendors, so there wasn’t new merch being added daily, and popular things quickly sold out.

Organization: Layout, Management, and Media Use

The organization of the event had some major drawbacks, and this became noticeable first in the opening ceremonies that lasted about 15 minutes after starting 6 minutes later than scheduled (scheduled at 2:00 PM and ended at 2:21 exactly).

While the map of the hotel’s convention area was pretty easy to learn because of the close quarters, and the event felt secure with staff walking around and happy to help, the overall management felt poor for this event.

Costs and inconsistency in information was likely the primary drawback for me. Parking was a significant expense, for example. It’s $10 per day if you’re lucky enough to get a sticker. This is something I did not hear or read about prior to the event. On Day 2, security informed me I needed to pay the full price of $25 for a day in the lot because my ticket didn’t have a sticker. While the day before, security waved the cost and charged me $10, but did not notify me about the sticker and I don’t remember it being in any of the emails leading up to the event or mentioned online. For the full weekend admission ($70), parking included, you’re looking at about $33.40 per day or $100 for the full weekend in base cost of admission and parking. Day passes aren’t much better value-wise, as tickets alone without parking sit at:

• Friday Only: $55
• Saturday Only: $60
• Sunday Only: $45

I’ll add that media and promotion also didn’t do very well. The event’s social media presence was poorly managed based on my experience with other conventions of this size. I found out about the event late, as their promotional efforts were minimal. I think that The Living Tombstone, mentioned above, did more for promoting the event than the organizers themselves. Given that I don’t follow The Living Tombstone on any socials but heard more about them being at this convention than I did about the event itself (when I actively seek out anime cons).

All the event information was spread across multiple Google Sites, each with a different design and aesthetic, which felt disjointed and unprofessional. As a frequent Google Sites user, I found this choice particularly odd and you can see what I mean here:

https://sites.google.com/queencityanimecon.org/qcac/home

https://sites.google.com/queencityanimecon.org/guests/home

https://qcac.regfox.com/queen-city-anime-convention#registration

I almost forgot to mention the Glide “app” that was another website which managed the schedule for panels. You could not build your own schedule using the app, rather you’d need to track the time table the old fashioned way by noting it yourself or committing it to memory. This adds yet another website attendees needed to track down for information regarding the event.

Final Judgments

Venue: 5/5 – The venue is perfectly fine for a convention of this size.

Staff: 5/5 – Staff were wonderful.

Organization, Layout & Management: 3/5 – Needs improvement overall. The event was small, so even without a consistent main source of information, it was pretty easy to find your way and figure out what was happening where and when. However, if the event expects to grow, they need to establish a solid, main source of information for attendees, such as a singular website, as many other conventions have done. They also need to establish a primary way of disseminating updates to attendees through that main source of information and in organizing their social media use.

Organization, Media Use: 2.5/5 – Needs improvement for reasons listed above.

Attendance: 4.5/5 – Turn out was good for an event this size—not too many, but not too little either.

Affordability: 3/5 – This is one of the more expensive conventions, and because of its size and scale I do not think it was worth the cost of the weekend ticket, or even a day pass. If each day alone was about $30, I would say it would be well worth attending for a day but not the whole weekend.

Overall: 3.83/5 – Not worth a weekend ticket price. Maybe worth it to go on Friday or Saturday for merchandise and specific panels you were very interested in or worth the weekend price if you wanted to see the band as well.

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Developmental Edits by: Krow Smith | @coffeewithkrow