Returning to Adelaide where it all began a decade ago, Oz Comic-Con 2022 “Homegrown” was an overdue weekend of nerdy fun and geekery. It was a fantastic event, even at a smaller scale as it eases back into the swing of things, yet it very much felt like wrapping oneself in a comfy and familiar jumper!
I normally take my time when it comes to write-ups just to let things simmer and even out especially if there’s any emotion attached to the topic (i.e. does this matter in a few days/weeks time?), as this helps to be more objective – if at the cost of timeliness. But this time I took extra long because I’ve been busy and otherwise distracted. Mind you. at time of publishing, it’s been four weeks since the Adelaide show and I’m still feeling the remnants of euphoria and the pleasant exhaustion has only just worn off. I had a fantastic and cathartic time over those two days and it was a most welcome experience that was long overdue for a number of reasons.
Let’s begin with a bit of housekeeping… I felt a tad rusty back on the show floor with my camera in-hand. Made even more difficult as I was in full, bulky cosplay most of the time. Thank you to everyone who took a little time out of their weekend to participate in my video.
I forgot to take proper photos so I decided to make screenshots available for easy sharing too.
At this point I should give a little bit of context on what’s to come… Firstly, one of the main purposes of my write-ups has been to provide insight to both would-be organisers and attendees to better understand how things work and how things are received/consumed. Also facilitate feedback from those who don’t normally do so. But at the beginning of 2019, I originally decided to set aside these post-event write-ups as I felt like my feedback was deliberately being misrepresented by certain parties. That of course changed when I was approached by an event organiser to do a thorough analysis of their troubled event (and I was compensated for it). With Oz Comic-Con returning to Adelaide after a 5 year absence, and under new ownership, I felt it worth picking up again at least one more time.
Secondly, the global pandemic cancelled and postposed many major events but I didn’t actually miss conventions to the same level as so many others have expressed these past two years. I’ve always looked forward to them, sure, and was disappointed by their absence yet I also appreciated the break from them, as I’ve been attending such events continuously since 2009. Part of this is due to me not relying on conventions as part of my livelihood nor do I wrap my personality up in them (at least not anymore). Also, I had other events during that period to look forward to, such as toy swapmeets, that are also my major signposts on my event calendar.
Thirdly, I have been one of the few voices to go on and on how Oz Comic-Con’s return to Adelaide coincides with the 10th anniversary of its launch right here, which few have picked up on…
A little bit of history…
2012 felt like an embarrassment of riches for the geek community in Adelaide. AVCon was still riding high on its previous expansion and recent success, later that year Supanova would finally made its debut in Adelaide after sticking to the east coast for a decade, and a brand new event with a recognisable name announced its launch in our sleepy little city.
The buzz and excitement was palpable as people mistakenly assumed, based on the name, that the international “Comic-Con” was coming to Australia when in actual fact Sydney-based DCA Enterprises/The Hub Productions were responsible for the event (that would eventually become a moot point when in 2014 they partnered with ReedPOP, the international company behind New York Comic-Con, Star Wars Celebration, and PAX).
Behind the scenes gossip and motivations aside, Oz Comic-Con launching its inaugural event in a place like Adelaide was a major deal. As a city, we have severe self-esteem issues because we feel as though we continually miss out on all the major events (a feeling that became more prevalent when South Australia let go of the Formula 1 Grand Prix in the 90s). The new event made us feel special and in return we certainly went all out for it, with lines snaking around the building and out to the street, thoroughfares were shoulder-to-shoulder. I recall the number thrown about at the time was something like 18,000 feet through the door over the two days. Not a bad figure for Adelaide as well when you consider the competing events still struggle to get anywhere near that number (even with “convention math” using the 3-day weekend = 3 feet to tally as opposed to two).
A few months later, they would hold their infamous second event in Melbourne, where 40,000 people apparently just turned up, blowing out the venue’s capacity. Many ticket holders were stuck in queue for up to 10-hours (if they got in at all). It was apparently so bad that the experience left a sour taste in the mouths of headline guests, Stan Lee and Patrick Stewart, the former apparently never wanting to work with that group ever again and the latter rumoured never wanting to visit Australia in that capacity again (let’s hope it’s just a rumour).
Later on, the 2014 “partnership” with ReedPOP was highly beneficial as it gave this Aussie event more resources and international reach. The scale of the event also grew as time went on as well as the addition of two more cities to the schedule. That was until ReedPOP’s eventual and complete acquisition of the Oz Comic-Con brand was finalised (which was the “unspoken” plan from the beginning according to those working at Hub). Not long after that, Perth and Adelaide were unceremoniously dropped from the schedule at the end of 2017.
I know I’ve done a more detailed history of conventions in Adelaide previously but this slightly more concise account is an important refresher and for context later on. Also, a lot of people either don’t know or care that the event has changed hands.
A new era?
Toward the end of 2019 it was revealed that Oz Comic-Con had been sold to Expertise Events, a group primarily known for craft exhibitions and lifestyle trade shows. I had certain misgivings seeing as though they had little to no experience with the pop culture side of things but you also had to feel for them because only a few months later the world shut down thanks to the pandemic.
For many of us, the idea of new owners sparked the possibility of the event returning to our fair cities. (six months later, Adelaide fans received the good news, it would be a while longer before Perth got their answer). I was cautiously optimistic but said optimism took a bit of a hit when Expertise Events encountered some, “teething problems”, which wasn’t helped by the most gaslighting, buck-passing, and tone deaf of PR damage control (not totally unexpected in my experience).
This lack of awareness, not having an ear to the ground to the very audience they were marketing to, seemed like a very odd and, honestly, serious mistake to make considering the company had brought on a few folks who worked OzCC at ReedPOP previously. Observing from the outside, it seemed like either a case of the left hand didn’t know what the right hand was doing until it was too late OR ignoring the advice of those in the know and forging ahead anyway.
Why bring this up at all? Well, because it’s important to highlight that after this incident something clicked. Things finally fell into place, they got their shit together and Oz Comic-Con was finally back up and running, albeit in a more compact manner. By most accounts, the new owners did remarkably well to navigate the various restrictions in each state to put on the events, whether it be under the label of “Pop-Up” or “Homegrown”. Basically, in the face of so much thrown at them and their own inexperience, they eventually made it work. But could they make it work here in Adelaide?
The Return
Oz Comic-Con‘s return to Adelaide was originally slated for June of 2021 but was eventually postponed to February of 2022 due to the various lockdowns and state restrictions. And if I’m honest, I actually really liked that date because it coincided with the start of the Adelaide Fringe Festival.
Here in Adelaide “festival time” (which is also referred to as “Mad March” because it continues into that month) is pretty intense and lively and brings an energy to the city that is missing the rest of the year. So in my mind, having OzCC around that time would have been pretty beneficial timing: you’ve got international and interstate visitors all with money looking for something, anything, to do (by this time the borders would have opened up). Now this goes against the conventional “excuse making” I’ve witnessed as to why non-festival events fail to draw a crowd when held during this time (the idea that there’s “too much” going on and not enough money to go around). However, I would point to Armageddon Expo, who did their one and only show in Adelaide while the Fringe was on in 2011, and who did actually succeed in drawing in the punters, even more so than Supanova had done in their first couple of years here.
In the end it didn’t matter, as the show had to be delayed one more time due to most of the pavilions at the Showgrounds being used as a vaccination hub (which I don’t begrudge considering how far behind the timetable we were in getting the vaccine, no thanks to the previous federal government’s lack of care). The new May date was a peculiar one, at least for me. It was right between the Adelaide Comic & Toy Fair and the “Mega” Toy Fair (don’t ask me why the quotation marks). So that five week period would become especially busy for me.
Anyway, that delay to 2022 also meant that it would coincide with the event’s 10th anniversary, something that no one else seems to be acknowledging (I saw one person celebrate the 10 years on Facebook – a year early). I’ll admit, I can be the sentimental type but at the same time most people tend to appreciate a good milestone. It’s curious because at least one person on the OzCC team knows the history of the event that far back but nothing in the official marketing has mentioned it, which I find to be a missed opportunity, especially if you are wanting to re-attract an audience that felt abandoned by the previous mob.
“Homegrown”
One of, if not the most prevalent of complaints some folks lob at pop culture (and related) conventions, regardless of how big or small, how broad or niche, is that there are not enough big name guests. This comes from a lack of understanding (or refusal to) on how events like these work. It’s also born from a rather selfish perspective too in that even if there is a huge name headline guest, the complaint persists because it’s not someone the complainant was interested in.
Normally, I would have to point out that booking guests is one of the more difficult aspects of these events because they need to be able to find a range of celebrities that have time in their schedule to travel halfway around the world for what amounts to a two-day meet & greet. A lot of Hollywood, for example, is filming during the times that Adelaide tends to have such events. There are also clauses in their agreements with conventions that they can pull out at any time if they have to go back to work or if they pick up a new gig. Remember, their actual job is more important and probably much better paying than any convention appearance (San Diego Comic-Con is an outlier because that’s pretty much part of their job in terms of promotion circuit). So outside of the US, it’s a tough balancing act.
But that was before the global pandemic. I think South Aussies, more than anyone else, forgot that the world shut down because we weathered that storm better than most (out of sheer luck, let’s be honest). It’s also not helped by the fact that a competing event has been booking huge names lately despite the restrictions in a desperate attempt to repair its reputation.
When Oz Comic-Con relaunched with new owners, it was under the “Pop-Up” banner. This implied a smaller event but was also split into two sessions (morning and afternoon) in order to comply with state regulations about social distancing and venue capacities. From the various people I’ve talked to, this arrangement had mixed success, some claiming it worked and others saying that the morning ticket holders didn’t actually leave when they were supposed to. Regardless, it was a way to keep the event alive, which it did.
With certain restrictions rolled back, OzCC continued under the moniker of “Homegrown”, again as a way to manage expectations. While slightly larger, this time it was to allude to a more community and locally focussed guest line up as international travel was still restricted. This meant more locally-based artists and actors (and possibly fewer of them too). This managing of expectations is important because on the one hand the “Comic-Con” brand still has associations to the much bigger events overseas, and on the other, Aussie cons have never been able to achieve anything near the likes of San Diego or New York for obvious reasons.
By the time Oz Comic-Con made its return to Adelaide, international travel had resumed. So why no international guests? Well, those take major lead time to arrange. Again, schedules have to line up, etc. and the way certain states have handled major spikes in Covid-19 cases there was a risk that SA might lockdown again making that effort all for naught (politically, we knew that wasn’t going to happen but still…).
Although, and this is more likely, the reason for Adelaide being a “Homegrown” event is because our city has always been considered a risk by major event organisers of any stripe. Some of that is experience but unfortunately most of that is perception. It makes sense that a smaller (and aging) population would likely mean a smaller turnout but that’s not what organisers use to gauge potential success. Many organisers for various events (not just conventions) have often expressed concern at low pre-sale ticket numbers, in fact many certain legs of concert tours get cancelled based on such figures. This was also apparently a concern for Oz Comic-Con’s organisers in the lead-up to Adelaide. Understandably, they see this as an indicator for level of interest. However, when it comes to Adelaide this is not reliable as people will often buy in the immediate days before an event or on the door. That’s because as a city we’ve been burnt too many times and would rather not have to jump through so many hoops in order to get a refund (I have a friend who’s still waiting on a refund of several hundred dollars for a concert cancelled 2 years ago).
Now I don’t have the numbers for how many did attend over the course of the two days but it did appear to be a respectable turnout, Saturday obviously being the busier of the two although not as packed as I’ve seen in past years but that’s okay. As the event eases back into our city, so too do the people of said city ease back into a “new normal” (a phrase I dislike). There are a few factors that play into this though…
Marketing
It was odd in the days after to see people claiming on various posts about the show “I didn’t know this was on!” I even had one friend say they didn’t realise this was happening until I had posted about it (and I posted about it plenty). As an elder millennial who spends more time on the interwebs these days, I’m not that tuned into traditional media as I used to be. So I’m not aware if there were any TV commercials, I didn’t notice any radio ads while I was driving, nor did I see any bus shelter ads or ads on busses themselves like the other mob tend to do. I did see the article in The Advertiser about a month out from the event but only because I know the people involved with that.
Because Adelaide is seen as a gamble, it would be “paradoxically reasonable” to assume that the lack of traditional marketing was about not sinking too much into an event that may not work out. However, that lack of investment is also the reason not enough of them knew about it. Spend money to make money, blah blah…
If the majority of their marketing was social media, as I observed, then there is one tiny little problem with that: in the wake of ReedPOP cutting Adelaide and Perth out of the schedule, Oz Comic-Con‘s Facebook page saw a significant drop in followers (in the thousands over the better part of a month, if I recall). One might assume that this exodus of sorts were fans who no longer saw any point in following an event for updates if they weren’t coming back (which I also think feeds into why so many people weren’t aware of the second changing hands).
Ticket Prices
Full disclosure: I was fortunate to be invited to help judge the Cosplay Active contest on the Saturday so I was generously compensated with a weekend pass. But that also meant I didn’t really have a proper look at ticket prices until afterwards.
In regards to General Admission, for an event of this size, the prices seemed reasonable enough: $35 for a single day, $55 for a weekend pass (these have been listed on the website as “Early Bird” so I assume it’s slightly more on the door). These exclude booking fee.
What I have an ever so mild problem with are the separate Child Passes (for ages 5-12).
The other competing event, Supanova, is usually slightly more, however they also include that kids under 12 get in for free when accompanied by a paying adult. To mitigate this Oz Comic-Con have “Family Bundles” for both single day and weekend. Now I don’t have kids, so I can only assume that this is a case of swings and roundabouts… I’ve already done the math on how much a family could possibly spend on a typical day at a con and when you include extras like food, parking, and whatever else a day entails, it’s overall fairly comparable to a few years ago. It begins to break down when you don’t fit the “two parents, two kids” mould.
The price of a day out at such an event can also be a hinderance, especially in the wake of the last two years. Depending on who you talk to, people are either still doing it tough or they were able to save up during that period and are desperate to spend (which was the case at various toy swapmeets many of us observed). From my perspective, it appears an attempt was made to make prices more appealing as well as accommodate whatever arrangement one has in their family unit. A family pass would be completely satisfactory to a lot of people but also if you’re a single parent with a second or third kid tagging along you won’t have to pay the full cost of a GA pass (like I said swings and roundabouts).
Just a minor note: maybe I missed it but there didn’t appear to be anything in regards to media passes. I only took note of this because I was able to apply for them in 2019 at another event. Look, I may not be eligible under Oz Comic-Con’s criteria (if they have any) but I noticed.
Guest Line-Up
As previously mentioned, for the “Homegrown” style of event, guests were limited to those who are based in Australia and they tended to cover locally-made TV and streaming shows as well as a few bigger name artists. With respect to everyone’s careers and achievements, the only name attached to a current global pop culture property was Remy Hii (who had a part in Spider-Man: Far from Home).
As I’ve said many times elsewhere, big name guests are simply a bonus for my convention-going experience as my appreciation and enjoyment of such events are the overall weekend of hanging out with like-minded people, and so on. But for many fans, being able to meet and interact with their favourite stars are the reason they attend these shows, whether you think that’s fair or not. It’s that connection with the people, creators, and stories that they adore, which fans strive to achieve. This notion is more intensely felt by folks in places like Adelaide who, again, constantly feel as though they miss out on these things.
I think everyone is aware of this. I’m not making any major revelations here. But it is important to be reminded that as Oz Comic-Con dips its toe back in to this city it needs to acclimatise before it really sets itself into the water. So it is my hope going forward next year, that Adelaide receives the full-scale treatment with international guests, larger layout, more stuff to see and do. I’ll come back to this point much later.
In the meantime, Oz Comic-Con do have a guest suggestion form. So if you are chomping at the bit to see your favourite creator or performer then this is the way to do it.
Layout
The complex at the Showgrounds we’re all familiar with when it comes to cons is split into three sections: the east wing of the building at the front nearest to Goodwood Road is Goyder Pavilion, the west side toward Ferris wheel is Jubilee Pavilion, and they are separated by a narrow atrium called the Duncan Gallery (yeah, it has a name of its own). Con-goers are intimately familiar with it because that building has hosted Supanova, Oz Comic-Con, and Armageddon Expo over the last decade, either in one pavilion or both at a time. But for the previous 12 months it was either entirely or partly used as a vaccination hub, hence Oz Comic-Con‘s delay this year.
This year’s event was in the Jubilee Pavilion (vaccination hub still taking up half of Goyder, the other half was the “Mega” Toy Fair a couple of week’s later) with the entrance coming in from Hamilton Boulevard (that grassy area split by a path) instead of Duncan Gallery. I must highlight how beneficial that was for those of us in bulky cosplays walking from the carpark. Normally, the Duncan Gallery in the middle is used as a foyer regardless of what pavilion is being used for the main show and therefore that’s where the entrance would usually be located but cutting that trek down by 200-300 metres makes all the difference.
So without the “regular” foyer, part of Jubilee was dedicated as such. Now this serves a couple of purposes: it uses up space of what would otherwise be a sparse events and it’s indoors. Adelaide’s weather was starting to be kind of shite so having an area for people who arrive slightly before doors open or for those to queue up and purchase tickets out of the elements is considerate. Fortunately, the weather all weekend was gorgeous!
The rest of the layout is fairly par for the course when it comes to these events. There was a decent balance between having narrow walkways that direct shoppers in the dealers area and artists alley (this is always deliberate as a means to ensure people look at the merch) and spacious areas that alleviated flow of traffic as well as allowed attendees a space to breathe. A positive highlight I heard from numerous people related to the range of food trucks available. People really did appreciate the variety. I would also add how much I appreciated the space dedicated to the entire “food court” as that also played a part in providing a place for people to relax indoors.
Artist Alley was pretty much like any artist alley we’re familiar with and I don’t mean to be trivial about that, it’s just that my own experience there was minimal apart from catching up with a few friends and overhearing how the cost of a table is “more than the other events”. I did like how some of the bigger name artists were situated in areas that were spacious and more conducive to a crowd or a queue of fans so that seemed to work well. I think the biggest problem I observed were the tables facing the autograph area, which has a “no photography” rule there. However, when someone over on the artist alley side was trying to take photos of people attending their stall then a few volunteers got a little antsy. If you had the wrong person on duty this could cause bigger issues and ruin a day for someone. I would suggest the autograph area be located elsewhere far from any possible thoroughfares and whatnot.
Adding to the variety were at least three gaming sections. Two of them were console and PC gaming provided by AVCon and the Australian ESports League and both appeared to be very popular with nary an empty spot. Tabletop gaming is not something I’m on top of (wait, is that a pun?) so I would be fascinated to hear any thoughts from those involved or took part about how this went. My own observation would be that this was not in a particularly good location (more walkway than dedicated area, if I’m honest).
Cosplay Central is often considered a go-to for many fans, whether it be to meet the cosplay guests or line up for a brief session with a professional photographer, it’s often busy across the two days. Although I have a very specific intentions when it comes to my own photography and videography so I don’t utilise these myself, I did notice that a lot of fans were using the various backdrops provided around the area.
The area dedicated to showing off cosplays and props was unfortunately a tad sparse and perhaps a little hidden away. Having been asked to add something to the display I now regret not taking up the offer (I was still up in the air as to what I was going to wear on the weekend and I have few costumes still intact/in a wearable state in the first place).
Was glad to see a repair station (looked after by the folks from MakerSpace Adelaide) and I noticed quite a few cosplayers requiring their services (I forgot to ask them whether or not Maker Faire was making a come back any time soon as I hadn’t heard anything since the most recent update alluding to the possibility).
Although it’s not new, one of the features I’ve always appreciated over the last few years is the inclusion of the professional photo wall. Forgotten by most people, there was a brief period where photographers were thinning out on the show floor either because they chose to get their shots elsewhere on the grounds with select cosplayers or due to a terrible game of telephone that claimed a particular event had a “ban on photographers” (long story but was ultimately untrue). This meant fewer photos of inside the event and of course fewer photos of fans who weren’t friendly or acquainted with a photographer. The complimentary photo sessions have been a great solution and really allows for a variety of cosplayers to capture their work (or just their fun) in a high-end, top notch quality way.
It is important for me to remind people that these photographers, whether they do this full-time or as a side gig, are giving up their own time to do this. Not only on the weekend itself but away from the show when they edit their shots. Unless someone has a secret agreement I am not privy to, they are not hired by the convention, they have been invited. So the trade-off is that they provide their shots in their own time, according to their own work/life schedule, and on their terms (these are often found on their social media but if you want higher quality copy you have to arrange something with them yourself). Now, if you know anything about my thoughts on paying talent what they are worth, you’ll also know that this is a delicate balance of that notion. Having spoken to one of the photographers on why they do it, it’s pretty much motivated by wanting to give those who aren’t necessarily long-time con-goers a chance to capture a memory, a moment they can look back on with positivity.
Besides, most of them would probably be doing this anyway but the dedicated area allows them to set up their equipment and not have to move anywhere, which is nice.
To the left of Cosplay Central was the Main Theatre. Now at first glance it didn’t appear that impressive or at least not compared to what we’re used to for a “main stage” what with only a small screen to one side, a dozen rows of seats, and not being closed off from the rest of the layout. But when you think about the lack of “huge” headline guests, then anything more may be overkill. There was a benefit to this arrangement though as it gave an opportunity to attract passers-by because as we know not everyone is checking the schedule for panel times. This was best exemplified during the Cosplay Active contest and parade on the Saturday afternoon when it became standing room only in the audience (more about Cosplay Active later).
In somewhat of a polar opposite, the Community & Workshop stage could have been a little more closed-off. That is a deliberately more intimate setting and was far too easy for people to disrupt the panels going on in there (I was standing up the back in bulky and noisy cosplays not wanting to disturb anyone but I continuously had people bounding toward me asking for photos despite a panel in progress). It too benefits from being open to passer-by’s but that balance needs adjusting.
Next to this smaller stage was “The District” and is this packed with various activities often aimed at younger attendees. It has its own photo wall for cosplay group meet-ups, the scribble wall, an area to draw and get creative, as well as set up for Dance Dance Revolution, which looked like a lot of fun. Certain fans who are cultishly loyal to a certain other event often complain that these events never have anything to do but that’s just a blatant lie. More accurate would be to say that there’s always room for more things to do and that is my hope for future shows!
Just back to the Main Theatre… and the back of the main theatre there was a huge empty expanse. I could ignore this and just assume that this was for the benefit of logistics and storage(?) but it would have been a decent area to place the autograph tables: It’s out of the way, there’s no thoroughfare to clog up, and it’s easier to police in case anyone tries to sneak a photo. I get that there wasn’t exactly going to be throngs of fans lining up for autographs at this events (again, no disrespect to the guests) but the main idea is to be slightly out of the way to facilitate easier flow of… well, anything.
Volunteers
No matter the pop-culture event, no matter its size or theme, volunteers really do have quite a mixed reputation. Some of that isn’t unfounded as I’ve encountered a few people over the last 15 years that would never have been hired in the first place had that been a paying job. But then again I’ve also had many positive experiences interacting with various volunteers (my local notoriety affords me a certain level of treatment, sure, but not everyone knows me let alone gives two hoots about me).
This year’s volunteers were some of the best I’ve interacted with. Everyone I dealt with was on the ball, enthusiastic (even after the long hours), friendly and personable, and of course all too willing to help. Anyone who didn’t know something or couldn’t find something didn’t just instantly dismiss it, or get too embarrassed to ask for help – they asked for help to help us. They asked someone else who probably did know the answer, which, hilariously does not happen enough at some shows!
The biggest interaction for me was during the cosplay contest as one of the judges. Now one of the cosplay central leaders, Morgan, whose work at past Oz Comic-Con’s I’m familiar with and impressed by, wasn’t able to make this show so the other leader, her sister Lauren, had to pick up the slack. I’ve worked with plenty of contest organisers over the last decade, many of them doing a fine job overcoming their own inexperience or dealing with the incompetency surrounding them (I. Have. Stories). But Lauren has raised the bar… by running around, getting everything done, making the experience for us judges as seamless as possible, all while pregnant (I didn’t ask how far along, not my business). It was an impressive feat and she surrounded herself with a team of people just as willing to go above and beyond. The contest ran as well as it did because of these people.
I have to recognise that not everyone shares this positive experience. The only anecdote that still springs to mind after four weeks is the apparent overzealousness of the tagging of weapons. In my experience, tagging is primarily meant for prop weapons that look too convincing (predominantly firearms but also bladed-type props). And this is to signify to everyone else that this has passed the checks and identified as a safe, non-working replica to ease the minds of other attendees. But I saw props being tagged that no one in their right mind would consider a threat. One cosplayer had their lasso tagged in such a way to render it useless (so it could only be coiled up and not used).
The safety and well-being of all attendees is paramount at these events and the public in general (I have my own minor issues when it comes to replica military equipment in public spaces). In regards to those who make their own props, this is of particular interest to me ever since I saw a few complaints last year from cosplayers who had their props damaged by the tags. I don’t know if that happened to anyone this time around, hopefully it’s been resolved but it’s something to still be mindful of.
I encourage every cosplayer to have a read of the props policy on their website and become familiar with it before you build anything. Unlike many other prop policies I had no hand advising or writing this one. Right now, I think it covers the broad strokes and specific cases that many will encounter to keep the event safe for everyone. And yes, the size limit now is 2 metres – have fun!
It’s vital to remember that volunteers at these events are the customer service face of the show. Their competency, civility, and ability to help attendees is vital in maintaining a positive atmosphere. Everyone has the occasional bad day, we’re all human. Many of us can look past little mistakes or missteps, But for some people one error in judgement can potentially cascade into a ruined weekend. That sounds like hyperbole but I’ve seen it happen.
Cosplay Active
So I’ve been judging contests since 2013 at many events but this is the first time in the entire existence of Oz Comic-Con that I’ve been asked to be involved with some aspect of their show. And I was more than happy to do so. I mean, free pass!
Complimentary weekend pass aside, I genuinely enjoy judging contests because I enjoy and appreciate other people’s work. Not only does the gig offer me a front row seat (which helps me get the best images) I also get a closer look at their hard work – there is a psychology behind the difference in appreciating cosplays on the show floor and cosplays that have specifically been entered into a competition.
I also appreciate the judges whom I got to work alongside with because they always produce amazing work, T_T Costuming and this year’s cosplay guest Zaphy Cosplay. With every judging panel you always want those with a wide experience in a variety of methods and materials, with both Troy and Zaphy being very adept at the high-end methods like sewing and 3D printing, whereas I’m the guy that’s fascinated by ingenuity and cobbling something together out of cheap and found parts. But just as important, all three of us want to be impressed by your stage presence. On either side of the brief interview with the host, we want to see you really have fun up there and embody the character.
FYI: I have written about what judges look for in these contests (from my perspective at least). I’m always happy to offer anyone feedback but this is a handy primer.
People are aware of my bias here, having known her for the better part of ten years but JusZ Cosplay really does a fantastic job hosting these contests. She’s always aware – and I’ve said this many times – that the role of a host or MC is to make it about whoever it is they are presenting (in this case, the contestants) and never about themselves. You can be vibrant, enthusiastic, and even show personality but to be effective in that role you need to be able to capture an audience’s attention and redirect it to where it needs to go instead of capturing it for yourself. A lot of hosts at similar events forget that. You’re not the talent, you’re simply the facilitator of the proceedings that highlights the talent.
That’s not to trivialise JusZ’s efforts either as she’s part of Lauren’s team who gets that show running smoothly. She’s accommodating and personable, and knows how to talk to cosplayers and knows when to pitch things at to get the best out of them.
If there is one gripe I had about the contest, it would possibly be in regards to what time marshalling is meant to start. Admittedly, it’s up to the contestants to make it there on time to give the judges a proper chance to have a closer look and chat about their work (some contestant either didn’t rock up or were late) and they do themselves a disservice. But then again it’s not the big major contest with a lot of money on the line so it’s up to them how they much they want to invest in such.
Not so much a complaint but something to be mindful of: while we were deliberating, I thought we were properly out of the way but some punters still saw fit to approach and interrupt me and ask for a photo. It’s just a strange lack of boundaries that a lot of “normies” and newcomers had that also manifested while I was eating lunch. Again, just something to be mindful of.
Thank you to everyone who stepped up on that stage to show off their work. That in of itself is always a big achievement.
Going forward
One of the persistent things many of us heard across the weekend from attendees was that this Oz Comic-Con was their very first ever convention. Sure, we saw many of our friends and usual folks who attend these things but there was an increase in people who had never been to a pop-culture event before. That’s great news that an event we all enjoy is reaching new people. The curious thing about that, when you really think about it, surely this always happens even pre-pandemic. Over the last decade, people will have gone to their very first convention for the first time as these events gain traction and finds new audiences. We just rarely heard them express it.
So what was it about this event that made these con-virgins want to be here?
The global pandemic shutting things down for nearly two years most likely has something to do with that. South Australia might have been protected by the virus itself (until we weren’t) but we were affected by the inability to “do stuff” (which I still maintain was important for everyone’s safety – let’s not forget that). So I think it’s a case of cathartic joy when fans young and old, first time cosplayers, parents, etc were gleefully proclaiming their enjoyment. And I love that!
Remember when I said that there was an exodus of Facebook followers when ReedPOP pulled up stumps? And that some people didn’t even know the event was going on until it was too close to time. Coincidentally, a lot of the “old guard” or “the usual suspects” didn’t turn up for this show. Now, I’m happy to conclude that this is due to there still being an ongoing pandemic and the older folks are perhaps being (rightfully) wary of public gatherings but still I think there’s a link with the lack of traditional marketing.
So where do we go from here?
I’ve been interchangeably using the terms “fans”, “attendees”, even “punters” but I haven’t referred to anyone as “geeks” or “nerds” for an important reason: Pop culture as we know it is wider and much further-reaching than many in various fan communities are willing to admit or comprehend. The biggest films in the world for more than a decade have been based on comic book characters, for a while video games were making more money than Hollywood, we’re consuming a steady diet of Star Wars AND Star Trek thanks to streaming (and both these sci-fi properties peaked in the late 90s if you really remember). As a term, “cosplay” has been part of the general lexicon for a while and there are even more avenues for nostalgic collectors to get their “Plastic Crack” fix. This isn’t a niche thing and technically never was.
It’s not a “niche” or minority of people that attend these pop culture events, it’s anyone from casual to dyed-in-the-wool fans to parents with kids who are, of course, fans of the Avengers, etc. This is in contrast to deliberately niche events like AVCon or SMASH, in the case of the former that is aimed at a youth audience (in fact their sponsorship with Adelaide City Council even says that). It’s where young people go hang out to be away from their parents. You do have that with shows like Oz Comic-Con too but with the addition of what I dub the “royal show crowd” – families who want to take their kids out to do something fun. It’s an infinitely broader demographic than one remembers from the stereotype so events need to broaden how they reach these people as well as what they provide these potential attendees to entice them.
Setting aside for a moment that AVCon is struggling to run a big show again (all the best to them), the closest competitor to Oz Comic-Con is still owned by a open bigot. Going by recent reports, they’re probably doing fine financially and not going anywhere soon and they are booking huge names regardless of the state of the world… and it seems to be working. On the surface, Oz Comic-Con appears to be doing what it can to make their event a welcoming space for everyone and I hope is more than just cynical “corporate pride”. But that is a way for the event to stand out and differentiate itself and they probably already know that.
So if these “newbies” were impressed with a scaled-down event, imagine how they would react to a full-scale show running on all cylinders?
This was a great and fun re-introduction, an entrée if you will, but we’re ready for the main course and I sincerely hope that’s what we’re getting next year. Because that is my paranoia, that Adelaide is only ever going to get the “Homegrown” version. I am not going to be satisfied with a mere morsal and pretend to be grateful that we’re getting anything at all. That’s what this year was about. At time of publishing, it’s been a week since they held their Melbourne leg of the tour and apparently it’s the first full scale show they’ve put on since Expertise Events took over the brand and by the few accounts I’ve heard so far it went off! And that’s what we need here next year. A way to accomplish that is to pair it up with a more viable city and share the guests between the two, the cost of running both shows (in terms of appearance fees, etc at least) gets shared across those shows. I’m sure the powers-that-be are aware of this but of course the pandemic has been tough to line up venues (there was a two week delay between Adelaide and Melbourne and their line-ups did not match).
I said earlier that as a city, Adelaide has severe issues with our self-esteem because we’ve continually had our heart broken. We want to be wined and dined and slapped on the arse and told that we look pretty. But we may not feel that way if you only give us a lesser experience. We fancied you on the first date so give us more! And the thing is, I’m cognisant of the financial viability side of things but then again we just want a decent effort be made and not just phoning it in. If Adelaide can show up 65,000+ strong for Ed Sheeran then I think we can do a hearty fraction of that for a convention that wants to be here.
Yes, I am aware that I’ve word vomited a lot here and it’s a lot to absorb and there’s probably plenty I’ve missed but as I said, if I don’t recall it now then does it really matter that much? Overall, this Adelaide leg of Oz Comic-Con was amazing and wonderful fun. A familiar feeling and a long awaited re-introduction. We were made to feel a part of the broader fan community again and allowed to let our geek flag fly.
This is what we want, this is what we crave: to be a part of something again.
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