Sasnak City 2019 wasn’t perfect but that doesn’t mean it was a complete shambles. Here’s why the Outlander convention is worth the money.
Let’s be honest that Sasnak City 2019 wasn’t perfect. You know, I’ve never known of a con that is perfect, so I went in expecting mishaps along the way. My tip is to go into everything with no expectations and then you won’t be disappointed.
But I know there were a lot of people who were disappointed. That was especially the case for those who didn’t buy extra photo ops or autographs for whatever reason. It was disappointing for those looking forward to panels than not to get many. And I’ll get onto those disappointing moments with some suggestions for improving them in a bit.
Just remember one thing. Sasnak City is just three years old. it’s a baby con compared to the Creation Ent-run conventions, the likes of NYCC and SDCC, and even compared to Starfury in the UK. When you start a convention, there are teething problems. Yet, when I talked to a lot of people at the con, they weren’t going to skip on things next year because of one thing: Gina Phipps-Hubbell.
Owning up to problems
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Many con organizers would try to hide away if things went wrong. Gina didn’t. She got up on stage and immediately owned up to the mess. While she shared why things went wrong, she never once made excuses. She just apologized, owned it, and tried to get things running as fast and as properly as possible.
What many people wouldn’t have see was Gina and her volunteers running things behind the scenes. I personally spent a lot of time with them because it was a few of them pointing me in the right direction. They were pointing everyone in the right direction, ensuring people got what they paid for and what they needed.
Behind the scenes, they were trying to remain calm and work out a plan to get everything moving again. On Sunday, things were much calmer and maybe that’s because there were fewer people to get through the last few photo ops.
This is where one of my first suggestions comes in, though. It might be best to keep people seated in one place, whether it’s the auditorium or the small area with tables. They can easily go check the vendors too, but make sure people are in one or two places at the most. Then people can be called up tier-by-tier for what they need. Those with meet and greets can be found easily and it’s simply to get things running.
There were hundreds of people to get through lines. This is where my next suggestion comes in. Organize by tier and day. Fraser’s Ridge and Lallybroch people with Saturday tickets could get their photo ops and autographs on Saturday. Maybe Leoch would fit in there as there aren’t too many of them. All others could wait until Sunday. Those with just Friday tickets then can be organized on Friday for things.
It would help to keep lines moving. That could have been hard on Sunday due to cast members needing to leave early, like Maria Doyle Kennedy who could only do half a day, but things could be organized around one person when that’s the case—and things were. Maria’s autograph line went down extremely quickly because Gina knew that they needed to go as fast as possible to get everyone in.
Making sure everyone got what they paid for
One thing I will say is that Gina and her volunteers made sure people got what they paid for. If you couldn’t do something because of the schedule—such as you got a Graham meet and greet but found out the M&G was on Sunday and you only had a Saturday ticket—then the team would figure out something to do.
You did have to be proactive in asking, though. If you were too late, then sadly, there wasn’t much the organizers could do. But they would try everything they could.
And the cast was extremely supportive of Gina and her team doing that. They know how much you’re spending for these events. They want you to feel welcome and appreciated.
This is where Sasnak City 2019 beat Supernatural Toronto by Creation Ent. When I went to SPN Tor 2019, I felt rushed through. I was just another paycheck for Creation Ent. It’s a money pit, willing to encourage you to spend as much as you feel you need, whether it bankrupts you or not. the autograph lines are pushed through extremely quickly. In some cases, you don’t even have time to say “hi, how are you?” and get an answer!
Sasnak City 2019 isn’t like that. The Outlander cast members know you’re there to see them. They want to make you feel wanted, and they will chat. Okay, that makes some things run behind when it comes to the autograph sessions, but I don’t think people were really complaining too much about that part of the show. It was the problems earlier in the day that caused disappointment.
Some of the guests were more talkative than ever. Gary Lewis would make you feel like you’d known him for years. Tim Downie would seem genuinely interested in hearing a story. Nell Hudson is the sweetest person you’ll ever meet and knows how to get you laughing. Each member had something to say, something to contribute, and a way to make you feel at ease.
It’s all about the bigger ticket items
The Fraser’s Ridge ticket is more than worth the money. This is the ticket that gets you pretty much an all-access pass. It offers you the chance to meet the guests on the Friday night while getting extra events throughout the weekend with the cast.
But if you don’t have that money, the Lallybroch ticket is worth it. And you can always get the Blue Mountain ticket separately.
It’s these evening events that certainly make the convention more exciting and worth your time and money than anything else. During these events, the Outlander cast members will walk around and chat to fans. During Blue Mountain, it’s a little like a press room at NYCC. The guests work their way around tables, chatting for 10 minutes or so before moving onto the next table. It’s a chance to just chat, ask questions, and hear a few extra stories.
The meet and greets are also worth the money and time. They’re a 30-minute session with just 10 people in the room with the chosen celeb. You can ask questions, hear stories, and at the end, there are selfie opportunities. You’ll hear stories that you don’t hear anywhere else—and I’ve promised not to share anything that I heard during these sessions.
Shopping at the vendors
I’ll admit that I spent a lot of time at Thistle Do Nicely, mostly because there were a lot of items from home. However, each of the vendors were brilliant with their offerings. Everything was reasonably priced, there was something for all, and all items were easily accessible.
One thing I loved was that the scarves at one booth were being made on site. You could choose your wool color and you could pick up the item while there. Very few vendors would be able to offer something like that. Getting things in my little suitcase meant I had to be picky about some of the items I could buy, but there was certainly plenty that I loved.
The vendors were also friendly, and not just because they wanted you to buy items. They would stand a chat about their love for the show and other fandoms. They would want to learn more about you. In some cases, they could even tell you where individual volunteers were if you were looking for them!
Things that could have gone better
I’ve already shared one way of making Sasnak City better, just a little more organized. Keeping people in one or two places to make it easier to let everyone know what’s going on and keep the flow when it comes to the photo ops and autographs.
One of the biggest downsides was the lack of panels during Sasnak City 2019. The only two that seemed guaranteed were the opening and the closing panels. All others were hit and miss. We got one on Saturday, and apparently there was one on Sunday but everyone missed it due to being in line.
There were some people only there for panels. They wanted to hear the Outlander actors share stories on the stage. Sadly, they wouldn’t have felt like they got their money’s worth, and I can understand that. Just having one or two actors on the stage do a panel while other photo ops are going on would make some sense. The backdrop could have notices show up of which tier was being called for photo ops or the meet and greets that were starting.
Some were saying that if it was a choice between panels and a photo op, they would choose to go to the panels. Others would choose to go for the photo op. It all depended on their preferences but having the option would have been better than nothing at all.
Communication could have also been a little better. You would think the people at Registration would know everything that was happening. They could be an excellent point of contact to find out what was happening when it was happening, and whe you had to go. Sadly, they tended to know less than the con-goers.
This is something that does come with time. But in the future, it could be worth just making sure the people who run reception know what’s going on. That way they can help make people feel at ease.
But these suggestions are just things I’ve noticed happen at the bigger cons. And I know for a fact those bigger cons learned as they went. It’ll all fall into place for Gina and her team.
I do believe overall the event is worth the money. But that’s when you get the bigger ticket extras. When it comes to just a small tier and only there for panels, it was certainly disappointing for many. This is where a few changes could be made for the better.
What did you think of Sasnak City 2019? What do you think could have happened better? What did you love the most? Share your thoughts in the comments below.
Sasnak City runs yearly. We’ll keep you up to date with when the next event is.