Live Event: Liverpool Comic Con, Exhibition Centre, April 1st – 2nd
We’ve been covering Monopoly Events conventions for a good few years now, and after missing live events for a couple of years due to the pandemic, immediately followed by over 12 months of hospital visits and operations that meant even longer for me not being able to attend anything, to say it was a fantastic feeling to be out and about again is an understatement, and what better place to start than Liverpool Comic Con.
The last time I was here was when I covered it back in 2019 (Joel covered it in 2020) and it sure as hell has become even bigger and better since then.
The whole of the exhibition centre is cordoned off with metal fencing, keeping a more structured flow of people around the event and also while entering it too…there were separate entrances for general ticket holders and diamond pass/press tickets, which meant that when I got there (easy to find parking right next to the event) I didn’t have to queue at all and walked straight through after the obligatory bag check.
Outside of the exhibition centre (of which numerous halls were used to house all of the events happening over the weekend) were food stalls, rides and props. All of which got you immediately into the friendly atmosphere that was prevalent throughout the place, with one particular Harry Potter prop being very popular as people jumped onto the bike for a great photo opportunity.
My first port of call (as always) was the main hall housing all of the stalls selling everything you could imagine…well, not quite as I didn’t find anything Rambo related…damn. Though that was made up for by my Rocky itch being well and truly scratched, and of course, this being a Comic Con, there was a huge selection of comics to choose from too, as well as hand made arts and crafts, with one particular favourite of mine being “Cult Locations Ink“, whose eye catching pieces of art had me browsing the stall for quite some time. There were even snacks and drinks from around the world too, with some Canadian “Ranch” Pringles being highly recommended.
Of course the main attraction to these events are the guests, and Monopoly Events have always gone above and beyond in getting names that attract a huge amount of people, be they big movie/TV stars, or comic book artists with a fervent fan base. Just walking around the exhibition centre after browsing all the stalls was a delight, being able to see the likes of Corey Feldman, Paddy Considine, Taylor Lautner (#TeamJacob), and many MANY more from the packed guest list who were available for autographs, photographs and Q&A sessions which went down an absolute storm with everyone that attended them.
Another great thing about these events are the people who attend them, everyone all there with similar interests and all happy to stop and have a chat, while many were dressed in their favourite cosplay outfits.
My award for the best cosplay definitely goes to the young lad who dressed as Rocky (apologies that I didn’t ask for your name!), and as I said to his mum “that’s some great parenting“.
Monopoly Events make sure that there is never an excuse for boredom, filling your time with meeting celebrities, going to Q&A’s, watching cosplay, browsing the stalls, making the most of all the awesome prop builds where you can take your photo for free (ED 209 was of course a favourite of mine), discovering new artists and meeting new people. I’m sure that once again many new friends were made over the weekend.
Monopoly Events continue to get bigger and better, but at the same time they remember that everyone needs to have a pleasurable experience and they continue to keep everything well organised and listen to feedback from previous events.
If I was to make any suggestions going forwards it would be purely from a press point of view. Having a press lanyard would be welcomed, allowing (as it does at other events I’ve covered) the people you approach for photos or a quick chat the recognition and assurance that you are not just some random stranger and are genuinely there in a press capacity.
It would also be good to have a small press area where the guests could go if they wanted more publicity with photos or a quick interview…again, something that has happened at other events.
They are just two small things though that would make it a bit easier to get even better coverage of what is already a fantastic event and is well run, with kudos going to all the staff involved in keeping everything running smoothly.
Make sure to bookmark the Monopoly Events website and follow all of their social media outlets, as they have a large range of events coming at you throughout 2023 and beyond.
Trust me, you don’t want to miss out on these.
Review by Dave from press access kindly supplied by Monopoly Events.