ReGeneration Who

The show was cancelled at the last minute .. literally less than one week before. HORRIBLE. We were accepted as vendors & paid the table and badge fees more than six months in advance and there was almost no communication from the staff before the cancellation email. As for refunds, we HAVE NOT received one. No updates, no follow up, nothing. We were told in the email that "upper management needed to meet with legal council" regarding refunds which would be within a few days .. it has been nearly a month with complete radio silence. Emailed several times and received zero responses. GARBAGE CON, GARBAGE STAFF. AVOID. AVOID. AVOID. I am still holding out a tiny sliver of hope that we will get our money back [close to $300], but it is looking less likely by the day. Hope no one else ever has to go through this.

This con is not huge, and you won’t necessarily be a hit with anything that doesn’t somehow tie-in directly with Doctor Who. We have a great time and do pretty well with sales, they keep the artists and dealers room pretty small but there is good quality stuff there, and the fans will spend money in unique items! It is a very nice hotel, load in is complicated but usually goes smoothly (just be prepared to walk and go up freight elevaors).

This convention has a real problem truly connecting with fans. You'll see all the "this is a wonderful event" things online, yes, but if you investigate closely most of the commentary is written by people who are personal friends of the con-runners. Talking to an average fan, you can get a different story. Similarly, the main qualification for being on staff seems to be a willingness to kiss the con-runners' collective ass. All of them seem to be decent, personality-wise, but the level of ability and knowledge among staff varies wildly. The con-runners themselves are never seen on the floor, unless one of the celebrity guests are around. I think the main reason this con manages to give artists an okay value is the sheer fact that people in the US are starved for dedicated Whovian art and merchandise that is not of the mass-produced variety. Of course, your art is competing for attendees' dollars with the con's own sales of schlocky 3-D printed crap and the overpriced (for what you get) tickets, autographs and photo opps. I say overpriced because while this con's tickets are priced similarly to other fan cons in the area (think ShoreLeave and Farpoint as prime examples) this con is extremely light on programming in comparison. ShoreLeave and Farpoint have a dozen or more event rooms running programs simultaneously, giving attendees options from upwards of 150 or more hours of activities. This con doesn't even stage 100 hours of activities. ShoreLeave and Farpoint also offer complimentary celebrity signatures as part of the same ticket price. For sheer entertainment, ReGen is not as good a value in that regard for attendees. The venue is nice, although the con organizers could learn from other events held there on how to maximize its potential. I'd say if your art is dedicated to the Whovian universe, go. If not, pass, and save up to buy space at a bigger event.

This is a good con in the 2,000 attendee range. Whovians want to spend money, so sales go well here. Crowning it all, the con manages to get a couple of the classic Doctors Who every year. The venue is low-key. A good time.