View Full Version : Vulkon Columbus, Ohio - My Experience at this show in 2007!


Bryan R
07-16-2007, 05:58 PM
Well we are recently back today from our weekend at VULKON - Columbus Ohio and all I can say is "THIS IS HOW A SCI-FI CONVENTION SHOULD BE!!"

I give this show a 9.75/10 - only 1 minor hiccup and this would have been perfect!!

We arrived at the hotel Friday night around 7pm and immediately lined up to get our weekend passes, this took about 1 hour as it was very crowded and it only started at 7pm for registration.

We checked in after getting our pass - they also gave us free lanyards with our passes - Scores!, went for dinner and called it an early night to prepare for the weekend (we skipped the Tim Russ Unplugged concert Friday night - it would have also been an extra $25 per ticket for the show).

Saturday am, after breakfast we went down to the con and I got in the autograph line at 9:35am - I was actually FIRST in line! The doors opened at 10:00am and in I went and got autographs from: BILL MUMY (B5), ANDREA THOMPSON (B5), STEPHEN FURST (B5), JOHN BILLINGSLEY (Enterprise), CIRROC LOFTON (DS9) - Tim Russ (Voyager) was also there but we did not get autos from Tim. This whole process took exactly 35 minutes - AND we got pictures with ALL the guests in the room!

From there it was off to the dealers room - I only bought a BSG T-Shirt, a Hallmark ornament and a British Serenity poster! I think my total spend was $70 USD.

After that we bought a Kate Mulgrew (Voyager) photo-op so Jackie and I got our pic with Kate - she is a little "stand offish" so you cannot touch her, you can only stand beside her and they shoot the pic! Nobody was allowed to touch.

After that we went to John Billingsley and then Tim Russ's talks - both entertaining and then off to Kate Mulgrew's talk and then to her Autographs (they are called by rows so you can stay seated and wait comfortably with no lining up!).

The costume contest was a "bust" as it got shuffled and who knows if it ever went off - Jackie skipped it (only hiccup of the weekend).

After our dinner Bill Mumy performed a 40 minute acoustic concert - simply great music (all original tunes!).

They had a 70's dance - lame but the best part was Andrea Thompson sat and chatted to us for about 10 minutes and loved the fact we were from Toronto and as she was leaving I got a kiss from her - ah beautiful!

Sunday we saw Cirroc Lofton's talk and also got a photo op with Avery Brooks - Avery is such a class guy - he gave us a big squeeze and we have an awesome pic with him! He always asks everyone their name and shakes your hand!

There was a photo op with the 3 Babylon 5 stars together but it was a bit "pricey" and we decided not spend on that. Instead Jackie bought a beautiful replica light sabre!! It looks awesome!!

We got autographs from Avery (same wonderful way as Kate) and had an awesome time!

Here are some personal thoughts:

Vulkon has the autograph system to a perfect art!!

Andrea Thompson and Bill Mumy were awesome guests - so fan-friendly and really help "make" this weekend!

Vulkon had an amazing photographer and the quality of the photos is top grade (and we got them 2 hours after taking them).

Vulkon does not take the costume contest seriously

This is the best show I have been to in 2007!

gjs
07-19-2007, 01:44 PM
Well we are recently back today from our weekend at VULKON - Columbus Ohio and all I can say is "THIS IS HOW A SCI-FI CONVENTION SHOULD BE!!"

I give this show a 9.75/10 - only 1 minor hiccup and this would have been perfect!!

We arrived at the hotel Friday night around 7pm and immediately lined up to get our weekend passes, this took about 1 hour as it was very crowded and it only started at 7pm for registration.

We checked in after getting our pass - they also gave us free lanyards with our passes - Scores!, went for dinner and called it an early night to prepare for the weekend (we skipped the Tim Russ Unplugged concert Friday night - it would have also been an extra $25 per ticket for the show).

Saturday am, after breakfast we went down to the con and I got in the autograph line at 9:35am - I was actually FIRST in line! The doors opened at 10:00am and in I went and got autographs from: BILL MUMY (B5), ANDREA THOMPSON (B5), STEPHEN FURST (B5), JOHN BILLINGSLEY (Enterprise), CIRROC LOFTON (DS9) - Tim Russ (Voyager) was also there but we did not get autos from Tim. This whole process took exactly 35 minutes - AND we got pictures with ALL the guests in the room!

From there it was off to the dealers room - I only bought a BSG T-Shirt, a Hallmark ornament and a British Serenity poster! I think my total spend was $70 USD.

After that we bought a Kate Mulgrew (Voyager) photo-op so Jackie and I got our pic with Kate - she is a little "stand offish" so you cannot touch her, you can only stand beside her and they shoot the pic! Nobody was allowed to touch.

After that we went to John Billingsley and then Tim Russ's talks - both entertaining and then off to Kate Mulgrew's talk and then to her Autographs (they are called by rows so you can stay seated and wait comfortably with no lining up!).

The costume contest was a "bust" as it got shuffled and who knows if it ever went off - Jackie skipped it (only hiccup of the weekend).

After our dinner Bill Mumy performed a 40 minute acoustic concert - simply great music (all original tunes!).

They had a 70's dance - lame but the best part was Andrea Thompson sat and chatted to us for about 10 minutes and loved the fact we were from Toronto and as she was leaving I got a kiss from her - ah beautiful!

Sunday we saw Cirroc Lofton's talk and also got a photo op with Avery Brooks - Avery is such a class guy - he gave us a big squeeze and we have an awesome pic with him! He always asks everyone their name and shakes your hand!

There was a photo op with the 3 Babylon 5 stars together but it was a bit "pricey" and we decided not spend on that. Instead Jackie bought a beautiful replica light sabre!! It looks awesome!!

We got autographs from Avery (same wonderful way as Kate) and had an awesome time!

Here are some personal thoughts:

Vulkon has the autograph system to a perfect art!!

Andrea Thompson and Bill Mumy were awesome guests - so fan-friendly and really help "make" this weekend!

Vulkon had an amazing photographer and the quality of the photos is top grade (and we got them 2 hours after taking them).

Vulkon does not take the costume contest seriously

This is the best show I have been to in 2007!

I hate you--lol

thanks for the great review

i am now kicking my own ass for not going

and i bet if i went my pic would be in focus (here i go again--lol)

hey i doubt it but did they say who would coming next year??

how was the drive?

I have to plan..better where to go.

I want to san diego someday..dreaming--lol

"if i only had a job"--o that not my line--lol (SORRY that is for the bi*ch panel on this board)

Bryan R
07-19-2007, 03:00 PM
I hate you--lol

thanks for the great review

i am now kicking my own ass for not going

and i bet if i went my pic would be in focus (here i go again--lol)

hey i doubt it but did they say who would coming next year??

how was the drive?

I have to plan..better where to go.

I want to san diego someday..dreaming--lol

"if i only had a job"--o that not my line--lol (SORRY that is for the bi*ch panel on this board)

Garry,

You are a funny guy!!! :)

The photo op pics we got with Avery Brooks and Kate Mulgrew are awesome (totally in focus ;) and with a professional back-drop).

The drive will take you about 6.5 hours - real easy to do: 401 West to Windsor, I-75 South to Ohio and about 16 miles from there - dirt simple! Mapquest was perfect directions (actually I got a trip-Tic from CAA and they recommended going through Buffalo instead but it is actually easier through Windsor)

We talked to the guy who runs Vulkon and they are trying to get Edward James Olmos from Battlestar Galactica...they generally stick to a majority of Star Trek guests (this is what brings fans to Ohio) and also they generally get some StarGate guests too (their "filler" guests generally come from Babylon 5 - no more Buffy guests).

My goal is to one year get to Dragon*Con myself (I think 100,000 people at San Diego scares/intimdates me a bit).

If you are looking for a convention that totally focuses on Guests (Guest Talks, Autographs, Photo Ops) then Vulkon Conventions are for you. If you want panels, programming, Masquerade, Video Room then it is definitely not for you. Actually Vulkon is very well priced - for $99 USD this gave us a reserved seat, we were in the 9th row on the aisle (the range was row 7-20) and the price included an autograph from EACH of Avery Brooks and Kate Mulgrew and "extra" autographs from these 2 Captains were $30 each.