Planet Comicon KC

LOCATION: Great location located in a roomy convention center (plenty of room to walk around without bumping into others, plenty of restrooms without any lines). This was my first time attending Planet Comicon in KC, and it was great! The one complaint I would have is parking. Parking was $ 10, and there was only 1 or 2 parking spots available (and our car BARELY fit). Mind you, we were driving a compact car, not a truck, or a van, or an SUV.
FOOD: Plenty of different types of food available for purchase. They had grilles serving sandwiches and pizzas, etc. And other food vendors selling smaller snack options, such as pretzels, dippin dots, etc. We didn’t eat the food here (we left the venue to grab a snack downtown), but we did try the Maui Wowi Hawaiian drink vendor, which made great blended non-​alcoholic and alcoholic drinks (strawberry daiquiris, pina coladas, mango and orange blended drinks, etc). They were delicious and refreshing!
Plenty of artists, shops, here. I also enjoyed that they had a gaming center where you could join tournaments. Great variety of celebrities to meet, and the celebrity photo ops part moved quickly. Another con is that there was no distinction between the beginning and end of the celebrity photo ops line. Plenty of people would «jump into» the line that was being sent in to meet the celebrity, which was unfair for those who didn’t do that.
Overall, this is a great thing to experience, but be sure to arrive early (before comicon starts) or later (when some people have left), so it’s easier to find parking.

This was my 3^rd Planet Comicon and second for my wife. I went way back in the day once when they were a lot smaller. Since they have been in Bartle Hall, it has been a joy.
This year was arguably a lesser year guest-​wise than last year’s huge Star Trek: TNG reunion, but as a whole, this was still a very solid year with Carey Elwes, Stephen Amell, Karen Gillan, and Michael Rooker headlining.
Tons of great booths, shops, and photo ops! The organizers have tried to tweak things every year. This year, they moved the ticketing to the show floor, rather than the Bartle Hall entryway. When we went through the ticket line, it was obvious why. Last year, the same space was empty and lonely. This year, you were able to get in and out pretty easily.
Parking is the biggest issue. The last few years, they have scheduled Planet Comicon on the same weekend as the Big 12 tournament. That is changing next year with Planet Comicon happening in May. With both happening at once, it makes for a cramped downtown and a fight for parking. Next year, it should be a lot nicer.
I will go to Planet Comicon every year while I live in the area. If you love weird, wild, and nerdy, this is the place to be!

Pros:
1. There were lots of booths and plenty of things to buy!
2. Plenty of props to take pics with
3. Panel rooms had a lot of seating
4. Entrance was well organized and we got in quickly
5. The celebrity guests were great!
Cons:
1. Lines to pay for celebrity photo ops were confusing with no clear signs of where the line started and what it was for.
2. I couldn’t tell whether the meet and greet areas were free or if you were expected to pay when you get to the celebrity.
3. It seemed like you were expected to read the whole booklet and read/​know all the rules on their website before attending.
4. There were a lot of empty VIP seating inside panel rooms and remained empty the whole time and non-​VIPs couldn’t sit in them.
5. Aisles were too narrow, not enough space (made it hard to get around for my handicapped friend)
6. Wished there were more photo slots because I missed out on Stephen Amell! :(
Overall, my friends and I had a great time. We plan on coming back next year! I’m glad they’re moving it to May because a basketball tournament was also in the area which made it very crowded!