A Firsthand Guide To Emerald City Comic Con

Emerald City Comic Con looks like pure fun from the outside, but once you’re inside a massive Seattle comic convention, it quickly becomes a game of time, energy, and logistics. We’re breaking down what actually shaped Sean’s ECC experience this year, including the moments that felt like peak fandom and the friction points that can quietly wreck your schedule if you’re not ready.

We talk through the biggest highlights, from seeing cosplay in full force to meeting Critical Role favorites Sam Riegel, Liam O’Brien, and Taliesin Jaffe and why that kind of creator connection hits different when you grew up on 90s cartoons and Toonami. Then we get practical about the stuff people don’t always say out loud: how the convention layout across the Summit and the Arch changes your day, why elevators can be a secret weapon, and what it really means when a convention becomes “line con” with photo ops, autographs, and panels all competing for the same hours.

VIP comes up a lot, but not as a flex. We explain the concrete VIP benefits that mattered most: a quiet lounge to sit, charge your phone, and reset, plus faster queues that can mean the difference between meeting multiple guests or missing the panel you planned all week to see. We also call out what we want ECC to improve next, from vendor screening and timeshare-style pitches to the need for reliable Wi‑Fi, a better event app, clearer schedule alerts, stronger line management, and more comics and industry presence at a comic book convention. If you’re planning Emerald City Comic Con, this is your guide to a smoother, smarter con day.

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Transcript

 Welcome to ECCC Recap 

📍 Hi, hello, welcome to Second Emulation! Okay, you are just so lucky right now, because you are literally about to spend, like, the best time with my amazing friend, Shawn. He is, like, the expert on all things movies, anime, and gaming, and he just has, like, the best opinions. Seriously, talking to him is, like, a whole thing, in the best way. So, get comfy, maybe with a little drink—I don't know, a kombucha, a latte, whatever is your thing—because Shawn is going to take you on, like, a total journey. Hey everyone, welcome back to Second Immolation, the show where we dive deep into all things pop culture. I'm Shawn, your host, and today we're gonna be talking about my experience at Emerald City Comic Con, or ECC for short, which took place in March fifth through the eighth in Seattle. If you're a fan of comics, cosplay, or just geeking out with your fellow fans, this one's for you. Stick around as I break it down, share my highlights, and give you my inside scoop on what made this convention special for me and why I keep returning year after year. So let's get into it. 

What Is Emerald City For those who aren't familiar, Emerald City Comic Con is one of the biggest pop culture book conventions in the Pacific Northwest. It's known for its key celebrities, anime cosplays, its costume, and lords of panels and artist alley. I wanna say that it's been one of the most frequent, uh, conventions that I've gone to since the early two thousands. And it's always, fully packed with celebrities, some of which that, given opportunity without going to a convention, I probably would not be able to meet. I think I've had one of the best experiences overall with exhibi- exhibit hall artist alley, merch, and autographs and photo ops. Now, let's dive into this. Crowds and Venues Now, I've been going to this convention pretty frequently over the years minus, uh, during the time of COVID where they had to cancel and they rescheduled for a summertime event, which I was a- wasn't able to go to. But ECC pretty much, I wanna say, draws the biggest crowd for tourism. It's like the mecca. I believe that we probably see, if not greater, twenty thousand people attend this event. Now mind you, this used to be in its original building, which they've now labeled The Arch, but this used to be the convention center next to the, um, a block away from the Sheraton Hotel, and it was still pretty massive then across the board. I feel like just over the years, the Con has, you know, grown in its notoriety and also the attraction of, celebrities that they are able to bring in and, you know, have the opportunity for fans and celebs interactions and panels and so forth. Now- What they've done is they have a new building called The Summit, which I think I've discussed in a prior, uh, review of the convention, where now they're able to hold majority, if not all of what the con has to offer. What they do now is they do split the main stage and the photo op and autographs into the Arch. I know that this is a kind of a point of contention because you take, the one good... An- another part of what the convention is, and you separate it between two different buildings. My impression for this was that I felt like it, this confuses people. But we'll get more into that later. VIP First Impressions But my first impressions is that, this year we-- I've done something a little bit different as in, like impressions. Normally, years prior, I buy a general four-day ticket, and this time, we were able to get VIP. And so a lot of my highlights of what I'm going to discuss are kinda like the experience that have come of it over the years of, from general to now being able to, do VIP. And cosplay was in full force. I kinda kicked myself in the foot because there was a lot of cosplays that I... Of-- I was unable to take pictures of because I was so focused on, you know, with my plan of meet and greets, uh, autographs, and merch. So that is something that I need to really get back into, is taking photos of cosplays that I, you know, come across. Critical Role Highlights Now, for me, one highlight or f- a few highlights, I feel like for me, getting to meet, uh, Sam Riegel and Liam O'Brien, along with Taliesin Jaffe from the c- from Critical Role, and also going to their panel.

 They've-- Critical Role has made quite a few appearances, I believe twice as a group. And then, uh, they've had, different members of their team appear for, you know, at Emerald City Comicon, or ECC, over the years. So this was an opportunity to actually meet other members of them. And mind you, Sam Rigo, Lima Bryan, and Towson Jaffrey have voiced characters from cartoons that I grew up watching as a kid. So it was nice actually getting to meet these big contributors to my childhood, which again, if you're a child of the nineties, we had, I think, the best cartoons and the best childhood, um, growing up. It could not be topped. And my only access to anime at that time was Toonami on Cartoon Network. And mind you, Tom, the avatar, uh, space person that they had to kinda like, uh, be the narrator for Toonami was, you know, top-notch. VIP Lounge and Rest Now, as I mentioned that this time around I was allowed the opportunity to buy VIP tickets, which I did. And so my experience, what I figure the highlights are for someone who's looking to maybe spend the the little extra money to get VIP, these are the things that I experienced with that, which I feel might be beneficial to some. Not all, but to some. And I feel like you can still have the same experience with a general ticket. It's just going to, take a lot of planning. And for me, one of the key things I felt was very beneficial was having a dedicated lounge where you can go and sit down, have a coat check, charge your phone, and have water on hand that was available for you, and it was very personal. 

Now, from prior con- prior times I've gone to the convention, we all know that, being on your feet, walking around, going from different levels, different floors to panels, to the exhibition hall, to main stage, you're constantly on your feet walking. And then having to like navigate and find a spot where you can sit and take a breather is very difficult. Because there are such large crowds, you're always having to either, sit on the floor against a wall like finding an area where there's cushion, and just trying to like, take a detour from the massive crowds. And for all who've gone to convention know that this can be a daunting task, that just trying to find a place where you can just sit down and get off your feet can be time-consuming in itself. So I feel like this having a benefit for VIP was something very different I got to experience 'cause- Prior years, I would just have to pull off to the side and sit against a wall and then, even though it's not comfortable, and just relax, and sometimes you get shooed away depending on, like, where you're sitting. But having that and knowing that you're not gonna be in anyone's way, you can sit and relax and, you know, at your leisure and just r- kind of recharge yourself and your, you know, your cellphone was, in my opinion, a big plus. Not saying, it's the best thing since sliced bread, but it is a benefit that I felt. After going to the convention many times, it's something that I will consider doing again just because having that convenience of that ease of being away from the crowd and just relaxing without the interference of, like, having, to bump elbows with someone, having to fight for space, gets, gets pretty tiring very quickly. Elevators Beat Crowds And also to that point, another thing that I, another thing that I end up changing is that in the summit they have elevators, and knowing where the lounge was we could have taken the escalator and gotten to the crowds like, cattle going in one direction. What we decided to do this time around was take the elevator, and mind you, that was a godsend. It not only saved us time, but it felt like we got to our destinations much quicker, and I appreciate that we were able to get to the lounge, at a decent time, sit and chill, and then also make our way down to the exhibition v- via the elevator and not having to be in the crowds of people. So I say one highlight, if the convention that you're going to has an accessible elevator where you can get to the floors, mind you, take it. If it beats having to, step away from the crowds and not having to be, like, ass to elbows, then do it. It will, you know, make the experience much better for you. It did for me, and it did, cut some time from getting to one point to another for panels. Now, there have been some instances where the elevator did take a little bit longer and we had to opt to go on the, uh, escalator. But overall, for my time at ECC, that only happened maybe once or twice. Most of my time we would enter through the entrance and go right to the elevator. And so that I feel like, you know- For me, and one of kind of like a, highlights or something that you should do, plan is that if it has an elevator, utilize it at all costs 'cause you will save your feet, and it will prevent you from getting like bogged down in the crowd if there's an escalator, stairs, or walkway you have to get to. LineCon and VIP Perks Another highlight I feel like doesn't get talked about enough is waiting in lines for photo ops, autographs, or just panels in general. For those who know that conventions also have a n- a name, just the line con, because if you normally purchase like a regular four-day pass, single-day pass, and you're there for like certain events, what is very known is that you're going to have to be in a line to get into another line and wait in another line. And sometime, I'll m- in most cases, your time of your experience of the convention, majority of your time spent will be waiting in line for a panel, an autograph, or a photo op. And m- I myself, who spent, prior years just doing general four-day passes and having to s- stand in line, you know, to get an autograph in general line, it wears on you. Not to say that you don't get to meet, interesting people and with you who are like-minded, who have the same interests, and who want to s- meet the same person, you know, celebrity as you. But what I've noticed over the years is that as much as I don't mind waiting in line, my time is valuable. And it's not that I'm saying that, you know, the celebrity I'm meeting isn't valuable, but I want to have the full con experience. I wanna be able to enjoy the con and different panels and different celebrities and things it has to offer. For that, I don't have the time to wait in line, and I know from firsthand experience that I've actually waited in line in a general line and missed panels and missed events because the general line or the celebrity, not saying they were going too slow, just there were so many people to get through that the time allotted wasn't enough. And so I end up having to miss, a panel that I wanted to see. And that in itself, when that happens too many times to you, it makes you wonder like, okay, is there a way to circumvent that? And not saying, this is a flex or that, anyone who has VIP is better. Just saying that if you know you're only gonna be there for a day and you want to do other things in the convention, you don't wanna spend most of your time in a line. Now, m- many people might say, "Well, I'm only gonna be there for a day and I, and I don't really care. I'm just gonna meet this one person and be out." They're probably fine, but if there's other things you wanna do, majority of your time will be in that line. I've waited in line at least 40 to 50 minutes in a line, to get an autograph, and that time, could be used elsewhere. And you know, I've, again, I mention again, I've missed panels. I've missed, industry panels, panels, guests, and just time that I could use to be checking out different areas of the convention. So one of the h- benefits I feel like doesn't get talked about enough is VIP when you're in the c- VIP queue line. You're able to go through VIP line, quicker than general queue.

 You're also, for panels, able to go through and sit up in the front section and not have to do general queue. And mind you, it's a lifesaver, and I use this as an example is at Critical Role was there. I was able-- I paid for Sam Riegel. I was able to get his autograph, and then I was able to go get Johnny Bosch's autograph, who's the voice of Ichigo. When the pre-sale finally died down and they opened it up to general, I was able to buy, my autographs for Liam O'Brien and Taliesin Jaffe, um, at the table. I waited in line, you know, in VIP. And mind you, I was able to go from Liam O'Brien to, uh, Taliesin Jaffe, Liam O'Brien, Sam Riegel, all within a time span. Mind you, if I had of done that with a general queue ticket, I would have never gotten to Liam O'Brien or Taliesin Jaffe. And what I'm saying is that my time would've been ate up or expended on just one celeb autograph And in the past, I had to do that. I had to decide between, you know, who to get an autograph and who not to get an autograph because just the line itself would just consume most of your time, um, in the time slot that the celebrity's there that you can get an autograph, that there wasn't enough time to go to get someone else, and you'd either have to wait, the following day to get that autograph. Mind you, that's not a bad thing, just if you wanted to... If I wanted to, like, nail them all at once, I wouldn't be able to do that. And I have experienced that. There have been times, I think my other example is where I-- Critical Role was here a l- in Seattle many years ago, and I was only able to get at least two people's autographs on different days. That's all I could to get because the lines for them, for the rest of the crew were so big that y- I would have spent my entire time, my entire day either a Saturday or Sunday in the line queue. And I've done it on different occasions for other guest celebrities. But it just, it's defeating in that sense that, like, I'm now anchored to this, in this area, and I can't go anywhere else, or I'm gonna forfeit my, you know, my spot in line. So I feel like one of the highlights I think doesn't get talked about enough is that VIP being able to not only, move quickly and get an autograph or photo op in the VIP line is a matter of convenience and time saver. It also prevents, uh, your ability to go to panels and not have to be in the queue. The, this time, like last year ECC did something called reservations where you had, if there was a panel that you wanted to go see, you had to get that reservation time slot, and you had to be in line, and they had to s- show or scan your reservation, your QR code. And so, and there was a chance that you could not get it. I did this last year, and it was one of the panels I was unable to go to because I was in line for someone in general line. And so I told myself from that experience, I do not want to experience that ever again. So as one of the highlights, I feel like having the ease of convenience when going for autographs and photo ops and even panels very, you know- Pleasantful. Like the experience for that as a highlight, I feel like, well worth the money. I felt like it did elevate and make my con experience much better. Now, not saying that you can't, you know, experience the same thing with a general ticket or a single day ticket, just you have to plan, and I mean plan to be there 10, actually 40 minutes early. Get in line, and line placement is always key when you're in waiting in a queue for a panel and also in queue for an autograph or photo op. Merch Hall and Packing And I think also a highlight based on my experience with VIP was that in the convention is that we didn't see any AI slop or mystery boxes. That was one thing I felt like was a big plus was that they cracked down on that, and we were able to walk, you know, exit the merch hall. We did not go to Artist Alley. It was like jam-packed. I feel like the amount of people they have, that they still need to expand it even more than it is right now. And there was some new interesting shops, vendors there. Not so many mystery boxes. We were able to walk around. This year I did not carry a backpack with me. I carried a crossbody bag that had reusable bags and my water bottle, and I packed lighter, and I feel like that is also one thing that I feel like is a, uh, a trick or a guide is that I've noticed some people who bring backpacks, I used to do that all the time, and mind you, it gets tiring 'cause you're... I used to carry my Hydro Flask with me, and my back would be hurting 'cause I'm walking around with a backpack with, uh, merch and stuff I purchased. I opted this year as a highlight to, you know, I still brought my backpack, but I brought a crossbody bag that was able to fit my reusable bag and a water bottle, and it had my wallet on me and everything in there, so if I bought something, I would just take the reusable bag out and carry it like that. And mind you, that was a trick, or not a trick, but, you know, being very minimal while at a convention, even though I packed and I had everything with me, was a godsend. Uh, my back wasn't hurting. And I just downsized, and I feel like that was also one of the highlights I, that I did this year that was a game changer for me. Families and Fandom Shift And we saw a lot of different cosplays. I think- With anime and movie shows getting, you know, to where they're at now, we're seeing a big influx of acceptance. So I was seeing a lot of different cosplays, a lot of, family. I think that was a big highlight is that they had family VIP tickets, which was something that I didn't think I would ever see. And I saw a lot more family, like parents, single moms, single dads, mom and dads with their kids. And that brought me joy 'cause, like, when I was first coming out, there was no way you would see a family bring-- like family come to the convention on a f- weekend. It just wasn't gonna happen. And the fact that we were seeing... I saw a lot more, like, families and parents with their kids there was, you know, I think a huge highlight because that wouldn't have happened back in the day. Because conventions in the early 2000 were still very a niche thing that people who were a fan of the fandom only went to, and it was only by word of mouth. It wasn't as marketed as it is today. And I think that's a big, huge highlight that you're starting to seeing this priv- this kind of shift in the community of these type of conventions, and also the fact that there's actually more conventions that people can go to. That's also a huge highlight I feel like I'm starting to notice, is that ECC is still one of the biggest combo convention in Pacific Northwest, but you're starting to see other conventions pop up and branch out, which for me brings joy to my heart because it gives people other options. Not everyone can come to Emerald City Comicon in March or go to Sakura Con in April. So having different conventions that people can go to is awesome. Now, a good most of my highlights were, based on my experience of having a VIP ticket. I do understand that, you know, not everyone will have that same experience, but what I'm informing you is that if you have the ability to do that, I say, spend the extra money, get, uh, the ticket. Payment Plans and Popverse I think one highlight and I forgot to mention this early on, is that they do now have payment plans. This is not something that they did have in the beginning, which Also would help you kind of pull the trigger is that do the payment plan for the VIP or for just any ticket that you get. They do have installments through their own system that they make a payment. This was something that they did not have when I was growing up first going, and I think is probably also the reason why we're s- seeing a lot more families come to the conventions because they've implemented like a payment plan. Mind you, back in the day they didn't have this, so you had to pay full price, you know, for those tickets. So I feel like having the accessibility to having it be more accessible to everyone of every creed and income is the best way to make the convention more enjoyable. So I feel like if, not just buying a VIP ticket, but also just buying a general ticket, I think having a payment plan is probably the best thing. It's not through Klarna or, you know, one of those buy now, pay laters. It's through their own system, and I feel like that is the key if you want to experience, you know, try out VIP. Now, for me, I did do a payment sys- I went through their, you know, their pay- their installment plan. Uh, and unfortunately I did not get the swag bag 'cause they mail it in the mail, and I end up having to miss a payment, which I end up paying it later. But you do get swag. And so this year I will be, doing VIP again. They have something called Popverse, uh, that I'm going to be doing, which allows you to get early access to tickets and autographs when they're announced, and it's an annual thing. Now, I'm saying this b- because for me, I like the ease of conve- and being able to like, you know, enjoy the convention at a leisurely pace, being able to get in, get out. Me getting this taste of VIP makes it, for me, that I'm able to do a lot more. Now, not everyone's gonna have the same attitude towards VIP tickets or general tickets. I'm just saying for myself going forward, that is how I'm going to want to experience the convention. Because I am older, not as young as I used to be, but just, you know, waiting in those lines and those experiences I had, as one would say, "I've done my time. I was in the nitty-gritty of the ground level, and I paid my dues" is what people would say. That, and that's all of that, you know? But for me, my experience, like how I want to experience it is gonna be very different, and I enjoyed my experience, um, and the benefits I got from VIP. So that is how going forward I'm going to enjoy the conventions going forward w- within, you know, my ability. Now, there might be times where I have to get general tickets. That's perfectly fine. Artist Alley and Publishers But VIP is what I'm going to be kinda doing for... Now, Artist Alley was nice to see, even though I was able to peruse Artist Alley. So my highlight for this was that it has grown since last year, which is nice to see.

 More artists are coming out. Some more book arthors, authors are also coming out, and it's just nice to see them take up the space and be able to market themselves and get, like, exposure. So it was always nice to see that. And Dark Horse was there. Boom Studio Comics was there, which was interesting because they weren't in the e- the exhibition hall where you would normally see them. So I thought that was kinda cool, and I missed out on some opportunities to get Critical Role pins, which I'll have to buy those on the secondary market, which that's fine. But at the same time, it's just nice seeing these individuals there. I know sometimes we hear that it, it could be a risk to come out to these conventions and not make a sale or not make an income, or it's kind of like a loss. But we did see some-- I did see some very routinely vendors that kinda make the circuit every year. Um, so it was nice to see. What Needs Improvement One highlight that I think, and it's kinda like, I'd see is that we're, we're, and we're gonna be moving into what can be improved on. But I think one thing, and this what we saw, and I've already experienced this twice at two different conventions, is that I think what could be improved on is these timeshare companies. One thing that we've noticed that I-- we've encountered the same timeshare place, is they market themselves as an AI program group. They have stickers there that's very minimal and poorly done, and they get you to try to do a timeshare. And they post it up at the conventions, and they get your eye, and they go through this whole spiel. I've encountered them twice One at Real City Comic Con and here at Amherst City Comic Con. And people need to be aware of this and try to call them out because they have no business being there. Though they pay for a spot which could have gone to anyone else, they are false advertising themselves as a, one, an AI company, which is the trap, the scam. And then second, trying to lure you in to get a timeshare which you have to pay. So I think that's one thing that needs to be improved on is that there needs to be stricter guidelines and screening for vendors who try to go under the rug for, or under the radar for, you know, being a vendor because they didn't sell anything. They did not sell anything. They didn't offer anything. I've heard that people complain about it to the attention and no changes were done. So that's, that's one thing I feel like they need to be improved upon for that. The second is that have Wi-Fi. Have Wi-Fi for the public to use. This was when the Summit Building, you know, they had the convention, the Summit Building after it was done being built. They did have accessible Wi-Fi for, people who were attending the con and that you could use the app to get access through like the passcode and use the Wi-Fi. They have since moved away from that. And mind you, internet service and w- and cell service in the convention, at any convention, just sucks in general. So I feel like h- if you're one person who uses, a digital wallet like Google Pay, Apple Pay, um, or Samsung Pay, not to mention like, you know, also keep your wallet, your physical cards with you. But just that at ease and access because if, the conventions have their own personal app that you need to use to plan your day, like their scheduling and see what times photo ops and the map, having internet is pivotable to be able to use, have access to their dedicated app in order to plan your schedule and figure out purchase, you know, photo ops and autographs, and then use the map. If there's gonna be issues with, no Wi-Fi, I feel like you should have a physical map or a booklet. I know back in the day they used to give out those printed and you could take it and maybe they moved away from that because the cost of paper, who knows. But Also, just make it easier to have access and also inform people of updates of schedule changes. That's one thing like I feel like could be improved on is giving updates for s- changes in schedules, for celebrity photo ops, and just have there be more of a thing for alerts because mind you, you can go onto the app and not know something has changed 'cause you don't get an actual alert. It might be still glitchy sometimes. So I feel like the app needs to be improved, um, was another thing that I, I gripe about because when you're at the summit or in the convention and, and all you have is this app to figure out what was going on, that was my biggest issue that I had that needs to be improved on because I myself have, you know, was trying to schedule or pin time slots and get reminders for time slots for panels and autographs that I wanted to do, and the app itself was not working. It was working for some but not for me. And a lot of people were having this issue and I feel like that's something that we need to complain about is that if you're gonna have an app, have it work. You know, have it be accessible and have it, you know, tested out all the bugs prior. I feel like that's something that needs, you know, that doesn't get said a lot. And also when there are the cons, after the convention is over and they do a survey, voice your complaints in the fucking survey. Let your voice be heard 'cause if enough of us complain about something, then they're going to make changes. I feel like that is something that I, I don't say enough and probably haven't said before is that voice your complaints and give them feedback in the feedback email. Let them know. Another thing I wish they could improve on is stop having the main stage and photo and celebrities split between two buildings. I know it used to be in one building like on the floor with the artist alley and people had complained about it. But because they did that, now you have to split your time between two different buildings, and that fucking sucks because not only when you have that, you also confuse other people. People who are, who go to the main stage get confused and think the, that is the entire convention, and it's not. And so I feel like having it in two different buildings is a waste of time when you could just have it in one building and just be done with it. And they did it once. I'd enjoyed it, but people complained. They said they felt too cramped. The summit building has- A lot of floors and rooms. Mind you, there's a lot of space there. It's just a matter of them utilizing the space accordingly. So there's, there's space for them to do everything, and they just don't, you know, they just have to plan accordingly. So I hope next year they do so, that people complain. I complained last year. They didn't do anything about it. And I'll probably complain this year. Uh, but yeah, that's one thing I feel like they need to do. And also have more marketing and banners. I think what im- they need to improve is this is a comic book convention. Bring comic book con- vendors back. DC has to have a booth here. I mean, there's, there were comic book sellers, but not as much as there was last time. I want distribu- distributors there. Like, it's a comic book convention, have it be about comic books. Bring comic books. I don't think I saw manga. I mean, but there's one, a comic book vendor, legitimate vendor there selling comics, and I didn't have an opportunity to look at it. But like, bring more comics, I feel like that's the thing that they moved away from. We saw the like, the, the, the disappearance of these type of vendors making a big, you know, splash. They, they just disappear from these type of, you know, conventions, but yet San Diego Comic-Con, they're there in full force. Crunchyroll has its own convention that they do. They go full force. Crunchyroll wasn't even... there was nothing about Crunchyroll, yet they have banners there. They didn't have a booth. They didn't have anything there. And the same thing with Sakura-Con is that they're a vendor or sponsor, but they don't have a foothold or a footnote in these conventions. So I feel like, you know, what we used to have back in the day is slowly disappearing and it's going on with the times. So I feel like that needs to be improved upon, is bring those vendors back in some way, shape, or form. Have them do industry panels, because that was like the biggest thing, is have industry panels where they can talk. Have celebrities have, minor panels where they don't have to be on the main stage. Like intimate ones, which I've gone to in the past. I feel like a lot... What I've noticed that can be improved upon is a lot of it, of the convention is catered towards The main, I won't say the main stage, but like what the culture is now pivoting to, like the celebrities, the actors, it is becoming more focused on the meet and greets, which I have no issue with that, but also allow like these actors and celebrities that have panels of their own, you know, have industry meet and greets be there and, lots of different things. And food choices. I didn't eat anything at the convention itself, but they need to have better food selection. And this goes into, you know, better planning is that if you can bring your own snacks, they, you know, have food there. I know sometimes it's hard to get out and try to find areas to eat, but bring your own food if you can, like snacks, and then you can leave the convention and go somewhere else to eat. That could be improved. The prices are horrendous for, something that you could literally, which is just, I want to say bar food. Most of the time it's just bar food. So that's one thing, which I try, I know sometimes you can't, it's the ease of convenience, but, you know, it's one thing that could be improved is like have better food choices and options for people. If you're going to want them to be in the convention, you know, make it accessible other than just finger food for them to eat. And going back to having it in two different buildings is that it, one, I mentioned it confuses people. The second is that it's a time killer because if you're in the summit building and you have to go to a panel, not only do you have to leave, you know, you have to be at that panel 20 minutes early, you now have to be there 40 minutes early just to account for the walk it's going to take you to get from one building to the other building. And also to ensure that you get in line for the queue for that panel or get in line for that celebrity to autograph or photo op. So that is one thing I feel like needs to be improved on. They need to find a better way to do it because that in itself is just a time killer because you, again, you have to pick and choose. You have to pick and choose between where you want to go. Now It's not all bad. After Hours Party Wins I-- There was another highlight that I want to focus on is that every year they have like a 20 and up party. They do a, a after-hours party for the convention every year, and mainly most of the time it's just been, you know, a DJ just playing his playlist and that'd be it. What I can say has been a good highlight, an improvement that since they've gone into the new building, they have been making a change of changing the artist or the performer that they have for the parties. This time around, we had a local, um, artist who is a, a punk rock singer who's local, who has a band, who came in and sung pop punk cover songs. And then the year prior to that, we had a grunge band who did the exact same thing. And to be honest, that even... And they also had the DJ there who would like split the time, but that in itself was awesome. I feel like that doesn't get talked a lot, is that, the com-- ECC is expanding and is also just trying to add different things to their plate, and I think having that live performer for the, uh, after-hours party was a good choice. Twice it was good. You know, I went to both of them. And then now they're also doing multiple parties. So they, they have their main ones, and they have another one that they do that's, you know, also on a Friday. So they're, they're offering up a lot more selections, and I feel like, having that makes it pretty awesome because before it was just the DJ, you know, having some themes. And I believe one time we did have the cast of Adventure Time come and sing, some songs. And so that was awesome. So when they do things like that it's a game changer, and it makes the experience much better. So yeah. Rating and Final Tips So overall, I, I'm gonna give ECC a seven out of 10. It's not perfect. You know, a lot of my experience, even though it was VIP, there were still some hiccups. I mean, it was my first experience doing VIP, but again, I would definitely do it again. There's some areas I feel like, ECC needs to clean up, and also this is kind of like what it can be improved on is that having, you know, people in line. Uh, there was three guests that who had lines that were poorly managed incorrectly. People didn't know, you know, where to line up. Line management was not consistent. People who had either bought VIP tickets and general tickets VIP tickets were being treated just like people with general VIP-- with general tickets in the queue. And so there was a lot of mismanagement and miscommunication on those artists, and I feel like they need to be on the same page going forward. Every time there has to be a way to line management and queuing needs to be much better. So I feel like that's something they need to improve upon. Because I myself, I know there's volunteers there, and I know they train for it up until that time, but they need to do better managing that to make the experience more enjoyable. So again, I give it a seven out of ten. I feel like overall what you need to do is if you need to bring a backpack, make sure you're hydrated. There are water stations at the convention center that you can fill up your water bottle and bring snacks and wear comfortable shoes. You are going to, be walking around a lot, so having good footwear is gonna be, the best that you could do for yourself. And take breaks. Now, again, as I mentioned, uh, I went to a lounge because VIP allowed me to get a lounge. Not everyone will have the same accessibility to a lounge, but there are tables. They do have areas where you can sit at a table and just relax other than like sitting on the floor, you know, in the exhibit hall. So there are key areas, but those are taken very quickly by people. So take breaks and hydrate. Some people bring a Hydro Flask and, always keep water on hand 'cause I would walk... You don't know how many steps you're walking, but clearly you could do twenty thousand steps in a day. And mind you, at the end of the day, it feels like you ran a marathon, so staying hydrated is key to being at these type of conventions. And the second is plan. I believe every, I believe planning on what you're going to do at the convention is the key to your-- to you having a good con experience. Many times in the past I'd never planned, and I just, you know, rolled with the punches and Planning what I'm going to do, I've had a better con experience than I, than prior to not just doing it and just, doing it in the moment. So planning what you're going to do at the convention is key. And again, every convention, there's no right or wrong way to enjoy the convention. The conventions are like choose your own adventure. The experience that you're gonna have, either have been good or bad, is gonna depend on you. What are you going to do? And so if you're gonna-- If you have a bad experience, that means like, that is going to be the either, you know, it wasn't planned accordingly, you didn't know what you were doing, you know, vice versa. Which again, not saying that's gonna happen every time, but it may be a first experience for you. But plan, use the map, use the scheduling, use the app, and make sure that you plan accordingly on time management, which is also gonna be key. And have a battery pack. If that's, I think, a one tip I can give you along with other things, have a battery pack and make sure it's fully charged when, uh, before you leave because if you're using your phone and the app, your phone will drain very easily. So having a battery pack to keep your phone on, fully tapped charged is like a game changer. Final Thoughts and Goodbye Kind of running a little bit over time here, but final thoughts on, uh, ECC. Again, this was a new experience for me, and I am a fan of comics. I did buy some, did buy some prints here and there, and I was able to, you know, nail down like my white whales of the Critical Role crew. So I'm down at least two people I need to, you know, meet and I will be done with Critical Role, uh, autographs And so my final thoughts is that there-- I rate it a seven out of 10. The convention is still evolving and changing. Every year seems to be, growing pains for them that they're learning, and I feel like it's a good experience. Now, if ECC is still too big, there are other conventions like, uh, Summer Con, which is down at the Puyallup Fair, which happens in the summer, and they're also offering different conventions that might be on a smaller scale. Um, I also say that, you know, take an opportunity. You know, you don't have to go all f- four days. Do a day pass, experience it for yourself. When you feel like it's something you want to do, then next year go ahead and buy the four-day pass. Um, I always tell people that it's good to experience it, and then you can decide if it's something that you want to continue doing or not. So overall, my convention, like my experience, final thoughts is that Pacif- uh, Emerald City Comic Con is a good convention to go to. Um, it is evolving. There are other convention I would r- also recommend, which are Sakura Con, which are in April, Summer Con, which is in the summer at Puyallup Fair. I think the Games Con, which happened at the Puyallup Fair in January, and then Rose City Comic Con if you're in Portland, Oregon, and Kumoricon, which is also in Oregon. And then you got San Diego Comic Con in California. So those are... And you can find other conventions on this website called fanscon.com, which if you go to the website, it lists-- You can find any convention that's coming up in your state b- within that year. I feel like that is a good, uh, resource. It's a resource that I started using last year. And it also helps you kinda navigate what you want to do and what guests you wanna see, so you could plan accordingly. Now, I wanna thank you all for tuning into this episode of Second Emulation. If you enjoyed the show, don't forget to subscribe, leave a review, and share it with your friends. You can also follow us on our social media. It's gonna be the link is gonna be in the description. And if you have any, you know, updates or if you were at the convention, you know, Emerald City Comic Con, let us know. I'd love to hear your thoughts. All right? So thank you, and I'll catch you in the next one. Bye. 📍 Okay, wow, that was, like, so much fun! A total vibe. If you want to see any of the games we chatted about—like, the full visual experience—you can find all that on our YouTube. 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