Pacific Media Expo is a convention that is special to me.  Every year I have gone to the event I go with my little brother.  However, he could not make it this year, which changed my convention experience.  It is odd how changing a tradition can affect an event.  Not only was this convention at a new location, but I also did not have my little brother to keep me company.  This did not make PMX a bad convention for me, it just made it different than what I have done before.

The biggest change between last year and this is the location.  I entered the new location with an open mind.  As much as I liked the LAX Hilton, I was not going to assume anything with the Pasadena Hilton.  Sadly the location was not up to my expectations.  The hallways were narrow, the various event room were small (for the most part) and the lobby was very compact.  I will admit that the hotel was nice and the rooms were great, but getting around was difficult due to the number of people mixed with the lack of space.  Even with an open mind I cannot endorse the new location.  It is not the worst location I have been to for an event, but that does not make a great location.

Due to location size issues the dealer hall and artist alley were not very big this year this year.  In fact, not only was the dealer hall small, but the majority of the dealers were selling clothes and fashion accessories.  While I will admit that fashion is a major part of the Pacific Media Expo experience it does not feel right when you enter a dealer hall and cannot find a decent figure or DVD vendor.  That being said I was lucky to find some good things at the dealer's hall, but I would still like to see a bigger hall with more dealers.  The artist alley was small, which made getting around the tables difficult.  I am glad to see the artist alley expand beyond what it was previous years, but when you cannot get around the tables it makes it hard to shop.  The addition of the swap meet was also nice, but it seemed half hearted.  There were not many people selling and it felt like an after thought rather than a planned event. While size was an issue this year it did not ruin the shopping experience, it just made it difficult.

Event programming this year felt stronger than previous years.  The panel line up was not packed, but it had many Asian culture based panels rather than the usual anime and voice actor panels.  I love the cultural panels and I look forward to the offerings of next year.  I highly approve of the Way of the Stick and Blade (Kali) tournament and I am glad that it made a comeback.  The dance had great potential due to the great DJ setup.  However, due to the lack of space it was difficult to dance and the room started to stink up according to those who danced later in the evening.  Karaoke was strong as usual and I can only hope that the food trucks will be back next year.  In fact I think all conventions should start calling up food trucks as it provides good food at good princes and helps solve the usual "Where can we go for food?” question that concerns most conventions.

While event programming was decent this year it was hurt by how messed up the program guide was this year.  First off, there was no printed program guide that I could find.  Second, the listings on the door signs did not look updated.  Third, programming was being added last second, which left out many panels from the signs and from any guides printed or checked on the internet.  PMX has been around long enough to know this is not excusable.  Programming should have been solidified well before the convention.  Pocket guides or a big “wall guide” should have been produced.  Any and all door guides should be up to date with the current schedule.  The problems with programming this year should not have happened, but we can hope the staff will learn from their mistakes and do better next year.

Overall, this year felt both weaker and stronger than previous years.  It would have been interesting to see how this year would have played out at a larger venue.  I do not know how long the contract with the Pasadena Hilton will last, but I hope PMX finds their way to a bigger location as soon as possible.  I love how this convention is evolving into a true Asian culture convention.  I am looking forward to next year and I hope the staff keeps up the good work.  Thanks go out to Austin, Shane, Victoria, Bart, Miguel, the PMX staff, and everyone who hung out with me in the lobby (especially the ladies from Angel Hearts).

I leave you with my list and remind everyone that if they have comments or questions that they should avoid at all costs e-mailing me at: jared (at) scarlet-rhapsody.com.  Until next time give my love to the Manila Machine.

The List

1. Lumpia!!!
2. I have a sword.
3. It is not cosplay, it is fashion!
4. Parties?  What parties?
5. I got the Doctor Who theme stuck in my head.
6. Note to self: I am I.
7. Meow!
8. Round one!  FIGHT!
9. Dare I bring back an old high school costume?
10. Food trucks, genius!
11. I’m so Rich-chhhhh.
12. We need to bring back the Tagalog Movie panel.
13. Memories…
14. The picnic area.
15. Three hot Asian girls.
16. Semper Fi, Shane!
17. So many Bay Area people...
18. Next cosplay: Neko-Austria.
19. Good, bad, whatever it is just luck.

Pictures are copyright by Scarlet Rhapsody . If I took your picture, feel free to use it on your site or cosplay gallery. While you're here, do sign the guestbook. This site was brought to you by the font Marmyadose.