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When it comes to bringing distinguished guests who are among the heroes of many fans in a place near you, no one does it better than ACE Comic Con.
As a person who has not missed a major comic book event in Chicago for about four years (and has already attended the New York Comic Con), trust me when I say that ACE Comic Con is really different from other traditional conventions.
How is it unique? Well, let me count the paths …
1. Names of San Diego Comic-Con – level
Although many conventions and entertainment events are slowly expanding their horizons and are focusing on more than just comics (in order to attract more participants), the goal of ACE Comic Con is almost completely to offer the most requested customers and the rarest spectators.
What may be lacking in their in-depth programmatic and "exhibition" events (at least in comparison with other major conventions), they largely outweigh for the big names they bring and the incredible possibilities they offer to their participants. While other conventions sometimes attract very good talent, ACE Comic Con regularly calls on A-List guests who do not attend the tour.
Do not believe me?
Chris Evans, Tom Hiddleston, Lee Pace and Tom Ellis were part of ACE Comic Con Midwest's guest list. When was the last time their names were associated with a fan convention that was not San Diego's Comic-Con?
2. Congress crowd
For all the distinguished guests, ACE Comic Con can book, their events are not foolish magnets. At least not yet. Let's hope never. Although they attract a lot of people (I think 20,000 people would have attended the event at Navy Pier in Chicago), the theater is nice to go.
One of the main reasons I have not returned to New York City is that many crowds make me anxious and uncomfortable. Crossing a dense crowd exacerbates my chronic back problems and I can not stand it when people try to physically move me. I am pleased to report that I have not experienced any of these experiences at ACE Comic Con Midwest. The crowd was big enough to feel the excitement in the air but small enough to breathe and move freely.
3. International appeal
Although there are always exceptions, conventions that take place in the Chicagoland area usually only attract locals. As a result, I've seen the same cosplayers, salespeople and even attendees from one event to another. Not that it's a bad thing! I love the culture and camaraderie created by Chicago's local conventions.
But I would be lying if I said that it's not exciting to see new faces (and even hear different accents) while doing something I like. I chatted with so many people that I had never seen or met before at ACE Comic Con Midwest and it was really refreshing. The big names in the guest list are fans from around the world sharing the same goal: meeting their heroes.
4. More variety of photos
I took a look at the ACE Comic Con Midwest agenda of Chris Evans and Tom Hiddleston. In addition to all the different autograph sessions that they had to do, they both had their fair share of photo shoots. But unlike other conventions, ACE Comic Con takes advantage of the fact that they have big names and try to schedule as many fun and different photo shoots as possible.
For example, Chris Evans did not have just one photo ops, but there were also options with him and a shield, he and Tom Hiddleston, and he with the rest of the War of Infinity guests. In other words, his dance card was full. And the more the guests have scheduled operations, the more fans will have opportunities to get the perfect photo with their heroes.
5. Large panels open to everyone (even non-participants)
Programming can be a very stressful aspect of a convention because we all know how big crowded panels can go crazy. Quite often, people line up hours in advance to get to the room where this happens. Although I like to listen to my favorite actors and creators talk about things that I love, I am not about this life. I'm not a fan of spending a lot of time online (partly because my back just can not stand it).
But that was not a problem for ACE Comic Con Midwest. The entire event took place in a giant Navy Pier space, which meant that vendors, photo shoots, autographs and signs were all in the same room. There was no queue waiting to be left in a room for a sign. Everyone was invited to watch and attend each panel. Of course, it was necessary to plan ahead if you wanted to sit down rather than stay up, but no one was missing because of lack of space.
Better yet, the large billboards were shown in the lobby so that even those who were stranded in autograph or autograph lines could watch and listen. I know it's pretty standard for some conventions, but what's not, it's recording ACE Comic Con panels and making them available to the world for view them via Facebook Live as well as on their YouTube channel. I was only able to attend the Chicago event on Saturday, but I'm excited and really excited to be able to come back to Tom Hiddleston and Elizabeth's panel that I missed on Sunday.
6. Caring organizers
I think one of my favorite things about ACE Comic Con Midwest (aside from finally meeting my personal hero) was his preparation. As with most conventions, a Facebook group is formed soon after the announcement of the event. But there was a huge difference between this group and the others: Stephen Shamus, president of ACE Universe, was a member from the beginning.
And not only was he a member, but he was an extremely active member, answering all the questions he saw (even those he had answered a hundred times). He excelled in making all members of this group feel like members of the family and as if we all had a significant interest in the event.
In addition to answering questions from the fan-driven Facebook group, the ACE Comic Con team sent several emails before the event, which covered a ton of FAQs. From the way the photo shoots work (for those of us who are not veterans with this stuff) to the general information about the event space, their regular emails have allowed participants to have everything they needed to know about the convention in their inbox.
Of course, much of the information was also available on their website, but ACE Comic Con eliminated most of the work and research, which was greatly appreciated.
7. Event-specific cosplay
What would a convention be without cosplay? As a person who loves cosplay, I always like to go to conventions to see which cosplayers are a lot more talented than me. I especially enjoyed the cosplay at ACE Comic Con Midwest because it all really kept me going. It's no secret that I'm a big fan of Marvel and, since the ACE Comic Con Midwest guest list was very popular in Marvel, I was delighted to see that the majority of cosplay was related in Marvel. I was really in my element.
Check out some of the best cosplay I've seen at ACE Comic Con Midwest. (Maybe that will convince you to check out the next ACE Universe event!)
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