Having returned from DragonCon 2014, and knowing that it was going to be my stepping stone to launch this blog, I've found myself fretting over what to say.  How could I choose such a huge, well-known con for my first review?

 

Simply put, I have no other choice.  DragonCon ends the convention season for a lot of people, and some people even use it as a marker for important life events.  People get engaged at DragonCon (one of my good friends did a couple of years ago,) people break up and fall apart at DragonCon, and people make bad life choices at DragonCon.

 

This was my tenth year, and as such it should have been very special to me.  Unfortunately, due to some of the problematic aspects I'm about to mention, it didn't work out that way.

 

It's unfortunate that DragonCon finds 62,000 attendees to be something to brag about.  First, we can't even be sure if that's an accurate number due to people who "ghost" the con (don't purchase a badge) and does that even include people with day passes?  The truth is, this con needs an attendance cap, and it needs it now.  Attendance has tripled since I started attending, and it's out of control.  Of those 62,000 people, it feels like 50,000 of them are meandering around the Marriott Atrium Level at all times.  Adding more host hotels does nothing, because people will inevitably end up back at the Marriott.

 

By Thursday, I already had to take an up elevator in the Hyatt just to go back down to my floor, and then crawl through an empty luggage cart to get off.  Things only got worse from there.

 

The skywalks were not only claustrophobic, they were dangerous.  I'm certain that they have a maximum occupancy, as do the hotels, and I would be interested to know why I have't seen the Fire Marshal in well over five years.  

 

There were incidents of dangerous "pranks" at the con this year, including someone throwing glass tumblers from the tenth floor of the Marriott.  One shattered into shards and powder near a friend of mine, and she was understandably shaken.  That could have easily killed someone, and I hope the perpetrators were caught.

 

I know that convention staff can't control what people do.  They can't control how much alcohol is consumed irresponsibly, and they can't keep some accidents from happening.  But the one thing they CAN control, and easily, is how many people get packed into the venues.  The con needs an attendance cap, and they need to do away with day passes.  I think the results would be a massive improvement, because it would keep out the people who just want to check out the con on a Saturday with the intention of partaking in the party atmosphere, and cut down on both the number of people in the hotel lobbies and the number of people with the attitude, "well, I'm only here for today so I can cause trouble and it doesn't matter."

 

As someone who suffers from a chronic pain condition, it was exceedingly difficult for me to get around at times.  I brought a mobility device with me, but I left it in the room more often than not just because it took double the amount of time for me to get from Point A to Point B when I had it with me.  There are also areas that people use for the event, like Hardy Ivy Park, that are not very accessible to those with disabilities.  It's not necessary to visit the park, but it's is a shame that the convention encompasses so many blocks and so many hotels, many of which don't have skywalks, that it makes it difficult to visit some of the farther off event hotels, as well.  I can't imagine how difficult it must be for someone in a wheelchair or scooter to do everything they want to do at the con.  Not to mention getting through those jam-packed skywalks.

 

DragonCon's refusal to find a large convention center feels a bit daunting to a long time attendee like myself.  If they truly want to boast over 60,000 attendees, then something must be done.  I'd hate to think it would take something like a fire or a death for them to finally get the picture.  At this point, it just seems like greed.  I have no doubt that it takes a lot of money to run such a large event, but the health and safety of attendees and guests should come first.

 

As it stands, I don't know if I will be back next year.