As someone who has attended almost all of the Dallas Fan Expo shows since inception, I can say with confidence that this is a show you want to put on your calendar each year. From the celebrity list to the comic creators, there is a little something for everyone. This year was no exception.
I only spent Friday and Saturday there, but accomplished most of what I had intended to do. Friday was mostly about wondering the exhibitor hall catching up with vendors and artists that I have become friends with after years of con-going. This is honestly the best part of the con experience for me. Should your tastes be for comics, there were multiple, well stocked vendors to satiate that need, regardless if you were looking for silver age or modern. Love those Funko POPs, almost every booth in the hall had something to offer. Toys, clothes, licensed(and likely un-licensed) knick knacks were plentiful. It would have been hard to imagine anyone walking into the show and not finding at least one item on their “get list.”
While I can not speak about photo-ops, I can say that the autograph area was out of control. Whoever set up the placement of the celebrities, really should have done a tad more research. One problem in particular, was the Jeff Goldblum line. At first glance, I knew it was terrible placement and this was before any attendees even got into the door. To place a figure like Mr. Goldblum, who, to my knowledge, was doing his first show, dead center in a row of guests, was very short sighted. Once the doors opened, it only took 5-10 minutes for his line to exceed the queue area and spill into the walk ways and into other queue lines. Anyone with any sort of con experience, could have told you this was going to occur. However, to the credit of the handlers and manager of Mr. Goldblum, they had that line moving like a well oiled machine. Not great for a quality signature, but at least you could get one.
All in all, it was another good experience at DFE. Save from a little scheduling snafu with DC, I had a stress free visit. The exclusives they offered were great, the overall flow of traffic seemed to be managed well, though, there was not enough signage to reliably let attendees know where they needed to be. That being said, the army of volunteers were there to help guide you along. Barring any unforeseen events popping up, I hope to be able to attend next year.