FACTS Spring is over, so it’s time for a review!
Price: 15-20 euros, depending on when you buy and whether you go in cosplay.
Location: 3/5 – easy to reach by car, free public transport from the train station, but not many opportunities for photographers.
Activities: 3.5/5 – a big convention with much to see and do, but communication about the activities could have been better.
Communication: 3.5/5 – Site was up to date and had nice extra information, fun booklet and map, communication about the activities was lacking.
Mood: 5/5 – They transformed the cold convention halls into a welcoming and interesting environment.
Disclaimer – I only went on Saturday and this is how I personally experienced the convention.
Information booklet and map
The website was quite informative the week before, with a schedule, information about the guests and tips on how to enjoy the convention. The entrance was the same as last year, which included a really cool hall just with the name of the convention that you have to walk through to enter to the convention itself. They might keep using that idea for all the future editions, but I don’t mind, because it looks really awesome (even though it makes the walk from the parking lot even longer, which is something you have to consider when you are wearing those uncomfortable cosplay shoes). They also handed out a really cool “intergalactic passport” (a booklet with information) and a “treasure map” (a map of the convention), which was pretty neat.
They also had posters with “cosplay is not consent” at the entrance, though they could’ve used a different colour to accent the not, because the green on a green background made it look like it said “cosplay is consent” from far away – whoops. I didn’t see any people taking pictures of me without asking so it seems the message got through.
There were lots of things to do, even for those who are not interested in the actors, which is quite an improvement from previous editions. I didn’t go to FACTS Spring last year precisely because I didn’t see the use in paying that much just to buy the same stuff as the usual FACTS, so I was quite happy to realise that would not be the case. There were actual cosplay lectures this year! I was occupied talking to friends and taking part in the cosplay catwalk however, so I missed the first two lectures, but I made time to go to the last one of the day, called “My work and how I get under the skin of your character”, by Matsu Sotome. With no other info than that title, I expected a lecture about acting out your character, but I was unfortunately extremely mistaken. Matsu gave an introduction about why she cosplayed plus-sized characters and what was so awesome about doing that and then she had a small Q&A, which I think would be really nice and motivational to hear if you are plus-sized, but as I am not, the lecture soon turned out as a let-down and I found myself wishing I had stayed with my friends and watched the results of the cosplay contest. This could have been so much better organized if there had been a bit more information about what the lecture was actually going to look like.
Photo by Fille Roelants Photography
Speaking of the contest, as I said before, I took part in the catwalk. There were a lot less people than there were at the contest at FACTS Fall, which was both a little sad and a good thing. I complained to my friends last year that there were too many contestants and that everyone had to wait for too long, while the judging was rushed, and it seemed that this was prevented this year by keeping to a maximum amount of contestants. However, nobody seemed to know about this, and so by the time some of my friends got to the registration desk, there was no place for them anymore. Again, a little more information would have been great.
As I said, it was quite a busy day, and we were quite happy that the convention and the dealer room were open longer, as we only started walking around checking the merchandise at about 5 o’clock and we would’ve missed a lot if the con closed at 6. It was good to know we could take our time (especially because by this point of the day, my feet felt like they would fall off, and I could only slowly wobble along in my heels).
Overall, I had a really nice experience, and it looks like FACTS is trying to work on its shortcomings. I’m definitely looking forward to the next edition.
