Sasnak City: The Gathering 2022 review: It keeps getting better!

The more you do something, the better you get at it. That’s certainly the case when it came to Sasnak City: The Gathering 2022.

If you have been to Sasnak City events before, you’ll know how small and intimate they are. There isn’t a terrible ticket, especially when it comes to sitting in the auditorium for the panels. However, there have been times when those with the lower tickets have felt a little left out.

I’ve heard from a few people over the years, and I have friends in every ticket package. Those with the lower tickets can feel like they don’t get a lot, but that was based on comments from 2019. When I talked to people from 2021 and from The Kingdom 2022 event, things started to change.

It’s all changed with Sasnak City: The Gathering 2022. This is, by far, the best of the events. With practice has come better scheduling, some great surprises, and fond memories.

Better scheduling than ever at Sasnak City: The Gathering 2022

Scheduling was a problem during previous events. Well, it was more of a problem with the long lines for photos, and trying to make sure everyone felt like they were included. It can take forever to get through some of the photos, but that changed with Sasnak City: The Gathering 2022.

Fraser’s Ridge and Lallybroch ticket holders were able to go to the event before the opening panel. This allowed them to get some of their photos, which made it easier for those with Leoch and Craig na Dun (and there were some now no longer available Carolina Territory ticket holders) tickets to not have to wait in line for ages for their photos.

It was important to pay attention to the schedule. It could change at the last minute because of cast members, and there were some surprise pop-up panels, which were great for keeping attendees happy and I’ll get to that.

The only thing with the scheduling was attendees not always paying attention. There was a big projector with details that were constantly updated, and team members would share updates through the mic. People just had to make sure they were paying attention to it all. Everyone got what they paid for in the end, but if people would pay attention, it would have been much smoother. That’s what happens when you have a big group of people, though.

Much better for photos and autographs

As mentioned, the photo line wasn’t as long. The staggered sessions helped to ensure that. Then the Sunday could be used as a way to do a catch-up photo session. One thing that I really appreciated was on the Saturday before leaving, everyone was asked to mark down all the photos and autographs that they needed. It helped with scheduling on the Sunday.

Everyone got a printed photo and a code to download the digital copies. If you want to put everything together in a digital print book, this is super easy with the digital copies. Make sure you download them!

As for the autographs, they were done differently to the 2019 event (I can’t comment on the 2021 event as I wasn’t there). Instead of everything being done at the end of the day, there were autograph sessions spaced throughout. Those with Fraser’s Ridge and Lallybroch tickets were offered the chance first, and there was a request to only line up 10 at a time. This helped to keep people seated who couldn’t stand for long, and it eased off some of the wait. Or at least, it felt like it did.

Again, everyone got everything they paid for or was included in their tickets. This was also a chance to give gifts and have a very brief chat with the cast members, but things still didn’t take up a lot of time.

There were two areas where autographs were being done, so it was important to keep track of that. The projector helped! This helped to keep the lines down, and it helped to speed up the process for those who had autographs only available for purchase and not via a ticket tier.

Something for everyone to do

Sasnak City: The Gathering 2022 made sure there was something for everyone. In the 2019 event, I did hear that some of the lower tiers felt like they were just sitting around a lot. That wasn’t the case with this one.

There were pop-up panels throughout the weekend. These all happened in the main lobby, which meant attendees weren’t asked to get up and down from their tables all the time. It meant the cast could just get straight into doing their panels.

I didn’t hear a bad word about these pop-up panels. This was perfect for those who couldn’t afford any of the extras and felt like sitting around would be a waste of time.

Meet & Greets also helped to space out some of the time, and there were some excellent vendors at the event. I got some personalized Christmas decorations for the kids as well as an Outlander map on wood from Lori’s Lori’s Laser Craft table. You may also see photos of Alexander Vlahos wearing a “Dirty Duo” shirt, which came from The Southern Songbird Boutique.

While the upper tickets got events on the Friday and Saturday nights, there was also a Saturday Night Party for everyone. This took place at the same time as Blue Mountain Cocktails, which did overrun that night! The party is a chance for everyone to let their hair down. Sometimes, we see the cast members turn up, but that didn’t happen this time due to Blue Mountain overrunning.

Overall, this was the best event Sasnak City has put on so far. It will only get better from here.

What did you think of Sasnak City: The Gathering 2022? Will you attend the next one? Share your thoughts in the comments below.

Check out the Sasnak City website for all the details on the next events.