Designer Con 2018

DesignerCon – November 24-26, 2018

Anaheim, California

This was my first visit to DesignerCon (aka DCON) 2018 and I was super excited as I have heard about this show for years from local artists. The show relocated to the Anaheim Convention Center from Pasadena giving them lots of additional space for over 500 vendors filling up the entirety of Hall C and D.

As I carpooled up with friends, we got there just before 9am. Parking was a breeze and picking up badges was super easy, as I just had to show my email to the desk in the lobby. Much to my surprise, I had accidentally purchased a Saturday one-day VIP pass, I was able to get into the vendor hall and hour before the general public.

Although the opening of the hall was delayed about 20 minutes, they gave some DCON exclusives to us as we filled in. Most people made a beeline over to the Funko booth, but I immediately ran into friends vending and stopped to chat before starting my way aisle by aisle from the far side of Hall D. The line for Funko stayed busy all day as they were selling cereal, in addition to figures.

Usually I can get through a show this size in a day, but I did not anticipate how many amazing new vendors there would be, especially in the Custom Enamel Marketplace area. I was still trying to get through all the pin vendors when I met up with my friends for lunch. On my way out, I ran across this booth getting ready to turn up the volume!

The floor was filled with all kinds of art and collectibles. From custom figures, t-shirts, pins, patches, stickers, prints, original one-of-a-kind pieces, you never knew what would be right around the corner. I really enjoyed that there was time to talk to the artists and learn more about their personal favorite pieces. There was even an area showing augmented virtual reality using iPad technology.

As the hall closed at 7pm and it was at 5pm that I suddenly realized that I had not made it into the hall next door and found some friends who were vending. Picking up my pace, I made sure to hit up all of the aisles. FYI – Not all the artwork on display is child friendly, nor are the prices, but for the pop culture child in us all, this is definite a place I plan on returning for at least two full days to ensure I have plenty of time to see ALL THE THINGS!

Here are some photos from around the show floor. These are custom painted peanuts.