| ConnectiCon | |
|---|---|
| Status | Active |
| Genre | Multi-genre |
| Venue | Connecticut Convention Center Hartford Marriott Downtown |
| Location | Hartford, Connecticut |
| Country | United States |
| First held | 2003 |
| Last held | 2011 |
| Organizer | ConnectiCon, LLC |
| Filing status | 501(c)(7) |
| Attendance | 7,000+ in 2009[1] |
| Official website | http://connecticon.org/ |
ConnectiCon is an annual massively multi-genre convention dedicated to "a celebration of pop culture - everything from anime, to science fiction, comic books and card games."[1] Past guests of honor have included popular North American voice actors for anime and video games such as Carlos Ferro and Vic Mignogna, noted science fiction film and television actors such as Robert Picardo, Ethan Phillips, Ellen Muth, Glenn Shadix, and Peter Mayhew, and prominent web comic personalities such as Brian Clevinger (8-Bit Theater), Scott Ramsoomair (VG Cats), Tim Buckley (Ctrl+Alt+Del), and Ananth Panagariya and Mohammad "Hawk" Haque (Applegeeks).[2] The convention has been held in the Connecticut Convention Center in Hartford since 2005, after having been held at the University of Hartford from its inception in 2003. The convention has grown at a steady pace of about 900 to 1100 each year with estimates for 2011 at about 8000 attendees[3]. The convention also often coincides with Hartford's Riverfest.
The convention includes 24-hour screening rooms of full length features and episodes of classic and modern science fiction and anime titles and sponsorship by GameStop who provided 100 consoles for tournament and casual video gaming play.[4]
Gaming, from card and board games to miniature[5] and role-playing games[6], are featured all weekend long. The convention also sports an art show, exhibitor hall, artist alley, and workshops and panels throughout the convention weekend.
Connecticon also features larger events on a theatrical level. Most notably are bands such as Planetoid, Piano Squall and Rebecca Nurse. There are also mock-up game shows such Weakest Link, Wheel of Fortune and Jeopardy. Other events include the Dating Game, Human Chess and Death Match. These events are themed after pop culture media and their respective characters. The largest event of the weekend is the Masquerade, which brings together all of the departments in one big show. Participants compete with skits and costumes. The show is strung together by a loose plot told through the hosts. Another large draw is one of the shows staging Super Art Fight.