Author: Jorge Perez
Fan Expo Denver 2024. The event started on July 4th and went till July 7th. Four full days of nerdy fun! So, of course, I had to get ready. Months before the Fan Expo in Denver, I made hotel reservations through the Fan Expo website because they provided a discount. I get new shoes with new insoles with the anticipation of walking a lot and a small portable fan just in case I get too hot. I downloaded the Fan Expo Denver app so I would have access to the panel schedule and a map of the convention.
Once I felt prepared for the Denver Fan Expo, I checked the schedule to see what panels sounded interesting to attend. There were no panels, and I was super excited to see them, but I did choose the ones that sounded the most interesting to participate in. I made my schedule and packed my bags for Fan Expo Denver.
I drive to Denver with my wife, and we go into the parking garage since we reserved a spot for the length of the convention. It only costs roughly $50 to use an app to reserve a space in the parking garage closest to the hotel where we were staying. There were many options to choose from with parking, like using the valet during our stay or finding free parking a long way off from the convention center. Still, we decided to use the parking app because it was more cost-effective, and could see a parking garage close to the hotel.
I could check into the hotel early since they had a room ready. With a little bit of heavy lifting and lugging our luggage, we got our stuff into the room. Once we settled in, we headed to the convention center to pick up our badges. The process was simple, and we got our badges. We were guided into the convention center and were able to check in and start our adventure. The convention itself felt welcoming and had a lot of energy.
The convention layout could have been more straightforward at first, but with the help of the map and the staff, it was easy to navigate. When it came to the lines for the panels, they were mainly organized. The lines for small panels were not bad at all and were organized. The lines for the more extensive panels had slight difficulties organizing them when there was overflow. I noticed that they did their best to meet the needs of the ADA population and allowed them more access to panels. They prioritized them so they would have the same experience as other congoers.
We attended a fair amount of the celebrity panels. The first one we attended was Jim Cummings. He is a voice actor well known for his roles as Winnie the Pooh, Tigger, Darkwing Duck, and Hondo from Star Wars. His energy was excellent, and he loved answering the fan’s questions. The next celebrity panel we attended was Andy Serkis. He is an actor known for his role as Gollum from The Lord of the Rings and Caeser from Rise of the Planet of the Apes. He was a joy to watch and talk about his roles and experiences. Another celebrity panel we attended was Brie Larson. She is known for playing Captain Marvel. Her panel was different because questions were asked beforehand through the Fan Expo social media pages. The fans that attended the panel could not ask any questions in real time. That did take away from the experience.
The next panel we attended was Keith David. He is an actor and voice actor known for his various roles, such as the voice of Goliath in the show Gargoyles and Dr. Facilier from The Princess and The Frog. Listening to his experiences and answering fans’ questions was great since he appears funny and is someone you would like to hang out with. Rosario Dawson is an actor best known for her role as Ahsoka Tano in the show Ahsoka. She had fantastic energy, and one lucky fan was able to hug her. The last celebrity panel we attended was Ella Purnell. She is an actor most recently known for playing Lucy in Fallout. She was adorable, answering her questions and being honest with the experiences she had in her career. She made the panel fun to attend.
Lines appeared to be extended when getting autographs and photo ops. Especially with the big-name guests, photo ops were managed well, from what I have experienced. It was organized, and things went smoothly, which provided a great experience. You must purchase photo ops beforehand and schedule a day and time to take the photo. People were divided into different groups, and they used an assembly line style to take the photos. It was quick and only left a little time to talk with the celebrities, but we did get a great souvenir. It is the same for some of the autographs. I got no autographs because they were too expensive, and I already spent a lot on a photo op with Brie Larson.
When it came to the smaller panels, I typically looked for panels that sounded interesting besides the celebrity panels. One of the panels I liked a lot was a panel that talked about Don Bluth movies and how they were darker than Disney movies because they did not avoid the concept of death. Another panel I attended was “Healing with Manga,” which explored the genre of Iyashikei, which means “healing” in Japanese. It is not as well known as other manga, but the presenters provided examples of some of the manga that fall into this genre. I also saw panels that discussed the science of Wolverine and Deadpool and the science of Gundam.
Another panel I attended was related to the Netflix show 3 Body Problems and how the current laws would affect them. The panel discussed what would be the legal ramifications of events that happened in the show 3 Body Problems. The presenters were lawyers, one of whom was the Colorado Attorney General, Phil Weiser. They provided their legal expertise and insight into how things would be handled using current laws.
One of the things I look forward to when attending a convention is the cosplay. There were some great cosplays, and you can tell that the individual spent a lot of time and worked hard on their costume. There were a lot of different cosplays that stood out, but the one that comes to mind the most is a couple of ladies dressed up as Mandalorians. They used vibrant colors, and the armor they created was very sleek. I was able to speak with them, and I asked how long it took them to create their costume. They stated that it took two to three years. I do not cosplay myself because I am not creative enough to make a costume from scratch. I do, however, appreciate those who cosplay because they work hard on their costumes, and it is fun to guess who they’re cosplaying.
We would check out the vendors whenever we had the chance. The vendors sold many things, whether dungeons and dragons, dice and accessories, or hand-crafted plushes from different fandoms. There also was a stand that sold mystery boxes of specific genres, such as Kingdom Hearts and Super Mario Bros, to name a few. Next to the vendors, there was Artist Alley. Artist Alley showed a lot of different styles and fandoms. I did not buy any art, nor did I have the chance to speak with some of the artists; however, there were a lot of creative pieces on display. Though there was a lot of diversity, the artists had little space to show their wares and the area felt slightly cramped.
Anime was prevalent at the Fan Expo and has been rising in popularity recently. There were a lot of different anime meet-ups that I did not have the chance to check out since I was checking out panels during those meet-ups. I checked out some places, including the manga library and the Japanese Arcade. The manga library was a great place to escape Fan Expo’s hustle and bustle. I checked it out and read a couple of the available manga. It wasn’t a vast selection, but there were some popular titles like Naruto and Bleach, to name a couple. The Japanese arcade had a few games to play, such as Super Smash Bros, Dance Dance Revolution, and Tekken 8.
There is one section of Fan Expo that was tailored for little kids. It was called Kids Corner, and there were a bunch of different education-driven booths. Kids Corner was run by a nonprofit organization called Pop Culture Classroom. Pop Culture Classroom is an organization that provides educational materials to educational platforms using comics, graphic novels, and related pop culture media. The theme appeared underwater based on the lessons they showed on how to create your own sea creature. I witnessed part of a class where someone taught the kids to draw Davy Jones from Pirates of the Caribbean. The atmosphere was welcoming, and the energy coming from the people running Kids Corner was friendly and inviting. The activities were well organized, and they kept the kids’ attention.
With all the excitement that is going on, we sometimes forget to eat. The food court was in the same place as the vendors and Artist Alley. There was a wide selection of foods, from sandwiches to pizza and chili fries. The cost of food was high at Fan Expo, so to save money, I would go back to the hotel room and make a sandwich since we brought sandwich-making things. The only food I bought was a tri-tip sandwich on the last day since we had already checked out of the hotel. The sandwich was good, even if it was a bit pricey. I would purchase it if I could not return to the hotel to make a sandwich.
As I stated before, the atmosphere was energetic throughout the four days. When we arrived at Fan Expo, the staff was welcoming and made getting our passes easy. The staff tried their best to answer some questions we had. There was a lot to explore, and, for me, the events that stood out the most were the trim panels. I enjoyed them the most and learned a lot. The next part I wanted was the photo ops with Jared Padalecki and Brie Larson. They brought beautiful memories.
Things were winding down for us, and we decided to leave at the end of the fourth day. It was a lot of fun witnessing the many fans have a lot of fun and live their best lives. Remember many things to ensure you have one of the best experiences. One of the essential things to do is always to stay hydrated. There is a lot of walking involved. Take breaks when needed, and if you can, take snacks. If possible, schedule what panels you want to see. If you cannot see the panel, be flexible. And last but not least, have fun!
I look forward to next year!
