The Hampton Inn and Conference Center, Colchester, VT
Bakuretsu Con is a small, low-key anime convention held annually near Burlington, Vermont. This year marked Bakuretsu Con's fifth anniversary, and the con celebrated by leaving its old location behind and moving to a slightly larger venue at the Hampton Inn in Colchester. The larger space allowed for better organization of events, which included panels, interactive games, demonstrations, contests, and cosplay activities. The intimate atmosphere of this convention is a wonderful change of pace; rather than running around with my head cut off, I was able to relax, hang out with friends, and take some great pictures. The Hampton Inn was also great; not only were rooms only $79 a night (and much less after dividing it up between roommates), but breakfast was free every morning, and free tea, coffee, and hot chocolate were available all day long in the lobby. For the hungry and poverty-stricken cosplayer, being able to grab a free drink and meal was a welcome bonus and a great way to start the day. They did, however, have a significant problem with their key cards -- we were never able to get more than one key to work at the same time, and many other rooms had this problem. Luckily, with such a small location it was easy to find people for keys, but it would be very helpful if the hotel would fix this problem next year. It was also wonderful to have a con to go to late in the fall, long after the major convention season has wound down, and when many cosplayers are looking for something to do. As a result, this is the perfect example of how the convention circuit could benefit from spreading itself out a bit schedule-wise. The con did suffer from a lack of people -- there were staffers running around trying to find people to judge the Masquerade and participate in the Anime Dating game as late as the night before these events. Also, although the AMV screenings and games such as "Anime Unscripted" were well attended, many panels ran with only a handful of people in the audience. However, this was mostly due to Bakuretsu Con's out-of-the-way location and the fact that this small con has yet to develop a good following. There are plenty of New England cosplayers and anime fans who could help this con grow. I hope to support it again in 2007.
