By: Peggy Sue Wood | @pswediting

Triad Anime Con (TAC) is considered one of the largest, most well-known anime conventions in North Carolina. When I first heard about the event in 2024, it was recommended to me as one of the best conventions (along with Queen City) within the state’s anime community. It is said to draw in large attendance numbers and offers a variety of scheduled programming for cosplaying, music, and panels. As the final event in the Ichi-Tri-Ban (Ichitriban on Instagram) convention chain this year, TAC felt like a natural conclusion to a series I was eager to experience in full.

My original plan was to attend all three cons in the chain: Ichibancon, Banzaicon, and Triad Anime Con. I had panel proposals accepted to all three and all three are in a manageable driving distance from my current base in South Carolina. Unfortunately, severe weather forced me to miss Ichibancon, which was disappointing. Then, if you’ve read my review of Banzaicon, you know that the experience didn’t exactly meet expectations. With that in mind, I was pinning my hopes on TAC to redeem the chain and close out my March convention plans on a high note, and it did just that! Although it didn’t start that way….

I’ll be honest—when I first arrived at TAC, I wasn’t sure how my Saturday was going to go. The convention got off to a rocky start for me and I had a sinking feeling of disappointment, wondering if I had made the wrong choice coming here. The person responsible for panelist badges was nowhere to be found at the start of the day—and wouldn’t be for several more hours. In the meantime, I had to purchase a $48 badge just to fully participate in the event while waiting to exchange it for the correct one.

This situation caused me some frustration. To minimize travel time and accommodate my work schedule, I decided to attend only one day of the convention—the day I was scheduled to present, Saturday, 29 March 2025. Since the convention was a 3- to 4-hour drive from my location in South Carolina, this seemed like a practical way to fulfill my commitment without overburdening myself with travel time and additional costs like a hotel stay. However, after spending nearly three hours driving to the event that morning, I wasn’t thrilled about the prospect of waiting several more hours for my badge—without which I would be unable to enter a panel room or the Dealers’ Hall—especially given my limited time at the convention.

So, I purchased a badge with the hope of a refund later (which I was refunded, thankfully) and went off to explore the convention in the roughly 5 hours I had between start of con to my first scheduled panel.

The first stop after badge procurement was, of course, the facilities (it is a long drive, after all!) and, unfortunately, three out of four bathrooms I went to had stalls that were out of order and gross similar to how Banzaicon was before. I finally found a pretty good bathroom hidden away behind the guest speakers’ tables in the dealers hall, so I mainly went there throughout the day as a result. It would appear many others did as well as I noticed staff attending to this restroom several times.

After about an hour into the convention, I was decidedly hungry and with no food options inside the convention center, I went across the street to a small pub and eatery called Small Batch for lunch. Away from the convention center, I was about ready to write a scathing review highlighting poor management and frustrations at having driven for such an event. HOWEVER, after a meal and some water, my outlook on the day began to shift.

First, the Dealers’ Hall was a significant improvement over the previous convention. There was a much greater variety of vendors this time around, but it still maintained a sense of familiarity with several returning faces from other conventions I have been to in the area. This balance made the event feel more like a genuine local convention, which I really appreciated. Many of the vendors were well-established and friendly, contributing to the overall welcoming atmosphere of the hall as well.

It’s important to note that while Banzaicon had a smaller number of vendors, they were all high-quality and offered great products. So, when I mention the improvement in the Dealers’ Hall, I don’t want to suggest that it was simply about scale. I just want to note that the increased variety did play a role in the overall experience to peruse here, as there was a broader selection of vendors without sacrificing quality.

I ended up spending about three hours in the Dealers’ Hall, drawn in by the selection of goods to buy. The Otaku Ribbon Game’s table was in the same room and that was another highlight for me. I also stopped by Borderline Panels’ table to chat with the host, exchanging insights on panel presentations, discussing our work in education, and indulging in a little convention gossip.

Between visits, I intermittently checked in at Convention Operations to see if the programming director had arrived. As I walked across the convention floor, my mood certainly lifted. Seeing so many cosplayers and happy attendees enjoying the event helped shift my perspective as the best thing about conventions is, truly, seeing people engage with the community in a positive way.

Around 1:30 PM, I was able to exchange my attendee badge of a panelist one and get a refund for the badge I had purchased, reclaiming the $48. With that settled, I relaxed and spent the rest of the time enjoying a few panels from other presenters.

The first panel I was presenting, which was hosted at 3 PM (Anime Blogging Basics) went well, and when that concluded I went back to the Otaku Ribbon Game were I proceed to jump from 2 ribbons to 40+ in the span of about and hour and a half.

While I do believe that organization could have been tighter, such as implementing seconds or helpers to account for needed tasks when leads are unavailable (which would have likely solved the issue of procuring the panelist badge) or having one person watch panel doors while others helped in different areas—I do think that the event was pretty well managed.

I do want to note that the event had a lot of carpeted flooring and was very spacious. While there was a good amount of room between rows for easy walkways and that prevented clogging, it would not be great for wheelchair users.

In thinking about the event itself, I think that—for locals—this is a fantastic event to attend without the hassle of travel expenses. The ticket price was certainly more reasonable for what was offered, though I think $45 rather than $48 would have been a more accurate value for the Saturday attendance especially when the nearby parking was $25 for all day parking. A three-dollar difference is not too much, but can add up.

Would I attend again? Yes, on the caveat that I would do so if I lived closer. I hope next year brings smoother logistics, but even as it was, the convention won me over. If you’re in the area and looking for a fun, fandom-filled weekend, give TAC a chance—you might be surprised, just like I was!

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Developmental and line editing by: Krow Smith | @coffeewithkrow

Copyedited by: Katherine Cañeba | @kcserinlee