In a post-pandemic world, more and more cons are shifting to virtual events. As a result, companies are exploring new technologies to help make their events better for fans to enjoy in the comfort of their homes. Fandom events like the Crunchyroll Awards, DC's FANDOM, Summer Game Fest, and Nintendo Direct are but a few unique events to emerge during and post-pandemic. However, established super cons like Comic-Con, D23, and E3 had to quickly adapt to the highly demanding virtual spaces by offering online alternatives in conjunction with their in-person event. As exciting as it is to tune in and see your favorite celebrities on screen, many virtual cons still fail to deliver on one thing - the interaction between online fans. By using cutting-edge technologies, Virtuous Con provides these benefits and more.
Virtuous con is a virtual experience bringing together creators and fans of indie, sci-fi, and comic books. Founded by award-winning author, Cerece Rennie Murphy, the convention was made to promote indie creators of color affected by the pandemic. Virtual booths and live panels set the tone for the fandom experience by having rooms that enabled attendees to interact with one another and with vendors. There were many incredible BIPOC professionals from the industry participating in the two-day event, including engaging panels. Celebrities like renowned actress Anika Nona Rose, the voice of Princess Tiana in Disney’s The Princess and the Frog, and AMERICAN GODS actress YETIDE BADAKI also made appearances.
As an attendee, the variety of live panels was refreshing. Each wave of panels was split up into three to four every hour, which made it feel easy to hop around from room to room. Speaking of rooms, in celebration of black history month, each panel room was named after prominent black figures in media. For example, the co-founder of Milestone Media and writer Dwayne McDuffie, who is known for producing and writing on several projects in animation like The Justice League, Teen Titans, and Ben 10, had a room named after them. McDuffie is most well-known for his contributions to expanding black characters within comics with the creation of the Dakota verse and resident superheroes like Virgil Hawkins/Static, Icon and Rocket, Hardware, Blood Syndicate, and more.
What made the con truly immersive was the choice of software outside of the usual Zoom interface you see at most virtual cons. The virtual experience platform, Remo, set the bar high in immersive motion by providing virtual booths for networking opportunities and spaces for webinars. The multiple floor spaces within this network allowed for the joyous wonderment of meeting new people as you would experience at any live con but with virtual chat rooms, whiteboards, and video resources. Additionally, the con organizer provided an instructional video to help new users navigate the virtual world. There were some issues on Day 1 with users being unable to access the panel room, which caused a few panels to run late. However, the event organizers and tech support quickly resolved the issue.
Besides a few technical hiccups, the pros outweighed the cons. A few changes I would like to see at the next event is the option to opt out of showing your full name in the rooms. As a content creator, I'm not always comfortable with sharing my full name with people. It would be easier for networking if the option to add stage names were available for content creators and attendees. Virtuous Con was a fabulous event that perfectly captured the enjoyment of an in-person event but in a virtual environment. In addition to running the event smoothly, the organizers made themselves available for assistance. I was able to learn something new through my experience with Remo thanks to the cons’ helpful navigation. Moreover, being able to connect with fans made the con a delight and worth the $10 admission price.