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  1. Alice
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  3. Tuesday, 31 March 2015
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Recently a few regular commenters on the WFB have referred to their Con experiences. LEAH actually got to ask a (brilliant) question at the Seattle Con, and St50 briefly referred to her Con experience in one of her posts. I've never been to a Con and I'm not sure I'll ever have the disposable income to attend one but I (and maybe some other visitors to the site) would love to hear more about the Con experience of LEAH, St50 and anyone else who's been. Not so much what the actors say at the panels because there are lots of videos and storified tweets about that available online. But I'm interested in the fan experience. I read Nightsky's account of her Con visit that began her writing career at the WFB and it gave a great view of the whole experience. So if you have been to a Con and want to share, I'd be interested in the good, the bad, and the ugly. Some of my questions are: is it really one big happy family or is there friction between the different fan factions? does everyone sprint to line up for questions or is it orderly? how does the audience react to lame/rude questions or overly emotional questioners? if you got to ask a question, what was that like? what is the demographic makeup of the audience- what percent female? what age range are most attendees? do many people come in costume? did YOU? how are the meet and greets- I know you're not supposed to share specific info, but do you sign something to that effect or is it the honor system? even if you can't share specific statements what is the atmosphere in the meet and greets, and how do the fans behave? do you ever see the actors wandering around the hotel? have you met up with other commenters from the WFB that you'd never met before? how close are you to the actors at karaoke? Finally, is it worth attending a Con if you can only afford the cheapest tickets to see the Js, or are you so far back that you're better off watching the videos online? Any and all information would be welcome!
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Leah
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Hi Samandean10. I will try and answer some of your question. I had a really great time for the most part. I will talk about some of the exceptions at the end. Most of the fans were great, friendly and eager to chat. Our love brought us all there. I saw no friction. There was a small percentage of fans in costumes and it got a little confusing because the Emerald City Comic-Con was going on at the same time so there was a bit of crossover. There were a lot of questions at the panels. Some were the same old "prank" questions and a lot of the same questions that have been asked at other cons. But no one made a big deal out of that. They paid their money and could ask whatever they wanted. The actors graciously, without fail, answered them (except Mark S, not answering is his "thing" he wanders around the audience messing with people) even the ones they had been asked many times before. Even the few questions that made no sense. They always came up with something! The question lines were orderly as far as I could tell. My question was asked from the seats, the gold morning panel is more informal. I saw Jared sitting next to his sister in the hall. Clif was there behind him and they wouldn't let you loiter unless you were in line to buy a book from his sister. She writes children's books. The vendors were in the hall next to the main ballroom. I also saw Mark S. in the hall. But it wasn't highly unusual to occasionally see an actor getting coffee or something. There were far more females in attendance but also a far share of guys. I was in the back of the room for autographs and it was very hard to tell who was onstage. I wouldn't want those tickets. As for Karaoke, there was no assigned seating and so the first hundred or so people in surrounded the stage and it was very hard to see anyone on stage. I still enjoyed it for awhile but I think they should rethink that. Maybe have a place to the side for the people who want to wave their arms and dance.

As for my own experiences. I didn't mind the long waits in line at all! I always had people to talk to. Besides attending all the panels which I LOVED, I think getting autograph's was my favorite part. They did not rush you. You had time to greet and say a few words to all the actors who were all lovely. Some were more into the small talk than others. Jensen was sweet and gracious but he signed fast and moved the line along as did Mark S. But they made eye contact and smiled when you thanked them said "you're welcome". In Mark's case "you're welcome dear":) Jared, Misha, and Lauren were very personable and chatty. Every actor who had a panel was witty, interesting and really gave thoughtful answers to all the questions. Misha's Saturday panel was particularly fun. He goofs around a bit but will eventually answer most questions.

Now for the "bad". I had the misfortune to be seated next to a lady who was drinking alcohol most of the con. She, although nice, was extremely loud and liked to yell things out to the actors (sometimes inappropriate things). She non-stop laughed very loudly and almost whacked me a few times in the face when she jumped up to dance at the Sat night concert. Which by the way is forbidden. I had to move. She was told to sit down. You might ask, why didn't I complain? She said she had health problems and would likely not live another year. She said it was her "Make-a Wish" present to herself. She told everybody in the vicinity. No one wanted to ruin her con if it was true. But I was determined not to let it ruin my experience and it didn't!

I had an awkward moment with Jensen at the photo op which still bothers me. I went to shake his hand and then for some reason I thought he was going for a hug so I went in for a hug and he had his hand out and I ran into it. I said "so sorry!". I was very embarrassed and a second later they snapped the photo. I had a very strained half smile on my face. It wasn't a good shot at all. Of course the guys looked absolutely great. It is a very rushed experience, only about 10 -12 seconds. I am sure I wasn't alone in being nervous and awkward. My goal is to get a better shot someday! I think a handshake is a safe bet. :D

All in all a great experience. I would do it again in a heartbeat! If anyone has any more questions I will do my best to answer them.
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Leah, did you attend by yourself or with other SPN fans? What prompted you to finally go to your first Con?Thanks so much for your gracious answers to my questions.
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st50
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Hi samandean10,
I just saw this discussion topic, and I'll try to add a few notes as they come to mind. (Hopefully it will make sense)

So glad you finally got a chance to go, Leah, and enjoyed it! Very brave to ask a question at your first con!!

I've been to 3 cons now - Dallas twice, and Houston once - (when I originally planned on it being a once-in-a-lifetime-thing), and I've been lucky to attend 2 of Jared's meet&greets. Amazing. (Never ever thought I'd spend the money on those, but yup. I've done it. Would love to do some of the others, but.... $$)

In my experience, cons are totally addicting. The panels and activities are great, but it's really the experience of being in one location with literally hundreds of like-minded people - mostly women, mostly - um - over the age of majority - and all lovely people. We all have our favourite actors/seasons/episodes/scenes, but at a con? Everyone is literally family. Not exaggerating at all. There are a few eye-rolls, and such, but generally everyone is kind and loving and tolerant of differences. Some people choose not to go to everything - they skip panels or skip karaoke or skip the concert Saturday night - but for me, every minute is a treasured moment. I drink it all in.

The bad - I've also had an experience with Con-goers who imbibe a bit too much, Leah. At karaoke in Houston, there was one young lady who really shouldn't have been there. Her friends were trying to remove her/get her to sit down, and she actually fell on top of me. I was pushed back into a chair. Luckily no injuries, but I suppose there are always a few....

Question lines for panels are quite civil and orderly. If you want to ask a question, you join the end of the cue. The cues can be long (and start forming up for the Js at about the middle of the panel before them). Most questions are at least thought out, but I've heard a few groans and seen a bunch of eyerolls to the predictable prank questions, and some of the more ludicrous questions. One about what the Js bikinis would look like, for example, got a loud groan. The worst audience reaction I have been present for was the one to Colin Ford at Houston this year. I mentioned it on the main board at one point.

Gold panel didn't have a question line at my first con, and breakfast was still included. (We ate before the Js appeared). Everyone sat at tables, so you got to meet other people and get to know them. I met a pair of beautiful young women there, and still have contact with them.....Questions were just by raising your hand. It felt more intimate than the way they do them now, which is in your seat in the main auditorium.

At my first con, Dallas2013, I met SweetonDean (a former contributor to this site, and a truly lovely person). She and her friend Hazel basically showed me the ropes, laughed at my total fangirl freak-out (embarrassing!!) during my J2 photo op - The write-up she did which included that moment is probably still in the article archives here - and introduced me to a few other people. I went to that one alone (well, my husband went with me, but did not attend the con), but I met one of my current con-buddies there. And ultimately a few other people who will probably be friends for life. That con was a whirlwind for me. I loved every minute, but felt totally overwhelmed by it all. So.....

That one, and some personal circumstances led to me signing up for the next year. This time, rooming with the girl I'd met the year before and another friend. And, with experience under my belt, I bid for the Meet & Greet - wow! - and actually spoke to the Js. Jensen during the Gold Panel (not intentionally - I didn't ask a question - he saw me respond to something they were discussing, and talked directly to me about it!), and Jared during the M&G. The best thing about speaking to them is the way they zero in on you. Totally focussed on you, on your words, and on their answer. (oh GOD those eyes!!) I'm quite sure that's why there are a lot of... um, what's the right word?.... inane questions. Just to get that focussed attention, all to yourself. *sigh*

I had some interesting items for them to sign that year, hand made by my daughter, and that got a lot of positive attention from J2M2 and Jim Beaver - and especially Clif. The items led to further discussion, and - at my 3rd con in Houston this past January - they all actually remembered. That was a total rush! Being remembered by J2M2 and Clif. :)

I'm going to DallasCon again this year, thanks to the prodding of my buddies, and hope to see SweetonDean there. I hear she's going, along with a few hundred of my friends, and a dozen or so very special people.

By the way, if you get ever get a chance to go, thank the volunteers and the head Creation guys. They work really hard, stand on their feet very long hours, and try very hard to make it an unforgettable weekend for everyone. (And yes, it's getting more and more expensive, but that's for another discussion.)

Let me know if you have any more questions - or any that I either haven't answered. I do get rambling when I discuss my con experiences. Hope this is coherent enough to give you a picture.
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LEAH
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No problem. It's fun for me to talk about it. No, I went by myself, not that I didn't try and convince Cheryl to come up and go with me! But she has SF con which is much closer for her. It turned out fine. Even though I am a bit shy it was easy to start conversations. I made a local SPN fan friend, we went out to lunch and spent some of the down time getting to know each other. I have always wanted to go to a con. So last year I took the leap and bought tickets to Vancon, then had to sell them due to financial issues. THEN I heard there was going to be one in the Seattle area and it just seemed like the stars aligned and I couldn't pass this one up. :)
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So I have a question about the meet n greets. I didn't know you had to bid on them. But why is everyone sworn to secrecy and how can they enforce that? Are they limited to a very few people? And most importantly, do you get really close to the actors at it? St50, is your daughter a big SPN fan, and what were the handmade items? Leah, did you meet Cheryl through the WFB? I know that has nothing to do with the Cons but I guess I'm just a nosy parker. Leah, I really admire you for going alone. I think I'm too shy to ever do that. Thanks for bearing with my questions ladies!
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st50
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Meet and Greets are won by auction through the Creation website. There are a limited number of seats available, and they only last for a limited time - different for each actor/group of actors.

Because they are so small, yes, you get really close to the actors. And everyone can ask a question, and have an actual discussion. Meet and greet rules are on the auction site. They basically state that what is discussed isn't to be shared, or you can't come back (or something like that, I forget, actually). I think the main reason they are not reported on, often, is because they feel more intimate, and the actors feel more able to share things. No one wants to spoil that atmosphere. So reports that are made are fairly generic, and omit some details.

My daughter WAS a big fan. She's not anymore. The items she made were made for me. Clif liked it so much, she made one for him. If you follow him on twitter, you've seen it.
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Alice
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I've been fortunate to share all my con experiences on this site. I used to go to 3 or 4 cons a year. Heck, one year I went to 6 and I was pretty burned out by the last one. Lately, I don't see me attending even one. I went to the Creation cons when they first started and they were smaller and more personal. Now they've grown into monsters!

My most special con was my first, the second Chicago con I believe back in 2008. I was a new Supernatural blogger that was finding suddenly huge popularity. I was floored to find at that con so many people that had heard of me. I brought my articles for the con celebrity guests to sign. No one said a word about them until I suddenly put my first article in front of Jensen. He stopped. He said, "I've read this. I read this to everyone in my trailer." Floor, thud, me. Then he passed it onto Jared (after he signed it) and Jared remembered it too! I didn't have words. I've gotten to interview them a lot of times now, but nothing beats that first meeting.

My other very special con was the next one, the very first New Jersey con. It was Misha's first con, and only 400 of us were there. I made so many friends at that con and it was the first time I met my dear friends Lynn and Kathy from Fangasm.

But yes, for me, the cons for me now are a "been there done that" type thing. They're too expensive and too big. It's funny, we've had messages floating lately about going to Vancouver con and I'm more interested in going and seeing friends and touring Vancouver than actually going to the con! I'm considering going and skipping the con.

Here's our archive of con reports if you're interested!

http://www.thewinchesterfamilybusiness.com/article-archives/con-reports
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LEAH
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Hi again samandean10. I was told by so many people that I would not have any problem meeting people. It was true. When you are standing in lines (there is a lot of that) it easy to strike up a conversation. People are generally pumped to be there. We shared con experiences, people showed me their photo's and objects they were going to get signed. Yes I met Cheryl through the website. I have met some great friends here. We have chatted in less formal formats like the now defunct CBOX and sometimes Skype-chat and have gotten to know each other. It is nice to know people, who I now consider friends, that also have an affection for the show that has been a part of my life for so long.
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Alice I'm embarrassed that I didn't realize there was an archive of Con reports. I am now slowly working my way through the list, so thanks for the link. But I'd still like to hear from any other WFB commenters who care to share their particular experiences. It sounds like the earlier, less crowded Cons presented a different experience from the current ones.
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