Hello everyone!

Hope you are doing well. So this is just going to be my review on Cyphacon and the time I had here. Now I have not been to a ridiculous amount of conventions, but I do feel it is always nice for new experiences. This was also a good way for the site to try and expand by talking with people and learning more about the whole con scene in general. So I hope you enjoy this review, and the pictures that accompany it.

So in terms of cons this was a very fun experience for me, as it was a very small con and gives a different view in itself. I have been to large cons, medium sized ones, and even tiny ones, each different sized con has its own unique traits that set it apart from other ones. Being a small one really gives you a more intimate feel with things here. You are able to take in everything rather fast, so you still have time to enjoy other things as well without the hassle of potentially missing out on something. This also can lead to panels being very personal as well, which makes for more interaction with the one running the panel. Having the sized atmosphere not only allows you to take in everything quickly, but also allows you the chance to be able to sample a tiny bit of each of the little things that are going on. So here if you like it or not will probably really depend on if you like intimate atmospheres or not.

This particular con was a first for me in that the dealers room was also artist alley. This is not necessarily a bad thing though. This actually bypasses the whole going from room to room thing to have to find everything, so in essence if you do not like walking as much this is a huge plus for you. The dealers room was very nicely set up to with a nice diverse group of things to browse through. From the figures to the prints, this place had what you would expect from most average cons, so it is nice to see such a up and coming con having a nice diversity. The atmosphere in the dealers room was also just very pleasant and, besides one small area, not really cramped, which always is a nice plus to have. Now on to the other things they had going on. Cyphacon had a very nice array of tables with a bunch of different things to appeal to the varying audiences. They even had kids stuff upstairs, which is really cool to see because not all cons are too kid friendly. From Star Trek and Firefly, to sword battling and mech battling, this place was here to try and meet the approval and praises of a multitude of different people.

Main events here were held in the central area, and other panels and such were held in rooms that were all adjacent to this central area. The main area had a stage set up which made it very easy to host Q and A sessions as well as any other big events you need to fit there. The panel rooms on the 2nd floor, where the main stage is also located, have clear glass walls that can make panels feel a bit more free, rather the congested. The areas are very well setup and allowed plenty of room for panels to be hosted and enjoyed. Within the main hall area is where the cosplay contest was held. To me the contest was very enjoyable, and allowed people to view the many costumes that they may not have been able to see around the floor. The host also did a great job keeping the audience entertained, as well as just holding the attention which can sometimes be hard at events like this. So kudos to a well pulled off event schedule. The only downside to smaller cons like this is that sometimes fan panels drop out last minute, and unfortunately that happened a few times but the con still made through and moved a long with no real problems at all.

Lastly I want to talk about the attendance and cosplay around the con. The atmosphere was incredible here, people really seemed to be enjoying themselves and having a fun time. The amount of people in cosplay was really a sight as well. Being a smaller con I was not sure many would be in cosplay , but sure enough there were a decent amount of cosplayers around the floor. Everyone around also just seemed to be having a good time and attendees really seemed to like how it was set up. I am not to sure on final number for the con, but from someone I talked to there he said they had around 1,500 badges made up, and all were used. Now I will come back to this later with exact numbers because at this moment not too sure on that, but in any case it was still a great success.

Now finally among the attendees they had a few people that were asked to come and help out or host panels at the convention. One of them is an amazing cosplayer and good friend of mine who goes by the the name Mecha Milk. I was able to ask her some questions on the con here were her responses. When asked about her favorite thing about the con she responded with how happy she was to be able to host a panel and get to meet new people. Next I asked her to compare this con to others cons of different sizes, she really enjoyed how it just felt like a bunch of friends hanging out in costume. Also how the wait was shorter for dealers, bathrooms, and food was a real plus as well. She also told me how happy she was to be able to be a part of this still growing convention, and how the amount of cosplayers as well as attendance really caught her by surprise, as it did me as well.

The last thing about the con in general was the organization of everything, and she thought the organization was very well laid out and the staff was very attentive and helpful to whatever you might need. The final thing I asked was what were her favorite cosplays she saw, she really enjoyed Space Dandy, Jotaro Kujo, KLK Shackle Regalia, as well as many others. But her favorite part was that there were not many, if any repeats which is always unique and fun to experience.

So there you have it folks, my review on this very fun very rewarding up and coming convention. For anyone who got to go I hope you enjoyed yourself and had fun with friends and the people around you. For those who did not get the opportunity to go, I would say try it out next year, it is a really fun experience you get to share with friends in a very intimate and active environment. Thank you for reading my review on CyPhaCon hope everyone enjoyed reading it as much as I did writing it.

~Storm