Convention Fans:
A Report on the 2010 National Halloween and Haunters Convention

This past weekend I ventured out to Valley Forge, Pennsylvania (USA) for the 2010 National Halloween and Haunters Convention. It was held April 29 – May 2, 2010 at the Valley Forge Convention Center. This event aimed to strike a balance between industry only expo shows, and fandom conventions geared towards the public. Did it succeed? Well, for the most part, yes!

Before I dive into the particulars of the convention events and programming, I want to comment on the location. Believe it or not, picking the right (or the wrong) location can significantly impact how a con goes. Fortunately, the organizers for this con picked a location that was size appropriate for the crowds. There was ample free parking. There was plenty of space inside. The aisles of the show room floor were wide and you never felt claustrophobic moving around. It seemed like all of the vendors had ample space to spread out their merchandise. There was also some food provided onsite by the convention center (although I didn't see any vegetarian options, which may have been out of the con's control, and something the convention center should address in the future).

There was, however, one downside to the location: the "classrooms" were difficult to find, especially from the main showroom area. Although staff provided maps, it was still tricky to navigate to those areas. If the con intends to use this location for next year, I recommend better signage to guide attendees, and assigning some staff specifically to aid people going from one section to the other. In fact, every single staffer should know the whole venue like the back of their hand before the doors open and attendees come in. That being said, signage in the main area and the show floor was great! It just needed to be continued on into the class areas.

Another suggestion I have for next year is to provide more space for the stage on the show room floor, along with some seating. In order to watch events happening on stage, crowds had to gather around and stand, as no chairs were set up. This also made foot traffic inside the main show room a little difficult when events were going on.