Guest Post by “Amp 2-11”
It’s the day before the main event. Banners the size of Kanye’s ego (okay, I exaggerate. nothing is quite THAT big) drape the front of the convention center sporting heroes from the multifaceted worlds Blizzard has created.
I’ve been lucky enough to attend the Salt Lake Comic Con it’s first two years running and Blizzcon last year as well. They’ve all been AWESOME. Except for one thing: the registration line. All of them have been awful. Long enough to make the DMV pleasant. Biblical enough to destroy the patience of Job and end the days of Methuselah. Longer than the collective angry pause after the finale of Lost.
This time my friends and I are ready. We’ve brought folding chairs, copies of War and Peace, The Complete Works of William Shakespeare and the last Harry Potter novel. Our backpacks are loaded with food and water, emergency tracking beacons and Rambo survival knives. We. Are. Ready.
We turn the corner to the convention center and are dumbfounded.
No line. None whatsoever.
I look around for hidden cameras. I double check the date on my calendar. I listen carefully, positive that I can hear the Twilight Zone theme plinking away.
There are people around, sure. Lots of them. They are holding Blizzcon badges and goodie bags. But no line. We walk right into the building. Right to the ushers stamping our tickets. They send us straight to the desk where we are given our badges and goodies. Done. It took me longer to tie my shoes.
Blizzard had their registration desks open from 9 in the morning till 9 at night the day before the event. They had clearly marked signs for different passes and they had the lines clearly delineated outside the building. There were plenty of workers/volunteers. No mass confusion about where to stand and where to go.
They clearly learned from their last outing and learned well.
ARE YOU READING THIS SALT LAKE COMIC CON? No line whatsoever. I love you guys, I really do. I know year one you were caught off guard. The line was a pain but we were still happy for your success. Year two? Pretty inexcusable. Don’t get me wrong, I had a great time, and I sincerely cheer for you guys. But you should have seen it coming. Still I have faith in you, third times the charm, you got this next one. *group hug*
With our bags o’ swag in hand, my friends and I decide to use the extra hours to prepare for tomorrow the best way we know how: working our way into food coma at the nearby Bubba Gump.
Stuffed like Blizzard/Activision’s happy coffers we wander back to our hotel and crash out. We’ve got our passes. We’re ready to go. Look out, Blizz, here we come!
Guardian of all things LOUD! Defender of everything with blinky lights! Champion of full frontal nerdity! Zombie by day, Rockstar by night (blatant plug: www.eyesopenmusic.com) AMP 2-11 loves taco carts, anything featuring David Grohl and long walks on the beach.