Great Things can Come in Small Sizes: Ontario California Comic Expo Review

Hi all! Happy first week of Fall!🍂 Fall/Autumn has got to be my favorite season of all. The weather cools, but isn't unbearably cold, the leaves come off the trees and I get to hear the crunch of them as I walk down the sidewalk, and I have even more cosplay/convention opportunities than I do during the summer.

Today's blog is actually about the most recent con that I went to, Ontario California Comic Expo. At this con, I was given the honor of being a cosplay guest, a panelist, and an artist alley vendor. While I have been on various panels in the past, the other titles were new to me. The convention was Saturday, September 23rd, and Sunday, September 24th from 10:00 am - 6:00 pm. This was the very first year for OCCE, and they had a great turn out. The con was affordable, easily accessible, and also had free parking. The location was the Ontario Airport Hotel and Convention Center, and it was the perfect size for the con's inaugural year.

The Con flyer - picture courtesy of OCCE.

Both my friend Crystal, and I had booths as cosplay guests where we were allowed to sell items. Crystal chose to sell artwork that she does, which she takes commissions for, along with cosplay prints. She also had some of her cosplay on display, such as her renaissance Harley Quinn & various masks.  I loved her display, very professional looking with great attention to detail.

My friend's booth - Photo credit by Crystal Rose Creations

My friend's booth - Photo credit by Crystal Rose Creations

On the other hand, my booth was much simpler.  I sold cosplay prints, gave out Dum Dum Pops (they're free of major allergens), and did a raffle. My raffle is actually still ongoing because I am trying to raise enough money to donate partial proceeds to the Children's Hospital of Orange County (CHOC) and the Children's Hospital, Los Angeles (CHLA). Once I figure out how to do PayPal entry fees, I will extend this raffle through Halloween. For the $5 raffle, the winner will receive an approx/ 54" x 60" Legend of Zelda blanket, and for the $1 raffle, the winner will receive a Legend of Zelda Bi-Fold Wallet. When I get that PayPal entry set up, the raffle will also be extended to my readers to enter. I am also taking commissions on both the blanket and the wallet.

I wasn't kidding when I said my booth was rather simple.

I cosplayed both days. Day one as Lucoa, but I forgot my horns, so that isn't pictured. On day two, I was both Bumblebee from the Teen Titans and Storm from X-Men. Also, I played a "cosplaying photographer" both days and went around the convention taking pictures of other cosplayers. I would like to share a couple pictures and the pages of the cosplayers pictured with you.

Me on Day Two as Bumblebee with my Sony Alpha a6000.

Here is cosplayer Adam Arroyo, known as Aadarthbane on Instagram, cosplaying as End Game Joker. He was a fun person to work with because he played the part of Mistah J very well and he was so kind. I would love to work with him again at a different convention.

Talk about some Bokehlicious bokeh. Photo by me on my photography ig page: Himawarisayscheese

Another cosplayer that I was able to work with is Stevie Belleperche, known as TheBoneBitch on Instagram. From one Harley Quinn cosplayer to another, she was such a great Harley Quinn. Her posing is top notch and she has such a photogenic aura about her. I would love to work with her again.  

See, the camera loves her! Photo by me.

At OCCE, the attendees, vendors, and guests were welcomed with cheerful staff volunteers. I mean, these staff volunteers looked like they loved what they do and that can greatly affect an outcome of how a convention will turn out. The wonderful staff that often passed out snacks and bottled water to the vendors and guests, while maintaining constant interaction with the attendees were a delight. I have honestly never seen such amazing hospitality by the staff at any convention I've been to like how I experienced here. This is coming from someone who goes to an average of ten conventions yearly. The pre-purchased badge attendees,vendors, and guest were given a high quality badge, that looked like a lot of work went into it. There were decent sized panels, and I was graciously offered to also be a panelist on a panel about the ins and out of cosplay for beginners. While this con might have been small, it generated nice sized crowds and was a decent price at $15/ day & $25/weekend. My favorite thing about this con was the staff, to be honest. They just made the whole con experience amazing. They were always checking on us guests to make sure that we were alright, and if we had to leave our booths, someone would come and stand-in for us. Safety was also their number one priority. So, if anyone had a problem with someone at the con hassling them, they would have their security escort them from the premises. I am so very glad that I was able to be a guest at this convention, and hope to return to other cons ran by this staff again.





Have any of you ever attended a brand new convention? What was your experience like? Let me know in the comments below. Also, on October 7th, I'll be at Grave Harvest, the Halloween con in Fullerton. It's going to be at the Hotel Fullerton, which has free parking as well. Grave Harvest is $10, online only as no tickets will be at the door. So if you love Halloween, I recommend checking this con out as well.

Till Next Time!

-Hachi