A lot of what I might dub “not so good” really just seems to be a product of the size of the con. They did the best with what they had, and that gets major props. I think the only thing that really detracted from my experience was some of the attendees. Nothing truly offensive, just some eye-rolling moments. I had been on the fence about whether or not I wanted to stay for one more panel, but one of the attendees in the last panel was so frustrating that it killed the last of my patience. It was just as well: the bus ride home was two hours, and I was crazy from low blood sugar by the time I walked through the door.

I didn’t really do any networking. I brought business cards for naught. The only publishing companies that had a presence were small game companies, and I’m kinda done with that. There were a few fairly experienced authors that I got to see on panels, but I felt iffy shoving cards on them or trying to talk up my writing. There were a few people in the audience who were postcards of, “What I don’t want to sound like,” so I mostly just kept my mouth shut unless asked a question.

I will definitely go back next year. It’s a small convention, and I know a few of my fellow writers and geeks were a little dismissive of it. But it was a pleasant convention, with nice people and interesting things to do. If, in a year or two, I’m at a point where I might be tapped as a panelist (hopefully because of my writing), I’d consider myself doing well and in good company. I’m debating whether or not I want to stay at the hotel. It isn’t cheap, and would drastically multiply my cost to attend. Assuming they are in the same neck of the woods next year, the bus ride is loooooong and parking is a pain.