So, having gone to three geeky events this year, Ottawa ComicCon, Fan Expo Toronto, and Montreal ComicCon, will I be heading back to any of these next year?

My experiences at each were very different, but I can say that it will all depend on where I am living. I probably won’t go far for an event like that again. Going to Toronto for Fan Expo was expensive and didn’t really provide a huge benefit over the local event (other than meeting Annie of course).

So if I come back to Ottawa in time for Ottawa ComicCon, then that’ll be the event that I’ll make it to. If I live closer to Toronto, I might go back to Fan Expo again.

As for Montreal, I don’t see me going back there unless I both live in Ottawa or closer, and they have a celebrity that I really want to listen to and meet, like I did for Wil Wheaton with Tom.

All of the events suffered from the same major problem: not enough signage. Paper signs are cheap to print and laminate or put into plastic inserts. Pin them everywhere. I should never look around and feel lost or lacking information. Don’t expect some web page or application to give people information because all cellular data networks crash under the technological weight of the thousands of geeks you invite to these events.

The second biggest issue that I found was how crowded the events were. They all felt over sold, and while I understand that these events want to make money, they shouldn’t sell so many tickets that everyone’s experiences are reduced due to the crazy thick crowds.

The third big thing that every con needs to continue to improve is to train their volunteers, staff and security personnel. The more information you can put physically in their hands, the better they’ll be able to do their jobs.

Overall, I am glad I went to them all in the same year, as it made for a great opportunity to compare them. I am very fortunate that I am lucky enough in my life to have gone to them all, so I don’t want to sound like I’m complaining about them or that I could pull them off better than the organizers. I understand the complexity, and if my issues are some of the largest ones experienced, then I think they all did rather well.

I am looking to see what 2013 looks like in terms of celebrities and these kinds of events.