MCM London May 2023 – Summary
Now that the dust has settled from the weekend, and we’ve had a chance to sleep in our own beds, it’s time for an overview of MCM London May 2023. We’ll take a look at what worked for us, and what didn’t, as well as looking to the future…
The Good
First off, we had a blast. Comic con is always a great time to hang out with friends, bump into people you haven’t seen for a while, look at (and buy) stunning artwork, and generally let your freak flag fly. MCM London is one of the biggest current cons in the UK, and it always draws a varied crowd from across a pile of different fandoms, which leads to a superb melting pot of likes and loves.
This year felt super inclusive, perhaps as a reaction to all the negativity in the press at the moment, or maybe because people were just looking for an excuse to be their most authentic selves for a few days. People dressed however – or as whoever – they wanted, no-one batted an eyelid at anything unusual (other than maybe the guy cosplaying as the “it puts the lotion on it’s skin” meme, that was a bit random), and all the con-goers I interacted with were super friendly and happy to be there.
Panellists were generally enjoying themselves, and having fun with the audience. Many of the big name TV folks especially seemed to enjoy their time on stage as well as taking photos and meeting fans. The book signings at Forbidden Planet were also massively popular, and the amount of programming for fiction fans this year was superb,. Hopefully the con organisers will keep that up come next time out, and build on it.
Some of the organisation had improved on previous events, such as allowing priority entry ticket holders in to queue in the central corridor, rather than barricading them in zigzag queues in one hall. This meant that people who wanted to get into Artist Alley quick could do so, those heading for the main stage were there in plenty of time, and so on. Plus it meant the queue hall could be opened up to more fun stuff! Also despite the controversial posts on Thursday, there were working cash machines all weekend, and even better than that – the wifi was working really well! We even found a cracking coffee spot, but we’re keeping the location of that under wraps I’m afraid…! You’ll have to come and write for us to find it out.
The Bad
In general there wasn’t too much to be upset about this year, that we saw. Saturday was pretty over-crowded, and there have been rumours of tickets being oversold (by as much as 10%), which was compounded by the closure of the outside Fringe Stage.
There have been reports online of issues with the security team, cosplayers being photographed and touched with permission, and staff being rude to disabled carers. We didn’t see any of this ourselves, but there is never an excuse to be rude, abusive or mean at comic con, and you should certainly never photograph anyone without gaining their consent first, let alone touching someone. Comic cons being welcoming places relies on everyone adhering to rules, both written and unwritten, so if someone you know acts like this, now is the time to call them out on it. Don’t let them be a monster…
The location of some stages made it heard to hear, such as the Artist Alley stage being in the middle of one of the massive halls with zero sound protection. Others could have done with better lighting, for example the Creator Stage spotlights leaving guests unable to see anything other than the other people on stage. This led to a few issues with some panels, when the audience either couldn’t be seen to ask, or couldn’t be heard. There was also one moderator who liked the sound of his own voice a bit too much for our liking, but all his panellists did their best!
The entry system didn’t work for everyone, and funnelling the creator, guest, press, and disabled entrances all through one small door to the side of the main entrance wasn’t the best choice, especially as it was in a hall containing food trucks, directly next to the super loud Main Stage. Hopefully some lessons will be learnt in time for the next event.
Up next…
MCM London October 2023 has already been announced, but between now and then there is Portsmouth Comic Con (June), London Film and Comic Con (July), and pretty much all of the US conventions – including the ultimate fan-event, San Diego Comic Con in July!
Will you be heading out to any conventions this summer or autumn? Get in touch with us to tell us about events you think we should be attending, so that we can cover all your favourites for you!
Disclaimer: This post contains a paid affiliate link. Shopping via this link does not cost you any extra, but FANdemonium Network may earn a small percentage on qualifying purchases which helps keep us running.
