The multi-genre fandom convention KadabraCon returned to Corpus Christi on Sept 26-28. What was touted as bigger and better than last year’s offering ended up being on par with, or even below the previous year’s offerings.

Events scheduled throughout the weekend included an opening ceremony, anime trivia, dance competitions, Q&A sessions, and even a watch party for “Knights of Guinevere.” There was a haunted house on the show floor, complete with a fog machine and sound effects, in addition to a gaming area that hosted multiple tournaments. Fans of series like “Arcane,” “The Amazing Digital Circus,” and “Hazbin Hotel,” among other franchises, had the chance to meet the talent behind their favorite characters throughout the weekend, with some voice actors hosting their own main stage events.

This year, the event was held at the Hilliard Center (formerly American Bank Center). The upgraded venue space was greatly appreciated, as last year’s convention was held at Mansion Royale, which is only a fraction of the size.

Despite the larger venue, issues with this year’s con became apparent immediately. Good convention etiquette is to offer a physical map of the show floor and vendor locations, along with the schedule of events and their room locations. Even if a convention does not offer a physical handout, at the very least an easy-to-access digital version should be on the convention website. Kadabracon’s map and schedule were only available if attendees had either a OneDrive account or Microsoft Excel. Many guests struggled to find booths, panels, or even to locate important events.

Seating proved to be an issue as well. Beyond the dining area, there was no seating, including inside the panel rooms. All the scheduled events and panels had seating set up for attendees or even the hosts. One panel host I talked to said they had to locate chairs from other parts of the building. Shockingly, many of the panels were located in the 18+ section of the con. This means that anyone who wanted to attend any non-mainstage event had to pass by booths selling adult content. It’s important to note that there were covers on the booths in that area; however, it wasn’t difficult to see past them, and in some cases, the cover did not hide the supply all the way. Combine this with non-frequent ID checks at the entrance curtain, and you’re left with an awkward experience at best and an uncomfortable one at worst.

Several attractions either canceled or could not make the event. To the credit of the Kadabracon staff, the schedule did warn events were “subject to change.” For example, La Gray Cabaret, a group set to perform on Saturday, cancelled their event after learning their performance had been moved and they wouldn’t have the supplies they had requested in advance.

Friday night was also the first night of “KadabRAVEcon”, the in-house rave event. During the same time slot as the rave, a drag show was put on by Azul Entertainment, held in the 18+ section. Sadly, the drag performance was given a standard event room, meaning there was no stage for the performers. Beyond the lack of stage and chairs, the performances were still energetic and carried the spirit that the first day of the con lacked. 

A noticeable sight throughout the weekend, starting Friday afternoon, was the disappearance of vendors. As the weekend progressed, vendors packed up and left in response to the noticeably shrinking attendance.

Saturday’s offerings included games like Anime Wheel of Fortune, fighting game tournaments, and the adult cosplay contest. One standout panel was the one hosted by the team behind “The Amazing Digital Wonderland” team, focusing on opportunities through fanwork, which gave great insight into how people with ideas based on existing franchises can get their fan projects in front of more eyes. This panel was also the premiere of a new animation alongside live performances of songs from the project. It rejuvenated the closing hours and was the closest this event felt to that of a traditional convention. Even with its highs, it was not spared from Kadabracon’s poor communication and lack of proper provisions, as once again the audience was sprawled on the panel room floor rug. And despite requesting several microphones and chairs for the panelists, the convention staff only provided a single microphone and a lone chair.

Saturday’s main stage event was the adult cosplay contest, which had its pre-judging right before the Digital Wonderland panel started. Despite the low attendance, the costumes were excellent, and all showed great amounts of detail and effort.

A contest unique to Kadbracon was their “worst” cosplay contest, which had casual costumes compete over whose was the “worst.” This was the highlight of Sunday’s events, with participants and the audience having a genuinely good time. Afterward, the energy faded away, and Kadabracon wrapped up early. By the closing ceremonies, most vendors had already packed up and left.

Had this been the first Kadabracon ever held, this would be far more acceptable. But Kadabracon has been hosting events since 2023, and it feels like the only lesson learned from previous years was that the venue needed to be bigger.

So many problems carried over from last year, including the lack of an easy-to-access map/schedule, no clear sense of direction for attendees, and, most importantly, poor communication. Even walking the show floor, it wasn’t uncommon to hear people asking where and when the next event was happening, something that could have been fixed by prioritizing communication.

The event marketing focused on the names headlining the event, but attendees wanting more information – like which artists would be attending, what activities or cosplay events would be offered, or even what food would be available  – wouldn’t be able to find that out easily. That type of information makes up the backbone of this scene, serving as a guide throughout the weekend and giving those who are interested what they need to know going into the event. In some cases, people might only buy the convention ticket for community-centered meet-ups or activities, not for the voice actors of series they are not interested in to begin with. Not giving the public an easy way to access that information, or at least announcing it in the massive empty building the event took place in, clearly suggests that keeping communication was not a priority.

As a community, we need to be aware and informed about which conventions receive our patronage and attention. Not only for the sake of the convention scene, but also to prevent these events with clear management issues from continuing, just to keep repeating the same mistakes year after year, with no intent on improving.