Event - FACTS convention
Only the real cosplay oldtimers might remember glimpses of it, but a very long time ago we had an official photobooth on FACTS convention for the old Aztek-TV.
At first in the ICC and then during those first years in Flander's Expo we made on-convention studio stills of cosplayers & actors. Those were fun times of trying new things, experimenting with gear & exploring possibilities.. the Wild Wild West.
Just as I love it.
Most of those thousands of stills from that era were lost when some external hard drives crashed. Surely they could be saved, but I'm not ready to invest in it (yet). However: it's fun to see an image surface once in a while on someone's FB timeline. Good memories!
Fast forward to 2023.
But before sharing thoughts on the event, I'll share some links:
▷ A slideshow: Since I forgot to shoot video
▷ Updates on the post-processing progress will go to Facebook.
▷ A small slideshow is on to Instagram.
▷ NEW: Buy Red Cathedral a whisky on Ko-Fi
Follow both of those or the Easter Bunny will eat your Christmas Tree!
▷ All photos can be found on/downloaded from my Flickr once processed & uploaded (UPDATE: It's 100% finished!)
This is HOW to download them:
On with the story.. we had just jumped more than a decade forward and just like everything else in the world FACTS has changed.
It's huge. It felt more like I remember Japan Expo in Paris: colossal and mainstream. Don't get me wrong: both are good for the event. It brings so much more investors, advertisers and visitors to the fair and you can see much of that money is being used to improve the setting, to create more space and more of a geek experience instead of a shopping only fair.
I loved the Supercube karting.
Loved the wide alleys where even wheelchairs and huge winged cosplays can pass.
Having an entire hall dedicated to food and another to the guests is a plus.
I adored several of the set-pieces decorating the event and..
the horde of friendly gophers. At least this hasn't changed. And early in the morning the general of the event can still be found at the entrance distributing wristbands and checking tickets. Some things should never change!
The full gallery (Click on the arrows on the side to scroll):
I was positively surprised by the integration of Het Spellenspektakel into FACTS. Boardgames, TTRPGs & tabletop wargames surely have an important place in this venue and combining these events benifits both.
Did you notice how I didn't say "D&D and Warhammer"?
Eventhough these 2 behemoths have entered the tabletoprolepaying/wargaming hobbies into mainstream popculture, just like the MCU movies popularized comic superheroes, the LotR-movies turned fantasy into big business, Playstation turned generations into gamers and Disney's buying Star Wars made sure everybody on the planet knows at least one scifi title.. but that's another discussion. What I wanted to say is: there are SO many interesting games waiting to be played around the (virtual) tabletop. One Page Rules, Hordes, Call of Cthulhu, Shadowrun, Pathfinder, Turnip28, Sludge, Cairn, Mausritter, The drowned earth, Margrave, Achtung Cthulhu, Skyrim Adventures, Infinity, Kult, Star Trek Adventures, .. Give some a try and you'll be surprised!
My story is meandering all over the place instead of simply listing negative and positive points.
So let's list some random points who might be either:
▷ At certain times (on Saturday) it was so crowded I felt like a sardine in a can. Yes, even with all those halls and wide alleys is was super-crowded. Actually, before 10AM and after 17H were the best moments to stroll around. But a full house is good for the organisation. (UPDATE: over 45k visitors over the weekend.. congratz!)
▷ Having this labyrinth of giant halls, the immense crowds and the constant meeting with familiar faces, you had to leave an hour beforehand to get to a Q&A or signing session or photomeet at the other side of the event. Then again.. more space gives more options.
▷ Great cosplays and kind cosplayers.. but most of Flanders' Expo consists of boring ugly concrete walls, so even the lights from the booths were more inspiring as a backdrop. I admit that when it got too crowded I simply stopped making photos. Time to play games!
▷ Interaction with the guests has completely changed. The freedom of old has evolved into corporatelike, streamlined, cost-efficient, fastfood micro transactions. As efficient as a modern assembly line in a factory. Very normal for today's humans and more in line with the American comic cons and the corporate mindset.. but very different from what oldtimers were used to. Let's file this under changing times.
▷ The long queues at the parking (+entrance?) and food stalls were no problem for us.. but that was thanks to VIP/fast pass entry. Those really helped.
▷ Too many Funko Pops, but on the other hand a few more special booths featuring original gear and even a booth for the Belgian start-up Dungeon Alchemist. I'll gladly support those.
▷A cinema room. An escape room. Videogames stations with KitKat sponsoring the pillows.. every big brand has suddenly seen big money in geek culture. Let's just hope those corporations don't swallow the culture competely because big corporations have already destroyed so much.
▷ This year FACTS celebrated it's 30th anniversary. Congratulations!
▷ More might follow ..but for now let's showcase a few samples from the photos..
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All the photos are here on Flickr.
And for the really OLD ones, here's a gallery with some recovered shots from the 2008-2013 editions when I did the photobooth:
Yeah, that's from very long ago..
A link to this article: https://tinyurl.com/FACTSconvention2023
Namaste
And maybe till the shoot day at the Verbeke Foundation, Comic Con BXL or Uchronicité
PS. Yes this last one ⇩ was also taken at Flanders' Expo:
Maybe you recognize the metal & concrete arch?
