First Con!

[musicpup]

Hello, my friend and I have been wanting to go to a con for a couple years now and they just invited me to this con. They don't really know anything about it and I can't tell what exactly will be there. Can anyone tell me what exactly is featured at this con, like what fandoms and what types of events there are, it would be helpful for us to decide if we should go or not or what to prepare for. Also maybe some tips for going to a con for newbies might be nice too. Thanks!

[Kirsehn]

Hi musicpup !

Zenkaikon has a variety of different types of events

• There are over 100 panels, presentations, and workshops throughout the weekend on topics including anime, science fiction, comics, manga, cosplay/costuming, video gaming, tabletop gaming, and more! Panels will be run both by fans like you, and by our special guests (see a list of our currently-announced guests of honor here: zenkaikon.com/guests).
• There will also be two video screening rooms that will be showing anime screenings throughout the weekend.
• The Exhibit Hall will feature merchants selling wares from a wide variety of fandoms, as well as artists selling original artwork and crafts.
• A video gaming room will feature a variety of games for open play, as well as tournaments throughout the weekend. (zenkaikon.com/events/video-gaming)
• A tabletop gaming room will feature a variety of board games to play with friends, and staff to teach you how to play. (zenkaikon.com/events/tabletop-gaming)
• A weekend-long LARP will be taking place on the 4th floor. (zenkaikon.com/events/larp)
• At Artemis, you can join a crew and pretend to pilot your own starship. (zenkaikon.com/events/artemis)
• You can participate in our karaoke contest, or join in at open karaoke. (zenkaikon.com/events/karaoke)
• At the Anime Music Video (AMV) Contest, you can view original music videos created by fans like you and vote on the winners. (zenkaikon.com/events/amv-contest)
• For a place to chill and read, you can visit the Manga Library. (zenkaikon.com/events/manga-library)
• There will be a formal dance on Friday night (the Sakura Ball), and Friday and Saturday night will also have informal dances.
• Many people choose to attend in costume ("cosplay"), although that is certainly not required For those who do cosplay, there are costume judging competitions ("Hall Cosplay"), and the Cosplay Masquerade (where costumers perform skits on the main stage and are judged on both costumes and presentations) is a main event on Saturday night. (zenkaikon.com/events/cosplay)

You can also check out last year's convention schedule here: zenkaikon2017.sched.com/ . While the programming won't be exactly the same this year, it might give you a better idea of what to expect

We also do have a guide for new attendees on our website, which you can check out here for some tips: zenkaikon.com/info/new-attendee-guide

Hope this helps and hope you all have a great time at the con!