Editor’s note: This content is sponsored by CONQuest 2023 and was produced by BrandRap, the sales and marketing arm of Rappler. No member of the news and editorial team participated in the production of this piece.

If I’m being perfectly honest, the only reason why I was able to enjoy CONQuest 2023 was because I had a media pass. And even then, I was eventually guilt-stricken by the fact that my colleagues and I could go in and out while everyone else had to line up for hours only to be met with more lines inside the halls of the SMX Convention Center.

CONQuest Festival is an annual pop culture and gaming convention. The festival originated in Iloilo and was brought to Manila for the first time last year by AcadArena. Last year’s event was regarded as a huge success. Attendees finally had the chance to physically be with the bigger gaming and anime community as COVID-19 lockdown restrictions were loosened. Plus, CONQuest did what many local cons had not done as much – bring in some of the largest international talents into Manila.

This year, event organizers tried to go bigger by bringing in more talents, more brands, more partners, adding more venues, more events, and more displays. But in the end, things didn’t really work out as planned.

Yes, there were more things to do at CONQuest this year, but everyone was stuck in queues under sweltering heat for too long that in the end, not everyone got to enjoy the three-day affair.

The Bad

Let’s start with the obvious: there were too many tickets sold, and the main venue wasn’t big enough for what they intended.

Ticket claiming started ahead of the festival so that con-goers wouldn’t need to collect their passes on the same day which would’ve meant more lines. But even then, the queues were still too long. And despite long lines and the already packed convention center (it was honestly suffocating), there were still passes being sold onsite.

Hundreds of attendees had to line up for four hours (some even more) outside the SMX Convention Center, many of them in full cosplay.

Imagine wearing layers of fabric and other materials, plus wigs and accessories, while standing under the summer sun and over concrete radiating with heat. There were reports of people fainting while in the queue, and since there wasn’t much room to walk through, medics took too much time to get to them.

There are many entrances you can take to get into the SMX Convention Center, but many of them were closed during day three, which funneled people into one main entry point at the front of the venue. Queues were so bad, memes about them cropped up on the internet. At one point, even the designated entrance for persons with disabilities was closed.

What organizers tried to do to mitigate this was to add more venues where further activities could be enjoyed. Some of the panel discussions, gaming tournaments, meet and greets, and exhibits were held in adjacent locations like Conrad Manila, the National University MOA campus, Microtel by Wyndham, SM Mall of Asia’s Atrium, and even a portion of Seashell Lane right outside SMX.

Unfortunately, the main events were still found within SMX, so even though there were additional venues that con-goers could explore, the majority still flocked to the convention center. And who can blame them? All the exhibits and main events were found there.

Part of CONQuest’s appeal was also the fact that attendees can win passes for meet and greets with famous content creators, gamers, and artists. Some of these passes were raffled online ahead of the event, while others were supposed to be distributed onsite. To get a pass, people would have to queue at designated schedules and venues, but unfortunately passes were given away randomly and arbitrarily hours ahead of their supposed time slots. Many attendees expressed their frustration online, wondering how they were given away and to whom, and why schedules weren’t being followed.

Tickets started at P800 for a one-day pass, but premium passes with all the perks were priced at P20,000. This didn’t include the flights and accommodations some con-goers booked just to make it to CONQuest 2023.

There were also last-minute changes to plans and schedules that left vendors, exhibitors, and some of the talents confused.

Compared to the previous CONQuest festival, this year’s event was chaotic. Last year, I remember walking around freely and with less sweat. Sure, my colleagues and I chose to wear Squirtle onesies this year, but I also had on thick clothing the year before and I was totally fine. In fact, it was really cold last year because the crowd wasn’t as thick.

I also remember being amazed by everyone’s cheerfulness and amazing costumes. People were hyped about finally getting to attend a convention again, and I think I speak for everyone when I say that we really tried to bask in the moments of CONQuest 2022. This year, however, felt like we were all exhausted and frustrated. Some have even started Twitter threads about plans to file a lawsuit against the organizers.

The disaster also prompted Justin Banusing, one of the founders of CONQuest, to create an apology post. Organizers are also now accepting refund requests.

That being said though, there are certain things about this convention that left me wanting more.

The Good

If we ignore the chaos and the logistical mayhem, CONQuest 2023 would’ve been an experience to remember. The fact that this year’s headliners were some of the biggest names in online streaming internationally was quite the feat to pull off.

Streamers like Sykkuno, Pokimane, Valkyrae, Lilypichu, Michael Reeves, and iGumDrop all have thousands of fans across the world. CONQuest 2023 also brought in other well-known individuals in the scene like Anne Yatco and Laura Stahl who are best known for their roles in the hit game Genshin Impact; music performers like James Reid and the K-pop group The Rose; VTubers Demenishki, Bao, and Shoto; and local creators like MaggieKarp, Een Mercado, and KrisRey.

See the full guest list here.

Each of these individuals was given multiple opportunities to participate in shows, meet their fans, and have a good time.

And their respective fandoms and communities already intersect in one way or another, so to see everyone merge into one giant convention was inspiring.

CONQuest 2023 also had some upgrades that they tried coming off from their 2022 experience. For one thing, they added more food concessionaires and placed them in two main locations – outside at Seashell Lane in partnership with Mercato Centrale, and right at the doors of the convention center’s second floor. They also added more activities in the evening like music nights that featured a number of bands and performers. And, as mentioned earlier, they booked adjacent venues so crowds could spill over to other areas.

CONQuest was also an opportunity for creators to get their work seen directly by the people who would appreciate them. Questmarket, for example, was a zone for indie creators and vendors to sell their crafts. There was booth after booth after booth of artists selling prints, stickers, bags, and more.

There was also a section for people developing indie games and looking for players or investors. Amazingly too is that they added an advocacy section for social enterprises and groups working in the development sector to gain some support from the community.

And there were also places where people can play free games like a section dedicated to board games, and an improved retro games zone where con-goers can play classic titles from their childhood.

Several national gaming tournaments hosted by Alliance Games were concluded in CONQuest, giving students from different colleges and universities opportunities to impress gaming communities and win coveted trophies. Scholarships were given out too.

Plus A LOT of freebies and discounts for merch and products.

All in all, CONQuest would have been a mecca for gaming and pop culture fans to feel welcomed and uninhibited. It was a place where everyone can get their geek on and no one would be judgy. It’s a place where community inside jokes can make sense, and terms like MonkaS and KEKW mean anything.

And with gaming and anime becoming more mainstream, the community is also evolving into one that no longer gatekeeps but rather welcomes newcomers. And an inclusive community like this would’ve had a better experience as a collective if everyone had a fair chance at attending and enjoying the con.

Hopefully, next year would be better. – Rappler.com