My ConCarolinas 2024 Experience

ConCarolinas is an annual convention held in Charlotte, North Carolina. Historically, it takes place at the Hilton Charlotte University Place over a three-day weekend. The convention focuses on science fiction, fantasy, and gaming and features a multitude of guest presenters, vendors, and performers. 

ConCarolinas offers a diverse range of themed tracks, each delving into unique and fascinating topics such as writing, paranormal, and geek life. These tracks host numerous scheduled panels and events, all led by engaging guest speakers. For my first ConCarolinas experience, I had the privilege of speaking and moderating several panels across these diverse tracks, each offering a new and exciting perspective.
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ConCarolinas 2024 - Day 1
Arriving at ConCarolinas on Friday, May 31st, around 3:30 p.m., I noticed the hotel's parking lot was already 85% full. Walking into the main hotel lobby, I was pleasantly surprised to see no line in the registration area. Upon giving my name and receiving a weekend badge, I went down the lobby escalator to the heart of the convention.


The lower level of the Hilton Charlotte University Place consists of meeting rooms, ballrooms, and a common area with vendor tables scattered around the perimeter. I made my way through the common area to find the meeting for my upcoming panel on blogging for fun and profit, which started in fifteen minutes. Since I was still early for the panel, I grabbed a cup of water and a seat behind the speaker table. Surprisingly, my fellow panelists were late to the panel, so I began speaking with the handful of attendees who ventured into the room. I found out later that the other panelists mixed up their timeslot, but it worked out as many attendees arrived late to the panel, and we still had plenty of time for discussions and answering questions. My fellow panelists brought enthusiasm, passion, and experience. Our conversations were engaging and touched on many facets of blogging. The audience walked away with new information and ideas to explore further.

ConCarolinas Geek Life Banner

Following the panel, I had time to explore the convention more thoroughly. I spoke with my friend and author John G. Hartness at the Fallstaff Books vendor table, perused the vendor rooms, and stopped by the gaming room. Friday afternoon seemed light on attendees as there was little issue navigating the convention halls or waiting for the elevators to return to the lobby floor. Unfortunately, the escalator going up to the lobby remained broken all weekend.
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My next activity was the Banned Book Fair. Any attendees could walk into a large dining room and pick out a book for free. The catch is that each book got gift-wrapped with a label explaining why the mystery book received a ban in public libraries or schools. Some mystery books were well-known, such as Charlie and the Chocolate Factory or Lord of the Flies, while others were more niche. I selected a mystery children's book that turned out to be Hair Love by Matthew A. Cherry. ConCarolina's Banned Book Fair is a great event that attendees should consider participating in.

As dinner time approached, I walked behind the hotel to try Pho@University. Upon entering the establishment, a friendly waitress greeted me. The inexpensive beers listed on the table tent stood out as I sat at an open table. I ordered a local beer for a few dollars and then reviewed the food menu. When the waitress came by with my beer, I asked for a pair of spring rolls and their pho combination option. Pho@University's spring rolls were tasty, and the pho met my expectations. If you like pho, bao buns, and Asian cuisine, visit Pho@University during your time at ConCarolinas.​

Spring Rolls

Pho Combination

After dinner, I returned to ConCarolinas and stopped by their karaoke event. A member of a live-action role-playing group volunteered to run the karaoke event since he owned some equipment. Upon entering the room, I noticed a professional setup with a microphone, lighting, a DJ table, and a large television screen. Karaoke participants visited a website through a QR link to select a song and get in a queue. Once the event started, the list of karaoke singers quickly filled up. I sang (terribly) Torn by Natalie Imbruglia and stayed a while to watch other attendees perform various songs. To cap the night, I went to the game room, hoping to jump into a Magic: The Gathering Commander pod. Luckily, a game had ended, enabling me to join a three-person pod. Throughout the evening, I continued playing Commander and won two multiplayer games before leaving the convention. 

Karaoke Setup

ConCarolinas 2024 - Day 2
Parking at ConCarolinas was challenging Saturday morning as no parking spots were available in the hotel's lot. I had to park on the other side of the boardwalk for the day, which worked out fine. When I arrived at the convention hall around 10 a.m., I immediately noticed a larger crowd of attendees. My first panel of the day was Geek Travel Destinations in a meeting room off the hotel lobby. Although the room was hot, attendees came and stayed for the panel. One of the panelists enjoyed visiting locations of famous movies filmed around the state of North Carolina, and another enjoyed visiting old graveyards while sightseeing. I discussed traveling to Japan to immerse oneself in video games, manga, and more. 

Following the morning panel, I strolled through Saturday's outdoor craft fair and stopped by Kevin J. Anderson's table. I only had an hour before my next panel, Business and Budgeting for Writers, started at 12:30 p.m. My lunchtime panel was interesting as an accountant moderated for myself, a contractor writer and blogger, and a successful author with many novel and anthology publications. Members of the audience heard two distinct perspectives on paying taxes, managing expenses, business licenses, etc. We both stressed the importance of tracking your expenses and tax obligations and being mindful of spending the first real money made from a creative endeavor. Afterward, I went to Cava nearby for lunch and departed for the afternoon as I had an offsite commitment for the rest of the day. 
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ConCarolinas 2024 - Day 3
ConCarolina's Sunday visit was short; I only went to moderate the Nerd Food panel at 10:30 a.m. It was my first time moderating a panel, but I felt confident after participating in others throughout the weekend. Also, it was one of the more engaging panels of the weekend between panelists and attendees. We shared tips on healthy eating at a convention, how to improve the flavor of a meal, hydration, and other related topics. I learned as much as I shared and began implementing some tips the following week. I left after the panel ended, but I could tell many people were either already gone or planned to leave the convention.

Overall Impressions
As a guest speaker, I had a wonderful experience attending ConCarolinas for the first time. I met several writers and bloggers throughout the weekend and engaged with enthusiastic attendees. Participating in other activities around the convention was fun, too. The hotel's location is excellent, as many enjoyable restaurants and shops are within walking distance. Although the escalator issue was annoying, it did not hinder the ability to enjoy the convention. Moving around the convention was a struggle on Saturday with the influx of attendees, but the hotel's convention space felt large enough to accommodate everyone. 

One takeaway from the convention is the notable presence of fantasy and science fiction writers. Many guest speakers and vendor tables are authors of fantasy and science fiction books across multiple subsets, such as urban fantasy, horror, and steampunk. If you enjoy reading fantasy and science fiction stories or writing your own, you will get a lot out of the convention. Beyond writing, there are a ton of panels on the paranormal, gaming, movies, and even wrestling. Any self-proclaimed nerd will find several panels and activities appealing. Also, a charity event, musical acts, and other activities occurred throughout the weekend. ConCarolinas is on the smaller side of conventions, but the content and opportunities to interact with guests and other attendees make it an enjoyable experience.