We have seen these happen at times and these are some things that are just far beyond the control of the organizers. Finally, we are back in our convention guide and feature series where we share some tips, how to’s, not to’s, and more in the world of cosplay conventions.

Originally, this post was supposed to be written around last year, specifically in the middle part of 2019 when it was indeed a hype year for convention attendees. However, I took some time to do research and talked to some convention attendees about their experiences just to make sure we make this proper feature for you.

So now we proceed to our topic at hand—which is the convention guests of honor.

Why Conventions Invite Guests

While anime, cosplay, and hobby conventions are big events to just interact will fellow fans and nerds alike, some people are looking forward to something more. Remember that each year, more cosplayers and convention attendees expect a lot, which is why organizers do their very best to invite the best and the most prestigious people to go to give you guys an opportunity to meet them closely in person.

It Aint Easy

Just in case people are not aware, the amount of hard work, sacrifice, blood, sweat, and tears needed to run a whole convention weekend is the same amount when organizers invite guests. To make it short, it isn’t easy. What keeps the organizers going is the hype of each and every cosplayer and congoer that attend the conventions. Remember, that the con wouldn’t be this awesome and big every year if it weren’t for you guys!

Consider Some Possible Situations

Not to sound pessimistic here but remember that almost a majority of the guests that are invited to a convention came from other states or countries. There may be some conditions that are just far beyond the guests and organizer’s control. Let’s take the Coronavirus situation as an example—if the guest decides to cancel or postpone the appearance, then the reason is really and definitely obvious. Remember that guests being invited to a convention shouldn’t have to deal with pressure and stress in relation to the event that they were invited in.

Problems with Organizers

This kind of thing usually happens in starting conventions (sometimes in long-time ones too) that due to some big miscommunications with the organizers, the guest has no choice but decide not to push through with their appearance in the convention anymore. This is not good. If the cause of the problem is really with the organizers, then the word can spread fast. It’s either the organizers would have to do proper damage control or make a public statement regarding the issue and apologize.

Of course, nobody’s perfect and a lot us can learn from the experiences in order to do better.

So what can you do in case the convention guest that you are looking forward to won’t make it? Here are some things that you can do

Ask for a refund or downgrade of your convention pass. Sometimes organizers require convention-goers to upgrade their passes if ever they want to meet-and-greet the guest. However, in this situation, you have every right to either ask for a refund or downgrade your upgrade pass to a regular one. When it comes to refunding policies, please keep in mind that they can vary from convention to convention.

- Attend another guest’s meet and greet. So, if the guest that you were looking forward to can’t make it, then you can always meet another guest that is present in the convention weekend. Most of the time, organizers don’t just invite-only one special guest. They usually invite a few or a couple of them. They can be important people in the anime industry, voice actors, popular cosplayers, and so on. Just take some time to get to know these people since this may be the only opportunity you will really have.

- Hang out with fellow congoers or cosplayers. If ever like you were looking forward to the meet-and-greet panel with the specific guest and it didn’t push through, you may take the missed hours the opportunity to just hang out with old and new friends. Remember that this is what conventions are all about. So don’t be sad and just enjoy the whole weekend with the people that love the same interests as you.

- There is always a next year. If the guest can’t make it this year, then there’s always a next year. Conventions will always be there and rest assured you will be able to have that opportunity to meet with your idol soon.

We hope that this article has helped you. Don’t forget to have fun and just look forward to the next few years when the opportunity to meet your much-anticipated guests will finally happen.