College Station: Texas
by Jake Jacobson
Aggiecon (now concluding its 36th year) is just about the biggest and best little con you’ll ever attend. Held annually in College Station Texas (i.e. A&M, therefore “Aggiecon”) the convention focuses on sci-fi, fantasy and comic fandom. Every year media guests, artists, writers and a mob of fans pour into College Station Texas. The con itself is run by the tireless and consummately professional student organization Cepheid Variable. If you’re looking for a con with personal treatment, a “hometown” feel and a good spread of guests and events, Aggiecon is for you.
Guest ListI’ve attended Aggiecon now for the better part of 7 years and in that time I have been constantly baffled and amazed by the high profile guests Cepheid Variable manages to find. In past years I’ve been treated to encounters with names like Ennis, Gaiman, Raimi (as in Ted), Clark (as in Arthur C.) and many others. This year was no different, a grab bag of local regulars and top-of-their-game up and comers.
The guests of honor were dominated this year by the Red vs. Blue team, who by now are virtually household names among the convention community. Sadly I must admit that because of the mobs of people in their panels we were unable to really get anywhere near Red vs. Blue at the con, but such is the danger of having high profile guests. Other guests included, but were not limited to, Brian Stelfreeze, Caitlin Glass, Todd Mcaffrey, Joe Landsdale and Cat Conrad.
Overall I’d say it was an average year for the con, with a few big names and a large handful of smaller ones. The con may not have the star power of larger cons, but they tend to have a knack finding guests with excellent personality and class.
Scheduling and ProgramsScheduling this year was truly intense, and I spent most of Saturday in and out of all kinds of panels. As with most conventions one must plot their attendance very carefully so as to get full coverage of the guests they want to see, the events they want to partake in, and the money they want to spend. Sadly with Aggiecon there is rarely an online posting of the final panel schedule and unless I missed it somehow in the last week before the con there was none this year as well. One must simply use the printed version for all it’s worth. That said, the printed program was very accurate and easy to follow, so the lack of online accompaniment is a minor gripe at best. Programming was varied and nicely laid out this year so as to allow people the chance to hit nearly every art panel (or writer panel or whatever) but still have time to grab lunch or hit the dealers room.
LayoutI’m going to say the layout for Aggiecon was simple and easy to follow. Being a veteran of the con and knowing the building it’s held in like the back of my hand, however, one must take this statement with a grain of salt. I will say that the dealer’s room and panels are almost always easy to find and are consistently corralled into two very separate areas marked by guideposts.
StaffSomething that also never fails to impress me is the thoroughness of the Aggiecon staff. These guys seriously have their shit together. As a student organization running off what I must presume is mostly a volunteer basis these guys have an incredibly smooth running con, and though I’m sure many of them are being run ragged behind the scenes, you’d be hard pressed to see the tension as a con attendee. I was singularly impressed by the “door Nazis” this year when I learned that they were thorough enough to stop even Brian Stelfreeze, a ten year regular for not having a pass. Granted the door guard should have known I suppose, but his/her diligence is admirable.
AtmosphereI’ve almost never had a problem with the atmosphere at Aggiecon and this year was no different. Staff members were helpful and friendly, dealers were well stocked and good humored, and guests were open and easily accessible. One element I can point out about Aggiecon that is untrue of most other conventions is the openness and ease of access to guests. At large cons the lines are huge, the guests are tired, and by Sunday everyone is just ready to go home. At Aggiecon the guests are available to nearly anyone who wants to see them, and this gives the con an incredibly warm and inviting overtone.
ConclusionAggiecon is probably the best of the smaller cons in Texas, and always supports this with a sense of style, professionalism and zeal. The guest list was excellent for a smaller con and the staff is personable and helpful. The pricing for Aggiecon is a steal and if you’ve got an extra 20 lying about I can’t imagine a better way to spend it. Otherwise the con is well run and nicely put together, an excellent way to spend a weekend.
