October 19-20, Washington State Conference Center
By Lisa Heimbigner
Conventions are a new thing for me, but I have been to six so far this year! But of all that I have
attended, I have to say that Geek Girl Con is by and far the best convention I have ever been to. I do feel
a little biased though, being a first timer to the convention and a volunteer, but the consensus I have
received is that it is one of the better run events.
This year was Geek Girl Con’s junior year, and it showed no signs of immaturity or slowing down. The
convention was completely sold out by the time I arrived on Saturday before noon, but people were still
arriving to the registration booth (my home for the weekend) to try and purchase passes.
For those that don’t know, Geek Girl Con is all about diversity and awareness in the geek community. It
is meant to be a safe haven for everyone to be open and free about being a geek. As the main title of
the convention conveys, it focuses on being a female and having the opportunity to express feminism
in the geek community. A lot of subjects that were addressed were being a woman in the comic book
world and science and technology programs, both fields that are largely male dominated industries.
The message of the conference was that diversity is acceptable, needed and embraced. People should
not be afraid to have experiences or opportunities because of their race, gender, or sexual orientation.
There was even a whole room dedicated to networking with businesses in science and technology fields.
Geeks of all ages and genders enjoyed two fun-filled days of gaming, shopping and panels. From my
view in the lobby, there was no shortage of awesome convention wonders. Cosplayers of every type
passed my way as they went down to the gaming level, or ascended the escalators to the artist alley and
vendor hall. Cosplay costumes from games, movies, anime, TV shows (old school to new)… you name
it, I saw it. Children also made up a large part of the cosplaying scene. Moms and Dads dressed their
kids as the superheroes to their super villains, and other families came together to make crime fighting
teams.
I don’t think I have one bad thing to say about this convention. Was it too short? Nope. A weekend
perfectly spent. Was it too small? Not at all. In fact, it was just the right size so that you don’t get over
whelmed by everything. Too young of a production? This team had the convention running smoothly
and efficiently and everyone on staff was so friendly and excited about being there. I ran into no
problems. Well… maybe they ran out of merchandise at the start of Sunday. It’s hard to predict the
demand for Con merch.
I recommend everyone to check Geek Girl Con out. With its “not too big, not too small” atmosphere,
you should be pleased by the size and structure of the convention. With panels going all day, gaming to
entertain yourself, and a great location in the heart of Seattle, you can always find something to do. I
know that I will definitely be going back as a volunteer again next year.
Photos courtesy of Western Washington photographer and fellow geek, Fearless Photoworks. Check out
her other photos at https://www.facebook.com/FearlessPhotoworks .
