Necronomicon 2011 Hot

I had a great time with my clan at the convention. There was something for everyone with the variety of events and games. Gaming was stepped up this year, keep it coming!We are looking forward to the convention coming back to Tampa.
Many thanks to all the volunteers for their efforts!
Last but not least Ben Bova was a great guest to have, very personable, funny, interesting, and worldly.

Necro is an amazing con! 2011 was my second year attending and it did not disappoint, I love the atmosphere and how the convention is really about the fans getting together for a good time rather than how many people can pack a hotel to see this or that overrated actor or director for 100 bucks on top of entry. The dinner is always nice, the staff is friendly, the con suite is well stocked with goodies for geeks (though bring your own energy drinks) and the hotel is wonderful for the event. The con always has great guests, thought-provoking "science fact" panels (like "Researching Immortality") as well as fun panels (like the "Starship Smakdown").

It's nice having a top-notch con close to home where I can have a lot of fun. I would love to see Necronomicon stay in St. Pete but I understand that they have their reasons for moving back to Tampa in 2013. Because of that move though I will be attending in 2012 and gaming all night (yes, they do gaming ALL NIGHT to those of you who complained about a lack of gaming) to maximize what may be the last time I get to go for a while.

All in all an amazing con with amazing people.

We are a family of 3 and nowadays our son comes with to the convention. What this does is shows me how all of us and other con goers can stay highly entertained for 3 jam packed days.
The hotel has gotten wiser in how to deal with the crowd of fans as well (thank you so much for putting the con suite on the lobby floor so I didn't spend a lifetime waiting for elevators!)(our one hotel meal was so incredibly delicious too, now I've got to try to make tapenade)
My husband is about the gaming. He runs a game pretty much every year and then plays in a number of others. This year he ran the one that's being published as a Chaosium contest winner for their Halloween event. He got a full table of players at noon on Sunday! But he was in the game room having a blast a whole lot. The gaming rocks, and so do the people in charge of it (their web scheduling lets us plan a bit ahead even)
My son has become all about the costumes. This year he made the jump into the adult category. I sewed my fingers off, and also did a heap of construction so I could put my guys in Mars costumes. There were a couple panels that he wanted to see, and of course the con-troll room eats up his time. He's rapidly learning to be a happy con nerd
As for me, love the Art Show and the panels. I don't get as much time for panels since we started bringing our kid so I've become more selective. For me the intense small panels are the best. I've sat through the popular ones for years and I'm eager to hit the next level with these. Managed to get a really great print at the Art Show that will go with something I bought last year - the colors are brilliant and I'm glad it was the one bid I won.
Oh, and the Dealers Room. My husband doesn't spend much time there, just enough to say what he might just like to see under the Christmas tree. Kiddo though is slowing working on owning some stuff for D&D. I got to talk with a game system author and find out that he and I had the same likes in games we both played, and the same quirky dislikes. Since I knew where he was coming from I laid down my money for a pretty sure shot at a system I'm going to enjoy with my son and hubby at home. More that one dealer was giving discounts - I had 3 purchases for less than the given price at a store and even a freebie for my son (he won a book that he has already ravenously read through).
Lastly the Survivors Raffle. Wow, that's getting crowded. It's great to see so many folks make it to the very end. Of the 3 of us in the family we had one winning ticket - well there is a lot more competition now. A year ago we each won something.
Each of us found our niche, and this year we couldn't even squeeze in time in the video rooms. Good thing the dealers room has a lady doing massage since I get no down time (she did my feet and it was heaven!)

I have read all the reviews here, both positive and negative, and what I am getting overall is that for those who like the sort of convention we hold, it was great and for those looking for something else, it was not. If you want just a gaming con, that's not us. If you want an anime con, that's not us. If you want a con that's got a lot of focus on writing and reading science fiction, fantasy and horror and on attendant interests, that's us. Choose your cons wisely. If you want a gaming con, go to GenCon in the summer. If you want an actor con, go to Vulcan Events. If you want an anime con, go to Metrocon. These are all good places to get what you want but don't compare apples and oranges and call them the same. We are not those kinds of conventions and never will be. We are a science fiction, fantasy and horror convention with an emphasis on the literature. If you are a reader, we are your convention. If you are not, you may not find us to your liking.

The hotel is extremely dry, and the convention's spaces are stuck back in what seem to be second-rate meeting rooms for the most part. The Hotel staff was pleasant, but more could have been done all around to accommodate the event.

The gaming department is mismanaged, my attempts to get information on where I might find several games being completely blown off by Dean Dryer, who is listed as the head of the very department. Apparently he was too concerned with some kids lighting stink bombs to do his job when I found him (by gaming registration) on Saturday.

Is it a gaming convention or a book show? Walking down the main hall is downright creepy. All the way down, tables line the main hallway on both sides with second-rate authors trying to get your attention with their plaintive stares, and insincere greetings so that maybe, maybe you will buy their book. This went on into the vendor room, with half of the spaces taken up by still more aspiring writers instead of anything involved with gaming.

The guest star was brought out so everyone could see in one cramped room, and then everyone who didn't pay the poorly advertised additional fee was thrown out of the room before any meaningful questions could be answered.

I haven't been in a few years, and was hoping things had gotten better since the debacle at the last hotel, but all in all I am disappointed. Someone fresh needs to takes the reigns of this once-great convention before it finally folds.